The Pennsylvania State University invites applications and nominations for the position of Vice President and General Counsel. The Vice President and General Counsel serves as the University’s chief legal officer, reports directly to the President and the Board of Trustees, and is a member of the President’s Council, which is the senior leadership team of the University.
The Office of General Counsel is located at both the University Park and the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campuses of Penn State. Penn State is a comprehensive research university, comprised of 24 campuses throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and is the land-grant university in Pennsylvania. The broad range of issues faced by the VP and General Counsel reflects the complex nature of an institution with 96,000 students, more than 40,000 full- and part-time employees, an international research enterprise, intercollegiate athletics, and a major academic medical center.
The mission of the Office is to provide the highest quality legal services to the University in a responsible, constructive and timely manner; to protect and promote the mission and values of the University, including compliance with its obligations and protection and promotion of its interests; to minimize legal risks and costs; and to address and resolve legal disputes. Consistent with the mission and best interests of the University, including its duties to follow the law and meet its obligations to the public, governments and third parties, the lawyers in the General Counsel’s Office strive to be problem solvers; to engage in strategic thinking with the University decision makers; to defend the interests of the University and its constituents; to protect and promote integrity and ethical conduct; to practice preventive law; and to assist the University’s Board of Trustees, President, officers, faculty and staff to accomplish their institutional objectives. In undertaking the work of the Office, the Vice President and General Counsel coordinates with other University officials, including the President, other members of the President’s Council, the Director of Internal Audit, and the Director of Ethics and Compliance, as necessary and appropriate.
The ideal candidate will have proven experience managing a large corporate or centralized institutional legal office. They will be an effective leader and an exceptional communicator, as well as a champion for diversity, fostering equity and achieving inclusion. The successful candidate will have earned a JD from an ABA accredited school of law and admission to the Pennsylvania Bar or eligibility to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through a reciprocal arrangement in another state.
Applications should include a detailed curriculum vitae and a letter of interest that highlight the applicant’s personal vision and relevant leadership experience. To ensure full consideration, inquiries, nominations, and applications should be submitted electronically in confidence, by May 24, to:
Ken Kring, Senior Client Partner, Victoria Antolini, Principal, And Lori Hemmer, Senior Associate Global Education Practice, Korn Ferry, Philadelphia, PA
Penn State University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.
