May 26, 2015

Dear Colleagues,

I wanted to provide an update on the General Counsel search and some background on a new direction for this position as we evaluate the role of the general counsel as an advisor to the president and senior leadership at the university.

The final round of interviews for the General Counsel position have been completed and it’s promising to report that we had stellar candidates in response to the original posting. I appreciate the countless hours the search committee took to review the many applications, narrow the pool, and lead the interviews with top-quality talent that the UO would be proud to have on its team. 

With no reflection on the search committee or pool of candidates, we have decided, in consultation with incoming president Schill, to revise and expand the job description for the General Counsel and reopen the search. 

The primary reason for a new search is that the job will be elevated to a Vice President and given an expanded scope of work. The VP-General Counsel will not only serve as legal counsel to the university and the Board of Trustees, but will also be a senior advisor as it relates to other legal affairs and institutional issues. 

Due to the expanded portfolio and title change, it is necessary to open a new search. We expect the new position description to be posted soon and plan to move expeditiously to fill the position for the incoming school year.

If you have any questions about the scope of work, search process, or decision to move in this direction, please let me know.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Scott Coltrane
Interim President
University of Oregon
(541) 346-3036
pres@uoregon.edu