Truman State University — Missouri’s only public liberal arts and sciences university — seeks an experienced, skilled, collegial, and collaborative attorney to serve as its next General Counsel. This position provides a unique opportunity to formulate and oversee legal policies and procedures that will have a lasting impact on Truman’s ability to fulfill its mission for many years to come.
The Position: The primary function of the General Counsel is to provide legal advice to and representation for Truman’s Board of Governors, administrators, faculty, and staff acting in their organizational capacity on behalf of the university. A General Counsel provides effective legal advice, representation, and training in a complex operational context. Subject areas are numerous and varied and include constitutional law, particularly speech and due process, accreditation, employment, benefits, student issues (including discipline, privacy, and welfare), utilities, facilities, procurement, real and intellectual property, construction, finance, insurance, tort liability, privacy of information systems, electronic discovery, export controls, labor relations, contracts, grants, personal injury, and increasingly complex compliance issues, particularly Title IX. The Institutional Compliance Officer reports to the General Counsel. The Board of Governors appoints the General Counsel to serve at the pleasure of the Board.
The Institution: A vibrant community of teacher-scholars and academically talented students, Truman is a residential university providing approximately 3,700 students with broad liberal arts experiences and in-depth study in 50 undergraduate majors and 11 graduate programs. Truman has a longstanding reputation for providing an exceptionally high-quality education paired with an outstanding return on investment. As a result, Truman consistently appears in the most respected annual listings of the nation’s best colleges and universities. For 27 consecutive years, U.S. News and World Report has recognized Truman as the No. 1 public university in the Midwest Regional Category. Other accolades include being one of 10 public colleges profiled by Fiske Guide to Colleges, 2024 as a “Best Buy” school noted for quality academic offerings and affordable cost, named by the Princeton Review College Guide, 2024 among “The Best 389 Colleges” out of 2,400 institutions across the country to earn an undergraduate degree, and recognized as the No. 7 best master’s university in the nation by Washington Monthly 2023. Truman was the only state school to be included in the top 300. In addition to its commitment to excellence, the University promotes a welcoming culture that puts people first and supports students, faculty, and staff. More information about Truman and what others say about the University can be found at www.truman.edu and www.truman.edu/about/facts-about-truman/points-of-pride/.
Location: Located in Kirksville, Truman plays a vital role in the thriving regional center of northeast Missouri. The city enjoys a low crime rate, excellent schools, and a low cost of living. Within a few minutes’ drive, a broad range of outdoor recreational opportunities is easily accessible. Kirksville is connected to Chicago by Contour Airlines (https://contourairlines.com/). Amtrak operates the Southwest Chief on daily schedules from LaPlata (13 miles from Kirksville) to Chicago, Kansas City, and points southwest to Los Angeles. A. T. Still University maintains dental and medical schools in Kirksville. More information about Kirksville can be found at www.visitkirksville.com.