David Scott's Retirement

February 10, 2004

I am writing to inform you that David R. Scott, who has served Rutgers with distinction as University Counsel since 1984, has announced his retirement. His last day in this position will be July 16. We at Rutgers are indebted to David for his remarkable leadership and dedication over the past two decades.

David is only the second person to serve as in-house general counsel at Rutgers. Under his leadership, the Office of University Counsel has become a highly professional and experienced legal-services department for the university. He has worked effectively with three university presidents, two acting presidents, and numerous chairs of the Board of Governors and Board of Trustees. We take pride in his accomplishments and have benefited from his excellent work.

While David Scott has contributed to Rutgers’ success on a daily basis, it is worth noting a few highlights from his career:

• Overcoming a challenge by the Internal Revenue Service that disputed Rutgers’ authority to issue tax-exempt bonds. More than $1 billion in bonds has been issued pursuant to the favorable IRS ruling in 1986 that the university obtained, enabling Rutgers to make many substantial capital improvements to all three campuses.
• Leading a Rutgers effort to ensure that New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act protects confidentiality in key areas of teaching and research activities in order to protect academic freedom in higher education.
• Working with the university’s governing boards during restructuring discussions to ensure, in accord with the Act of 1956, that Rutgers retained a high degree of autonomy and independence while serving the state’s higher education needs.

Looking to the future, we are forming a committee to conduct a search for a new University Counsel, and we hope to conclude the committee’s work and select a candidate as soon as possible.

While David will be departing from his office at Winants Hall in July, he will remain a part of the Rutgers community as he plans to teach at the Rutgers School of Law–Camden in the fall. He also intends to stay involved in community service and to spend more time on travel, tennis, and skiing.

Please join me in saluting David Scott for an extraordinary career at Rutgers and in wishing him all the best as he prepares for retirement.

Richard L. McCormick
President
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey