What the University of Minnesota says about the loss of its head lawyer

This is the University of Minnesota's official announcement of General Counsel Mark Rotenberg's departure:

Mark B. Rotenberg, who has served as the University of Minnesota’s Chief Legal Officer for the past 20 years under four presidents and 11 Board of Regents chairs, will leave the U to take the post of vice president and general counsel at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore beginning on June 3, 2013.

Rotenberg leaves a broad legacy at the U of M, including extraordinary litigation successes in which the U recovered more than $580 million, among the highest recovery rates of any university counsel office in the U.S. Rotenberg personally argued and won an important constitutional case for the U in the U.S. Supreme Court and also was successful in representing the U in numerous Minnesota Supreme Court cases. He saved the University millions of dollars by implementing measures to substantially reduce litigation against the University and by handling the overwhelming majority of litigated matters in house.

He negotiated the naming and sponsorship agreement with TCF Bank Corp. for the U’s on-campus football stadium that generates tens of millions of dollars for the University, including student scholarships; negotiated the lease for the Minnesota Vikings to play on campus when the Metrodome roof collapsed; built one of the nation’s most successful athletic compliance offices, which has enabled the U to have a spotless record of no major NCAA infractions in any sport for more than a decade; and created an in-house team of legal experts in transactional law which covers a range of legal issues including technology commercialization, patents, copyrights, trademarks, real estate, public finance, and other areas.

For many years Mark has shared his knowledge with, and mentored, hundreds of U students, serving as professor in the University of Minnesota Law School and adjunct professor in the College of Liberal Arts.

"It has been a great honor to represent the University of Minnesota as General Counsel for the past two decades," Rotenberg said. "While it is terribly difficult to leave the U, and the Golden Gophers will always have a place in my heart, Johns Hopkins offers a unique and very special professional opportunity that I cannot pass up."

"Mark has epitomized the kind of integrity and accountability that all public institutions like ours strive for," said University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler. "His record of success spans the legal spectrum from litigation, to transactional matters, to building one of the finest offices of general counsel at any university in the country. I will miss his legal acumen and his deep knowledge of the University of Minnesota."

"The Board of Regents is deeply grateful to Mark Rotenberg for his years of distinguished service to the University of Minnesota," said University Board of Regents Chair Linda Cohen. "Mark has provided wise counsel to the Board and its 11 different chairs during his 20-year tenure as chief legal officer at the university.  It is with mixed feelings that I congratulate Mark on his appointment as General Counsel to the prestigious Johns Hopkins University.  The University of Minnesota will miss his thoughtful expertise and guidance."

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