New counsel to offer legal guidance

New
counsel to offer legal guidance
…………………………………………………………………

BY DANA BENSON
Rice News Staff

Richard A. Zansitis
will take the helm of Rice’s legal office as only the
second general counsel in the university’s history.

Zansitis, currently
the general counsel at Bucknell University in Lewisburg,
Pa., will join the Rice office in late February or early
March. He will bring with him more than 15 years of experience
as an attorney in the field of higher education, with 13
years spent at the University of Chicago.

“We are
very fortunate to have attracted Richard Zansitis to Rice,”
President Malcolm Gillis commented. “The search committee,
headed by Scott Wise, vice president and treasurer, produced
a short list of truly outstanding candidates from which
he was selected. His experience at both the University of
Chicago and Bucknell will be deployed to maximal effectiveness
here at Rice.”

Zansitis explained
that he enjoys working in the field of higher education
law. “There are many aspects of this field that I like,”
he said, “not the least of which is having the sense
that I’m working at an institution where things matter,
like the education of students for the 21st century and
the advancement of knowledge to the benefit of society.”

Zansitis said
that at Rice he definitely will have the sense of doing
work that matters. “Rice has a fantastic reputation
as being a collegial university with outstanding programs.

“I’m
really excited about becoming part of President Gillis’
team. I was really impressed with all those I met among
the faculty, the trustees, the staff and administration,
and I look forward to getting to know the students,”
he said.

Rice, like other
institutions of higher education, faces certain challenges,
Zansitis explained. Universities must balance being on the
cutting edge of research and technology and being prudent
managers of their resources. The role of the general counsel’s
office is to help faculty and staff maintain that balance
by navigating the laws and regulations that universities
face.

“As the
general counsel, I’ve got to be sure that Rice is receiving
the best legal advice and representation,” he said.
“Fortunately, Rice already has an excellent foundation
put in place by Shirley Redwine, with Carlos Garcia and
Joe Davidson as the associate general counsels. I eagerly
look forward to working with Carlos and Joe.”

Zansitis has
been general counsel at Bucknell, a liberal arts college
with engineering and management programs, since 1998. He
worked in the general counsel’s office at the University
of Chicago from 1985 to 1998 as attorney, assistant general
counsel and then associate general counsel.

Before entering
higher education law, Zansitis was a litigation attorney
for New York and Chicago law firms. He commented that his
career as a litigation attorney “involved a lot of
motions and depositions and only a few trials. Frankly,
I felt I needed a new challenge that focused on ideas and
creative problem solving as much as the managed conflict
inherent in litigation.”

Zansitis, who
earned his bachelor’s from the University of Chicago
and his law degree from the Columbia University School of
Law, began his career in higher education law by working
in the legal office at the University of Chicago while simultaneously
pursuing a doctorate in legal history there. He eventually
decided to devote his full efforts to his legal practice,
although he has done some teaching at both the University
of Chicago and Northwestern University. While he didn’t
finish his degree, he never regretted his career choice.

He quickly learned
that one of the best things about working in higher education
law is the opportunity to work and interact with smart and
dedicated faculty, staff and students. He looks forward
to that same opportunity at Rice.

“I’m
still learning about Rice, but one thing I noticed right
away is that Rice puts an emphasis on achieving excellence
and that there is a strong sense of community spirit.”
Zansitis will make the move to Houston with his wife, Suzanne
Mitchell, currently an attorney for a health system in central
Pennsylvania, and their two golden retrievers, Sam and Morgan.