The Office of the North Dakota Attorney General is hiring six legal positions to oversee the 11 institutions governed by the State Board of Higher Education.
This comes after a statute passed during the recently completed legislative session eliminated the board's authority-and therefore the school's authority as well-to employ legal counsel and instead gave that charge to the attorney general's office.
The job description, available online at bit.ly/1PAPaN9, says the office is looking to fill six positions. Two general counsel positions would cover UND with the possibility of also covering Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, and one would cover North Dakota State University with the possibility of also covering the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton.
At a meeting April 30, the SBHE approved cutting 13 legal employees because of the new statute. UND spokesman Peter Johnson said this affected three legal staff and an administrative employee in Grand Forks.
Johnson said they all declined to be interviewed.
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Attorney General's Spokeswoman Liz Brocker said to "refer to the job posting" when asked if applicants from universities or the system would be given special consideration should they apply, and the posting does not state they will.
Three more positions the attorney general's office is looking for would be located in Bismarck and provide general counsel to the other seven SBHE institutions, the board itself or the North Dakota University System.
SBHE spokeswoman Billie Jo Lorius said in an email she did not know if any university or system legal staff affected by the change had applied for the new job openings.
The salary range for the positions are dependent on experience.
Brocker said the office intends to hire by July 1, the date the legislation goes into effect.
