Pitzer College Names James Jorgensen as Chief of Staff and Chief Legal Counsel

James Jorgensen
James “Jamie” Jorgensen

Claremont, Calif. (April 5, 2018) — Pitzer College names James “Jamie” Jorgensen as the College’s chief of staff and chief legal counsel. In this vital role, Jorgensen will provide executive support and counsel; triage legal and crisis management issues for the College; and serve as a liaison and resource to the Board of Trustees. His first day will be July 2.

Jorgensen brings nearly 15 years of higher education experience to Pitzer College, as well as 20 years of experience as a practicing attorney. Most recently, he served as deputy general counsel at the University of Iowa, where he advised on employment and labor law issues such as discrimination and harassment, disability accommodations, wage and hour, investigations and collective bargaining; negotiated purchasing, international programs, affiliation and software license agreements; advised the Office of the Provost and academic units regarding faculty issues, academic misconduct and student disciplinary proceedings; and represented the Office of the General Counsel on the university’s Threat Assessment Team, Disability Planning and Action Committee, Charter Committee on Diversity and Academic Integrity Advisory Board.

Prior to his work in higher education, Jorgensen’s law practice focused on labor, employment and ADA and other state and federal compliance issues at firms in Chicago and Phoenix.

Jorgensen is committed to academic values and undergraduate education. He was an adjunct assistant professor in the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, where he taught employment law, business law and legal ethics for undergraduate and MBA students. He is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and the Academy of Legal Studies in Business. He has published in the Review of Higher Education, West’s Education Law Reporter and The Urban Lawyer.

Jorgensen holds a BA with distinction in economics and political science from Iowa State University, a JD from the University of Michigan Law School and a PhD in education policy and leadership studies from the University of Iowa.

About Pitzer College

Pitzer College is a nationally top-ranked undergraduate liberal arts and sciences institution. A member of The Claremont Colleges, Pitzer offers a distinctive approach to a liberal arts education by linking intellectual inquiry with interdisciplinary studies, cultural immersion, social responsibility, and community involvement. For more information, please visit www.pitzer.edu.

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