James Mingle, University counsel and secretary of the Cornell Board of Trustees, will retire on June 30 after more than 20 years at Cornell, the University announced Wednesday.
“It has been a privilege to be surrounded by a superb group of professionals [at Cornell] … who bring dedication and competence to everything they do,” Mingle said in a University release.
While working as University counsel, Mingle was responsible for directing and coordinating the University’s legal affairs in all facets of its operation, ranging from its academic programs to its research and medical efforts.
One of Mingle’s recent achievements, was establishing the legal means for Cornell to acquire its Cornell Tech campus in New York City, which the University won the bid for in December 2011, according to President Emeritus David J. Skorton. Skorton said, Mingle was a “consummate counsel and colleague” who had a hand in many of Cornell’s major advancements.
Peter C. Meinig ’62, chair emeritus of the Board of Trustees, echoed Skorton’s sentiments.
“Through careful guidance of Cornell’s policies, operations and governance, [Mingle] helped broaden the University’s reach and academic influence in the United States and abroad,” Meinig said.
During his tenure, Mingle oversaw over 1,000 litigation cases on the University’s behalf, with over 98 percent of the cases resolved in Cornell’s favor either in court or in settlements outside of court, Mingle said in the release.
President Emeritus Hunter Rawlings III praised Mingle’s skill in litigation, commending Mingle’s efforts to strengthen University copyrights and to unify policy among the Cornell campuses.
“[Mingle] led several important efforts to protect faculty members’ intellectual property, and he helped to draw the Weill Cornell Medical College and the Ithaca campus closer together,” Rawlings said. “[His tenure] is … marked by first-rate achievements.”
President Elizabeth Garrett, who said she was grateful for Mingle’s assistance during her transition into her new position at Cornell, also said that Mingle was of “extraordinary service to Cornell.”
“Mingle has provided … invaluable guidance to its presidents and members of the Board of Trustees,” Garrett said.
Before arriving at Cornell, Mingle had been an assistant attorney general who headed the educational affairs division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. He came to Cornell in 1995 from a legal counseling position for the University of Virginia, and now also holds an adjunct position at the Cornell Law School in addition to his counseling and secretarial positions.