Interim University Chancellor Larry Skogen says he hired Murray Sagsveen as both chief of staff and chief legal counsel.
Sagsveen is a former state health officer and a brigadier general in the North Dakota National Guard. He served as the state disaster recovery coordinator in the 2011 floods.
Skogen says Sagsveen has a lot of work ahead.
"By legislation, I ended up with 8 attorneys and 4 auditors added to the staff," said Skogen. "My concern is how to organize this legal staff."
Skogen says the system office used to have one attorney. That expanded to two.
"I'm not an attorney, and I have never organized legal services," said Skogen. "That's one of the issues I asked Gen. Sagsveen to help us out with."
Skogen says there are a number of other challenges facing the system – and Sagsveen will be working on them as well.
"We're dealing with the Higher Learning Commission complaint," said Skogen. That complaint centers on the governance of higher education in North Dakota. "I want to make sure all the 'I's' are dotted and the 'T's' are appropriately crossed before a possible visit by that Commission."
That visit could happen next spring.
Sagsveen will be paid $200,000 a year -- according to the Legislative Council.
