IU general counsel adds vice president to title

IU President Adam Herbert named Dorothy Frapwell the University's vice president and general counsel Friday after he said a change in Frapwell's title would more accurately reflect her responsibilities, according to an IU news release. \nThis is the first time IU has regarded a general counsel as equivalent with a vice president. \n"She already operates at the vice president level," Larry MacIntyre, IU director of Media Relations, said. He said he believed the change was very much in line with the way other "Big Ten and large universities" organize legal advisors. \nFrapwell agreed and said the legal work within a university has become as important as any other University office.\n"The climate has changed," she said. "There were times before the late 1960s that all of the legal work was handled by somebody on the board of trustees. Since then, there has been a huge increase in legal issues facing the University." \nShe said these range from issues of employment to information technology. \nHerbert told trustees during their regularly scheduled business meeting at IU-Purdue University Fort Wayne that he had already conducted a review of other research universities and found the responsibilities of general legal counsel were delegated at the vice presidential level, according to the news release.\nFrapwell will witness no shift in responsibility despite the new title, MacIntyre said. According to the release, Frapwell will continue to serve as the chief legal advisor to both the president and the IU board of trustees.\nEven though her title would reflect a promotion, MacIntyre said it has not been decided if Frapwell will receive a pay increase. In her current position, Frapwell earns more than $195,000 annually, according to IU Financial Management Services. MacIntyre stressed Frapwell's importance, saying it is a necessity to have good lawyers within the institution. \n"Both the president and the board face a wide range of issues that involve and require legal opinions and interpretations," MacIntyre said. "So it can be a very serious position."\nFrapwell has served as University counsel since 1994. She joined the legal staff in 1975 as an associate University counsel and currently serves as a member of the Monroe County Bar Association, according to the release.