Robert (Bob) Donin served as General Counsel of Dartmouth College from 2000 until his retirement
Robert (Bob) Donin served as General Counsel of
Dartmouth College from 2000 until his retirement
in 2017. As Dartmouth’s principal legal officer, he
provided general legal guidance and advice to the
President and Board of Trustees and to administrators,
faculty and staff on a broad range of legal issues
including governance, student affairs, intellectual property, and regulatory
compliance. He also supervised the Offi ce of Visa and Immigration Services
and was a member of several institutional committees including the Council on
Sponsored Activities and the Academic Planning Committee.
Prior to coming to Dartmouth, Bob was an attorney with Harvard University,
where he served as Deputy General Counsel (1997-2000), Administrative
Coordinator in the Office of the General Counsel (1993-97), and University
Attorney (1984-92). While at Harvard, he was a member of the Committee
on Patents and Copyrights and the University Committee on Information
Technology, and helped to draft Harvard’s policies on intellectual property
ownership and faculty participation in educational activities of outside
organizations.
Before joining the legal staff at Harvard, he was a partner in the Washington,
D.C., firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard & McPherson.
Since retiring from Dartmouth, Bob served as a consultant and First
Amendment Program Officer for the Stanton Foundation and continued
to serve as a member of the board of directors of the Kendal at Hanover
continuing care retirement community.
A graduate of Colgate University, Bob received a J.D. degree from the
University of Pennsylvania Law School and an LL.M. from the University of
London, where he was a Fulbright/Hays Scholar in International Law.
Throughout his years at Harvard and Dartmouth, Bob was active in NACUA,
serving as a member-at-large of the Board of Directors from 2012-2015, in
addition to other committee positions. He has been a selfless and tireless
NACUA leader for many years. In the words of a colleague, “he is an
intellectual powerhouse who never makes anyone feel other than respected
and valued.”
NACUA is pleased to recognize Robert Donin as a Life Member of the
Association in recognition of his outstanding service and his sustained and
substantial contributions to NACUA and the field of higher education law.