Contact: Anthony de Bruyn, (512) 499-4363

Date: September 17, 2004

UT System News Release

Vice Chancellor and General Counsel Resigns

AUSTIN – Cullen M. (Mike) Godfrey, vice chancellor and general counsel for the University of Texas System, announced his resignation effective Sept. 30.

"Mike has served the UT System well for several years and has provided outstanding leadership and advice at System Administration and to all of our institutions," said Chancellor Mark G. Yudof. "We are grateful for his guidance and dedication as general counsel, and we wish him every success in his future endeavors."

Godfrey joined the UT System in 2000. As vice chancellor and general counsel, he leads an office of some two dozen attorneys who work on legal topics as diverse as intellectual property, real estate, environmental law, tax law, oil and gas law, and medical liability. The general counsel coordinates and assists in litigation provided by the state attorney general and outside counsel, and he serves as the UT System's chief ethics adviser.

Before joining the UT System, Godfrey was an attorney at Fina from 1982 to July 2000. He had been vice president, secretary and general counsel of the Dallas-based oil company since 1990, and senior vice president since 1995. He left Fina when it was acquired and the headquarters were relocated to Houston. Godfrey, who earned bachelor's and law degrees from UT Austin, is a member of the American Law Institute and was recently appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws.

After taking some time off, Godfrey plans to return to the private sector.

Yudof announced that the search for his successor has begun.

The UT System has 15 campuses, including nine academic and six health institutions, and an annual operating budget of $8.5 billion (FY 2005). Student enrollment is projected to exceed 185,000 students in the 2004 academic year. The UT System confers one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees and educates three-fourths of the state's health care professionals annually. With more than 87,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state. 

UT System News: Dallas Attorney Named Vice Chancellor and General Counsel (10/2/2000)

UT System Office of General Counsel Homepage

Biography of Cullen M. Godfrey

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