University of North Texas General Counsel to Retire Following Assistant GC's Resignation
The UNT System announced Nancy Footer's retirement days after assistant general counsel Caitlin Sewell used the n-word during a free speech discussion and resigned amid calls for her ouster. Sewell later said she stepped down to prevent Footer from being fired.
December 05, 2019 at 02:35 PM
3 minute read
University of North Texas, Denton. Photo: Wikipedia
University of North Texas System vice chancellor and general counsel Nancy Footer is heading toward the exit following the resignation of another lawyer at the school who used the n-word during a free speech discussion.
UNT System Chancellor Lesa Roe announced Footer's retirement Nov. 12, four days after assistant general counsel Caitlin Sewell resigned. Students began calling for Sewell's ouster after she used the n-word as an example of protected speech during a Nov. 7 event at UNT called "When Hate Comes to Campus."
Footer's retirement announcement was brief and did not include a statement from Footer herself. She has worked for the UNT System for 15 years. The system includes the University of North Texas in Denton, the University of North Texas at Dallas, and the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.
When reached by email Thursday, Footer referred questions about her retirement to UNT System spokesman Paul Corliss. He replied that the UNT System "does not comment on personnel matters."
Footer's retirement, which is effective Jan. 3, is noteworthy not only because of its timing but also in light of a statement that Sewell provided to Corporate Counsel after she stepped down. She asserted that she resigned to save Footer's job.
Sewell said in her statement that Footer and senior associate general counsel Renaldo Stowers had refused to comply with a directive from UNT "leadership" to fire Sewell or ask for her resignation.
"I resigned to prevent Ms. Footer and Mr. Stowers from being terminated," Sewell wrote.
Sewell did not respond to an email Thursday. When reached by phone, Stowers, like Footer, directed questions to Corliss.
UNT System senior associate general counsel Alan Stucky is serving as interim vice chancellor and general counsel while the school searches for Footer's successor.
"We are grateful to Nancy for her tremendous service to our system and universities over the past 15 years, and we also appreciate her willingness to assist Alan Stucky in his transition to Interim Vice Chancellor & General Counsel," Roe wrote in Footer's retirement announcement.
She went on to praise Stucky, noting that he recently won the "Chancellor's Excellence Award for his exemplary work and he is well-respected throughout UNT World."
Read More:
UNT Lawyer Says She Resigned Amid Racial Slur Outrage to Protect School's Top Attorneys
Assistant General Counsel for University of North Texas Faces Backlash Over Racial Slur
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