Kurz Retiring as NC State’s General Counsel

North Carolina State University’s top lawyer and head of its legal affairs office will retire effective Oct. 1. Mary Beth Kurz, vice chancellor and general counsel, has spent 34 years as a university attorney, the last 13 of which have been at NC State.

A frequent lecturer on legal issues in higher education, Kurz’s areas of practice include education, labor and employment, administrative, affirmative action/equal opportunity, civil rights and constitutional law. She has taught classes for NC State’s College of Management.

She previously served as general counsel for the Texas A&M University system, general counsel for Michigan State University and legal counsel for the University of Montana. As an assistant attorney general for the State of Maryland, her principal assignment was representing state colleges and universities. She served as an assistant legislative officer for the governor of Maryland, assistant attorney general for the state’s criminal division and clerk for the chief judge of the Court of Special Appeals.

Kurz received a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Marywood College (Pennsylvania) and a law degree with honors from the University of Maryland. She is a member of the bar in the states of North Carolina, Texas, Michigan, Montana, Maryland and the District of Columbia. She served as president of the National Association of College and University Attorneys from 1992 to 1993 and as a member of the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association from 1993 to 1995.

The search to replace Kurz is under way; David Drooz, senior associate general counsel at NC State, is serving in an interim capacity.

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