History and General Information

History

The National Association of College and University Attorneys was founded in 1960-61 by a small group of attorneys who regularly provided legal services to colleges and universities; they were the first such specialists in the United States. The University of Michigan played a key part in this early development, along with the University of Alabama, Northwestern University, and several Ivy League institutions.

Purpose

The Association's purpose is to enhance legal assistance to colleges and universities by educating attorneys and administrators as to the nature of campus legal issues. It has an equally important role to play in the continuing legal education of university counsel. In addition, NACUA produces legal resources, offers continuing legal education programming, maintains a listserv (NACUANET) and a variety of member-only web-based resources pages, and operates a clearinghouse through which attorneys on campuses are able to share resources, knowledge and work products on current legal concerns and interests.

Who Are NACUA Members?

Primarily, NACUA's members are non-profit, regionally accredited institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada, and further abroad. Each member institution is represented by a primary attorney, as well as additional attorney representatives. All representatives may attend NACUA meetings and workshops, as well as serve on NACUA committees or the Board of Directors. While only non-profit, accredited colleges and universities are eligible for full institutional membership, NACUA also offers Associate Institutional membership to non-profit organizations that meet certain eligibility criteria, as well as Associate Individual membership to attorneys who are not eligible to be an institutional representative, but are determined by NACUA to have a "commonality of interest" with NACUA member institutions.

Higher Education Law at a Glance

List of NACUA Member Institutions

Frequently Asked Questions about NACUA Membership