Les Koepplin, director of federal relations for 25 years, to retire
Archived article from May 10, 2004
By Amy Vames
After serving as Rutgers’ director of federal relations for 25 years, Les Koepplin will retire this summer. “During his tenure, Les has been a staunch advocate for Rutgers at the federal level,” said President Richard L. McCormick in announcing Koepplin’s retirement. McCormick noted that when Koepplin began at Rutgers, the university had no Washington office and received only $10 million in research funding and $20 million in student aid. “One indicator of his success is the fact that our federal support now totals $350 million annually, an amount that now exceeds our state appropriation,” McCormick added.
Koepplin helped establish a Washington office in 1994 and helped usher Rutgers into the Association of American Universities (AAU) in 1989.
As director of federal relations, Koepplin works with the president and other administrators, faculty members, students and staff to develop university policies, position papers, testimony, and financial and regulatory documents. He also works with members of Congress, other research universities and federal agencies to enhance their understanding and support of Rutgers’ federal agenda. Koepplin served as a senior staff member at the AAU in 1995 and was a member of the AAU’s Committee on Research Facilities.
Koepplin said he is proud to have worked at Rutgers in the years it emerged as a national university, able to compete with other major universities for outstanding faculty members and students. He expressed gratitude for the support New Jersey’s Congressional delegation has provided to Rutgers over the years.
“What I will remember the most, however, will be the quality of people I worked with at Rutgers,” he added. “There are so many extraordinary people who have contributed so much to the university.”
After he retires, he plans to spend more time with his wife, Linda, traveling to California to see family, visiting museums and attending the theater. The couple lives in Princeton. Koepplin also hopes to teach part time, either history or management. From 1980 to 1990, he taught international management courses at the Graduate School of Management in Newark. He has a doctorate in history.
Koepplin’s last day will be June 30. On July 1, Francine Newsome Pfeiffer, associate director of federal relations, will take over as director of the Washington office.
University Counsel David Scott to retire
David R. Scott, who has served as university counsel since 1984, will retire from that position this summer, announced University President Richard L. McCormick. Although Scott will leave his office in Winants Hall effective July 16, he will teach a course on legal issues in higher education at the School of Law–Camden in the fall. “I’ve really loved my job as university counsel,” Scott said. “I’ve worked with great people and have been constantly challenged with new and important issues. The job reinvents itself every day.”
“We are indebted to David for his remarkable leadership and dedication over the past two decades,” said McCormick. “He has worked effectively with three university presidents, two acting presidents and numerous chairs of the board of governors and board of trustees. We take pride in his accomplishments and have benefited from his excellent work.”
Scott is only the second person to serve as in-house general counsel at the university. He came to the university from Washington, D.C., where he served as general counsel and acting director of the Office of Government Ethics.
One important issue he tackled at Rutgers was working with the governing boards on the restructuring proposal. “From October 2002 to December 2003, restructuring took probably about 70 percent of my time,” Scott noted. “It’s really the most complex set of legal issues to face the university in the last 50 years.”
Other highlights of his Rutgers career include a challenge by the Internal Revenue Service to Rutgers’ authority to issue tax-exempt bonds. A ruling favorable to the university in 1986 allowed Rutgers to make many capital improvements to all three campuses. Scott also led a university effort to ensure that New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act protects confidentiality in key areas of teaching and research.
In addition to teaching in Camden, Scott, who lives in Princeton, plans to do community service. He also wants to spend more time traveling, skiing and, as a longtime member of the U.S. International Lawn Tennis Club, competing in more matches than he’s able to while working. “The job of university counsel leaves little discretionary time and I look forward to getting in better shape,” he said.
Scott’s wife, Ruth, is also retired, and they plan to spend more time with their two children, Cintra, who is getting married this summer, and Rod. Both live in New York City.
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