Monica is the former Interim Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Rutgers University. Her responsibilities at Rutgers, with approximately 65,000 students and 20,000 employees, encompassed the full range of legal and compliance issues facing a state-wide research university with major professional schools and 29 labor unions. As a key member on the President's Cabinet she was responsible for advising the President and members of the Boards on all legal issues, and supervising a staff of 18 lawyers.
Monica was involved with the legal issues relating to faculty and staff, athletics, student affairs, campus safety, cybersecurity, collective bargaining relationships and overseeing all litigation. She was the principal counsel during the Title IX Athletics Compliance Review by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. She also oversaw dozens of internal investigations involving employment equity, workplace violence, and sexual assault. Monica’s high-profile matters included a student suicide related to cyberbullying, faculty misconduct and whistleblower cases. Monica advised the University President in establishing the Tyler Clementi Center at Rutgers to promote the study of bullying prevention and LGBTQ resources on college campuses.
Practicing in the area of higher education law since 1990, Monica is a frequent presenter at National Association of College and University Attorneys national conferences and she has been widely published on a variety of higher education topics. Previously, she was employed as Executive Deputy General Counsel at the State University of New York; Associate General Counsel at Cornell University; and Assistant General Counsel at Barnard College.
Speaker, “Managing Student Group Activity Related to the Israeli-Palestine Conflict”, National Associate of Student Affairs Professionals, Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, March 11, 2024
Speaker, “A Year in Review in Higher Education Compliance”, Conference of Higher Education Compliance Officers, New York, NY, October 12, 2023
Discussion Leader, “Expansion of Labor Unions in Higher Education”, NACUA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL June 2023
Speaker, “Future of Affirmative Action and Scholarships for Women and Minorities in STEM”, Big Ten Consortium, Academic Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, May 21, 2023
Panelist, “Higher Education Legal Update”, 50th Annual National Conference: The State of Collective Bargaining and Higher Education, National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, Hunter College, NY, April 13, 2023
Panelist, Higher Education Legal Update, 49th Annual National Conference: The State of Collective Bargaining and Higher Education, National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, April 13, 2022
Panelist, Higher Education Legal Update, National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, Annual Conference, May 17, 2021
Now Trending: Employment Law Updates and Practical Tips to Best 'Employ’ Your Employment Law Knowledge, NACUA Virtual Annual Conference, June 23, 2020
COVID-19: Managing a Dynamic University Workplace in the Midst of a Pandemic Webinar, NACUA Briefing, March 26, 2020
Panelist, What Keeps a College President Up at Night, Legal Issues in Higher Education, Manhattanville College School of Education 3rd Annual Legal Issues Symposium, February 21, 2020
Panelist, Climate 2020: Climate and Diversity in a Polarized World, NACUA CLE Workshop, New Orleans, LA, January 30, 2020
20/20 Vision on Employment Law: Looking Back on the Important Employment Laws of 2019 and Looking Ahead to Potential Changes in 2020 Webinar, The Commission on Independent Colleges & Universities in New York, January 21, 2020
Human Resources Update, The Commission on Independent Colleges & Universities in New York Regional Meeting, October 15, 2019
Stump the Experts, The Ever-Evolving Field of Higher Education Discrimination Law: What You Need to Know Now, April 5, 2019
One Step Forward, One Step Back?: The Faculty's Role in Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, The Ever-Evolving Field of Higher Education Discrimination Law: What You Need to Know Now, April 4, 2019
#OFFEND #UPLIFT #HATE #LOVE: Blurred Lines as Both Public and Private Universities Navigate the Costs of Free Speech, Annual Conference of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, June 24-27, 2018
Tenure Evaluation Challenges, United Educators Webinar, March 1, 2018
Hot Legal Issues in Higher Education, Higher Education Leadership Symposium, February 9, 2018
Panelist, Top Trends and Emerging Issues in Higher Education Discrimination Law, NACUA CLE Workshop, March 29, 2017
Monica is the former Interim Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Rutgers University. Her responsibilities at Rutgers, with approximately 65,000 students and 20,000 employees, encompassed the full range of legal and compliance issues facing a state-wide research university with major professional schools and 29 labor unions. As a key member on the President's Cabinet she was responsible for advising the President and members of the Boards on all legal issues, and supervising a staff of 18 lawyers.
Monica was involved with the legal issues relating to faculty and staff, athletics, student affairs, campus safety, cybersecurity, collective bargaining relationships and overseeing all litigation. She was the principal counsel during the Title IX Athletics Compliance Review by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. She also oversaw dozens of internal investigations involving employment equity, workplace violence, and sexual assault. Monica’s high-profile matters included a student suicide related to cyberbullying, faculty misconduct and whistleblower cases. Monica advised the University President in establishing the Tyler Clementi Center at Rutgers to promote the study of bullying prevention and LGBTQ resources on college campuses.
Monica is the former Interim Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Rutgers University. Her responsibilities at Rutgers, with approximately 65,000 students and 20,000 employees, encompassed the full range of legal and compliance issues facing a state-wide research university with major professional schools and 29 labor unions. As a key member on the President's Cabinet she was responsible for advising the President and members of the Boards on all legal issues, and supervising a staff of 18 lawyers.
Monica was involved with the legal issues relating to faculty and staff, athletics, student affairs, campus safety, cybersecurity, collective bargaining relationships and overseeing all litigation. She was the principal counsel during the Title IX Athletics Compliance Review by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. She also oversaw dozens of internal investigations involving employment equity, workplace violence, and sexual assault. Monica’s high-profile matters included a student suicide related to cyberbullying, faculty misconduct and whistleblower cases. Monica advised the University President in establishing the Tyler Clementi Center at Rutgers to promote the study of bullying prevention and LGBTQ resources on college campuses.
Practicing in the area of higher education law since 1990, Monica is a frequent presenter at National Association of College and University Attorneys national conferences and she has been widely published on a variety of higher education topics. Previously, she was employed as Executive Deputy General Counsel at the State University of New York; Associate General Counsel at Cornell University; and Assistant General Counsel at Barnard College.
Speaker, “Managing Student Group Activity Related to the Israeli-Palestine Conflict”, National Associate of Student Affairs Professionals, Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, March 11, 2024
Speaker, “A Year in Review in Higher Education Compliance”, Conference of Higher Education Compliance Officers, New York, NY, October 12, 2023
Discussion Leader, “Expansion of Labor Unions in Higher Education”, NACUA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL June 2023
Speaker, “Future of Affirmative Action and Scholarships for Women and Minorities in STEM”, Big Ten Consortium, Academic Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, May 21, 2023
Panelist, “Higher Education Legal Update”, 50th Annual National Conference: The State of Collective Bargaining and Higher Education, National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, Hunter College, NY, April 13, 2023
Panelist, Higher Education Legal Update, 49th Annual National Conference: The State of Collective Bargaining and Higher Education, National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, April 13, 2022
Panelist, Higher Education Legal Update, National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions, Annual Conference, May 17, 2021
Now Trending: Employment Law Updates and Practical Tips to Best 'Employ’ Your Employment Law Knowledge, NACUA Virtual Annual Conference, June 23, 2020
COVID-19: Managing a Dynamic University Workplace in the Midst of a Pandemic Webinar, NACUA Briefing, March 26, 2020
Panelist, What Keeps a College President Up at Night, Legal Issues in Higher Education, Manhattanville College School of Education 3rd Annual Legal Issues Symposium, February 21, 2020
Panelist, Climate 2020: Climate and Diversity in a Polarized World, NACUA CLE Workshop, New Orleans, LA, January 30, 2020
20/20 Vision on Employment Law: Looking Back on the Important Employment Laws of 2019 and Looking Ahead to Potential Changes in 2020 Webinar, The Commission on Independent Colleges & Universities in New York, January 21, 2020
Human Resources Update, The Commission on Independent Colleges & Universities in New York Regional Meeting, October 15, 2019
Stump the Experts, The Ever-Evolving Field of Higher Education Discrimination Law: What You Need to Know Now, April 5, 2019
One Step Forward, One Step Back?: The Faculty's Role in Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, The Ever-Evolving Field of Higher Education Discrimination Law: What You Need to Know Now, April 4, 2019
#OFFEND #UPLIFT #HATE #LOVE: Blurred Lines as Both Public and Private Universities Navigate the Costs of Free Speech, Annual Conference of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, June 24-27, 2018
Tenure Evaluation Challenges, United Educators Webinar, March 1, 2018
Hot Legal Issues in Higher Education, Higher Education Leadership Symposium, February 9, 2018
Panelist, Top Trends and Emerging Issues in Higher Education Discrimination Law, NACUA CLE Workshop, March 29, 2017
