Syracuse University names new general counsel

SYRACUSE — Syracuse University (SU) has named Dickens (Deke) Mathieu its next senior vice president and general counsel.

He will join SU on June 1 as senior vice president and general counsel-designate. Mathieu will take over as general counsel on July 1, succeeding Thomas Evans, who previously announced plans to retire on June 30.

Mathieu comes to SU from Tufts University in Medford, Mass., where he serves as senior legal counsel. He will serve as the chief legal officer of SU and will provide proactive professional advice to university leaders and the campus community regarding critical strategic, legal, and public-policy issues, the university said in a news release. Mathieu will manage the selection and oversight of outside counsel and will also serve as a member of the chancellor’s cabinet.

“Deke Mathieu brings both broad and deep experience to SU as a seasoned attorney and university counsel,” SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor said in the release. “We had an outstanding candidate pool that went through a very rigorous search process … and Deke rose right to the top. We’re eager to have him join our senior leadership team as we offer profound gratitude and appreciation to Tom Evans for his decades of service to SU.”

In his role at Tufts, Mathieu provides legal advice in the areas of human relations, labor and employment, student affairs and academic issues, general litigation, and internal inquiries and reviews. He launched his career in higher education in 2004, following several years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to that, Mathieu worked in the Labor and Employment section of the international law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Washington, D.C.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Mathieu grew up in the Boston area. He graduated from Amherst College with a bachelor’s degree in political science and received a J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.