TO: University of Idaho Faculty and Staff
FROM: Scott Green, President
DATE: July 31, 2020
SUBJECT: Jim Craig Named U of I General Counsel
I am pleased to announce that Jim Craig has been promoted to General Counsel after having served for the past four years as Deputy General Counsel for the University of Idaho. This appointment was effective July 1, but will be implemented over the next year as prior General Counsel Kent Nelson transitions into a Special Associate General Counsel role with the goal of retirement in June 2021.
Jim was raised in Idaho and graduated from Moscow High School. He has degrees from both the U of I College of Business and Economics and the U of I College of Law, and an LL.M. degree from the Washington College of Law at American University. He has worked as a law clerk for a Nez Perce County district judge and as a deputy prosecuting attorney for Valley and Latah counties, handling both criminal and civil matters. Prior to coming to U of I in 2016, Jim worked as an attorney for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Orlando, Florida, for nearly eight years.
In 2015, he received the DHS Secretary’s Silver Medal Award, the second highest award given by the DHS Secretary to DHS employees, for his work on a high-profile human rights case.
Jim has provided effective and impactful guidance to the university during his time as deputy counsel, and I know his expertise will serve us well as we navigate the many challenges in higher education.
Jim is also an ardent Vandal. He plays in the Alumni Marching Band, and his oldest son will join the Vandal Family as a freshman this fall.
Thank you to both Jim and Kent for their dedication to U of I and to a smooth transition that will well-position the university.
Scott Green
President
president@uidaho.edu
uidaho.edu/president