Paul Ward became the Vice President for University Administration and General Counsel in September 2004. He has served as General Counsel at ASU since June 1991. In the role of Vice President for University Administration his areas of responsibility include the Police Department, University Audit and Advisory Services and the Environmental Health & Safety Department. Mr. Ward also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law and the Mary Lou Fulton College of Education.
Prior to his association with ASU he served the University of South Carolina System as General Counsel from 1970 to 1991. Previous to this time he was engaged in private practice in the Washington, D.C. office of Casey, Lane & Mittendorf (predecessor to Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf).
Mr. Ward served as President (1996-97) and as a member of the Board of Directors (1988-92 and 1993-98) of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA). In 1993 he established NACUA's electronic bulletin board, NACUANET, which now has more than 2200 participating members in the United States and Canada. In June 2000, he received the prestigious Distinguished Service Award from NACUA.
He serves as a member of the NCAA General Counsel Advisory Board. He is also a member of the Arizona Corporate Counsel Forum. In addition, he recently concluded a term in the American Bar Association House of Delegates.
In 2002, Mr. Ward received the Thomas S. Biggs Award at the Stetson University College of Law, National Conference on Law of Higher Education. The Award, named in honor of the former General Counsel of the University of Florida, signifies "Dedicated Legal Service to the University Community with highest and constant regard for individual morality and institutional integrity and the dignity of each student and colleague."
Mr. Ward graduated from the Southern Methodist University School of Law (J.D., 1975) and Eastern Illinois University (B.S., 1971; M.A., 1974). He has been admitted to practice law in Arizona, Indiana, South Carolina, Texas, the District of Columbia, and the United States Supreme Court.