Former Republican National Committee chief counsel Matthew Raymer ’03 will serve as the College’s next general counsel and senior vice president starting March 17. Raymer, who has publicly defended President Donald Trump’s push to redefine the scope of birthright citizenship, will oversee the Office of Visa and Immigration Services and serve on College President Sian Leah Beilock’s leadership team.
Raymer will advise the Board of Trustees, faculty and administration on legal and strategic matters, Dartmouth News wrote in a release.
“I am thrilled to be back in Hanover and deeply committed to supporting and safeguarding Dartmouth’s academic mission and community members,” he wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth. “My experience in politics doesn’t influence that commitment.”
The College’s announcement comes as the Trump administration continues to rework federal education policy and appropriations. Yesterday, for example, Trump signed an executive order aimed at dismantling the federal Department of Education. Earlier this month, the administration canceled $400 million of funding for Columbia for failing “to protect American students and faculty from antisemitic violence and harassment,” according to a letter from the administration.
On Jan. 24, Raymer published an op-ed in The Federalist titled “Trump Is Right About Birthright Citizenship,” in which he supported Trump’s push to revoke birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants.
He argued that state attorney generals and organizations who sued the Trump administration over the executive order for violating the 14th amendment misinterpreted the scope of birthright citizenship granted in the amendment. The executive order is currently blocked nationwide after judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington issued orders prohibiting its enforcement.
College spokesperson Jana Barnello wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth that Raymer “brings extensive legal expertise, sound judgment and, as an alumnus, a deep personal commitment to his alma mater.”
According to Barnello, the general counsel provides legal guidance and supports the College’s legal strategy but does not set institutional policy. She added that Raymer’s op-ed “presented a scholarly legal argument contributing to the broader conversation on a widely discussed topic” and is separate from Raymer’s responsibilities as general counsel.
“Dartmouth has full confidence in [Raymer's] ability to serve in this role based on his qualifications and expertise, without regard to any personal political beliefs,” Barnello wrote.
Raymer succeeds interim general counsel Audrey Anderson, who assumed the role in September 2024 after Sandhya Iyer’s departure last fall. Raymer was also recently appointed as a lecturer in the government department, Dartmouth News wrote. He will teach a seminar on election law this spring.
Iyer and the Office of Visa and Immigration Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Anderson directed a request for comment to Barnello.
Kelsey Wang is a reporter and editor for The Dartmouth from the greater Seattle area, majoring in history and government. Outside of The D, she likes to crochet, do jigsaw puzzles and paint.
