MSP Alumnus Dr. Leland McGee Named Interim MSP Assistant Dean in Newark
Rutgers Law School is pleased to welcome Dr. Leland S. McGee ’82 as the interim assistant dean of the Minority Student Program (MSP) in Newark. With a distinguished career spanning law, public service, and higher education, Dr. McGee comes back to his alma mater with a longstanding commitment to student success, mentorship, and educational opportunity.
"It is truly an honor to return to Rutgers Law School–Newark in this role,” Dr. McGee said. “As a Rutgers Law-Newark alumnus, and a former Professor at SPAA [Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration], this is more than a new professional opportunity - it is coming home. MSP has changed the lives of generations of students, and I feel privileged to help steward that legacy during this next chapter.”
MSP is committed to fostering inclusivity and supporting all students who have faced socioeconomic or educational disadvantages. This nationally acclaimed program is designed for individuals of underrepresented groups in the legal profession who have encountered discrimination or overcome social or socioeconomic challenges. MSP in Newark and Camden takes a proactive approach to ensure the success of its students by providing essential resources such as legal skills development, academic support, mentoring, networking opportunities, internships, and more. Regardless of race or ethnic background, all Rutgers Law School students can be considered for MSP.
"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. McGee back to Rutgers Law School,” said Rutgers Law Dean Johanna Bond. “As an accomplished alumnus, public servant, educator, and mentor, he brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the transformative impact of legal education. His leadership of MSP at our Newark home aligns with our Strategic Plan commitment to expand opportunity, strengthen student success, and develop robust pipelines that support talented students from all backgrounds.”
After graduating from Rutgers Law in Newark, Dr. McGee served in a variety of legal and government roles, including New Jersey Deputy Attorney General, Deputy Ratepayer Advocate, Legal Specialist in the NJ Division on Civil Rights, Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of East Orange, Executive Director of the East Orange Water Commission, and as an Administrative Law Judge for the State of New Jersey. Throughout his legal career, he has remained committed to mentorship and expanding opportunities for students and emerging professionals.
Dr. McGee transitioned to higher education in recent years, serving as an adjunct assistant professor in the Higher Education section of the Policy, Organizations, Leadership and Systems Division at Penn Graduate School of Education. His work focuses on advancing educational equity through learner-centered, community-engaged approaches that connect research, policy, and practice. He also taught Ethics and Administrative Law at the Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration and in the Kean University Public Administration Department.
Most recently, Dr. McGee was a principal investigator for the Indigenous Consciousness Education Research Methods (ICER) project at Anant National University in Ahmedabad, India. This international initiative examined how communities understand and sustain their local knowledge systems and how those systems can inform education, technology, and civic engagement. The project reflects Dr. McGee's broader commitment to creating learner-centered educational environments that recognize and build upon the strengths and aspirations students bring with them.
He said, “Throughout my career(s), there has been one constant understanding: a human-centric approach to whatever we do - advocacy, law, education, etc. - has the power to transform lives. That belief has led me to work at the intersection of policy, research and practice, and I've grown to appreciate that educational ecosystems connect students to real people, real problems, and real purpose.”
