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Jonathan R. Alger
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Jonathan R. Alger, who coordinated legal efforts for the University of Michigan’s two landmark United States Supreme Court affirmative action lawsuits, will become vice president and general counsel for Rutgers.
Alger’s appointment, effective Jan. 1, was announced Oct. 6 by President Richard L. McCormick. Alger replaces David R. Scott, who was university counsel for 20 years until retiring in July.
Since 2000, Alger has been assistant general counsel and a member of the faculty at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Prior to that, he was counsel to the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) in Washington, D.C., for four years.
At Michigan, he played a key role in the university’s legal efforts in the Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger affirmative action cases, including management of the largest amicus brief effort in Supreme Court history. For the AAUP, he worked with colleges and universities nationwide on faculty-related issues, such as academic freedom, tenure, due process and discrimination.
“Jonathan Alger brings an enormous depth of legal experience in higher education to Rutgers,” President McCormick said. “As colleges and universities face increasingly complex legal issues, Rutgers is fortunate to have Jon lead our fine legal team.”
As general counsel at Rutgers, Alger will serve as legal adviser to the Rutgers boards of governors and trustees, the president and other administrative officers, and he will represent the university and its boards in all legal proceedings. He will be part of the university’s leadership team and will oversee the Office of University Counsel.
“As someone who loves the law and higher education, I am looking forward to this wonderful opportunity to work with the entire Rutgers community,” Alger said.
At Michigan, Alger also led a comprehensive review of programs in admissions, financial aid, recruitment, outreach and retention. He also has provided leadership in such areas as intellectual property and online education and served on a •••••• of policymaking committees. He taught interdisciplinary courses for the University of Michigan’s schools of law, education, information and public policy.
Prior to joining the AAUP, he was a senior attorney-adviser in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in Washington, where he played a leading role in developing and implementing policy guidance on race-targeted financial aid, racial harassment and free speech. He received the agency’s highest award in 1995. Alger began his professional career in the labor and employment section at the law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Washington.
Alger is a well known speaker and writer in higher education; his publications are cited by many other experts in the field. He has served on a •••••• of national committees and task forces and currently is on the board of directors of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA).
He serves on the board of advisers for the University of Vermont’s annual conference on “Legal Issues in Higher Education.” He has chaired conferences on such topics as computer privacy and security issues on campus, technology law and e-commerce, and academic freedom at religiously affiliated institutions. He also is chairing NACUA’s 2005 conference on “Higher Education Discrimination Law.”
Alger earned his juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude in 1989, and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Swarthmore College. He and his wife, Mary Ann, an executive with a biotechnology company, are the parents of a 5-year-old daughter.
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