When William McGeveran was named the 12th dean of the Law School in June, the news surprised few and delighted many. Bill, as he is known fondly by colleagues, had been appointed interim dean a year earlier, but his no-nonsense approach, warmth, and easy humor have charmed faculty, staff, and students for 18 years. Throughout his tenure on the Minnesota Law faculty, including four years as associate dean for academic affairs, he has led with a dedication to experiential learning, broad diversity, and meaningful community.
He’s the right person at the right time in the right place,” says former dean Garry W. Jenkins, now president of Bates College, one of the nation’s most prestigious liberal arts colleges, and an avid McGeveran fan. “He is a great colleague, respected scholar, accomplished teacher, and terrific administrator. Most importantly, he is deeply dedicated to Minnesota Law and its success.”
McGeveran is a transplant to Minnesota, but the roots he has planted here are strong and well-established. He grew up in New York City, in “a house built around teaching and books,” he says. His mother was an English professor, and his father was editor-in-chief of the World Almanac. He sought a small liberal arts college far away from home, and, in what he calls “one of those happy circumstances,” was accepted at Carleton College, Class of ’92. There in Northfield, while earning a B.A., magna cum laude, in political science, he fell in love with his alma mater, his future wife, and his adopted state.
“It was a stroke of good fortune,” he says. “The sense of community I found at Carleton is what I see reflected in Mondale Hall, and I’m eager to foster that in the Law School. This is a very special place. A substantial majority of students at both schools hail from elsewhere, yet some kind of Minnesota spirit infuses both places — community-minded, engaged, civically oriented, curious, and high value for education. I do attribute part of it to being located in Minnesota, even though students are from everywhere.”
After graduating from Carleton, McGeveran headed east to spend seven years in national politics. As a senior legislative aide to then-Rep. Charles Schumer, he noted that most of the most talented people he encountered — those he thought engaged with issues in the richest ways — were lawyers. When Schumer moved to the Senate, McGeveran, then 29, decided he needed something different. He went home to earn his J.D., magna cum laude, from New York University in 2002.
“I was not on the express train to either law or teaching,” he says. “I took the local, but I got here.”
Building Trust
McGeveran, now William S. Pattee Professor of Law, joined the faculty in 2006. By then he had acquired ample experience, clerking for Judge Sandra Lynch on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and litigating intellectual property cases for Foley Hoag in Boston. A stint as a resident fellow at Harvard Law School’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society foreshadowed his academic specialty, one that bodes well in this algorithmic age. McGeveran teaches information law, including data privacy, intellectual property, communications and technology, and free speech. His research focuses on national and international rules governing data protection and digital identity, and his sole-authored casebook, Privacy and Data Protection Law, is widely used by law schools throughout the country.
In the classroom, McGeveran’s clear communication style and direct yet caring approach foster trust, says former student Nadia Anguiano, ’17, now associate clinical professor of law and director of the Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic. “He is someone who says what he means and means what he says,” Anguiano says.
She recalls being called on in his civil procedure class. She was hesitant, couching her answer in “I think” or “I feel” statements. “He stopped me in my tracks,” she says. “He said that I knew what I knew and should say so, confidently. That really stuck with me.” That support and encouragement continued as they became colleagues.
Anguiano says McGeveran understands that law students want an education connected to the issues that affect them, their community, and their society. They also want to see their individual values and identities reflected. As a professor he was able to combine doctrine and practice, seeing them not as a divide but as a continuum, she says. As an administrator, Anguiano says McGeveran understands that integration in even more nuanced and sophisticated ways.
“He knows and cares for Minnesota Law,” she says. “That puts him in the position of really being able to leverage institutional knowledge to improve what is already an amazing school. There’s a lot to be said for having known it for 18 years. That understanding of its culture and qualities can be used to benefit all of us.”
Leaning Into Leadership
McGeveran was one of three strong finalists in the national search for the Law School’s permanent dean. Joan Howland, Roger F. Noreen Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Information & Technology, co-chaired the search committee, composed of students, faculty, staff, University leaders, and alumni. The committee conducted extensive conversations with a wide range of candidates, focusing on qualifications, experiences, and attributes. They also wanted a person who could build upon the former dean’s legacy. Jenkins expanded the school’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; broadened skills training; retained exceptional faculty; strengthened alumni relations; recruited strong, diverse students; and sought to make legal education as financially accessible as possible.
McGeveran was clear that he, too, wanted to build on Jenkins’ accomplishments. Howland said McGeveran had already demonstrated qualities desirable in a leader, such as the ability to listen, understand, and empathize. “He’s a very good listener,” she observes. “He’s also very clear in his thought process and therefore in communicating his goals and vision.” She cites other attributes: internationally recognized, highly influential intellectual property scholar; incredibly respected and well-liked throughout the community; very accessible; efficient, effective, and collaborative; and a person who knows when to lead and when to step aside. “His positive outlook and great sense of humor are traits that are very helpful to any leader,” she says.
“My sense was that people went into the search with really open minds,” says Amy Monahan, Distinguished McKnight University Professor and the Melvin C. Steen Professor of Law. The entire Minnesota Law community weighed the trade-offs between a successful internal candidate versus an external candidate who might infuse the school with fresh ideas and vision, she added, noting that McGeveran saw his interim dean year as a tryout for both sides. “He would not have taken any decision personally,” she says. “Yes, he was interested in being named dean, but he wanted to know if he was the right person for the job.”
Monahan gives McGeveran an enormous amount of credit for being willing to serve as interim dean. “It’s often not a great job, being asked to deal with tough situations but without full buy-in,” she says. “Yet his willingness to put the institution first says something really great about him. After serving, he was still our top choice, and the buy-in from the community was even stronger than before. I feel like it was a natural conclusion to a very open process.”
Judge Nancy Brasel ’94, current chair of the Law School’s Board of Advisors, is excited about McGeveran’s collaboration with alumni. “The alumni community is thrilled with the appointment of Bill McGeveran as the next dean of Minnesota Law,” she says. “He brings a profound depth and breadth of scholarship and leadership to the role. He is universally respected for his passion and love for the Law School, which was evident to all of us during his term as interim dean. As the alumni participated in the dean search, we were looking for someone who inspires, and we found it in Dean McGeveran. His energy is infectious and inspirational, and we cannot wait to help him achieve his broad vision for Minnesota Law.”
Clearing A High Bar
McGeveran has already endured some big tests at Minnesota Law. As associate dean of academic affairs from 2018 to 2022, McGeveran faced more than the usual administrative conundrums.
“COVID tested all of us in higher education in unprecedented and unimaginable ways,” Jenkins says. “We were constantly using the ‘P word’: pivot. That period required our entire leadership, Bill included, to think through new problems and respond creatively in ways that centered our mission. We all learned from that experience, and I think it made us stronger.”
Monahan, associate dean of research and planning at the time, describes the upheaval. “The world was normal. Then the students left for spring break and didn’t come back. It’s a really big deal when a law school shuts down. We are used to delivering education in a specific way.”
In a situation no one could prepare for, McGeveran took the lead. It required innovation and creativity to deal with issues ranging from grading policy to more practical matters, such as renting a hotel ballroom to serve as a classroom that could ensure proper social distancing. “I thought he handled it incredibly well,” Monahan says. “I always sense his Capitol Hill experience in his ability to navigate difficult situations with grace and professionalism. He’s not easily flustered by hard things.” Colleagues note that he stays in touch with students, spearheading fun things such as a naming contest for the once shuttered but now revived café, now appropriately named Legal Grounds.
Maneuvering pandemic obstacles strengthened the relationship between McGeveran and Jenkins. “I learned a ton from watching Dean Jenkins work,” McGeveran says. “He was extraordinarily good not only at listening to other views but also synthesizing them into vision and action. That’s an important combination.”
The two still communicate regularly, sharing advice, history, and perspective. Jenkins says he was thrilled with McGeveran’s appointment, both as interim and permanent dean. He characterizes his successor as someone people enjoy working with, in part because he doesn’t take himself too seriously and puts everyone else at ease. “He is a person of great talent and humility, and he is going to be a spectacular dean,” Jenkins says. “With his smarts, "his creativity, his values, the way he empowers others, the way he listens, Minnesota Law is well-positioned to continue to thrive under his leadership.”

Jumping Right In
As he takes the helm, McGeveran needs no time getting to know Minnesota Law, which he calls “a rigorous, academically oriented school that also takes engaged learning seriously.” The Law School’s commitment to clinical and experiential education has expanded and deepened significantly during his tenure and under Jenkins’ guiding hand. “Virtually no other law school combines those things the way we do,” McGeveran says. “I really do think it’s special.”
While legal education is changing nationwide and applications are still down from 15 years ago, Minnesota Law continues to thrive, says McGeveran. “We have more students with different types of backgrounds than when I started, and that’s a real source of strength for us. Their academic quality has also increased.” Now ranked number 16 by U.S. News and World Report, the Law School has become more competitive and selective, and graduates are finding more employment opportunities around the world."
McGeveran predicts radical transformation in coming years, as bar examinations evolve and schools quickly shift to incorporate professional skills and practical judgment with legal knowledge and analytical skills. “We’re 15 years ahead,” he says. “One of the things that sets us apart is the combination of top-notch academics and scholarship with rigorous experiential education. That’s nearly unique and exactly what the legal profession says it wants right now.”
McGeveran appreciates that previous deans worked hard to build an excellent structural and financial foundation, from balancing the budget to increasing diversity in the student body. “Following in their footsteps is kind of a "luxury,” he says. “I get to take over at a time when we’re really ready to make a big move toward greater success.”
McGeveran is excited to attract and hire new faculty not only to replace legendary teachers who have recently retired but also to grow the ranks. “We want brilliant scholars first and foremost but also individuals who care deeply about teaching and want their research to have an impact on policy and the law,” he says. Collegiality and longevity count, too. “We’re looking for that whole package. I’m delighted with the new professors coming in this year. I’m also committed to raising the profile of the school and furthering its engagement with the legal community and the world at large.”

He understands the challenges of balancing administrative tasks with strategic leadership, as well as dealing with surprises that come his way, but he knows where to seek support. “I was delighted to discover what a sense of community there is among deans, both law school deans around the country and deans in different schools here at the University,” he says. “They call you back.” He notes that deans at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities meet monthly for dinner. “It’s a very cooperative community. I didn’t realize how strong it was, or how important it was to me.”
Along with wife Elizabeth, who is vice president of investments at the McKnight Foundation, and his sons Nicholas, 20, a Pomona College student, and Thomas,14, who attends Mounds Park Academy, McGeveran has clearly made Minnesota home, although he admits that he remains a Yankees fan. His commitment to Minnesota Law is apparent even in his Instagram account; he considers photos with Goldy Gopher a job perk.
“Our alumni and students know this place is special,” McGeveran says. “I recognize we have a lot of work ahead in raising our profile and sharing our successes more broadly. But if it’s my job to brag about this school, it’s going to be easy.”