Career
Before becoming president at JMU, Alger was the senior vice president and general counsel at Rutgers University. Before working at Rutgers, Alger served as assistant general counsel at the University of Michigan, where he played a key role. In the university’s efforts in two landmark Supreme Court cases on diversity and admissions he coordinated one of the largest amicus brief coalitions in Supreme Court history. At both Rutgers and Michigan, he taught courses, seminars and independent studies in law, higher education and public policy. He has also taught interdisciplinary courses for graduate students in law, education, public policy and information.
Prior to his time at University of Michigan, he served as counsel for the American Association of University Professors, where he advised institutions on policies, procedures and cases on issues such as academic freedom, shared governance, tenure, due process and discrimination. Earlier in his career he served as attorney-advisor for the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. He also previously served as an associate in the law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.
Because of Alger’s background in civil rights law, he has been credited with understanding the intricacies of how the Office for Civil Rights interprets and enforces Title IX. Alger's track record promoting campus civic engagement has been positive. In 2018, Alger was one of the first recipients of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Standout Campus President Award. In February 2024, Alger was appointed to the initiative's President’s Council.
While at JMU, President Alger declined to comment on a specific assault case, but acknowledged that he was concerned about public perceptions of the school and appeared in a video created by JMU to raise public awareness of the problem. He also promised in a letter to the university community that the institution would do everything in its power to help keep its students safe.
During his 12 years at JMU, the university had successes in funding (increase in external research funding, and doubled the endowment), sports (moved up to the highest level of football and joined the Sun Belt Conference), and student programs (a new first time student scholarship, and the Madison Center for Civic Engagement launched).
On March 18, 2024, American University announced Alger's appointment as the university's 16th president. On July 1, 2024, Alger succeeded Sylvia Burwell, who had served as the university's first female president since 2017.
On May 27, 2026, Alger announced that he would step down from the presidency on June 30, to accept a joint appointment as the inaugural America 250 Fellow with the American Council on Education and the American Association of Colleges and Universities. David Marchick succeeded him on July 1, 2026.
On September 4, 2026, Spotswood Hall, located on JMU's historic quad, was renamed Alger Hall. Alger Hall is now home to the Madison Center for Civic Engagement and the Civic Leadership Residential Learning Community for first-year students, according to JMU’s Official Website. Previously, the Center for Civic Engagement was split between Burruss Hall and Wilson Hall.
