Roger J. Dennis, provost emeritus at Rutgers-Camden and founding dean of Drexel law school, has died at 75

Roger J. Dennis, 75, of Cherry Hill, retired law professor, dean, and provost emeritus at Rutgers University-Camden, founding dean of Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law, former attorney for the Department of Justice, civic leader, author, mentor, and volunteer, died Thursday, July 17, of cancer at his home.

Dean Dennis was an expert in antitrust, corporate, and securities law, and he combined that knowledge with his leadership prowess and a lifelong advocacy for education to impact students, staff, faculty, and administrators at Rutgers-Camden and Drexel for more than 40 years. He spent 26 years at Rutgers-Camden and 16 at Drexel, and one colleague said in an online tribute: “To say he was well regarded would be like saying Superman is kind of strong.”

He oversaw the launch of the Kline School of Law at Drexel in 2007, served as its first dean until 2017, and taught classes until about two years ago. He was also an effective fundraiser for the school and a popular ambassador to the local legal community.

He created working partnerships with West Philadelphia neighborhoods and businesses, and Drexel law school colleagues said in a tribute: “His legacy lives on through the students he mentored, the programs he built, and the values he instilled in our community.”

His family said: “He was a driving force for positive change.”

Dean Dennis taught a dozen law courses over the years and told his family that his greatest satisfaction was seeing students land their first job. In 2016, M. Brian Blake, then provost at Drexel, said Dean Dennis “developed an innovative curriculum that set the bar for experiential learning in the legal setting.”

He joined Rutgers-Camden as a law professor in 1981, was dean of the law school from 1991 to ’97, and was provost of the campus from 1997 to 2007. During his tenure as provost, the college expanded its facilities, curriculum, faculty, staff, and student body, and he forged relationships with nearby Camden residents and government officials.

In 2003, he earned a humanitarian award from the United Way of Camden County for his initiatives in revitalizing the city of Camden. In 2007, he was named a South Jerseyan of the Year by the Rutgers-Camden business school.

“He left behind a legacy of exceptional legal scholarship, tireless dedication to education, and a profound impact on all who had the privilege to work with him,” Rutgers-Camden law school officials said in a tribute. “Roger’s contributions to the law, education, and society were immeasurable.”

He also confronted crippling budget cuts, turmoil in the Camden community, and other thorny issues. “If you’re not moving forward,” he said in 2006 during a particularly tough fight for government funding, “you’re potentially moving backward.”

In the 1970s, he was a trial attorney and special assistant to the assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice. In 1978, he was deputy staff director on President Jimmy Carter’s National Commission for the Review of Antitrust Laws and Procedures.

He clerked for a U.S. District Court judge after college and worked for a Washington law firm for a year before joining Rutgers-Camden. In 1985, he was a visiting professor at Cornell University in New York.

Off campus, Dean Dennis was chair and member of many committees for the American Bar Association, and active in leadership roles for the American Law Institute, Association of American Law Schools, and other groups.

He spoke often at conferences and meetings, and hosted a seminar at Drexel in 2009 that appeared on C-Span TV. His papers, articles, reviews, reports, and other writings were published in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Publius: the Journal of Federalism, several college law reviews, and other outlets.

His volunteer work included leadership positions with the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and LEAP Academy University Charter School. He was, friends said in online tributes, “a tremendous person and a tireless advocate,” and “a great teacher and more important a great person.”

Roger Joseph Dennis was born Jan. 17, 1950, in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. He played baseball as a boy, was an honor student at Northwestern University near Chicago, and earned a bachelor’s degree in speech in 1971 and a law degree in 1974.

His father, Harry, was an innovative general manager at a radio station that pioneered talk radio in Cleveland, and Dean Dennis told The Inquirer in 1997: “Marketing is in my blood. In today’s competitive higher education environment we have to tell our story better.”

He met Debbie Ellis at Northwestern, and they married in 1971 and had sons Andrew and Ethan. They lived in Chicago and Washington before settling in Cherry Hill in 1981.

Dean Dennis was an avid bicyclist, and he rode for years in the 150-mile fundraiser from Cherry Hill to Ocean City for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He enjoyed watching baseball games with his family and spending time with them at their getaway home in Lewes, Del.

In online tributes, friends said he “was a great teacher” and used “his power, position, and personal talents to put others in a position to make a difference.”

In addition to his wife and sons, Dean Dennis is survived by two grandchildren, a sister, and other relatives.

Private services were held earlier. A public celebration of his life is to be held later.

Donations in his name may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Box 91891, Washington, D.C. 20090.