Melanie Leslie, the new dean of Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, didn't move to New York City more than 30 years ago to become a lawyer—unless she was playing one on TV.

She arrived in 1983 after graduating from the University of Oregon with hopes of becoming a star of the stage and screen. She worked as a singer and an actress, and her acting credits include walk-on roles in soap operas and commercials —”nothing that was going to make me famous,” she recalled.

But after several years of trying to make it in show business, Leslie, who grew up in Las Vegas, realized she wanted devote her time to something that was more intellectually stimulating.