Gregor MacGregor gets bored if he sits behind a desk for too long. His energy seems boundless. That’s key because MacGregor’s interests are vast, and his personal ethos about service transcends the personal and professional.  

When were you introduced to the practice of community-engaged scholarship?  

I came to Colorado Law—supported by the Army—knowing I wanted to work with water law and farmers. At orientation, I learned about the Acequia Assistance Project, which was directed then by Professor Sarah Krakoff.  I volunteered with the project during my first year, and in my second year I became the project's student leader. This was my introduction to engaged scholarship. I was hooked. 

You were involved in the Acequia Assistance Project for a long time. What was your work and what was its influence on you?  

Law students in the Acequia Project provide pro bono legal services to farmers and landowners in rural Colorado regarding their land and water rights. As a student, I provided approximately 700 hours of service in the San Luis Valley—learning about the law and making connections which I still have today.  

One of my cases, which lasted the entirety of law school, was a title search and review for approximately 30 properties on the Montez Ditch in the town of San Luis. We completed our title opinion and showed that our clients owned those water rights and could move ahead with ditch improvements to use the water and beautify downtown. My proudest moment during law school was when our client shook my hand and told me that the work would not have been done without our help. They couldn’t afford to hire attorneys. I saw an impact on real lives, and I’ve been chasing that high ever since. 

What came after graduating from Colorado Law?  

My time in school influenced my decision to go into water law. I finished my service in the Army as Fort Carson’s water attorney in Colorado Springs, before joining a private firm for about a year.  This was during COVID, and my wife was the communications director for a hospital. So, I needed lots of flexibility to care for our young daughters. I ended up leaving the firm, but I volunteered with the Colorado Supreme Court to keep up my chops. Then, Professor Krakoff moved to the Department of the Interior and asked me to come back to Colorado Law to teach and direct the Acequia Project. I deferred a clerkship with the Colorado Supreme Court in Justice Hart’s chambers and came back to CU Boulder.  

In 2022, in its 10th year, the Project received the American Bar Association’s Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy. The same year, I expanded my role with the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES). I had previously been a grant recipient, but I wanted to learn more about setting up engaged scholarship opportunities. I joined the grants selection committee, and I was selected for the inaugural Community Perspectives faculty cohort. Being part of both exposed me to CU Boulder’s breadth of expertise and resources. Community Perspectives helped me learn about initiating relationships with community partners, and the program’s focus was Southeast Colorado—a potential new area for my water work and, coincidentally, where I have extended family. I managed to join the second cohort as an alumnus—both continuing my own learning and sharing my experience with the new folks.  

What is your current portfolio of engaged scholarship projects? 

I now lead the Environment and Natural Resources Policy Specialization in the Masters of the Environment Graduate Program. Among my duties, I advise 50 students in the specialization and directly advise three capstone project teams—most of which are rooted in community engagement. Some of the capstone projects have also received PACES grants.  

I also sit on the Water Court Committee of the Colorado Supreme Court, and I just finished a video series featuring each of the water court officials for self-represented litigants. The videos are intended to guide people who need to go through the water court process but who can’t afford legal representation.  

And, I’ve doubled down on serving with PACES and expanding engaged scholarship on campus.  

Tell us about your new roles with PACES and your goals. 

So, I’ve been involved with PACES one way or another since 2016. With Community Perspectives evolving into a direct-funding program, I want to help develop relationships around the state, assist community partners with outlining potential projects, and to identify CU colleagues who can work on those projects. As a faculty fellow for rural community-engaged scholarship, I’ll be connecting people and teaching—my favorite kind of role.  

This semester I began serving as the chair of the PACES grants committee. The PACES staff runs a tight ship so our faculty members on the committee can focus on bringing the university’s resources into the community. I want our committee’s members to point people to PACES for support of continuing work or new work because communities, faculty members and students all benefit from working together. Really, to me, the big opportunity is educating students about how community engagement can be a part of their career or simply bringing the value of service forward in their lives.  

Why are you dedicated to engaged scholarship? 

Gregor and another foreign volunteer portion and shape some of the 1200 rolls provided daily by Hell’s Kitchen.

It comes down to serving. It’s why I joined the military. The idea of having resources and knowledge that I can apply directly to impact the lives of others feels like a call to action. That’s not always the case in academia; the impact is often more indirect. But, when you work in a community that needs something, you see the immediate impact for people. It’s what I’m driven to do. 

An Army buddy and I went to Ukraine in 2024 with a food aid organization—a continuation of volunteer work I do here in Colorado. I saw how the money we raised stretched to feed people and replace broken kitchen equipment. We delivered food, medicine, clothes and other supplies to villages outside of Kharkiv that, due to the war, were more isolated and impoverished than before. Even a small amount of work can go a long way.  

CU Boulder has resources, expertise and students who are willing and able. We can help activate them to a good end, which is what real service is. When I look at the history and mission of CU Bolder, service has to be part of that mission. We are rooted in a place. We can apply our skills and resources to improve our state. It’s a major component of what higher education should and can be.  

Parting thoughts? 

I hope people will think about how they can contribute to public and community-engaged scholarship. We get wrapped up in other aspects of our jobs, and it can be difficult to see how our expertise can be applied, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. I hope my work already illustrates how it can happen and why it matters. We can make a big difference person-by-person and community-by-community; it’s not always about changing how the world works.