Following his PhD, Leggett spent a year at the Essex Marine Laboratory in
Essex, Connecticut, before returning to
McGill as an assistant professor in the Department of
Biology in 1970. He eventually became a
full professor in 1979, the Chair of the Department of Biology in 1981, the
Dean of Science in 1986, and lastly the Vice-Principal of Academics in 1991. He was the second scientist to hold this position since
Robert Charles Wallace, who was Principal and Vice-Chancellor between 1936 and 1951. He took the role on August 1, 1994. Leggett's tenure at Queen's saw the completion of a number of new buildings. Academic buildings such as Chernoff Hall (for the Department of
Chemistry) and Goodes Hall (for
Queen's School of Business, now known as
Smith School of Business) opened in 2002, followed by Beamish-Munro Hall (for the
Faculty of Engineering Integrated Learning Centre) in 2005. Student
residences Watts Hall (originally 23 Albert Street) and Leggett Hall (originally 194 Stuart Street) also opened in 2003, and was respectively renamed in the honor of former Principal and Vice-Chancellor
Ronald Lampman Watts and Leggett himself. The 2 buildings were the first student residences to open in 25 years. the opening of the Cancer Research Institute Complex and the new Leonard Hall cafeteria in 2003, and the renovation of Gordon Hall (the old building for the Department of Chemistry), including the demolition of the Frost Wing, throughout his second term of Principalship. In September 2002, Leggett announced his retirement after his second term. He is currently a
professor emeritus and Principal Emeritus of Queen's University.
Controversy Leggett's advocacy for the deregulation of
tuition fee attracted considerable controversy. Historically, under provincial legislation,
Ontario universities were only allowed to increase tuition to a maximum of 2% annually. In 1998, the
Government of Ontario led by
Premier Mike Harris removed this cap on, or deregulated, the tuition for all professional and
graduate degrees in Ontario universities, prompting frustration and protests from medical and
law students, including at Queen's. Then next year, the tuition for
commerce and engineering programs was also deregulated, and Leggett proposed that the tuition for Arts and Science subjects should be deregulated as well. In response, the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society, the
students' union for the Queen's
Faculty of Arts and Sciences, held a referendum where over 90% Arts and Sciences students rejected tuition deregulation. Leggett, however, continued to advocate for deregulation, outlining his idea in the
Pathfinder Proposal submitted to the Ontario government in 2002, and sending representatives to meet with Harris. On January 14, in protest of Leggett's decision, Queen's students occupied his office until January 18, when the Ontario government rejected Queen's proposal. Leggett was unhappy with the province's decision, and announced significant reduction to Queen's budget and that the replacement of
teaching staff would be limited to loss by retirement. The issue of tuition deregulation would continue into the tenure of Leggett's successor
Karen R. Hitchcock. == Personal life and death ==