The year prior to his leaving, in 1835, McLean, along with members of the church board, agreed to form a new congregation in nearby Freehold, New Jersey, citing closer proximity to their own homes.

[5] After the Synod took control of Lafayette College, they chose McLean to take over at the next president as he was known to have a talent for raising money (having done so previously with the Freehold church).

By January, 1854, he succeeded in raising an endowment of $100,000 (equivalent to $14.2 million in 2023 dollars),[6] which was immediately allocated to pay off the college's long list of debts and current expenses.

[5] After fixing the college's economic crisis, McLean furthered the school's academic reputation greatly by hiring Francis March as an instructor.

March, a graduate of Amherst College, had learned under the guidance of Noah Webster who was celebrated as the "Father of American Scholarship and Education".

March's appointment to the school by McLean was seen as one of the pivotal moments in the history of higher education, as it was the first time a professor advocated the teaching of English in a college setting.

Also in 1848, while a pastor of The Village Church in Freehold, New Jersey, McLean was awarded with the honorary title Doctor of Divinity from Lafayette College.