Neal H. Hutchens

Professor of Higher Education, University of Kentucky

Neal Hutchens is a faculty member in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation at the University of Kentucky. His research focuses on the intersections of higher education law, policy, and practice, with much of his scholarship centered on issues of free speech and academic freedom in higher education.

Among his publications, Hutchens is on the author team of The Law of Higher Education, a leading treatise that is also published in a student version. He has co-authored books on campus speech and shared governance. For the 2022/23 academic year, Hutchens served as a fellow at the University of California's National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.

Along with academic writing, Hutchens has written for publications that include The Conversation, The Hechinger Report, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education. He is regularly asked to comment on media stories involving legal issues in higher education.

Experience

2022–present

Professor of Education, University of Kentucky
2016–2022

Professor of Education, University of Mississippi
2013–2016

Associate Professor of Education, Pennsylvania State University

Education

2007

University of Maryland, Ph.D.
2002

University of Alabama, J.D.

Professional Memberships

American Association of University Professors
Education Law Association
National Association of College and University Attorneys
American Educational Research Association
Association for the Study of Higher Education