HWS News
4 June 2026 Guard Receives NACUA Fellow Award
HWS Vice President and General Counsel Lou Guard ’07 Honored for National Leadership in Higher Education Law and Governance.
The National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) has named Hobart and William Smith Vice President and General Counsel Lou Guard ’07 the recipient of its prestigious Fellow honor, recognizing his nationally influential scholarly contributions to higher education law and leadership.
One of the country’s leading voices on higher education legal affairs, Guard was selected as the sole recipient of the award, which honors NACUA members who have made outstanding and sustained scholarly contributions benefiting colleges, universities and the practice of higher education law. The recognition is not awarded regularly, but only when NACUA determines that an individual has met the criteria through distinguished and sustained scholarship and contributions to the field.
“Lou was selected as a Fellow of the Association in recognition of his outstanding and sustained scholarship in higher education law, which has significantly benefited NACUA member colleges and universities over many years, including his recent book, All The Campus Lawyers: Litigation, Regulation, and the New Era of Higher Education, with Joyce P. Jacobsen,” says Therese Leone, chief laboratory counsel for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who serves as chair of NACUA’s honors committee.
President of Gettysburg College Robert W. Iuliano adds, “Lawyers come in different stripes; the best ones, in my experience, are those who truly counsel. Who give sound legal advice, of course, but even more so seek to help the client see the whole picture and find an effective path to the desired objective. In the complex environment facing higher education today, that’s never been more important. The highest praise I can give Lou is this: he is a consummate counselor, as reflected by just how much his colleagues at HWS want to partner with him. I’m thrilled to learn that NACUA is recognizing a good person and credit to the higher education bar.” Iuliano previously served as general counsel at Harvard University.
Outgoing NACUA President Timothy Lynch, who serves as vice president and general counsel at University of Michigan, says, "Lou is not just an incredibly talented higher education general counsel; he's a scholar who eloquently captures the lives and unique role of lawyers dedicated to furthering the mission of colleges and universities."
The association announced the honor in April. Guard will be recognized during the 2026 NACUA Annual Conference in Nashville, Tenn., from June 29 - July 2.
A respected attorney, professor, author and nonprofit leader, Guard has built a national reputation for his work at the intersection of law, governance and higher education policy. He is co-author of All the Campus Lawyers: Litigation, Regulation, and the New Era of Higher Education (Harvard University Press, 2024), which was named one of The New Yorker’s Best Books of 2024. His scholarship and commentary have been featured or cited by The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, Trusteeship Magazine, The Harvard Crimson and the Journal of College and University Law, among other publications.
Guard also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Cornell Law School, where he teaches a seminar on higher education law.
A cum laude graduate of HWS and Cornell Law School, Guard joined HWS in 2014. As Vice President and General Counsel, he provides counsel across all institutional areas and advises and supports the President on major initiatives and strategic priorities. He serves as Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trustees and acts as the primary governance advisor to the Board.
Before returning to HWS, Guard practiced law at leading firms in Philadelphia and Rochester, N.Y.
Founded in 1960, NACUA supports colleges and universities by advancing legal education, professional development and collaboration among campus counsel and administrators nationwide.
