Hobart and William Smith Colleges Vice President and General Counsel Lou Guard has received a prestigious national award recognizing his contributions to higher education law and governance.
The National Association of College and University Attorneys, known as NACUA, named Guard the recipient of its Fellow honor, an award reserved for members who have made sustained and influential scholarly contributions to higher education law. According to the organization, the distinction is awarded only when a candidate meets a high standard of achievement and impact within the profession.
Guard was selected as the sole recipient of the award this year. NACUA officials cited his scholarship, including the 2024 book All the Campus Lawyers: Litigation, Regulation, and the New Era of Higher Education, which he co-authored with economist Joyce P. Jacobsen. The book was recognized among The New Yorker’s best books of 2024.
NACUA Honors Committee Chair Therese Leone said Guard’s work has benefited colleges and universities nationwide. Leaders from Gettysburg College and the University of Michigan also praised his role as a counselor and scholar focused on the legal and governance challenges facing higher education institutions.
A 2007 graduate of Hobart and William Smith and Cornell Law School, Guard joined the colleges in 2014 after practicing law in Philadelphia and Rochester. In addition to serving as vice president and general counsel, he teaches in HWS’s Master of Arts in Higher Education Leadership program and serves as an adjunct professor at Cornell Law School.
Guard will be formally recognized during the 2026 NACUA Annual Conference, scheduled for June 29 through July 2 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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