Hemenway, Robert E., 1941-

Robert Emery Hemenway was born on August 10th, 1941, in Nebraska. He earned a B.A. in English from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1963, an M.A from Kent State University in 1965, and his PhD, also from Kent State University, in 1966.

His first teaching job was in the English Department at the University of Kentucky, 1966-1968. At the University of Wyoming, 1968-1973, he taught in the American Studies program, broadening his research into African American Literature, in general, and Zora Neale Hurston, specifically. He returned to the University of Kentucky in 1973, serving as the Chair of the English Department from 1981 until his departure in 1986. At the University of Oklahoma, 1986-1989, he served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He returned to the University of Kentucky, 1989-1995, yet again, to serve as its Chancellor. In 1995, he was selected as the 16th Chancellor of the University of Kansas, retiring from that position in 2009. He continues to be a member of its teaching faculty.