Hemenway was born on August 10, 1941, in Nebraska.[1] He served as Dean of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma from 1986 to 1989, and chancellor of the University of Kentucky from 1989 to 1995. He arrived at KU in 1995 as the successor to interim chancellor Del Shankel.
Hemenway also served as Chair of the 18-member NCAA Division I board of directors from 2002 to 2005, and as a member of the board of directors of the American Council on Education. Starting in 2002, he served on the board of directors of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.
Upon his arrival at KU, Hemenway prioritized making it a Top 25 academic institution in America. In 2007, KU ranked 88th [2] according to the U.S. News & World Report ranking of all national universities (public and private). In 1988, during Hemenway's tenure, KU ranked as high as 30th in that ranking, and was 45th in 2005.[3] KU ranks 3rd among public colleges and universities for the number of Academic All-Americans since 1990. Hemenway also made research a pillar of KU, especially in medical fields, and, in 2006, made a commitment to cancer research through the designation of the KU Cancer Center.[4]
Chancellor's Residence, the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
On December 8, 2008, Hemenway announced that he would step down as chancellor on June 30, 2009, after serving 14 years in the position.[5] He announced that he would be transitioning to the role of faculty member after taking a sabbatical during the 2009–10 academic year, to write a book on intercollegiate athletics and American values. Hemenway was replaced by Bernadette Gray-Little.[6]
Authored "Zora Neale Hurston: A Literary Biography", about the Harlem Renaissance author, which was named one of the New York Times' Best Books of 1978.[8]
In addition to serving as chancellor, Hemenway taught English.
