LaWanda M.W. Ward

LaWanda M.W. Ward serves as Associate Professor of Higher Education and African Studies and Director of the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Indiana University's School of Education. Her scholarship centers on African Diaspora liberation through critical examinations of higher education systems and legal frameworks.

Her academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Higher Education, Indiana University
• J.D., Indiana University McKinney School of Law
• M.S. in Educational Administration, Old Dominion University
• M.A. in Political Science, Illinois State University
• B.A. in Political Science, Murray State University

Ward's research integrates Critical Race Black Feminism and Intersectionality to analyze tenure denial lawsuits affecting multiply marginalized faculty, the impact of free speech interpretations on Black students, and pathways to global legal justice. Rooted in her family's civil rights legacy—her mother marched during the Movement and taught for 30 years—her work confronts systemic inequities in academic spaces through epistemic justice frameworks.

Prior to her faculty appointment, Ward accumulated over 20 years of student affairs experience including residence life roles at Illinois State University and Old Dominion University, and as Director of Pro Bono & Public Interest at Indiana University McKinney School of Law where she developed community partnerships for legal training. No current advising relationships or grant activities are documented in the provided materials.