Wil Haygood elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Renowned author and journalist has been Miami’s Boadway Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence since 2014-2015
Published
Wil Haygood, a 1976 Miami University graduate and the university's Boadway Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, has been elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Wil Haygood elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Renowned author and journalist has been Miami’s Boadway Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence since 2014-2015
Published
Wil Haygood, a 1976 graduate of Miami University, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for 2026.
A prolific author, journalist, and educator, Haygood has written several award-winning books, including biographies on Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., and White House butler Eugene Allen. Haygood expanded his 2008 Washington Post story on Allen into the book, “The Butler,” which was released as a film in 2013.
Along with the Washington Post, Haygood has worked for the Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Boston Globe. It was at the Globe that Haygood was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
He has also served as Miami’s Boadway Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence for the Department of Media, Journalism, and Film since 2014-2015. In February, Haygood launched his latest nonfiction book, “The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home” with a special event on Miami’s Oxford campus. That book, the 10th nonfiction novel from Haygood, received strong praise. The New York Times called the work a “rare, illuminating look at the way the war shaped the struggle for equality back home.”
Founded in 1780, the Academy of Arts and Sciences “honors excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world, and work together ‘to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people.’”
Haygood was elected in Class V – Leadership, Policy, and Communications for Section 1 – Journalism, Media, and Communications.
The academy was founded during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, and 60 other scholars dedicated to advance learning in service to the public good. According to its website, the independent research center is an honorary society that “both recognizes and celebrates the excellence of its members and an independent research center convening leaders from across disciplines, professions, and perspectives to address significant challenges.”
A prolific author, journalist, and educator, Haygood has written several award-winning books, including biographies on Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, entertainer Sammy Davis Jr., and White House butler Eugene Allen. Haygood expanded his 2008 Washington Post story on Allen into the book, “The Butler,” which was released as a film in 2013.
Along with the Washington Post, Haygood has worked for the Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Boston Globe. It was at the Globe that Haygood was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
He has also served as Miami’s Boadway Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence for the Department of Media, Journalism, and Film since 2014-2015. In February, Haygood launched his latest nonfiction book, “The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home” with a special event on Miami’s Oxford campus. That book, the 10th nonfiction novel from Haygood, received strong praise. The New York Times called the work a “rare, illuminating look at the way the war shaped the struggle for equality back home.”
Founded in 1780, the Academy of Arts and Sciences “honors excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world, and work together ‘to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people.’”
Haygood was elected in Class V – Leadership, Policy, and Communications for Section 1 – Journalism, Media, and Communications.
The academy was founded during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, and 60 other scholars dedicated to advance learning in service to the public good. According to its website, the independent research center is an honorary society that “both recognizes and celebrates the excellence of its members and an independent research center convening leaders from across disciplines, professions, and perspectives to address significant challenges.”
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg.