Congratulations to Vincent Hutchings for being recognized for their outstanding teaching and service with a Distinguished University Professorship!
The Board of Regents established the Distinguished University Professorship in 1947 to recognize senior faculty members with exceptional scholarly or creative achievements, national and international reputations for academic excellence, and superior records of teaching, mentoring, and service.
Vincent L. Hutchings is a Hanes Walton Jr. Distinguished University Professor of Political Science and Afroamerican and African Studies.
One of the nation’s leading authorities on American racial and ethnic politics, Hutchings’ first book, “Public Opinion and Democratic Accountability: How Citizens Learn About Politics,” challenged the widely held view that low levels of political knowledge prevent citizens from fulfilling their democratic responsibilities.
Most recently, he co-authored “Race and Inequality in American Politics: An Imperfect Union,” an undergraduate textbook that distilled decades of research.
In 2023, Hutchings received the American Political Science Association’s Hanes Walton, Jr. Award, which honors a political scientist whose lifetime of distinguished scholarship has made significant contributions to the understanding of racial and ethnic politics.
In their recommendation letter, Laurie McCauley, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, and Michael Solomon, Rackham Graduate School dean and vice provost for academic affairs, wrote, “Through his scholarship, teaching, mentorship, and service, Professor Hutchings has profoundly shaped the University of Michigan, the discipline of political science, and the study of race and democracy in the United States.”
