Dr. John LaNear

Dr. John LaNear serves as Vice President of Academic Affairs for Capitol Technology University. Until this recent appointment, Dr. LaNear was Provost and Chief Academic Officer for Northcentral University. In previous roles, he has served as a faculty member, department chair, dean, and in various other administrative roles in private and public colleges and universities in California, Missouri, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Prior to his work in higher education, Dr. LaNear practiced law and served as an Assistant Attorney General in the state of Missouri.  

Dr. LaNear’s academic research has focused on two key areas: academic freedom and special education law. He has been published in a variety of journals focused on education and law, including Education and the Law, the Encyclopedia of Education Law, the Journal of Educational Administration, the Journal of Law and Education, the Education Law Reporter, and others. He was selected as a Fellow of the Higher Education Law Roundtable at the University of Houston and has given numerous professional presentations for a variety of organizations, including the Association for Study of Higher Education, the Education Law Association, the American Education Research Association, and the University Council for Educational Administration. Dr. LaNear has also served as Regional Higher Education Case Reporter for the Education Law Association’s School Law Reporter and as School Law and Higher Education Editor for the Missouri Bar Association’s Courts and CLE Bulletin. 

Biography:  

Education

• B.A., English, Missouri State University 

• J.D., University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law

• M.S., Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, University of Wisconsin - Madison 

• Ph.D., Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, University of Wisconsin - Madison