SAR Executive Director Robert Quinn accepts an honorary doctorate from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Posted July 3, 2023
On June 1, 2023, SAR Executive Director Robert Quinn accepted an honorary doctorate from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Brussels, Belgium, in recognition of his and SAR’s “efforts to defend the human rights of academics all over the world” and as “a source of inspiration for anyone who values academic freedom.”
Photo credit: VUB/Thierry Geenen
In remarks on behalf of six award recipients, Quinn urged that “at times when democratic practices of evidence-based inquiry and discourse are under threat, the university has a first-order responsibility to defend them.” Quinn also participated in a public panel organized by the SAR Flanders Section and the Flemish Inter-University Council. The Flemish Foreign Minister attended the event, and Quinn thanked the Flemish Ministry for providing EUR 200,000 in matching funds to help Flemish universities to host at-risk scholars.
Fellow awardees were Mathematician Efim Zelmanov, lawyer Martti Koskenniemi, economist Marianna Mazzucato, and Secretary-General Amnesty International Agnès Callamard. SAR congratulates all and applauds VUB’s commitment to protecting scientists at risk.
Read more about the event and Proximus Karin Vanderkerken’s remarks when presenting the honorary doctorate here.
Read SAR Executive Director Robert Quinn’s full remarks at the VUB Doctor Honoris Causa Ceremony:
SAR Executive Director Robert Quinn's Remarks at the VUB_June 1, 2023