25 years of work for scholars under threat – Robert Quinn has been named Honorary Doctor

“I am humbled to be receiving this honorary degree in recognition of our 25+ years of work at Scholars at Risk, and on behalf of all the universities, faculty, staff, students, partners, and donors who have joined with us to defend threatened colleagues and to help them continue their vital work in safety. I am especially honored to be recognized in the field of Library and Information Science, where the University of Borås is a leader, as we know from our work and from history that university libraries are not just repositories of the past, but dynamic partners in advancing and sharing forward-looking knowledge for the public good. In recognizing the work of Scholars at Risk network members, the University of Borås honors that tradition and will inspire other universities to do the same,” said Robert Quinn. 

The non-profit organization Scholars at Risk (SAR) was founded in 1999 and is today a global network of over 650 active partners, many of which are universities. SAR is based at New York University. Around a hundred scholars receive protection annually with the help of SAR. They are academics whose activities and sometimes even lives have been endangered by totalitarian regimes.

“A reminder to never stop fighting”

“Promoting the dissemination of and access to information, championing source criticism against disinformation and protecting democratic values, these values are at the very core of what the Swedish School of Library and Information Science stands for. We work actively with this in education and research, as well as in development collaborations and external engagement, such as the launch of Scholars at Risk's annual report Free to Think 2025 last winter,” said Veronica Trépagny, the representative from the University of Borås in SAR-Sweden and Assistant Head of Department at the Swedish School of Library and Information and Information Science. 

She continued, “Without Robert Quinn, Scholars at Risk, which celebrates 25 years internationally and ten years in Sweden, would not have been the organization it is today. That work is priceless. When access to knowledge is curtailed, when education and research are banned or opposed, that affects us all. Therefore, the appointment of Robert Quinn is a reminder that we must never stop fighting for academic freedom in general and, more specifically, seeking to provide protection for individuals,” said Veronica Trépagny. 

Public lecture to be held on 7 May

Honorary doctors are nominated by University of Borås employees. Decisions are made by the Research and Education Board and the Artistic Research and Education Board, depending on the subject area. 
“We are extremely proud and honored to appoint Robert Quinn Honorary Doctor, and we look forward to welcoming him at the Academic Ceremony in May,” said Eva Gustafsson, Chair of the Research and Education Board.
Robert Quinn will be conferred an honorary doctorate at the university's Academic Ceremony on 8 May at Borås Congress Centre. On Thursday 7 May, he will give a public lecture at the University of Borås. 

About Robert Quinn

Robert Quinn is the founder and Executive Director of Scholars at Risk (SAR). Together with SAR, he received the University of Oslo's Human Rights Award in 2012 (The Lisl and Leo Eitinger Prize). In addition to his work with SAR, Robert Quinn has extensive experience working with issues of academic freedom and he has held leading positions in the Magna Charta Observatory, the Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund, and the Network for Education and Academic Rights, among others. Robert Quinn, whose academic field is law, is an Adjunct Professor at Fordham University Law School. He received an honorary doctorate from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2010 and from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 2023.

Read more

Read more about Robert Quinn on Scholars at Risk's website
Scholars at Risk
SAR-Sweden

The Swedish School of Library and Information Science, University of Borås