Professor Heila Lotz-Sisitka, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa has been appointed Honorary Doctor (Doctor Honoris Causa) by the Faculty of Social Sciences at Umeå University.
“It is a great pleasure for us that the contributions by Heila Lotz-Sisitka towards our department and other educational environments at Umeå University are recognized in this way,” says Anna Lindqvist, Head of the Department of Applied Educational Science. She continues: “The work by Heila Lotz-Sisitka in researching the crucial issues of how educational systems can be transformed in response to contemporary global challenges towards more sustainable societies, has been and is a tremendous source of inspiration – for both younger and more senior researchers.”
The cooperation between Professor Lotz-Sisitka and researchers at the Dept. of Applied Educational Science started in 2009 and has since continued in various forms. An important part has been the exchanges between PhD students through the joint course weeks organized by Umeå School of Education and Rhodes University. Digital seminars, guest lectures, workshops and joint publications are other outcomes from the cooperation.
“A foundational idea in the work and research by Heila Lotz-Sisitka is that education shall serve ‘the common good’ in both a local and global perspective”, says Professor Karin Sporre, who has been appointed the host for Heila Lotz-Sisitka when she is to receive the award, October 17th at Umeå University. Karin Sporre continues: “Heila has a unique capacity to inspire, share her wisdom and knowledge, and assuming responsibility while environments around her grow and develop.”
Thus, this internationally and nationally renowned researcher has been appointed Honorary Doctor by the Faculty of Social Sciences 2026.
Read more about the news when received at Rhodes University: https://www.ru.ac.za/latestnews/heila_hon_doc.html