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Professor Henk Kummeling, Rector Magnificus and professor of Comparative Constitutional Law at Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� of the Western Cape (UWC) in Cape Town, South Africa. He receives the honorary doctorate for his achievements as a bridge builder that connects universities across the globe, and as defender of academic freedom.

Education and research are the common threads in Henk Kummeling's career, which he pursues both within and outside the academic world. His accomplishments in comparative constitutional law include an array of influential publications, handbooks as well as appointments to important advisory bodies, for example as chairman of the Electoral Council and chairman of the State Commission on the Rule of Law, which investigated the functioning of the Dutch rule of law from 2022 to 2024.

Social justice

As a leader in academia, he has an open mind and an open attitude, and has been at the forefront of the transformation towards interdisciplinary and developmental approaches. For example in the transition towards Open Science, and towards respectful collaboration with universities across the world, including in the so-called ‘global south’. His approach is always embedded in the quest for social justice, and is based on the centrality of human dignity. 

In his role as extraordinary professor at UWC, he regularly teaches, delivers seminars, and co-supervises doctoral students. He has been a warm, constructive and genuine supporter of UWC’s academic enterprise ever since his first interactions with UWC in the 1990ties. “I am very honored to have been awarded this honorary doctorate from the ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� of Western Cape, an institute where I have proudly been an associate professor since 2013,” Kummeling says.