Congratulations to Prof. William Simmons, who is the recipient of the 2025 Human Rights and Higher Education Award, presented by the University and College Consortium on Human Rights Education (UCCHRE). Bill is a professor of Gender and Women's Studies in the School of Global Studies in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Arizona, where he was also the founder and the first director of the Human Rights Practice Program.
As the first international award in human rights education, the Human Rights and Higher Education Award recognizes outstanding contributions to human rights education by an individual, group, program, journal, or organization through work that embodies a commitment to human rights principles and rights-based practices.
"Dr. Bill Simmons reflects this work in many ways, including as a founder of the innovative online MA in Human Rights Practice
which is grounded in community-engaged learning and is open to students across the globe," noted the chair of the selection committee, Dr. Sandra Sirota of the University of Connecticut. Students in the Human Rights Practice MA program meet with human rights experts from academia, nonprofit organizations, the United Nations, and more. The curriculum merges the academic with the practical, offering students opportunities to apply human rights learning to addressing real human rights issues and contribute to positive social change.
Dr. Sirota added: "Dr. Simmons has a strong record of working collaboratively and facilitating partnerships among diverse actors in support of human rights research, teaching and learning, advocacy, and other practice-oriented initiatives around the world. He has extensive experience shaping compelling common visions and building diverse coalitions inclusive of faculty, students, staff, and community members. He seeks to center voices that have been historically marginalized, and prioritizes the learning and practice of others in myriad and creative ways."
"Dr. Simmons does his work with humility as he challenges hierarchies and institutional barriers of higher education. He is an inspirational mentor for students and colleagues alike in the United States and throughout the world. He is an exceptional role-model of creative human rights learning initiatives, including interdisciplinary, cross-university, and community-based collaboration," concluded Dr. Sirota.
