Emeritus Professor Roger Slee of the University of Leeds Receives the Title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the School of Education

Emeritus Professor of the University of Leeds, Roger Slee, has been awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Department of Early Childhood Education, School of Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

The award ceremony was held on Monday, 29 June 2026, in the University’s Great Hall.

Proceedings opened with welcoming remarks by Professor Gerasimos Siasos, Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Next, Associate Professor Evdoxia Deropoulou-Derou, Chair of the Department of Early Childhood Education, spoke about Professor Roger Slee’s work and personal qualities.

The formal conferment then took place with Associate Professor Deropoulou-Derou reading the official citation. Following this, Vassilis Tsafos, Dean of the School of Education, invested the honouree with the academic gown of the School.

The ceremony closed with the awardee, Professor Roger Slee, giving a talk titled: ‘Rethinking Education in an Age of Exclusion’.

In his welcome address, the Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, said, among other things: ‘Professor Slee is recognised internationally as one of the foremost scholars in inclusive education and Disability Studies. His work has played a central role in shaping contemporary thinking on educational equity, diversity and participation, as well as on the right of every learner to be taught in genuinely inclusive settings. Professor Slee’s distinguished academic career has been closely linked with some of the world’s leading universities. He has served as Dean and Head of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Western Australia and Dean of the Faculty of Education at McGill University. Most recently, he held the Diamond Jubilee Chair in Disability and Inclusion at the University of Leeds.

Alongside his academic achievements, Professor Slee has also played a significant role in educational policy. As an adviser to governments, international organisations and educational bodies, he has worked to advance policies promoting access, participation and social justice in education. His international standing is reflected in the range of distinctions he has received.

Professor Slee’s long-standing association with the Department of Early Childhood Education is of particular significance to our University. Since 2004, he has been an active participant in the Department’s academic and research life, providing invaluable support to its Master’s Programme in Special Education and making an important contribution to its international engagement. Through his academic leadership and intellectual influence, he has introduced generations of students, educators, and researchers to inclusive thinking and to contemporary understandings of disability and diversity. Above all, he has consistently championed inclusive education as a profoundly democratic principle that upholds every individual’s right to participate fully and equally in learning and in society’.

Photos: Dimitris Konstantinidis