University of Gothenburg honors Dean Alfredo J. Artiles for contributions to equity in educational sciences

One of the foremost Swedish universities recognized Arizona State University Graduate College Dean Alfredo J. Artiles with an honorary doctoral degree. At a ceremony on Friday, Oct. 18, the University of Gothenburg presented Artiles with an honorary degree of Doctor of Philosophy for his scholarship on disability policy and educational equity.

“For the last 27 years, (Artiles) has produced interdisciplinary research findings and theoretical refinements about the paradoxes of educational equity in the context of disability intersections with other sociocultural differences — race, language, social class, gender," said Gothenburg Faculty of Education Dean Åke Ingerman. "His scholarship also examines the equity consequences of inclusive education for marginalized students’ educational opportunity."

Artiles' long list of accomplishments include being elected to the National Academy of Education, being named fellow of the American Educational Research Association, serving on the White House Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics from 2011 to 2017, serving as vice president of the American Educational Research Association from 2009 to 2011 and editing the Teachers College Press book series “Disability, Culture, and Equity” since 2008.

Along with Artiles’ academic contributions, Ingerman also noted his “dedication to supporting other researchers” as part of an international consortium of equity research in special education. The consortium focuses mainly on understanding the “Complexities of Inclusive Education from a Comparative Perspective: How Cultural Histories Shape the Ways That Schools Respond to Multiple Forms of Diversity.” 

“Professor Artiles has been very useful in sharpening our thoughts in that respect,” Ingerman said. “He has sustained productive collaborative efforts with some of us; sharing his scholarship, inviting us to join publication and research projects and participating in conferences.”

“I am truly humbled to be selected for this honor by the University of Gothenburg," Artiles said. “It has truly been a pleasure to work with colleagues at Gothenburg and other universities around the world to add to our understanding of educational equity and building inclusive educational systems."

The honorary degree, Ingerman said, was a way to express the university’s interest in continued collaboration. Artiles was invited to attend Gothenburg’s annual ceremony of the conferment of doctoral degrees as part of the honor. The event was held at the Swedish Exhibition Centre’s Congress Hall in Gothenburg, the country’s second-largest city.

Artiles is an Honorary Professor in the School of Education at the University of Birmingham, U.K. (2016-2019), and has held visiting professorships at Leibniz University (Germany), the University of Göteborgs (Sweden), the University of Birmingham (U.K.) and Universidad Rafael Landívar (Guatemala).