Professor Jane Knight, a leading scholar in the fields of higher education, internationalisation, globalisation, public policy and international relations, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Pretoria (UP).

Prof Knight, an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, is renowned in academic circles for her contributions to the international, intercultural and global dimensions of international higher education.

“There is no mention of international higher education without reference to her name and work,” said Prof Chika Sehoole, Dean of UP’s Faculty of Education. “Her definition of internationalisation has been used widely by many scholars and researchers in this field.”

Prof Knight holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from Queen’s University (2002), a PhD in Higher Education from Michigan State University (2004) and a second PhD in Political Science-International Relations from the University of Antwerp (2021). She is also the recipient of two other honorary doctorates.

“I’m honoured and humbled to receive this honorary doctorate from the esteemed University of Pretoria,” Prof Knight said. “It acknowledges the important role that higher education plays in furthering development at the individual, community, national and international levels. It represents the values of excellence, integrity and social justice that are fundamental to my work and to the teaching and learning, research and societal engagement of the University of Pretoria.

“In addition, I congratulate all the graduates of the Faculty of Education at the University of Pretoria. I believe in your capacity and commitment to the importance of community service, entrepreneurial endeavours and innovative actions to making the world a more equitable, trusting and kind place to live.”

Prof Knight has worked in the university and higher education sector since the late 1980s, when she established herself as a renowned scholar in higher education, internationalisation, international development cooperation, globalisation, public policy and international relations. Her passion for collaboration led to her working in more than 75 countries with universities, governments, non-governmental agencies and United Nations agencies.

Her research, policy work and mentoring work in Africa spans more than two decades. She co-founded the African Network for International Education in 2010, which seeks to advance the international dimension of higher education.

“Through this forum, a capacity development programme for young scholars was launched,” Prof Sehoole said. “The programme provided some avenue for the development of research skills and the publication of scholarly work. This resulted in the publication of numerous volumes.”

In 2017, Prof Knight co-founded the Brill book series African Higher Education: Developments and Perspectives. Over the past two decades, she received 21 visiting fellowships to institutions across the globe, including in South Africa, and has been a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Johannesburg.

“In a career that spans several decades, Prof Knight has produced 12 scholarly books, and more than 150 book chapters and journal articles,” Prof Sehoole said. “She is a sought-after speaker and advisor across the globe. She has also been involved in several international evaluations, assessments, review panels and audits for national governments and UN agencies; this is evidence of her expertise and influence across the globe.”