Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

U. of I. law professor receives honorary doctorate in Switzerland

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – University of Illinois law professor William J. Davey has received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Berne in recognition of his longtime efforts to promote fair international trade.

Davey was cited by the Swiss university for his “fundamental work in the development and evolution of the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement system, thanks to which numerous trade conflicts were peaceably resolved.”

He also has made outstanding academic contributions to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and later the WTO in the search for fair and balanced rules for international trade, according to the university.

Davey, who received his honorary doctorate Dec. 1 at the Swiss university’s 173rd annual Dies Academicus, served as director of legal affairs for the WTO from 1995 to 1999.

A faculty member at the U. of I. since 1984, Davey teaches international trade law and European Union law. His efforts to promote knowledge of European law in the U.S. have helped advance the trans-Atlantic dialogue, according to the University of Berne.

In 2004, Davey was awarded the distinguished faculty award for international achievement, the highest faculty award at the U. of I. for scholarship and service within the international community.

Davey, who earned his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Michigan, has been on the faculty of the University of Berne’s master’s program in international law and economics since its founding in 2001.

Read Next

Health and medicine Dr. Timothy Fan, left, sits in a consulting room with the pet owner. Between them stands the dog, who is looking off toward Fan.

How are veterinarians advancing cancer research in dogs, people?

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — People are beginning to realize that dogs share a lot more with humans than just their homes and habits. Some spontaneously occurring cancers in dogs are genetically very similar to those in people and respond to treatment in similar ways. This means inventive new treatments in dogs, when effective, may also be […]

Honors From left, individuals awarded the 2025 Campus Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement are Antoinette Burton, director of the Humanities Research Institute; Ariana Mizan, undergraduate student in strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship; Lee Ragsdale, the reentry resource program director for the Education Justice Project; and Ananya Yammanuru, a graduate student in computer science. Photos provided.

Awards recognize excellence in public engagement

The 2025 Campus Awards for Excellence in Public Engagement were recently awarded to faculty, staff and community members who address critical societal issues.

Uncategorized Portrait of the researchers standing outside in front of a grove of trees.

Study links influenza A viral infection to microbiome, brain gene expression changes

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a study of newborn piglets, infection with influenza A was associated with disruptions in the piglets’ nasal and gut microbiomes and with potentially detrimental changes in gene activity in the hippocampus, a brain structure that plays a central role in learning and memory. Maternal vaccination against the virus during pregnancy appeared […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010