Doctors Were Conferred With Festive Ceremony
There were 112 Doctors and 13 Honorary Doctors conferred on May 30, 2013 in the Turku Concert Hall.
Participants had an academic procession from the Concert Hall to the Turku Cathedral.
The University of Turku celebrated its doctors with a Ceremonial Conferment of Doctoral Degrees common to all the faculties on May 30 – June 1, 2013. In the Three-day Ceremonial Conferment, the academic traditions represent continuity – the connection the science and higher education of today have with the old European civilisation.
The first Ceremonial Conferment of Doctoral Degrees that included all the faculties of the University of Turku was held in 1927.
The Sword Sharpening
The first event of the Ceremonial Conferment was the sword sharpening on Thursday. The prospective Doctors and Honorary Doctors sharpened their swords of science with grindstones dipped in sparkling wine.
Judge of the European Court of Justice, Doctor of Laws Allan Rosas is one of the new Honorary Doctors of the University of Turku. Rosas sharpened his sword of science while his spouse spun the grindstone.
The Official Act of Conferment
On Friday, the participants gathered to the official Act of Conferment which was held in the Turku Concert Hall. There were 112 Doctors and 13 Honorary Doctors conferred this year. Last time the Ceremonial Conferment of Doctoral Degrees was held in the year 2011 when 112 Doctors, 13 Honorary Doctors and three Jubilee Doctors were conferred.
One of the conferred Doctors was Leena Aarikka-Stenroos, who works as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Marketing and International Business.
Minister Erkki Tuomioja is a new Honorary Doctor of the University of Turku.
Honorary Doctor, Academic Jaan Einasto in the academic procession.
Honorary Doctor, Research Director Agnès van Zanten and her spouse at the conferment dinner in the Turku Castle. Van Zanten works in the Observatoire Sociologique de Changement, Paris.
Additional information:
>> Degree Ceremonies 2013
>> University of Turku Celebrates its Doctors with a Three-day Ceremonial Conferment
>> Honorary Doctor Einasto: Only Small Part of Our Universe is Visible
>> A Double Experience Awaits the Prospective Honorary Doctor
Photographs: Hanna Oksanen
Text: HA
Translation: HB