The Ceremonial Conferment of Doctoral Degrees of the University of Turku will be arranged on Friday, 27 May 2022. The Conferment Ceremony begins at 11.00am at Logomo, and the entire event will also be directly streamed online. The Academic Procession making its way from the City Theatre to the Cathedral can be observed and followed starting from 3.00 pm (weather permitting).
This May, the University of Turku celebrates its new doctors and honorary doctors in the traditional conferment festivities.
The two-day festivities begin on Thursday, 26 May, when the promovendi prepare for the following day’s Conferment Ceremony by sharpening their swords at the Ruissalo Boatyard. On Friday, 27 May, the Conferment Ceremony is held at 11am, featuring handing out the doctoral hats and swords to the promovendi as they are conferred doctoral degrees. After the Conferment Ceremony, the Academic Procession makes its way along the Aura River to the Cathedral for the ceremonial service.
A record number of promovendi, a total of 200 doctors from the University of Turku, will now be attending the Conferment Ceremony, which had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the largest Conferment Ceremony of the University of Turku to date. In addition, 15 honorary doctorates will be conferred. The honorary doctors, chosen by the faculties, will receive their title as a recognition for their scientific merits, collaboration with the University of Turku, or for their impact on society.
Professor Anne Kovalainen is the Master of Ceremonies and Professor Janne Salminen is the Head Marshal.
Programme of the Ceremonial Conferment
Thursday, 26 May 2022
6.00pm, Sword Sharpening Ceremony at the Ruissalo Boatyard. The promovendi prepare for the Conferment Ceremony by sharpening their swords with grindstones as the heralds wet the grindstones with sparkling wine. The swords are whetted in the order of conferment, the honorary doctors placed first.
Friday, 27 May 2022
11.00am, the Conferment Ceremony at Logomo. The Ceremony begins with the Academic Procession, where the rectors, university professors, conferrers, and the honorary doctors and doctors to be conferred enter the Logomo Hall. After the Procession has settled, the conferrer presents each honorary doctor and doctor with a doctoral hat, sword, and diploma. The conferment is completed one faculty after another. It is possible to follow the Ceremony through a live stream starting from 11.15 am.
Approx. 3.00-3.15pm onwards, the Academic Procession by the Aura River. After the Conferment Ceremony, the doctors and the honorary doctors will be transferred from Logomo to their next location by the Aura River, after which the Academic Procession walks from the City Theatre to the Cathedral. The audience can observe the Procession as it makes its way by the Aura River from the City Theatre to the Cathedral.
The procession is subject to slight delay in schedule and also subject to cancellation in case of heavy rain.
Appr. 3.30-4pm, Conferment Service at the Cathedral and a secular service at Kunsthalle.
7.00pm, Ceremonial conferment banquet at Logomo finishes the festivities with the finale they deserve.
The academic tradition of the conferment festivities represents continuity, and the connection between today's science and higher education and the old European tradition of education and learning. The first doctoral promotion of all faculties of the University of Turku was held in 1927.
