The Alum of the Year recognition was awarded to Mayor Minna Arve on the Anniversary Day of the University of Turku on 28 February 2022.
The Alum of the Year 2022 of the University of Turku is Mayor of Turku Minna Arve. She graduated as a Master of Science in Economics from Turku School of Economics at the University of Turku in 2004. Minna Arve has extensively supported the University’s success both nationally and internationally. Ms Arve has participated actively and concretely in the development of the University of Turku and has promoted the collaboration between the higher education institutions in Turku, the City of Turku, and other actors in the region.
– Minna Arve is a long-standing and important partner to the University of Turku and has supported the University’s goals and competitiveness in her work in different organisations, says Rector Jukka Kola.
The University of Turku also wants to thank Ms Arve for her contribution in promoting sustainable values in the development of the City of Turku.
– It is a great honour to become one of the esteemed recipients of the Alum of the Year of the University of Turku. I want to thank you for this special recognition. My heart beats for the city of Turku and I have the privilege to occupy a vantage position in working for the city, in an office to which I have qualified and trained for over the years, says Ms Arve.
– I am thankful for the skills I gained and the people I met, now a permanent part of my life, when studying at Turku School of Economics at the beginning of the 2000s. The relationships we create during our studies are often those that carry us for the rest of our lives.
Ms Arve says that alumni activities and mentoring are good examples of how your alma mater leaves a permanent trace.
– We alumni want to share our experiences with other alumni as well as with the current students.
The Alum of the Year recognition is awarded annually to a former student of the University of Turku who has promoted the success of the University of Turku and Finnish society with their activities.
Previously, the Alum of the Year recognition has been awarded to Medical Counsellor Sakari Alhopuro, President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö, Poet Heli Laaksonen, Editor-in chief Riitta Monto, Director General Liisa Hyssälä, and President Mauno Koivisto.
Phoenix Universitatis Turkuensis Decoration to Lauri Inna and Susan Kuivalainen
The University of Turku and the Turku Finnish University Society awarded the Phoenix Universitatis Turkuensis decoration to Area Director Lauri Inna and Head of Department Susan Kuivalainen. Both are alumni of the University of Turku and have promoted the University’s goals.
Lauri Inna, the Area Director of Kesko, has shown particular activity in creating and activating networks that are important to the University’s societal interaction. As the Mayor of the City of Salo, he was the chair of the collaboration steering group of the University of Turku and City of Salo promoting actively versatile co-operation between the University and the City. He also had a central role in the preparation and coordination of the professorship in battery technology donated to the University by different actors in Salo. As the Area Director of Kesko, a Finnish trading sector organisation, he has continued his dynamic activities to promote the operational preconditions and aims of the University of Turku by, for example, being a key player in collecting funds for the professorship in circular economy that was donated to the University. Lauri Inna is also the vice chair of the Advisory Board of the University of Turku.
In her work, Susan Kuivalainen, the Head of the Research Department at the Finnish Centre for Pensions, has significantly promoted the impact of researched information in societal decision-making. Kuivalainen is a docent at the University of Turku and her research areas include the standing and livelihood of retirees and the minimum level of pensions. She has been active in public debate and has significantly highlighted her research topics. Kuivalainen has also diversely participated in the activities of the University of Turku as an expert and partner, for example, she has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Faculty of Social Sciences and has been active in developing the Faculty.
Read Rector Jukka Kola's Anniversary Celebration Speech.
This year, the University's Anniversary Celebration was carried out as a virtual event, watch the video of the celebration.
