The Opening Ceremony of the University's Academic Year 2024–2025 was celebrated at the Main Building on 3 September 2024. The Ceremony included a speech by Rector Marjo Kaartinen, who discussed the University's mission and the importance of openness, courage and passion in a multidisciplinary university community.
“Knowledge, knowing, understanding. Skills based on knowledge. Thinking, generating ideas, debating thoughts and ideas. Building new ideas on top of the old ones. And teaching these through dialogue, by demonstrating and debating – thinking. These principles still define the fundamental purpose and core of the university," said Rector Kaartinen at the beginning of her speech.
Rector Kaartinen told at the Opening Ceremony that the University of Turku has recently renewed its strategy.
“Our vision is to dynamically build a sustainable future and social well-being through research and education. We believe strongly in our vision. We improve our world by searching, exploring, developing, reflecting, and teaching. Our responsibility is to build the future actively and, to the best of our ability, proactively.”
Kaartinen highlighted the University’s local and at the same time global role.
“We improve the world from global to local and vice versa: from local to global. For us, acting locally is a matter of pride, whether we operate in Turku or Utsjoki. Global problems, such as the climate crisis, are also very much local problems. And because global challenges are not likely to pass us by, as a university we need to be prepared for anything – and with knowledge we can achieve that. We can offer a genuine ability to put matters into context, to connect their different aspects, to explain them, their historical background and their development, and then to create solutions to problems.”
Rector Kaartinen pointed out that high quality is the cornerstone of the University's strategy. She stated that high quality requires that things can be done thoroughly.
"Doing things well is crucial for the well-being of a university community, where the essence of our activities is that we often study issues precisely because they are challenging, complex, and difficult. It is also important that we approach all our endeavours with the passion that has always been a common characteristic of those of us who pursue knowledge.”
Kaartinen pointed out that the theme of ambition emerging from the strategy also means having the courage to follow our own path as a university.
“For us, this means not only respecting our diversity, but also respecting each other in this multidisciplinary community.”
Kaartinen said that the University of Turku is academically very successful, and according to the funding indicators set by the Ministry of Education and Culture, its prospects are currently very good.
“The number of graduates is great and the number of applicants is positive. Our brilliant researchers have achieved significant international and domestic funding, with more on the way.”
At the end, she reminded that education and knowledge are a privilege.
“Although knowledge in our modern society is available to anyone who is interested in it, the value of knowledge does not diminish as the amount of knowledge increases – fortunately, the opposite is true. Let us therefore remain firm in our commitment to learning, research, science and scholarship, and the promotion of education. These are the foundations of Finland's success, of our success."
Recognitions and awards for University personnel
The Turku Finnish University Society's awards for distinguished dissertations and the commemorative medals of the University of Turku were given at the Ceremony.
The University Society gave the awards to dissertations of exceptional quality completed during the previous academic year. The doctoral dissertation prizes were awarded to Aleksi Isomursu, PhD (Faculty of Technology, Biochemistry), for his dissertation Biomechanics of cancer cell motility, to Anushree Luukela-Tandon, DSc (Turku School of Economics), for her dissertation Fear of missing out on social media: implications for private and professional lives, to Juuso Laitila, PhD (Faculty of Science, Chemistry), for his dissertation on Determination of proanthocyanidin-anthocyanin adducts in red wine and red wine inspired hemisynthesis of procyanidin analogues, to Lauri Mäkinen DSocSci (Faculty of Social Sciences, Social Policy), for his doctoral dissertation on WHAT IS NEEDED AT THE ACCEPTABLE MINIMUM? Studies on the operationalization of the concept of poverty?, and to Johanna Vanto, LLD (Faculty of Law), for her dissertation Wiggle Room: Discretionary Power and Vulnerability in Asylum Procedure.
The commemorative medal of the University of Turku was awarded to Pentti Huovinen (bacteriology), Ilkka Julkunen (virology), Kalevi Kokko (material physics), Anne Kumpula (environmental law), Matti Laato (urology), Yrjö Lagerspetz (practical philosophy), Raili Lahtinen (Nordic languages), Juha Peltonen (anatomy), Tuula Putus (occupational health), Päivi Rautava (public health), Leena Salminen (nursing, with a special focus on health pedagogy), Sakari Suominen (health care and behavioural medicine) and Olli Tenovuo (neurotraumatology).
The opening ceremony also included a greeting from the Student Union of the University of Turku, given by Chair of the Student Union's Executive Board Katie Astin, and a greeting from the staff associations, given by Chair of the University of Turku chapter of the Finnish Union of University Professors Eila Lindfors.
