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Academic Ceremony
MDU will be celebrating the Academic Ceremony to honour the University’s new honorary doctors and doctors. In conjunction with the Ceremony, prizes and awards will be distributed and new professors will be installed. The Ceremony is arranged once every other year.
Among the University’s traditions there is what is called the Academic Ceremony, a celebration which includes the conferment of doctoral degrees and the installation of new professors. The Ceremony dates back to the Middle Ages and is common to all research-bearing university colleges and Swedish universities. At the Academic Ceremony it is academic performance that is in focus and celebrated.
Conferment of doctoral degrees and installation of new professors
The conferment of doctoral degrees is the ceremonial occasion at the University where doctoral students who have successfully completed their doctoral degree are promoted to the title of doctor. In addition to this, honorary doctoral degrees are conferred on scholars for meritorious achievements within their field of scholarship. The doctoral graduates are led over the symbolic Parnassus, welcomed by the Presiding Officer and receive their laurel wreath or doctoral hat and the diploma.
The installation of professors has its roots in the Middle Ages, reminding us of the old ties to the Church. In former times, a member of the Cathedral Chapter appointed to his office was assigned a particular chair in the Cathedral’s choir stalls, stallum. It is from this word that our present word "installation” derives. The installation, or inauguration as it is also called, of a new professor takes place when the Vice-Chancellor has awarded the new professor a ring and a diploma. At MDU, the professors hired from 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2022, will be installed.
Academic Ceremony 2022
Date
7 October 2022
Place
Västerås Concert Hall
Kopparbergsvägen 1
722 13 Västerås
Contact
event@mdu.se
Programme
Monday 3 October
Installation lectures
All new professors will give their inaugural lectures on Monday 3 October at campus Västerås.
The programme will be published here on 1 September.
Wednesday 5 October
Honorary Doctors' and Award winners' Day
Lectures by new honorary doctors, winners of the Teaching Prize and the Collaboration medal, as well as the visiting professorship in memory of Alva Myrdal, will be held on Wednesday 5 October at campus Eskilstuna.
The programme will be published here on 1 September.
Thursday 6 October
Rehearsals
15:45 Rehearsals in Västerås Concert Hall, mandatory for all honorary guests.
Friday 7 October
Academic Ceremony
13:30 Photo (only for honorary guests)
15:20 All guests take their places
15:30 Academic ceremony
18:30 Mingle
19:15 Banquet, for invited guests
Information for honorary guests
As a new professor, doctor, honorary doctor, recipient of an educational award or the MDU Medal of Collaboration, you are an honorary guest.
Information for invited guests
As an invited guest, you have an important role to play in creating a festive celebration for our honorary guests.
Insignia
At the doctoral degree ceremony the doctoral students at MDU have the opportunity to choose between being awarded a doctoral cap or a laurel wreath. As a doctor, you can also order a doctoral ring.
Prizes and awards
During the Ceremony the recipients of the Teaching Prize, MDU’s Collaboration Medal and the holder of the professorship in memory of Alva Myrdal will be honoured.
Teaching Prize
The Teaching prize was established to promote educational development at MDU. The prize is awarded to the person who has made outstanding contributions to education at Bachelor’s and Master’s levels. The prize is worth SEK 50 000 and the prize may be divided between a maximum of three prize-winners. The prize is passed on to the department/unit, division, or organisational unit to which the prize-winners belong and will be used for the person’s or the group’s educational development. The prize is awarded in conjunction with the Academic Ceremony and the prize-winner will also hold a short lecture about their educational contributions.
All students and staff at the University can nominate a person or group they consider should be awarded the prize. The nominee must be a permanent employee at MDU. A nomination committee will then submit suggestions for winners to the Vice-Chancellor, who will appoint the winner.
Collaboration Medal
The medal will be awarded to a person who has made outstanding contributions in support of the University’s collaboration and co-production profile. The medal will be awarded in conjunction with the Academic Ceremony.
All permanent employees may nominate someone for the prize. The nomination must be accompanied by a statement of reasons. A medal committee will submit suggestions to the Vice-Chancellor for recipients of the medal. The Vice-Chancellor decides who should receive the medal.
Professorship in memory of Alva Myrdal
MDU has established a visiting professorship in memory of Alva Myrdal. The professorship is in honour of Alva Myrdal’s work a researcher, politician and social debater.
The visiting professorship is financed by Samhällskontraktet, the strategic agreement on extended collaboration between MDU, Eskilstuna Municipality and Västerås City.