Joyful celebrations are an essential part of the life of the academic community. The greatest celebration of all is the conferment ceremony, which continues a tradition initiated as far back as the Middle Ages.
The University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Theology celebrates the conferment of its doctoral graduands on Friday, 9 June 2023. The Faculty is now celebrating its conferment ceremony for the 44th time after initiating the tradition in 1648. I have the honour of conferring doctoral graduands with their academic degree and title, as well as presenting them and the honorary doctoral graduands with the insignia of the degree and title of doctor.
As the Faculty of Philosophy is holding its 100th conferment ceremony in 2023, the University as a whole will celebrate The Conferment Jubilee. In addition to the Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Philosophy, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine are organising conferment ceremonies in the same year.
The year 2023 is the centenary of the passing of the Freedom of Religion Act in Finland.
Taking this as inspiration, we have chosen Freedom as the theme of the conferment ceremony at the Faculty of Theology. The theme encompasses religious freedom, human rights and the state of the world, topics manifested in the selection of individuals due conferral of honorary doctorates and heard in the speeches given at various stages of the conferment festivities.
It is a great pleasure to celebrate, together with the newly conferred doctoral degree holders, their great achievement!
Martti Nissinen
Conferrer