Middle Ages, present time and our own history and identity
As a young university, we wish to preserve a long-standing academic tradition of ceremonies dating back to the Middle Ages, while commemorating our own history and identity. We have therefore chosen to design our academic celebration to reflect our culture as well as maintain the link to national and international university traditions.
From the beginning, our task was education for the benefit of society in the then most knowledge-demanding professions, such as lawyer, doctor and priest. In our time, the academic professions have become more numerous to meet a new knowledge society. And our researchers have an important role to play in both educating and creating knowledge for this society. That is why we see our Academic Celebration as a very important event.
Doctoral Degree Conferment Ceremony
The doctoral degree-conferring ceremony has been practised in Sweden since the first ceremony took place in Uppsala in the early 16th century. Over the centuries, the ceremony has undergone certain changes and been upheld to various degrees. Nowadays this tradition is an appreciated and festive event in academia. The Swedish term for the ceremony, ‘promotion’, is derived from the Latin ‘promovere’, which means ‘to push onwards’, ‘to further’. A promotor is appointed by the faculty to confer the degrees and associated rights and privileges. The academic insignia hail from the Middle Ages, and include the doctor’s hat, doctor’s ring, and earlier also a book of privileges, which had disappeared from the ceremonies and had been replaced by the diploma. The handshake has symbolic value; it means ‘be greeted’, and the promotor also says these words during the act. The insignia are proof that a doctoral degree has been conferred.
The doctor’s hat
The doctoral hat is conferred on the honorary doctors at Karlstad University. It is tall, black and pleated and symbolises freedom and power. The purpose of conferring honorary doctorates is to pay tribute to persons who have contributed to knowledge development and have a valued association with the university. Conferred doctors are entitled to wearing a hat, but at Karlstad University a laurel wreath is used as a symbol for the conferment of the degree in accordance with Swedish tradition.
The laurel wreath
The laurel wreath is an insignia worn by all new doctors conferred doctor’s at Karlstad University. It is a symbol from Greek mythology associated with the god Apollo. The laurel wreath was presented to winners in the Olympic Games as a sign of victory. The Roman emperors later copied this symbol. In the Middle Ages, the laurel wreath was a common sign for poets and in this way it came to be used in scholarly contexts.
The doctor’s ring
The ring is made of gold and symbolises loyalty to science. The doctor’s ring is voluntary ordered by the new doctor to be conferred and during the ceremony this act is symbolized with a kind of “virtual ring.
The diploma
The diploma was from the outset a written confirmation of the rights awarded to docoral graduates. The diploma is written in Swedish, printed on handmade paper and carries the University goldplated seal. The diploma is handed over with a specially designed diploma box with the University’s symbol on the lid. The box represents the regional paper mill tradition. Please note that the diploma is not a degree certificate and does not replace the proof of completion of doctoral degree.
Parnassos
The dais used during the ceremony is called Parnassos. This refers to the ‘divine mountain’ in Greek mythology, and Parnassos was dedicated to Apollo and the Muses. Mount Parnassos was an elevated place at which the learned gathered. When a doctor mounts or is led across Parnassos by the promoter, she/he has the right to disseminate academic learning. At Karlstad University, Parnassos is symbolised by our logo, the sun.
The inauguration ceremony
This tradition also goes back to the Middle Ages. There are documentations of installations at Uppsala University at the beginning of the 17th century. The Swedish word ‘installation’ derives from the clerical term ‘stallum’, which was a chair in the chancel assigned to a member of the cathedral chapter on his ordination. All universities in Sweden hold inauguration ceremonies, although the forms may vary. At Karlstad University, all professors who are to be inaugurated hold short academic lectures before the ceremony. The lectures are open to students, staff and the public.
Karlstad university’s symbol
Karlstad University’s symbol was designed for the new university and encompasses several values our university upholds. One of these values is the practice of boundary-crossing and multidisciplinary approaches. The sun also stands for renewable energy, which is associated with sustainable development. The sun is necessary for sustaining life on earth. It provides warmth, energy and ever-returning daylight. There are many examples in world history of the sun and light representing goodness and enlightenment, hopes for a new and better society, as well as wisdom and truth.
