NEWS During 21-23 October, honorary doctors, professors and award recipients at Umeå University will be giving lectures in correlation with the autumn academic ceremony. Two of this year's most intriguing and noteworthy lectures will undoubtedly be those held by Dr. Denis Mukewege and Margot Wallström, honorary doctors at the Faculty of Medicine. They will both discuss and spread awareness about violence against women in war and armed conflicts.
Dr. Mukwege, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has drawn attention to the world of how mass rape and systematic use of sexual torture is used as a weapon of war and to access the mineral-rich lands. He has worked together with Margot Wallström, after her special appointment by the United Nations to monitor the vulnerability of women and children vulnerability in wars and conflicts. Prior to this appointment, Margot Wallström was the First Vice President of the European Commission for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy. Mukwege and Wallström will be formally conferred as honorary doctors by the Faculty of Medicine on 23 October.
Following Margot Wallström's academic ceremony lecture (held in Swedish) on Saturday 23 October, at approximately 10:45 a.m., a press conference will be held together with Dr. Denis Mukwege in the Research Archives, located on the second level of the University Library.
The 2010 autumn academic ceremony will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday 23 October in Aula Nordica. Sweden’s University Chancellor Lars Haikola will come to formally install Lena Gustafsson as the new Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University. During the ceremony, nine honorary doctors will be appointed, 28 new professors will be installed and 15 scientific awards will be distributed.
The three-day ceremonial programme starts on Thursday 21 October at 1:00 p.m., when Pro-Vice-Chancellor Kjell Jonsson inaugurates the 2010 Umeå University exhibition of the honorary doctors, new professors and award recipients. Honorary doctor at the Faculty of Arts, Michel Wlodarczyk discusses the topic: What relevance does the free and voluntary adult education have in today's education landscape? (Swedish: Vilken relevans har den fria och frivilliga folkbildningen i dagens utbildningslandskap?)
Later in the day at 3:00 p.m, an open seminar (to be held entirely in English) will take place in Aula Nordica on violence against women and children, titled: Challenging Gender Based Violence in the World. Dr. Denis Mukwege and fellow honorary doctor Gundrun Nordborg, Head of the Information Office at The Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority will speak and discuss this important subject. Researchers from the research group Challenging Violence at Umeå University will be participating. Moderator for the discussion is Margareta Winberg, chair of the Karlstad University board and former Minister for Gender Equality in Sweden.
At 2:00 p.m., a press conference with the seminar participants will be held for members of the media.
The ceremonial lectures will begin on Thursday 21 October at 6:30 p.m. with the honorary doctors and award recipients at the Faculty of Medicine, including a lecture by Dr. Denis Mukwege at 7:40 p.m. with the title: The world said never again - but it happened again and again and again.
On Friday 22 October, lectures will be given by award recipients and honorary doctors at the faculties of Arts, Social Sciences, and Science and Technology.
Newly installed professors will hold lectures on the morning of Saturday 23 October.
Complete Programme of lectures (in Swedish)
Honorary doctorates, professors and award recipients for 2010 are presented in a commemorative brochure available in Swedish.
2010 Commemorative brochure
High-resolution press images
Honorary DoctorsNew ProfessorsAward Recipients
All lectures are free of charge and the general public is welcome to attend! The five lectures to be held in Lecture Hall A on Saturday will be broadcast live online at: http://bambuser.com/channel/UmeaUniversitet
The formal ceremony will be held at Aula Nordica on Saturday 23 October at 5:00 p.m. It is open to the general public. Following the ceremony, at around 7:00 pm, a dinner banquet for invited guests only with be held at the restaurant Universum.
On Friday 22 October, a rehearsal for the ceremony will be held in Aula Nordica at 10:00-11:30 a.m. Participants will have the chance to try on their doctor hats and wreaths.
Registered members of the media are welcome to attend the ceremony and rehearsal.
Contact person: Ejvår Falck, Mistress of Ceremonies (acting) Phone: + 46 (090-786 55 15 Mobile: +46 (0)72-233 55 15
E-mail: ejvar.falck@adm.umu.se
Editor: David Meyers