This page in Swedish 09 February 2019

University celebrating with well-attended lectures and academic pomp

On Saturday, Örebro University’s hosted its annual academic celebrations, with an extra measure of festivities thrown in since this year is the university’s 20th anniversary.

The day opened with a potpourri of lectures at the Conventum Conference Centre. 27 lectures, to be precise, were given by the university’s new doctors and professors – several of them before a full house.

Late afternoon, guests in evening wear arrived at the university’s Aula Nova. The main purpose of the academic celebrations is to honour the university’s new professors, PhDs and honorary doctors.

Following the ceremony in Aula Nova, pre-banquet drinks were served. This year, the academic celebrations also marked the start of an anniversary year with a range of public events – as a way of giving back to the Örebro region.

“It was a bit nerve-racking at first, but it usually is. It was very nice to get such a response from the audience,” says Kristina Sutter-Beime, who gave a lecture on her doctoral thesis on management strategies to handle difficult employees – a controversial subject. She will now continue her research at Örebro University, which she refers to as “a wonderful place”.

“It was difficult to know how to pitch my lecture at the right level. I have never given a lecture like this before. I was asked a lot of questions and I got the feeling that people understood,” says John-Peter Ganda Mall who has obtained a PhD in medicine and talked, before a full house, about the effects of dietary fibre on the intestine.

“This was so much fun. I was asked quite a few questions, even though my subject is quite offbeat. Many find talking about death awkward,” says Professor Karin Blomberg who gave the lecture Life is drawing to a close – but I still have my dignity.

Henrik Jordahl is a new professor of economics and gave a lecture on The Swedish welfare experiment – choice, profits and quality.

The new honorary doctors Kanwaljeet Anand and Lakshmi Kumar flanked by Professor Mats Eriksson and Professor Ylva Uggla.

New professor Elisabet Welin celebrating with her three children Wilhelm Henriksson, Matilda Welin and Nena Henriksson.

Sweden’s new minister for higher education and research Matilda Ernkrans together with Amy Loutfi, professor of information technology.

The Excellent Teaching Award 2018 was presented to Helena Stålnacke, lecturer in disability science and Karl-Magnus Edberg, lecturer in culinary arts.

Liselotte Hermansson och Johan Schnürer.

Liselotte Hermansson, professor of occupational therapy, on stage in Aula Nova with Vice-Chancellor Johan Schnürer.

A parade of new professors: Elisabeth Welin, Jonas Persson, Lars-Olov Lundqvist, Bo Lennernäs, Henrik Jordahl, Marie Holmefur, Liselotte Hermansson, Håkan Geijer and Karin Blomgren.