Last Friday, we attended the doctoral ceremony at the University of Gothenburg, as my (Helena's) mother was awarded an honorary doctorate. Very exciting and interesting to be part of such a ceremony and celebration!
Table of contents
What is a doctoral degree?
For those who are not familiar with the academic world, we can tell you that a doctoral graduation is an academic ceremony and celebration, which is primarily intended for those who have recently completed their research training and obtained a doctoral degree. At the ceremony, the new doctors receive so-called insignia, which may consist of a diploma, ring, doctoral hat and/or laurel wreath.
The ceremony also includes a number of honorary doctorates (an honorary title awarded by a university) and jubilee doctorates (people who received their doctorate 50 years ago). In addition, some other prizes and honours may be awarded.
Awarded an honorary doctorate
The Faculty of Science at the University of Gothenburg has chosen to make my mother Karna an honorary doctor. This is fantastic! My mum completed her PhD in 1982, when I was seven years old, and is a professor of physical geography. She did her PhD in Lund, and in recent years has worked in Stockholm, but has collaborated with researchers at the University of Gothenburg and contributed to research and development there, which is why they wanted to make her an honorary doctor.
We have had a bit of trouble finding the right clothes during the week, but in the end we managed to organise both coat and long dress. The ceremony is in formal dress, i.e. tails and a long dress or folk costume. Even before the ceremony, we met Mum's research colleague at the University of Gothenburg, Mats Olvmo, and his partner Sophie, who chose to come in a beautiful folk costume.
Time for doctoral graduation at the University of Gothenburg
The ceremony started at 15:00 and lasted about three hours. Although I myself have doctorate I have never been to a doctoral graduation. When it was time for my own, we were on our year-long motorhome trip around Europe. Interesting to see how it can be done, even if it is certainly a little different at different universities.
During the ceremony, the different faculties, one by one, conferred their doctorates, honorary doctorates and jubilee doctorates - in Latin and with the presentation of diplomas and other insignia. The ceremony was interspersed with performances by dancers, singers and choirs.
After a while, it was time for the Faculty of Science to award my mother an honorary doctorate. During her research career, my mum has been studying the evolution of mountains over 540 million years. and justification was read out about the importance of this research. She was then presented with a diploma, laurel wreath and ring (and later a doctor's hat).
Mingle and banquet
At the end of the ceremony, the guests were invited to mingle with bubbly and lots of tasty snacks. It was great to mingle with people dressed up like that! (Until now, it was fine to wear a suit, but if you wanted to attend the banquet afterwards, you had to wear a tuxedo).
During the banquet, we were treated to a three-course dinner with seaweed quariar and toasted brioche for starters, spiced cod with ragu and potato puree for the main course and passion mousse for dessert. Peter had Sophie at the table and I sat next to a nice couple from Mozambique, where she had done her PhD at the University of Gothenburg. The evening then continued with dancing for those who wanted to. It wasn't too late for us, but it was great to be part of such an event!
Ruth in Virginia says:
What a FANTASTIC experience. A thousand cheers for Helena's mum!
Imagine seeing your mother receive an honorary doctorate. And she defended her thesis,
when you were a little kid - only 7 years old! How did she manage? Must have
had a husband who held her behind her back. She looks very dignified.
Nice to see a lady in a long-sleeved (-armoured?) dress. 🙂
You and Peter fit right in. An elegant couple.
Your catalogue-bought dress is stylish!
And how nice to have a coal suit;
think it is the Leksand suit (long apron)
The menu - getting hungry in the middle of the night. What a beautiful table setting
I'm guessing you and Peter didn't dance,
What happened to Peter's knee?
Exquisite photos - Thanks for having me at the gala!
21 October 2018 - 6:40
Helena says:
Thank you for your nice comment Ruth! Great to be part of this! Well, my dad got his PhD earlier than my mum. It was probably more difficult for women in those days.
21 October 2018 - 14:38
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
How fun to be part of a real gala party. Although both my daughter and her partner have defended their thesis at Chalmers, they (and we) have not been to any promotion. They thought a little party after the defence was enough.
How nice your dress is, suited you and your style perfectly. Then I'm a little doubtful about the beauty of a tuxedo (although Peter wears his really well). There's a bit of a penguin warning about it and I think it's probably more stylish with a tuxedo, but if that's the dress code, so be it.
21 October 2018 - 7:33
Helena says:
Thanks, glad you liked the dress! Yes, when it came to men's clothing, there wasn't much to choose from, so to speak 😉.
21 October 2018 - 14:39
Reiselinda says:
What a wonderful experience! Not many times you go the opportunity to be part of something like that! You were also quite handsome! Congratulations to your mum!
21 October 2018 - 8:48
Helena says:
Thank you very much! No, it's not often you're involved in such events! 🙂
21 October 2018 - 14:40
Maria/ Magnolia Magis says:
Great fun! What a party! Now we understand why this dress code... You are very stylish! It must be extra special when someone close to you is also the centre of attention. We'll have to rest today then, won't we?
21 October 2018 - 8:51
Helena says:
Yes, the party was on Friday, but we are still tired today haha 😉.
21 October 2018 - 14:41
Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:
It was a great party.
21 October 2018 - 9:19
Helena says:
Really! 🙂
21 October 2018 - 14:41
Ama de casa says:
Congratulations to your mum! What an honour!
How incredibly beautiful you were in your fancy clothes and the dress was absolutely perfect!
What fun to be part of such a solemn event 🙂 ...
21 October 2018 - 9:52
Helena says:
Thank you, and I hope mum is reading too! 🙂 Great fun to be involved!
21 October 2018 - 14:42
Emma, sun like sun? says:
Thank you for explaining in more detail about promotion. I, who unfortunately never studied further, am quite lost in this jargon.
And now we understand the need for a beautiful long dress and coat! You both look great and your dress can be worn on multiple occasions. (If you get tired of the long dress or need a shorter one, just cut it shorter. The "cut off" can be used to make a suitable shawl.) But I really think it was a good purchase!
But above all:
Congratulations to your mum and her appointment! How lovely she looks in her dress and the lovely laurel wreath.
21 October 2018 - 11:15
Helena says:
I realise that these traditions are not obvious if you don't hang out in these circles! Yes, I was pleased with the long dress, it can probably work in some other context. Thanks for the tip too 🙂
21 October 2018 - 14:44
Johanna in Skåne says:
Congratulations Karna! So fun to go to a nice party too? My husband thought the 4 hours in Lund Cathedral were a little too long.
21 October 2018 - 12:02
Helena says:
Thank you Johanna! I hope (and think) that mum is reading the comments. If not, I will pass on all the greetings. Four hours was even more than three ... and we probably thought it was quite long at the end 😉.
21 October 2018 - 14:45
Johanna in Skåne says:
I wonder how long the ceremonies were when we were garland girls, they can't have been 3-4 hours long.
24 October 2018 - 13:39
Helena says:
They should have been shorter!? But at least we had sweets 🙂
24 October 2018 - 15:41
Mr Steve says:
Congratulations to your mum! What a wonderful experience!
You and Peter look so handsome in your tuxedo and long dress. You must be very happy with your dress purchase. There's something about festive attire anyway. I get a bit of a vibe from my Uppsala years.
21 October 2018 - 16:15
Helena says:
Thank you very much! Yes, but it's a bit fun to get dressed up sometimes! It is not so often you are at such events!
21 October 2018 - 19:37
Ditte says:
What a great experience! And congratulations to your mum. So much fun!
And you and Peter look great in your "big festive suits". A memorable afternoon and evening I can imagine.
On a few occasions, I have attended doctoral conferral ceremonies followed by banquets, and it has been both solemn and very enjoyable.
Thank you for letting us readers follow along.
21 October 2018 - 17:39
Helena says:
Thank you very much! I'm glad you've attended some graduations, a special occasion!
22 October 2018 - 12:53
BP says:
WOW! What a thing! Absolutely fantastic and a big, big CONGRATULATIONS to your mum! Many THANKS also for your information on promotion. I am not at home at all in the academic world.
You looked absolutely stunning in that home-made long dress. Good to have for more events.
21 October 2018 - 18:12
Helena says:
I understand that not everyone can be at home in the academic world. Glad you liked the dress! It should work several times, even if you don't wear long dresses very often. Of course, mum thanks you for all the congratulations!
22 October 2018 - 12:55
JoY says:
What a thing and also it's your mum, congratulations to her.
21 October 2018 - 20:41
Helena says:
I wish her all congratulations (if she doesn't read)!
24 October 2018 - 15:42
Ladies Abroad says:
I must say that you are a true doctoral family, which is so impressive. And what an honour for your mother to become an honorary doctor.
21 October 2018 - 22:16
Helena says:
Yes, haha, that's one way to look at it 😉 I'm so glad she got this award!
24 October 2018 - 15:42
Anta Snaque says:
Warm congratulations to your mother! What an amazing woman! Both mother and daughter are worthy of admiration. We like smart, committed women! Go for it! 🙂
21 October 2018 - 23:51
Helena says:
Thank you very much! How nicely written! 🙂
24 October 2018 - 15:43
Eva on a rucksack says:
So beautiful! ✨??✨ Fun to dress up a little extra, happens far too rarely nowadays! And congratulations to your mum!
22 October 2018 - 7:50
Helena says:
Thank you! 🙂 Agree, it's not so often you get to dress up like this!
24 October 2018 - 15:44
Anette says:
So much fun. It must have been wonderful to see your mother become an honorary doctor, next time it's your turn?
Congratulations to your extraordinarily talented mum.
22 October 2018 - 11:14
Helena says:
Yes, great fun to be involved! 🙂
24 October 2018 - 15:44
Lena - good for the soul says:
How nice to be part of something like that. An experience I can imagine. The closest I've come is to have been there when a friend was doing his PhD. That was also interesting.
How nice you were!
Hug Lena
30 October 2018 - 19:02