Music

Trondhjems Kvinnelige Studentersangforening | Conductor: Marius Berg

• «Gaudeamus Igitur», arrangement: Gavin David Lee

Academic Procession

Music

Trondhjems Kvinnelige Studentersangforening | Conductor: Marius Berg

• «Hellig er studentens kall», lyrics: Andreas Munch, melody: Conradin Kreutzer, Arr: Per Winge

Dear new doctors, dear guests, colleagues, and friends.

Congratulations to the new PhD graduates.

Today, we are gathered here in the Aula to celebrate  220 newly awarded PhDs at NTNU. Being awarded the title of Doctor is a major personal milestone. All of you have experienced that there are no shortcuts to a PhD degree. On top of the academic challenges, you also had to deal with a global pandemic. Through your own motivation, curiosity, hard work, and, not least, dedication, you have completed the journey and today you will receive your PhD diploma.

You have every reason to be proud of the effort you have invested, and the expertise and competence you have gained. The PhD degree will serve you well as you move forward in your career wherever you go. I wish you all the best.

Now, I will continue the speech in Norwegian — to offer some reflections as to why society needs PhDs more than ever.

***

Dear new doctors,

We are gathered here today in the university’s Aula to celebrate a special occasion. For 116 years, this building has housed an academic community for which knowledge has played a fundamental role. From here, we have educated people who have changed Norway and contributed knowledge for a better world. You are part of this history, which we are formally celebrating today.

We are living in very unusual times marked by international conflicts and unrest. Many of you here today have friends and family who are affected.  In this context, it is worth remembering that we are privileged here in Norway. We are fortunate to live in a democracy where we can speak our minds and express our opinions freely. We have a society characterised by a high level of trust in people, institutions and authorities – where people can use their abilities to create a safe and good society for everyone. And most importantly, we live in a peaceful society. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, this is not the reality.

However, we must not take for granted that our resilience is strong enough to prevent us from also going down the wrong path. The university is a safeguard against forces that seek to undermine democracy and trust, and it is founded on the academic freedom of its scholarly staff.   

Therefore, I have two messages for you today:

Firstly, a doctoral degree opens up great opportunities.

Secondly, it also comes with significant responsibility.

With a doctoral degree, you are well-equipped for the rapidly changing working world and society, regardless of the career path you choose. Use the knowledge you have acquired for the benefit of society. You will encounter voices that try to discourage you; don’t listen to them. It is ‘indifference that poses the greatest danger’, and it is engagement that lays the foundation for us to live up to the vision: Knowledge for a better world.  Because even in turbulent times, ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’.

Societies that have recognised the value of new knowledge and research have flourished. It took more than incremental improvements to the horse and carriage to lead to electric cars. It took radical thoughts and ideas – creative and critical researchers, who over time have propelled society forward to places we once thought were impossible. That’s why attacks on academic freedom and the pursuit of true knowledge are also a threat to progress. As researchers and as an academic community, we have a responsibility to protect these values – here at home and around the world.

As a society, we face many different challenges. Here in Norway, there are approximately 700,000 Norwegians between the ages of 18 and 67 who are unemployed or not studying. The debate about ‘useless degrees’ and ‘master’s degree inflation’ is based on false premises. In reality, a lack of expertise is what we should fear the most. When faced with major and complex societal challenges, we need all the knowledge and expertise we can get. And right now, we need your expertise more than ever.

Looking at the long-term prognosis in Norway’s Global Risk Report, it is not war or conflict that tops the list of global threats to humanity. It is major complex challenges, such as climate change and loss of biodiversity, that will affect humanity the most. It should remind us that we are all in the same boat, regardless of our national background or standpoint. We must therefore remain committed to collaborating across disciplines and national borders in order to succeed. 

Being part of a global knowledge community means being part of something bigger. The doctoral work you have now completed is precisely that: an important contribution to something bigger. Let me mention a few contributions:

Jaime Lagos has studied how tropical parrots have evolved throughout history, and how this knowledge can contribute to protecting biodiversity in South America.

Elise Farstad Djupedal has studied the teaching plans and curricula of Norwegian primary school pupils, and what the school system has focused on over the past 70 years. This knowledge is important for policymakers when designing new curricula in the future.

Aleksander Skrede has taken a closer look at how robots can be used to measure the stability of knees, shoulders and ankles before and after surgical procedures. This insight helps surgeons and improves patient treatment.

One thing that everyone who has completed a doctoral programme has in common is that it’s impossible to complete a degree unless the candidate is a dedicated person who is curious and passionate about their field of study. No one completes a doctoral programme without challenging or being challenged. No one completes a doctoral programme without being both wise and courageous.

***

Dear doctors, we cannot choose the circumstances into which we are born, but we can always choose to make a difference. And that is my appeal to you as you leave the Aula today.

Have the confidence to believe that you can make a difference. You have already proven that through your doctoral thesis.

Thank you for the great effort you all have made. Congratulations!

Music

Gåte

• «Rideboll og Gullborg», comp: (Trad.) Sveinung Sundli, Gunnhild Sundli, Magnus Børmark
• «Kjærleik» - lyrics: Knut Buen, music: Sveinung Sundli, Magnus Børmark, Gunnhild Sundli

Award of doctoral degrees and congratulations to the new doctors by Pro-Rector for Education Geir Egil Dahle Øien

Dear new doctoral graduates! 

Warmest gratulations! 

As we gather to celebrate your monumental achievement of earning a doctorate, it’s worth remembering that this noble academic tradition began many centuries ago. Back when ceremonies among the few highly educated meant a group of exclusively men, debating theology and law.

Fortunately, much has changed since then. But some things remain the same: It is still a ceremony celebrating top‑level scholars, and it is still a solemn and noble tradition.

This is the day that marks your new and proud status. Since you defended your dissertation, you have been able to add a three-letter abbreviation to your names. Letters that form a powerful title – PhD. These letters resemble science, knowledge, and truth.  

They also prove that you all have endured hardships to deserve the right to use these letters. The amount of struggle each one of you have experienced along the way is for you to know, and for others to speculate.  

One thing is indisputable – a doctorate from NTNU does not come easy.  

And so, it should be. 

Now this is behind you. The PhD is the reward. 

A massive reward.

A doctorate is a door-opener to professional life at the highest level. It gives you authority as an expert in your field. You have gained advanced knowledge and competence that gives you a unique ability to focus, to lead, and to solve problems that extend far beyond your dedicated specialization. 

With a doctorate also follows responsibility to use your knowledge wisely, and the privilege to contribute to a better society.  

• To take part in a professional world that is much more than papers and research.  

• To speak up and engage with society.  

• To debate and ask questions that otherwise might be unasked.  

• Or to propose solutions that without your participation might remain unsolved. 

I urge you also to lend your voice and to advocate for those who need it most, and to stand up for issues beyond your research.  

Your journey does not end here. 

Keep on exploring.

Collaborate with colleagues at home and abroad. 

Build networks. 

Curiosity fuels innovation and progress. So please stay curious!

***

I assume that friends and family have witnessed your hard work towards this goal. They have stood beside you in your search for answers and facts and thus contributed to your achievement. Many of them are present here today.

On behalf of NTNU I thank you for your support.

In addition, my warm thanks go to the academic staff at NTNU who have contributed to co-operation and supervision. And not to forget our partners both in the private and public sector, as well as in academia both in Norway and internationally. Good partnerships are crucial in creating doctoral work of high quality.  

Most of you have already left our university to start your career elsewhere. Some of you have also left Norway. Whatever your choice of profession, or wherever you go, I wish you all the best! 

As I started off with, the doctorate has traveled a long road since medieval scholars in robes argued about existential matters. But the spirit of the doctorate has remained unchanged: A commitment to deep knowledge, and rigorous inquiry.

And the belief that the world can become a little bit better every time someone asks a new question.

And for this commitment we thank you!

***

Finally: Dear new doctoral graduates. As you receive your diplomas today, remember that you are not just graduates – you are torchbearers of knowledge. Go forth with purpose! 

And again - congratulations to you all!

After the diploma ceremony:

You are all hereby promoted to doctors at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and are thereby granted jus docendi, or the right to lecture at NTNU. 

I also declare the other doctors not present today to be promoted in absentia.

Music

Trondhjems Kvinnelige Studentersangforening | Conductor: Marius Berg

• «Sjungom»,  composer: Prins Gustaf av Sverige og Norge, lyrics: Herman Sätherberg

Maja Horvath is born and raised in Hungary, Budapest. Graduated as a photographer in Hungary, and now doing her master degree at Trondheim Academy of Fine Art.

She has a backround in graphic design and painting, by now developed interest in videoart. In her practice uses digital materials, playing with the unexpected, searching for hidden structures and  poetical factors of coincidences.