On 25 October, the University of Tartu senate decided to award the University of Tartu Grand Medal to Professor of International Business Urmas Varblane. Also, the recipients of the University of Tartu Star of Appreciation, Medal, Badge of Distinction and the decoration “100 Semesters at the University of Tartu” have been announced. We asked five recipients of honorary decorations what makes the University of Tartu special to them.
Urmas Varblane, Professor of International Business, member of the University of Tartu council, member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences University of Tartu Grand Medal
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Urmas Varblane. (author: Olari Pilnik)
First of all, of course, it is my first university, where my academic life started. Equally important is the academic freedom that the university has offered me for decades. I also like the diversity of our university. During my academic life, I have come into contact with fascinating people from different fields. Being among them keeps one’s curiosity alive because it allows you to see things that otherwise seemed obvious or even uninteresting from an entirely new perspective.
The opportunity to interact with learners of all ages is also of particular value. I have taught people who graduated long ago and now work in business or the public sector, which means they have a wealth of valuable professional knowledge and management experience. Meeting such people helps me keep up to date with life outside the university, and that’s just great.
Aveli Asber, artistic director of the University of Tartu Folk Dance Ensemble University of Tartu Star of Appreciation
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Aveli Asber. (author: Uku Peterson)
What makes the University of Tartu special for me is its spirit and people. The presence of the spirit was particularly strong during my studies. Every time I walked through the door into an academic building, I felt as if a strict lecturer was watching my every move. Besides the flesh-and-blood lecturers, I had to prove myself to the spirit, who never gave any essays or exams. The spirit seemed to be satisfied with small things: for example, when my attention stayed with the lecturer throughout the lecture and did not wander out of the window with my eyes, or when I had actually worked through the articles for the lecture or written a homework essay taking my time rather than with haste. I suppose you could say the spirit loves if you are thorough.
I like to think that each person affiliated with the University of Tartu has their own slightly austere spirit, who joins us when we start our studies, watches and guides us, and stays with us for life, insisting on its principles. The spirit brightens people’s eyes, giving depth to their thoughts and strength to their actions.
In my work as the artistic director of the University of Tartu Folk Dance Ensemble, it is particularly gratifying to see that our current dancers, who are students and alumni, consistently and conscientiously devote time to folk dance training, performances and dance festivals. They know that the spirit also needs rest and care.
Merike Kull, Associate Professor in Health Education, Institute of Sport Sciences and Physiotherapy University of Tartu Medal
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Merike Kull. (author: Evelin Lumi)
The University of Tartu is special to me in many ways: on the one hand, as a bearer of distinguished traditions and academic heritage, and on the other, as a modern and constantly innovating university. The distinguished history is reflected not only in the historic buildings and scientific history, but also in the spirit of the University of Tartu.
Thinking of colleagues, it is a special place for collaborative research and development, bringing together researchers and lecturers from different fields. Such cooperation creates a unique synergy, and being part of it has been a wonderful experience. My good colleagues’ willingness to cooperate, their support and openness, and the opportunity to learn every day from the best in their field make the university extremely valuable to me.
In addition, it has been a pleasure to co-create with young future colleagues who have just started their journey and support their development. It is inspiring to see students evolve into dedicated professionals in their field.
Also, it is a unique opportunity to contribute to society’s development and shaping a science-based worldview, which gives us, members of the university family, academic freedom combined with responsibility towards society.
Therefore, I am very grateful to be part of our beloved University of Tartu, which offers not only knowledge but also experience, values and a sense of belonging that can only be found here – at the alma mater. Thank you very much, dear colleagues, excellent students and dear University of Tartu!
Steven Smit, Head of the Biobank Lab, Institute of Genomics University of Tartu Badge of Distinction
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Steven Smit (author: Luisa Greta Vilo)
What makes the University of Tartu special is the feeling that everything is possible here. It doesn’t matter that we are a university in a small country. It doesn’t matter that there may be more resources elsewhere. It doesn’t matter if someone says it hasn’t been done before. If you have a goal, there are people at the University of Tartu with whom it is possible to achieve it, no matter how difficult it may seem at first.
The whole university, with all its support staff, academic staff and students, contributes to this special feeling. There’s an attitude that what is not impossible can be done, and if something is needed, it must be done. This feeling also encourages me every day to strive for the results I want because I can be sure that whatever support I may need, I will find someone at the University of Tartu who can help me with advice or strength.
Ilmar Vene, Librarian in the Department of Manuscripts and Rare Books Decoration “100 Semesters at the University of Tartu”
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Ilmar Vene. (author: Eesti Kirjandusmuuseum. Alar Madisson)
I can answer this question in just two words: almost all. This could be taken as a bad joke, but that’s the last thing I want. I mean that no one has a greater fortune than their life. Communicating and influencing each other give substance to life. Looking back on my personal history, I must admit that almost all the people who have had a significant influence on me were and are connected with the University of Tartu. This is where the slight concession comes in: not all exclusively, but almost all.
I am so old that I’m not bothered by the naivety I occasionally allow myself. So now, too, I take the liberty to declare that my life began on 1 September 1970 in the assembly hall of the University of Tartu.
I started my second life on 2 July 1979, when I became an employee of the University of Tartu Library. For 45 years already, I have known that there is no better institution in the world than this.
Phenomena of such magnitude can be summed up with the most general concept: gratitude, which combines joy, love, care and other expressions of benign spirituality. Gratitude can be taken as a form of happiness. Who else should be happy if not a grateful person?
The University of Tartu makes you grateful, and that’s what it is for me.
Researchers at the University of Tartu are leading two sister projects to develop scalable methods for separating rare earth metals, potentially transforming their extraction from raw materials.
