Recipients of honorary decorations talk about meaning of University of Tartu
On 31 October, the senate of the University of Tartu decided to award the University of Tartu Grand Medal to former rector, Professor Jaak Aaviksoo, Professor Marlon Gerardo Dumas Menjivar, Professor Kalle Kirsimäe, and Professor Ivo Leito. The recipients of the University of Tartu Star of Appreciation, Medal, Badge of Distinction and the decoration “100 Semesters at the University of Tartu” were also selected. We asked four recipients of honorary decorations to share what makes the University of Tartu special to them.
University of Tartu Star of Appreciation
Asso Soosalu, leader of the Solaride student solar car project
The University of Tartu embodies dignity, tradition and curiosity. I think this was particularly evident at the recent alumni reunion, which inspired admiration even in those who had never studied at the university. The University of Tartu is a community you want to belong to and grow with.
A great example of such unity is Solaride, where students, lecturers, staff, and alumni – or, more broadly, people – are represented. Together, we uphold the principle that when the right people come together, the word “impossible” becomes an exciting challenge rather than a problem.
It is this attitude and these people that make the University of Tartu special to me.
University of Tartu Medal
Raivo Valk, Senior Specialist for Professional Development, Human Resources Office
This almost solemn phrase consists of two parts: Tartu and university. Although there are probably more university towns in the world than we have students, only one of them is Tartu. It is amazing that the university was founded in Tartu and has remained here – there were many moments in history when things could have turned out differently. Can we imagine Tartu without our university? It would be a different city altogether. The university has significantly shaped Tartu; the city’s intellectual life is distinctive, academic, and rooted in tradition.
Universities are characterised by an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and this is also the case here. People here know how to ask intelligent questions and, even better, provide smart answers. The academic community is united by curiosity, the desire to contribute something new to the world and the readiness to work towards the goal with great inner drive. Thinking of our predecessors here, we stand on the shoulders of giants. I value my colleagues’ goodwill, erudition and willingness to share knowledge, which I experience daily in my interactions with the university family. The University of Tartu is exceptional in many ways – a valuable workplace for all who appreciate intellectual effort and the opportunity for self-realisation, a powerhouse of ideas. Working at the university is both a privilege and a joy.
University of Tartu Badge of Distinction
Doris Poolamets, student of Medicine
What makes the University of Tartu special for me is its people. Our university community comprises an incredible number of talented individuals who collectively contribute to making the university a diverse institution. Thanks to them, bold ideas can be born. This way, we found like-minded people when I launched the foreign language project, which aims to address the foreign language issue in healthcare, at the Estonian Medical Students’ Association. From the very beginning, our team felt the need for mentors and fellow students to implement the project. Soon, we found enthusiastic students and supervisors from various fields, without whom the initiative would not have been possible.
The university is also special because the students' voices matter here. I am grateful that the opinions of young people have recently started to be taken seriously. Such synergy between younger and older generations is truly motivating and opens the door to innovation.
The University of Tartu would not be what it is without its student organisations. The societies allow students to discover their strengths, make contacts and learn from mistakes in a safe environment.
Thank you, University of Tartu, for supporting our growth!
Decoration “100 Semesters at the University of Tartu”
Birute Klaas-Lang, Professor of Estonian as Foreign Language, Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics
The modern University of Tartu is deeply rooted in its rich and long history. It is not the grand and dignified buildings, but rather the intellectual and cultural aura, and the promoters and interpreters of Estonian research and culture, that surround first-year students and all of us who study and work here.
I am deeply grateful to have had excellent teachers. I would like to mention my supervisor, Professor Huno Rätsep, and certainly Professor Paul Ariste. I am happy to have inspiring colleagues and students whose academic growth means continuity and progress. I am extremely thankful for all the opportunities my alma mater has provided me to develop as a lecturer, researcher, dean, vice rector and, now, a member of the university council. I have drawn inspiration from the entire university, where scholars of many disciplines form a true classical university. Interdisciplinary cooperation, diverse perspectives and methods for solving problems give our university the chance to contribute to global science and advance Estonian society.
The University of Tartu is the best Estonian-language university in the world. And I am sure that, 100 semesters from now, those who come after us will also be able to confirm this.
Rector Toomas Asser will present the university’s honorary decorations at a ceremony on 21 November at 16:00 in the University of Tartu assembly hall. University members are welcome to congratulate their colleagues.
See all recipients of the honorary decorations 2025.
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