Greetings to all participants of the yearly festivities at the University of Oslo. My name is Sondre Klungland and I’m the President of the Student Parliament at the University, representing all students associated with the different faculties and advocating the student voice.
However, this celebratory evening I’m here to partake – to congratulate the prize recipients, the honorary doctorates and the university, as we commemorate this yearly occasion.
Dear colleagues, dear friends of UiO, and dear university.
Congratulations are in order to this proud establishment in the Norwegian society, 213 years old to this date with eight faculties, housing 27.000 students among different fields of science.
The university’s contributions are of importance, providing not only Norway, but the global academic community. Its contribution can not only be seen amongst the doctors, teachers, politicians, leaders and et cetera – that joins the workforce – but it can be read and heard through the knowledge, discussions, debates, and papers that an institution like this provides.
Research is a supplement used everywhere. Insight and possibilities are unlocked through the innovational distribution from this leading institution. The scientific and political questions of today can be solved through educated expertise. Through societal enlightenment, UiO is part of creating a broader world by those who graduate this institution – evermore intellectually vigilant than they were before. The university does not do so only by its mere existence – this institution and its members and associates – you all - activate and promote this progress.
Progress can be read in the historical lines of this university alone, and with the political and scientific changes over the years it has been evolving since its inception. Today, female representation, diversity, and a collective including several societal classes are all represented among us as fellow students, colleagues and scientists. Though the oldest university in the nation, UiO is thus not foreign to change, and it has done so on many occasions in the name of progress.
I like to think the inclusion of the student movement in the Norwegian model of higher education is part of that progress, and that innovation can emerge from any place, be it in a position of administrative power or bureaucracy, or from a humble origin, discussed by students over a late-night beverage in a student pub. We thank UiO on this day, for our involvement as well.
Students of today, along with the new generation, are facing hard times. We are facing a world of conflict. Economic hardships are befalling us students already from year one, and our security as global citizens are at question. American political polarisation, war in Europe and the Middle East, authoritarian regimes – persecuting freedom not only in an academic matter, but as a human right are all transpiring.
It is the new generation it falls upon to be the problem solvers, and bring a brighter future for those who are next. It’s in times like these that we must remember how important the university is – to bring the world forward in the hope of a better tomorrow.
Today we celebrate our university’s anniversary. We celebrate the prize recipients, who are living examples of UiO’s commitment to its responsibility in education and science, and advocate said research in our ever-evolving society – locally and globally.
As representative for the students of UiO, it is my great honour to congratulate the honorary doctorates. Thank you all for your contributions, your brilliance, and your effort to evolve your respective fields in the name of scientific progress by your potential.
Potential is an extraordinary thing, and it can emerge from anywhere. Today we celebrate that potential, in every student, educator and scientist. Together we cooperate and grow to overcome. There are no limits to what we can achieve together, and that is something worth celebrating.
Congratulations UiO, for 213 years and hopefully 213 more to come.
