Traditions and Symbols
The Academic Ceremony at LiU contains both old and new traditions and symbols. Some are rooted in medieval European universities and others are LiU’s own.
The ceremony at LiU contains both old and new traditions and symbols.
The creators who create the symbols
How to make a doctor's hat
Did you know that many of the doctor's hats are handmade and that there are only three hat makers in Sweden who make them? One of them is Marie Fredsberg Lindström in Skärblacka, who has been making hats for LiU's doctoral graduates for decades.
A real handiwork
Did you know that many of the doctor's hats are handmade and that there are only three hat makers in Sweden who make them? One of them is Marie Fredsberg Lindström in Skärblacka, who has been making hats for LiU's doctoral graduates for decades.
Symbols of the ceremony
Insignia
Insignia - from the Latin ‘insigne’ - are ritual, physical objects proving that someone is a public official or belongs to an organisation. Insignia are used in various celebrations to lend an air of festivity.
During the Academic Ceremony, the conferrer (a professor or docent) hands over insignia as signs of the new doctor’s dignity. The insignia are the hat, or wreath, the ring and the diploma.
The hat - a symbol of academic freedom
Hats have long symbolised power and freedom. In ancient Rome, when a slave was freed he was entitled to wear a hat.
Doctor’s hats today are high and black, with a vertically pleated crown and a hat badge that is different depending on faculty. LiU’s Doctor of Medicine hats have a hat badge in the form of an oak leaf and a bay laurel leaf in a frame with the Rod of Asclepius in the centre. The Rod of Asclepius, or Staff of Aesculapius, is a symbol for medicine and health care, depicting a serpent-entwined rod. It stems from Greek mythology, where the snake and the staff were Asclepius’ attributes. The Doctor of Technology hat has a triangle entwined with a circle and the text “LiTH” at the bottom of the circle. After conferment, doctor’s hats can be worn with white tie on other solemn occasions at the university.
The hats are handmade, and there are only three hatters in Sweden that make them. One of them is Marie Fredsberg Lindström in Skärblacka, who has been making the hats for LiU’s doctoral conferment ceremonies for decades (see film above).
The wreath
Doctors of Philosophy wear a laurel wreath – a symbol of victory, courage, learning, success and poetry.
The first documented use of a wreath in a doctoral degree conferment ceremony dates from 1600 in Uppsala. There was a period in conferment history when wreaths were made of metal and adorned with precious stones. Modern day wreaths are made of fresh bay laurel leaves. Their history dates back to Apollo, the god of science and poetry. The wreath also symbolised victory in ancient Greek sports contests and triumphal processions in ancient Rome.
LiU’s laurel wreaths have been made by florist Erica Johansson since 2005. The then Master of Ceremonies, Karin Lohm, ordered them in the Uppsala fashion (with an opening at the front) and Erica produced a design based on this. First, she makes a wire core based on the promovendus’ head measurements and wraps a special tape around it. She then picks leaves from bay laurel bushes, one by one, and stitches them to the wire core by hand.
The ring
The second insignia, the ring, symbolises the researcher’s fidelity to science. The ring represents the infinite world of knowledge, by way of its shape, and symbolises the wearer’s marriage to Sofia, wisdom personified. The ring is to be worn on the left hand ring finger, but if the wearer is married it is often worn on the right hand ring finger, to avoid the bulkiness of two rings.
The ring is made of gold and has different designs depending on faculty. At LiU, the Doctor of Medicine ring is a laurel wreath with a Rod of Asclepius. The Doctor of Philosophy ring is a laurel wreath. The Doctor of Technology ring is a laurel wreath with the text LiTH and the inner part of the university’s seal.
The rings are made by goldsmith Johan Lindh. Before him, it was his father, Sven-Yve Svensson, who made them. Johan rolls the gold sheet, punches out a strip, prints, presses, stamps and shapes it into a ring, which he then solders and engraves. The stamps in the ring show who made it, in which city and the carat content, i.e. VD L 18k.
Linköping University presents doctoral rings only to the honorary doctors, but many conferred doctors buy their ring themselves. Only doctors attending the ceremony can buy a ring, as the ceremony is equated with a wedding. If you are not present, you cannot be married.
The diploma
The third insignia is the diploma or master craftsman’s diploma, which in the past was a document that could be several pages long and decorated with gold and bows. It could be used, for example, as a diploma and a travel document and to prevent being put in prison due to debt.
At LiU, the first years’ diplomas were large and the names were written by hand by LiU employee Björn Böke. In 2016, the appearance of the diploma was updated as it was reduced to A3 format. Peter Modin at LiU designed the new one, on a thicker, textured paper with LiU’s ceremonial seal printed with silver foil. Nowadays, everything except the conferrer's signature is printed. The Faculty of Science and Engineering diploma is in Swedish, the diplomas from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences are in Latin.
The parnassus
Once the insignia have been presented, the conferrer leads the doctor across the bridge-like parnassus. It is named after Mount Parnassus in Greece, which in ancient times was dedicated to the Muses and Apollo.
This movement across the parnassus is a symbolic act in which the doctor is taken across the bridge from doctoral student to fully independent teacher.
LiU’s parnassus was designed by Anders Narbrink, then working at the Department of Aesthetics, and Mats Nåbo, teacher in design, machine construction and production technology. The parnassus has the inscription »Semper sint in flore« – May they always flourish – which is taken from the famous student song »Gaudeamus igitur«. The inscription was made by Mats Sjöberg. The ribbons on the parnassus and the procession staffs were woven by Ulrika Liljegren.
The ceiling decorations
The ceiling decorations hanging above the stage during the Gala Concert and the Academic Ceremony in Crusellhallen in Konsert och Kongress in Linköping, and every three years in De Geerhallen in Norrköping, represent LiU’s three faculties, symbolised by the circle, the line and the cube. As it is the faculties that confer doctoral degrees, these symbols were designed for the different faculties.
It was Sven Hartman, then deputy dean at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, who wanted to see a change after the ceremony moved from the cathedral to Konsert och Kongress. He spoke to Hans Lundgren, then director musices and master of ceremonies, and to Sven Erlander, then vice-chancellor. A working group was formed that was tasked with filling the stage space for the Academic Celebration. It was given one month to do this in 1994. The group consisted of Jan Sjögren and Ove Nåbo, both of whom were design teachers on the craft teacher programme, and Hans Lundgren and Mats Nåbo, teachers in design, machine construction and production technology.
For the Academic Celebrations in 1995, Sven Erlander’s last year as vice-chancellor, the working group had designed a stage symbolism and created the stage space that is the basis of what we have today. Ove Nåbo, who wanted to include movement in his creations, designed the movable ceiling decorations in the form of the faculty symbols that had been developed for this purpose.
Faculty symbols: The circle, the line and the square
This is how Hans Lundgren explains the different symbols in an older version of the printed programme for the Academic Ceremony.
“The circle is one of the oldest symbols of humanity. It can be seen as representing the sun, life, the egg and the body. In most cultures, it is used in the sense of the original and is also seen as a symbol of totality. The sphere is the three-dimensional equivalent of the circle. It is an enveloping, protective and organic form, which has borrowed much of its symbolism from the circle. The colour red is associated with the sun, life and love. The sum of this can therefore be associated with the Faculty of Health Sciences.
The line is a very original shape, perhaps the first graphic trace made by a human using a drawing tool. It can be perceived as a spatial direction, in a translational sense also the movement of thought. But we can also see the line as a boundary that divides and delimits. This suggests a simple beginning of intellectual reasoning. What is on one side is opposed to something else. Being able to categorise is crucial for an analytical conversation. The green colour is here given the meaning of nature, life and joy. The line that stands for both movement and demarcation is used in combination with the green colour as a symbol of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
The square, which in several cultures symbolises land and the earth, as a hieroglyph was given the meaning of realisation and materialisation. The cube stands for stability and steadfastness. We can also see the square and its three-dimensional counterpart the cube as representatives of the shape constructed by man with art and skill (techne). Much of our material constructions are based on this idea, in varied form such as volume or space. Blue can be a symbol of permanence and grandeur, but also of the infinite space in which we make our constructions. The cube and the blue colour give us symbols of the Faculty of Science and Engineering.”
The three symbols were also used by Hans Lundgren when he composed the first three fanfares, which in 2015 were replaced by Daniel Nelson’s fanfares composed for the 40th anniversary. The fanfares are performed on three brass instruments and played before the faculty conferrer puts on their hat/wreath and takes on the role of conferrer, i.e. as an introduction to each faculty’s conferment ceremony.
The ceremonial staffs
The procession enters and exits the hall and the stage under the direction of three marshals. These are students, each carrying a ceremonial staff, one for each faculty. The ceremonial staffs at LiU were designed and made by Mats Nåbo in 1995.
The Swedish word for this staff, ‘prestav’, which comes from the Russian word ‘pristav’ (meaning overseer), also designates a marshal at a procession, especially a funeral procession. Both the staff and the person carrying it are called ‘prestav’. The presence of the ‘prestav’ was a way of honouring the deceased person. This tradition came to Sweden in the 16th century, under King Johan III, and spread within the nobility.
In 1950’s Sweden, this tradition was prevalent in all echelons of society, but only south-west of a line from Värmland to south-eastern Småland. While essentially defunct since the late 1900s, the tradition remains in academia.
The Vice-Chancellor´s chain and the Dean´s chain
The large chains of office worn by LiU’s vice-chancellor and deans during the Academic Ceremony are a symbol of the power of the wearer, but are also a protection for the wearer and are present in many cultures. The chain of office as such dates back to the Middle Ages when it was worn by kings, knights, judges, mayors, guild elders and others, and eventually also vice-chancellors. In Sweden, the Vice-Chancellor’s chain was introduced in the late 1800s when King Oscar II donated one to Uppsala University and a few years later to Lund University.
Linköping University’s Vice-Chancellor’s chain
In 1975, Linköping University College became a university, and a vice-chancellor should have a Vice-Chancellor’s chain. Gunnar Wenngren, an official at LiU, produced sketches that included the new seal, the coat of arms of the city of Linköping (the lion) and the national symbol (three crowns).
In April of the same year, the 24-year-old and newly qualified goldsmith Margareth Sandström was commissioned to design and manufacture the Vice-Chancellor’s chain based on the sketches. It would have to be finished a month later. Fortunately, Margareth’s German boyfriend Peter de Wit was also training to become a goldsmith and together they completed the chain.
The 866.3 gramme silver chain was donated by Linköping municipality to the university and received by the then Vice-Chancellor, Hans Meijer, in connection with the university’s inauguration on 28 May 1975. Since then, the chain has been worn by Sven Erlander, Anders Flodstrom, Bertil Andersson, Mille Millnert, Helen Dannetun and Jan-Ingvar Jönsson. When a new vice-chancellor is installed, the chain is used in the ceremony in a symbolic act where the ceremonial cushion on which the vice-chancellor’s chain is placed is passed from the student union presidents via the deans to the retiring vice-chancellor, who places the chain around the neck of the incoming vice-chancellor.
As vice-chancellor, you wear the chain mostly in connection with academic ceremonies, not only at LiU, but also when you in this role visit another university. The chain has visited several Swedish universities and has also been to Finland, Latvia and even Moscow. It has been through solemn occasions, magnificent parties and even danced at Herrgår’n.
In comparison with the old universities such as Uppsala and Lund, with their golden vice-chancellor’s chains from the late 1800s, LiU’s Vice-Chancellor’s chain really stands out as a completely new model. It is technical and robust and its symbols are unique. A sign of renewal.
Dean’s chain, Faculty of Science and Engineering
The chain was a gift from the student union at the Institute of Technology (LiTH) to its dean in the late 1970s. Although LiTH was part of Linköping University College and then Linköping University, it was regarded almost as a separate university. The student union wanted LiTH to have a chain, just like KTH, Chalmers and LTH, even though it was not formally a university in its own right.
The actual medal in the chain is LiTH’s original logo with symbols for the first three Master of Science programmes that launched in 1969: Industrial management (the section sign, signum sectionis), Mechanical Engineering (the gear) and Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering (the atom). The links consist of the symbols of the sections of the education programmes.
For a long time, the chain was kept in the dean’s office, in a shopping bag in the closet, until it was sent to one of the city's goldsmiths to be cleaned and repaired. The value of the chain, made of silver with certain parts in gold, led to it being stored in a safe when not used, i.e. at all times other than at the Academic Ceremony and the graduation ceremony.
Dean’s chain, Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Bengt Sandin received the Faculty of Arts and Sciences dean’s chain during his time as dean, 1997-2006. Bengt had told StuFF, the student union for Educational Sciences and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, that he would be very happy if the dean of the faculty were presented with a dean’s chain. The student union acted on this, and asked students on the goldsmith programme in Mjölby to make a silver chain.
The faculty saw the laurel wreath as its symbol and therefore the chain looks like linked laurel leaves with a large round medal with the acronym ‘Stuff’ at the front. After a few years, the medal was given back to the StuFF board as a medal for the chair to wear on formal occasions. Instead, the faculty ordered a new medal from Sandström de Wit to link the chain together, and at the same time the Faculty of Arts and Science’s Medal of Merit was designed, as a slightly smaller copy of the one on the dean’s chain. Only very few people have received this medal.
Dean’s chain, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences dean’s chain was manufactured in 2007 when Mats Hammar was dean of what was then called the Faculty of Health Sciences. The chain was a gift from Consensus, the medical student union, which received a grant from the faculty to be able to donate the chain to the dean.
Mats asked Margreth Sandström to look at what could be done. She had good knowledge of the Faculty of Health Sciences’ profile and modern approach to health, and made a cardboard sketch. The chain was then made in silver and is a little different in its design compared to other dean’s chains and got a lot of attention when Mats wore it for the first time. When open, it looks like a V, but when you wear it, it looks like a whole person, which shows the faculty’s holistic view of the human being. At the back of the neck, all of Consensus’ sub-unions are represented on interlinked plates.
Dean's chain, Faculty of Educational Sciences
In the spring of 2013, the Dean of Educational Sciences, Karin Mårdsjö Blume, announced a competition for the students on the bachelor’s programme in crafts and design. The assignment was to design a dean’s chain on the theme of knowledge. Elise Elwin, a first-year student, won the competition and also got to manufacture the chain made of sterling silver with gilded details.
Her idea was the key to knowledge. She also wanted the other faculties to be represented in the piece, as the teacher programmes are based on collaboration between the faculties. The chain first appeared at the Academic Ceremony in November 2013.