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The Ceremonial Conferment is the crown jewel of academic events at the School of Business. During the ceremony, doctors and masters are accepted as full members of the academic community according to tradition. The tradition at the School of Business includes events for three days: first, the Laurel Wreath Weaving event, followed by the Act of Conferment and a procession on the next day, including the Conferment Banquet and Ball in the evening. On the third day, the gratista (or gratisti) organises a herring luncheon.

The first Ceremonial Conferment at the School of Business was celebrated 80 years ago in 1946, and since then the three-day festivities have been organised every five years. The previous one, however, was an exception, as it was organised one year later than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic, in May 2022. The 17th promotion at the School of Business will be held on 21–23 May 2026.

Master's promovendi from spring 2022 Fiona Jokivuolle and Viljami Väisänen as well as doctoral promovendi Iiris Saittakari reminisce about the celebration that took place three years ago.

Definitely worth participating!

Fiona Jokivuolle (MSc) and Viljami Väisänen (MSc) both believe that everyone invited to the Ceremonial Conferment should definitely participate. It is a unique and festive, usually 'once in a lifetime' experience. ‘It is such a special thing, even globally. It's great that traditions are maintained. I feel that as a result of the pandemic, organising celebrations is generally rarer than before. At the conferment, I got to celebrate my achievements together with my fellow students,’ says Fiona. 

Viljami says he organised many parties at KY during his study years from 2012 to 2018, but still thinks that the Ceremonial Conferment was the most festive of all events related to the School of Business. ‘It fostered the sense of community and it was nostalgic. We were the last ones to complete our studies entirely in Töölö, and when we went to the old Nokia hall once more with our group of fellow students, the atmosphere was really warm. The conferment was also fun because you got to meet many good friends from the study time, friends you might not see in everyday life. After transitioning to working life, you don't often meet such a wide group of School of Business people, and for me, it's not in sight also in the near future, either.

Fiona graduated with her Master's degree in autumn 2019. ‘When I graduated, I didn't receive an invitation to the graduation ceremony for some reason, so the Ceremonial Conferment was then my real celebration. It was the first time I walked on stage and received a certificate. I didn't mind that there were almost three years between my graduation and the conferment. I would say that whenever there is a reason to celebrate, you should celebrate! An academic degree is a significant effort and a reason to celebrate, an important milestone.’

Ceremonial Conferment as ‘staycation’ worked brilliantly

Iiris Saittakari (DSc) describes her Ceremonial Conferment experience as an inspiring, fantastic event and a communal experience. For Iiris, the conferment was already a familiar tradition, so participating was an obvious choice for her.

‘I graduated with the Doctor's degree in spring 2018, and it was really nice to see old acquaintances at the conferment and meet new people. I encourage all promovendi to invite friends and fellow students to join and form a group. Shared joy is the best joy!’

The Act of Conferment and the procession were the highlights for Iiris, although all the different events were wonderful. ‘I remember from the procession how just as we reached the church, it started raining heavily. In fact, the end of the procession got a bit soaked, even though umbrellas were reserved for everyone. The church moment became really atmospheric when the rain lashed the roof and walls. Included in the programme of the Ceremonial Conferment, singing the Finlandia hymn in the early morning after the Banquet and Ball evening was also really atmospheric and festive.’

Iiris says she booked a shared hotel room with her friend for two nights in the centre of Helsinki. ‘Booking a hotel room and spending a staycation was a great decision; my friend and I were able to stay in the Ceremonial Conferment bubble for the entire long weekend. It also proved to be very convenient, and the room immediately became filled with some conferment spirit as we spread out the outfits for all the different events around the room. All my dresses were such that I can use them again, for example, the black dress for the Act of Conferment works well for future formal dinners. We received detailed dress instructions for every event, which was very helpful.’

All the events were warm-hearted and filled with the sense of community, and all participants were in a joyful celebratory mood. ‘The programme was good; there were enough things included, but not too much. We were able to chat with people in peace, enjoy the refreshments and take photos, which have been lovely to look at afterwards.’

Promovendi were interviewed by Terhi Ollikainen