Welcoming new students to the university with a welcome ceremony is a matter of course. For many of the students at Södertörn University, studying at a university is both new and big. You may be the first in your family to do so. Completing your studies and getting a bachelor's degree, for example, is something to be proud of. 

How your studies end at Södertörn University, however, looks very different. Some students get to take part in a grand ceremony in the auditorium where prizes are awarded and speeches are given, some get a cake and a plastic cup of apple juice in a seminar hall, and some don't even get a thank you or goodbye.

Södertörn University is nothing without its students. And we need more ambassadors; alumni who look back on their studies with pride and who speak well of their education, their studies and their university. By giving students the chance to be honored for their achievements in a ceremonial way, we strengthen the conditions for ambassadorship. An academic degree is something important and valuable and should be recognized as something important and valuable. Celebrating and honoring academic success is also something that belongs to academia.

SöderS calls on the Vice-Chancellor of Södertörn University to instruct the joint administration in 2025 to initiate work on introducing graduation or degree ceremonies for first- and second-cycle courses at Södertörn University.

Signed,
SöderS Board 2024/25
2025-04-24