Students Honoured at the Spring Graduation Ceremony
27.05.2011
At the graduation ceremony of the Aalto University School of Art and Design, students were honoured for outstanding achievements and student association Tokyo ry announced Teacher of the Year.
In her speech, Dean Helena Hyvönen highlighted the global responsibility of universities.
Kesko awarded grants to four gifted arts students. The awardees were: Minna Piiroinen from the Degree Programme in Spatial Design, Outileena Uotila from the Degree Programme in Visual Culture, Juuso Tervo from the Degree Programme in Art Education and Eemeli Nieminen from the Degree Programme in Graphic Design.
The Department of Media also honoured its students. The honours were given to: Tuomo Rainio from the Degree Programme in Photography, Dimitri Paile from the Degree Programme in Sound in New Media, Stefania Passera from the Degree Programme in Graphic Design and Reettakaisa Neittaanmäki from the Degree Programme in New Media.
Part-time teacher Nora Tapper was awarded Teacher of the Year by student association Tokyo ry. Tapper teaches sculpture in space and form courses for different degree programmes.
Dean highlighted the responsibility of universities and the significance of community
In her speech, Dean Helena Hyvänen highlighted the responsible role of universities that goes beyond national boundaries.
"Global competition encountered by the current Finnish production structure required solutions from policy makers to ensure the vitality of Finland as a nation. Today, in addition to having national influence universities must carry international and global responsibility. The birth of Aalto University has in no way diminished the role of the School of Art and Design as an important player in society and culture. The role and significance of the fields of expertise represented by our school have grown. The European Union’s innovation programme, published last September, is a good example this. Design and the creative sector have a strong presence in the programme. The placement of the Secretariat for the European Commission’s Design Innovation Initiative at Aalto University ensures that we now have a key role within the union in this line of work."
According to Hyvönen, the significance of community and long-term commitment are particularly central in the construction of Aalto University.
"Aalto University was not built in a year. Change and development work continue towards the aim of being among the world’s best by 2020. This year’s greatest challenge will be the possible merger of Aalto University’s School of Art and Design and the Department of Architecture. The goal of this venture is to create a new school with a unique educational content and mode of operations. […] At the moment we are also holding talks about the university's new campus. I believe that the synergy benefits of a multidisciplinary university can best be realised within a single, shared campus, where suitable, pleasant and functional facilities for art and design studies can be created. This will be a university town of the future. […] I believe that community-thinking is an ever growing future trend. However, this does not mean that everyone in a university must conform, but rather that we celebrate individuality and diversity. This is why it is essential that these are also taken into account when building the new university and when developing its study and work culture."