At this year's Degree Conferring Ceremony, graduates who defended their theses in recent years received their ceremonial diplomas. The second cohort of students of the Master in Transnational Governance also took part in this special celebration to receive their diplomas.
The ceremony was divided into two sessions during the day, which were opened by EUI President, Professor Renaud Dehousse. In his opening speech, President Dehousse honoured the graduates for their hard work and dedication throughout their PhD journey at the EUI: "I extend my deepest gratitude for your active participation, enthusiasm, and unwavering commitment to excellence."
In anticipating what is to come for the recent graduates, President Dehousse further shared the positive role of the EUI in shaping their academic and professional paths. "I have no doubt that the skills, knowledge, and experiences you have gained here will serve as a solid foundation for your future endeavours."
In the first session of the day, 37 graduates of the Master in Transnational Governance programme were welcomed in the Badia church by friends, family, and faculty members from the EUI School of Transnational Governance (STG). The graduates were praised for their academic achievements and encouraged to "dream, believe, work hard, and succeed", as stated by STG Director, Alexander Stubb, in his welcoming speech.
The following session counted the conferring of more than 70 degrees in recognition of the accomplishments of PhD and LLM graduates across the EUI departments of Law, History, Economics, and Political and Social Sciences. The ceremony also included the awarding of four EUI thesis prizes, including the Vilfredo Pareto Prize in Economics, granted to Lukas Nord and Zheng Wang, the 2022 Antonio Cassese Prize in International Law, won by Yussef Al Tamimi, as well as the 2023 Linz Rokkan Prize in Political Sociology and the Josip Peić Prize, awarded to William Foley and Krzysztof Krakowski respectively.
The awarding of the Honoris Causa Degree, an honour bestowed annually to distinguished scholars who have contributed considerably to their academic field, marked another memorable moment of this day. The EUI awarded this year's degree to Jens Hainmüller, Kimberly Glenn Professor in Political Science at Stanford University.
At the end of the ceremony, PhD Law graduate, Svitlana Lebedenko, delivered a salute, inviting her fellow graduates to reflect on what they achieved together, and what the future holds for them.
The ceremony concluded with a dedicated reception in the Badia's church square, where graduates and guests gathered to celebrate and reminisce together on their years at the EUI.
"It is our first time walking up the hill as PhDs, so that was very emotional. Now we will go down also as PhDs, but with our official title. It will be nice", shared María Del Mar Cañizares Espadafor, graduate from the Department of Political and Social Sciences.
Mario Pagano, graduate from the Department of Law, reacted to this special day, sharing: "Today, it feels really great to have graduated. I am sharing this moment with all of my fellow researchers with whom I started this journey. It's nice that we started together, and we finish together. It's the end of a journey and the start of a new chapter of our lives."
The day's events closed with the annual June Ball celebration, hosting approximately 1,500 people in an evening gathering at the Badia Fiesolana. The event offered new graduates the opportunity to celebrate with the entire EUI community, enjoying a night of musical entertainment and fun.
The sessions of the 2023 Degree Conferring Ceremony are available on the EUI Live page.