Rīga Stradiņš University celebrates Latvia's Centenary
On Tuesday 13 November, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) held ceremonial events commemorating Latvia's Centenary.
The programme of events was opened with a ceremonial raising of the Latvian flag in front of the RSU main building and the unveiling of the RSU coat of arms and later conferring of the title of RSU Honorary Doctor (Doctor Honoris Causa) on Prof. Dr. Peter E. Goretzky. Latvian Centenary celebrations concluded with a colourful concert Teic, kur zeme tā.
A special flagpole area has been created for the Latvian flag. On Tuesday, accompanied by the Latvian national anthem, the Latvian flag was officially raised for the first time. The national flag has always been a symbol of national identity and pride. RSU is a Latvian national university and with great pride and honour it takes Latvia's name worldwide. Its outstanding international reputation is testimony to this. The national flag by the RSU building will always serve as a reminder of our joint efforts for Latvia. The Latvian flag was consecrated by Indulis Paičs, pastor at Rīgas Lutera congregation and doctoral student in the RSU study programme Psychology.
In honour of Latvia's Centenary, RSU also unveiled its coat of arms. The coat of arms is testimony of a sense of belonging to one's country, traditions and the mission of the university. In the case of RSU – also a sense of belonging to one's town. The RSU coat of arms is just as unique as Rīga Stradiņš University. Universities around the world are renowned for their coat of arms and Rīga Stradiņš University now also has its own coat of arms. The RSU coat of arms, created by renowned heraldic artist Edgars Sims, has been endorsed by the State Heraldry Commission.
As part of the programme of Centenary events, an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa) was conferred on Prof. P. Goretzky from the renowned and prestigious Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The title of Honorary Doctor was awarded to Prof. Goretzky for long-term investment into the development of Rīga Stradiņš University, promoting the professional growth of students and teaching staff at an international level, surgery in particular. With the participation of Prof. P. Goretzky, RSU started implementing a project in the academic teaching hospital Lukaskrankenhaus in the town of Neuss, providing RSU medical students with the opportunity to undertake a part of their studies in one of the leading clinics in Germany. With his long-term investment into the growth of RSU, Prof. P. Goretzky has proven his worthiness to be conferred this significant title of RSU Honorary Doctor.
The culmination of the centenary events was the concert Teic, kur zeme tā, featuring music from popular Latvian films. The concert featured dancing and singing performances by RSU mixed choir Rīga un RSU Folk dance ensemble Ačkups. The concert also featured Dailes Theatre actors Ērika Eglija un Gints Andžāns as soloists who performed together with instrumental group Brokastis četratā. The choir and dance group had been enthusiastically preparing for this concert for a number of months.
