Medals

Stockholm University’s large gold medal and gold medal of the 8th size are awarded to people who have, in different ways, helped to further the work of the university.

Stockholm University large gold medal. Photo: Svenska Medalj AB

Stockholm University medal of the 8th size. Photo: Eva Dalin

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Stockholm University awards medals to people who have promoted the university's activities in various ways. The medals are awarded in connection with the inauguration and conferment ceremony. Decisions on which people will receive medals are made by the President after preparation by the university's senior management team.

Stockholm University's large gold medal

Stockholm University’s large gold medal, worn around the neck, was instituted in 1990 and is awarded to those who have significantly and over a long period of time worked to promote the university, its research or its teaching.

The 2023 large gold medal

Robert Weil, recipient of the large gold medal 2023. Photo: Proventus.

The financier Robert Weil has, alongside his successful activities as a businessman, primarily within the investment company Proventus that he founded, made a name for himself as a patron of the arts and culture – through the Jewish Theatre, through Berättarministeriet, through Magasin III Museum for Contemporary Art. At Stockholm University he is one of the founders and central donors, through both the Robert Weil Family Foundation and Magasin III, to the exhibition space Accelerator, the twin institution to Magasin III – a meeting space at the university for arts, sciences, and social issues.

Stockholm University has with joy and gratitude entered into the work of developing this important collaborative arena. However now, when Robert Weil is honoured with Stockholm University’s large gold medal, it is primarily not due to his economic donations, however welcome and important they are, and critical to the creation of Accelerator. Rather, he is awarded this distinction for his vision of the University as having an indispensable role in the world and providing a vital contribution to societal development.

Robert Weil has through the years even made a name for himself as a fearless and tenacious debater, who has stood up for humanistic core values. He criticizes companies that fall short in facing the problems of tomorrow. He emphasizes the responsibility that capital owners have for our future society. He raises the importance of the humanities and arts in helping to give perspective to a one-sided focus on profit. Not least, he condemns all politics, regardless of political colour, that concede to the anti-democratic currents in society. Here, he sees one of the University's foremost tasks as a counterbalance, to foster knowledge and education along with free and critical thinking. Robert Weil’s insights have never been confined to theoretical ideas – he actively puts them into practice. He is an invaluable collaborative partner for a university that strives to live up to these standards.

Stockholm University's gold medal of the 8th size

Stockholm University’s gold medal of the 8th size, worn suspended by a ribbon, was instituted in 2010 and is granted to those who have contributed in a meaningful way to strengthening the university, its research or its teaching.