Peeter Einola receives his University of Tartu Star of Appreciation award

VINCENT TEETSOV

TARTU, ESTONIA – On Thursday April 7th, 2022, after two years of delay due to the pandemic, Peeter Einola was finally able to receive his Star of Appreciation award from the University of Tartu’s Rector, Dr. Toomas Asser.

The award, created in 2019, is intended for “... individuals who have rendered great services to the university.” In Einola’s case, it is recognition for the work he has done in materializing the Väliseesti Külalisprofessori Stipendium (Visiting Professor from the Estonian Diaspora Scholarship) and also his “long term commitment to representing the University of Tartu Foundation in Canada, and supporting the University of Tartu,” as he clarified.

Back in October 2020, when the University of Tartu initially gave him the Star of Appreciation, he conveyed his gratitude to them, detailing his personal motivations for supporting the university. He described his Estonian upbringing in Canada, and how “the importance of education in order to progress in life, but at the same time to know and appreciate my national and cultural background” was stressed as a young man. As such, Einola firmly believes that “higher education and the skills and discoveries gained from it are decisive for the future of Estonia and Estonians.”

Having seen the outstanding contributions of Estonian academics around the world, and as the 100th year as the national university was approaching, the late Volli Kalm, former Rector of the University of Tartu, proposed the idea of the scholarship. Peeter Einola took the lead in securing funding partners. Finally, on December 1st, 2018, the scholarship was first announced. As a pilot project, it has already brought two talented researchers of Estonian descent to share their knowledge in Estonia.

Scholarship applications are assessed by a committee, established by the rector. Selection is determined by the applicant’s proposal for participating in the university’s teaching and research, giving public lectures, and popularizing their research field in Estonia and at the University of Tartu.

Currently, the visiting professor position is filled by cultural psychologist Dr. Jaan Valsiner, who has both taught courses and delivered public lectures that are available on the Tartu Ülikooli Televisioon platform for general viewing (https://www.uttv.ee/naita?id=33080).

The first two years of the scholarship, and the third one coming up, have been funded by the University of Tartu Fund, the Chair of Estonian Studies Foundation in Canada, and The Estonian Students Fund in the United States. Einola’s key task for the coming months will be to find additional funding for the future. The university has been very supportive of the scholarship, which provides further motivation to establish the resources for the scholarship to be awarded on a continuous basis with a sustainable source of funding. Look for further details for contributing to this effort to be provided soon.

Photo used with permission from the University of Tartu