University of Minnesota Duluth Chancellor Kathryn A. Martin announced Thursday that the President of the Republic of Finland, Tarja Halonen, is coming to Duluth in July.
President Halonen will attend the FinnFest 2008 celebration in Duluth and will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree for public service, presented by Martin and university regents at a 10 a.m. public ceremony July 25 at the DECC Arena.
The honorary degree is the highest award conferred by the University of Minnesota, recognizing individuals who have achieved acknowledged eminence in cultural affairs, public service or a field of knowledge and scholarship.
More than 7,000 people are expected to attend FinnFest 2008 which runs July 23 through 27.
The theme for the five-day event is "Sharing the Spirit of Finland" -- a national celebration of the Finnish culture -- and will feature entertainment, lectures, displays, exhibitions, concerts, athletic events, worship services and a banquet.
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Events are planned for all ages, and all Finns and friends of Finns are invited to attend.
UMD is the official host for Halonen.
"We are very honored to have President Halonen join us in Duluth for the celebration of FinnFest 2008, and very proud to present her with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree," Martin said. "Her outstanding leadership on behalf of the rights of women, workers and the poor have made her an international role model, and she is truly deserving of this high award."
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Minnesota has the largest percentage of people of Finnish heritage of any state in the union.
The Duluth area has the largest percentage of Finns living in any urban center in the United States with 29,602 -- or 12.14 percent.
The Twin Cities has the second largest with 44,204 (1.49 percent).
Honorary co-chairs for FinnFest 2008 are two Duluthians who have gained international recognition in their professions: cookbook author Beatrice Ojakangas and architect David Salmela.
-- UMD press releases
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About Republic of Finland President Tarja Halonen
President Halonen is the 11th president of the Republic of Finland, and Finland's first female head of state.
She is widely recognized for her outstanding efforts as a global humanitarian.
She graduated from the University of Helsinki in 1968 with a Master of Laws degree.
She was elected to the Parliament in 1979 and was re-elected four times, until she assumed the office of president of Finland in 2000. She was re-elected president in 2006.
Internationally, President Halonen has remained a powerful voice for the rights of the poor -- in Finland, the Nordic countries and the world.
She always worked on behalf of welfare rights and worker rights while she was a member of Parliament, and then as the minister of social affairs and health.
Now, as president, she has become a strong spokesperson for the rights of the poor in the Nordic countries, maintaining that while the welfare state still has work to do, it cannot and should not be disassembled at the expense of the poor.
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In addition to her work as a global humanitarian, President Halonen is a strong advocate for the arts as an amateur art historian, painter and gardener.
