State decorations awarded to six university employees

On the eve of the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, President Alar Karis bestowed Estonian state decorations on 148 people whose perseverance, selflessness, dedication, ingenuity or creativity have set an example for many others and made Estonia better, more caring, more considerate and more enterprising. Six of the laureates are members of the university.

“The state decorations are a recognition to the people of Estonia and our friends abroad who, through their actions, have upheld the words of our constitution, and the idea that the Estonian state is founded on freedom, justice and the rule of law, as a safeguard of internal and external peace and as a pledge to present and future generations of their social success and general benefit,” emphasised the President. 

The following members of the University of Tartu receive the Order of the White Star:

• Helle Metslang, Professor emerita of the University of Tartu, linguist and teaching staff member, chair of the Estonian Mother Tongue Society
• Peep Pruks, legal scholar, head of the Iuridicum Foundation and the founder and editor of the law journal Juridica
• Hilkka Hiiop, Research Fellow in Analytical Chemistry of the University of Tartu and Professor of the Estonian Academy of Arts, who has brought the conservation of endangered heritage into the public spotlight
• Margus Pedaste, Professor of Educational Technology of the University of Tartu and an outstanding educational researcher who has had a significant impact on teacher education for more than two decades
• Kersti Lepajõe, Director of the University of Tartu College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, linguist and teaching staff member
• Ave Matsin, Lecturer in Estonian Native Textile of the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, who has done invaluable work in teaching the techniques of folk crafts

Congratulations to all decoration holders!

In the photo, the Order of the White Star. Photo by Ilmar Saabas