Professor Sirkka Jarvenpaa returned to her native Finland to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Jyvaskyla May 23, 2009.

“As a researcher of electronic commerce, virtual organizations, and team work, in particular, she represents the absolute peak of international academic research,” the citation read.

The Conferment of Degrees Ceremony is a three-day event during which masters, doctors and honorary doctors from various disciplines are solemnly conferred. At the ceremony new masters are adorned with garlands and rings, and doctors with hats and swords as symbols of their new status.