Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas Inaugurated as the Rector of Vilnius University

 

Vilnius University (VU) has officially inaugurated Professor Rimvydas Petrauskas as its 87th Rector.

The elected Rector, who will serve a second five-year term, took a solemn oath at the University’s St Johns’ Church.

In keeping with tradition, the Chairperson of the VU Council, Dr Marius Jurgilas, and the Chairperson of the VU Senate, Prof. Eglė Lastauskienė, presented the Rector with the symbols of authority: the toga, symbolising the continuation of the honourable traditions of his predecessors; the pelerine, representing the responsibility of caring for the entire University community; the chain, signifying the unification and connection of all University members; the biretta, reminding him of the duty to represent the University community with honour; the sceptre, ensuring proper leadership of the University; and the VU seal to protect the University’s rights and freedoms.

In his inaugural speech, Prof. Petrauskas emphasised that leading the University is, first and foremost, about empowering a large and diverse community.

‘I have been at the University for 35 years, since the autumn of 1990, when I began my studies at an institution that had just regained its freedom and autonomy. Since then, the University, Lithuania, and the world have all undergone significant changes regarding the relationship between teaching staff and students, the environment of science and studies, and much more. What we could once find only in foreign universities is now right here at home. We have entered the global world of international higher education, competing for academic recognition and the hearts and minds of motivated students,’ said the VU Rector.

His ambition is to make VU a flagship of science and education in the region – a University that unites and makes a significant contribution to the creation of a progressive and resilient Lithuania.

The VU Council re-elected Prof. Petrauskas for a second term as Rector on 23 January 2025. 

Rimvydas Petrauskas is a Professor and has been the Rector of Vilnius University since 2020. Prior to this, he was the former Dean of the VU Faculty of History (2012–2020) and a former President of the Lithuanian University Rectors’ Conference (2022–2023). He is also a member of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, the International Historical Commission for Research on the Teutonic Order, and the State Progress Council, a former member and Chairperson of the Board of the Research Council of Lithuania, and a former Chairperson of the Lithuanian Studies and Dissemination Programme. Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas was awarded the Cross of the Knight of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (2018), the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2019), and the Lithuanian Science Prize (2019).