University of Vienna: Festive inauguration of Sebastian Schütze

During the festive inauguration of the new Rector Sebastian Schütze on 3 October 2022, the Rector’s sceptre and the Rector’s collar were passed to the new Rector. Former Rector Heinz W. Engl received the Rector’s remembrance collar of the Alma Mater Rudolphina Vindobonensis.

Passing over the Rector’s sceptre and the Rector’s collar is a symbol forging the identity of the continuity of the Rector’s office in service to the University of Vienna.

Besides the university seal, the university and faculty sceptres are the oldest academic emblems. Emperor Ferdinand I endowed the Rector’s sceptre to the University of Vienna in 1558. Today, the sceptre is a symbol of university autonomy and of the common history and identity of the University and its members. In 1804, Emperor Francis II presented five collars for the Rector and deans to the University, which have been used ever since. Today, the Rector’s collar symbolises the entire University and, at the same time, also the connection between the state and the University.