Rectoral addresses

The tradition of regularly recurring, ceremonial, public speeches originated in the German-speaking academic world – from Kiel to Vienna, and Strasbourg to Dorpat (Tartu) – around 1800, reaching Switzerland from the early nineteenth century. It was evidently brought by the many German professors who often came for political reasons to Switzerland, where they found new academic opportunities.

Authored by scholars compelled to engage with politics, the state, and society, they provide extensive overviews of these universities from a wealth of perspectives and offer nuanced insights into the history of each institution and of the broader scientific landscape.

The natural sciences vs. the humanities
A perennial favorite in the rectoral addresses was the discussion of a complex question from the field that the rector represented as a professor, presented for a general audience. Unsurprisingly, juridical, theological, medical, and philosophical topics dominated the speeches, depending on the respective rector’s home faculty. In the mid-nineteenth century, for example, the natural sciences began their steady rise in importance at the University of Basel, as elsewhere. Trends in topics can also be observed. In the early nineteenth century, political conflicts, the university’s relationship to the new state, and the role of the university were the main themes, but by the 1860s, rectors increasingly focused on themselves and their various disciplines. The unity of teaching and research and the advancement of a comprehensive university were taken to be indispensable, yet the rectors saw all of these aims to be at risk. In response, they called for unity among the sciences despite diverging disciplines, which also entailed addressing the relationship between the humanities and the natural sciences. The two branches within the Faculty of Philosophy began to diverge.

The tug-of-war between the old guard representing classical learning and the “homines novi” of the natural sciences concerned the meaning and goals of “education” in a formative, cultural sense. Natural scientists rarely discussed this in their rectoral addresses. They tended to introduce a complex question from their field and present new, exciting discoveries to the audience. Most saw their discipline in a positive light, and as rapidly advancing. Rectors from theology and the Faculty of Philosophy, by contrast, often perceived their fields to be in crisis. The speeches show that theology faced multiple challenges. Its role in the new liberal state was entirely unclear, its relationship with the natural sciences was tense, and the direction of the field was constantly being questioned and reassessed.

Rectors also spoke about the unity of research and teaching, and about major social events, ranging from the founding of the Swiss federal state to the World Wars and their aftermath and today’s global challenges. They also frequently contributed to the history of their own university or faculty.

Rectors always had worries. The Dies academicus, which took place at least once a year, afforded them an opportunity to officially share their present and future concerns with an interested public. Thorny issues – many still relevant today – included threats of the university’s closure, the pressure to justify the humanities and social sciences, the question of a “university of applied sciences,” space shortages, too many or too few students, women studying at the university, mobility and competition, academic freedom and the autonomy of the university, and, of course, recurring financial constraints.

The public sphere
In the first twenty years of the nineteenth century, the University of Basel was caught in the political crossfire – a predicament reflected in the concern of the addresses with the university’s self-positioning and acceptance in politics, society, and the media.

Rectors had something to say to the university and the public, and media coverage was almost always assured. People listened, though sometimes reluctantly. The Dies academicus was still a unique opportunity for a rector to highlight university issues and topics related to research. The university presented itself through the rector and deliberately sought to connect with the community during the procession through the city. Today, other communication channels are available beyond passionate address at celebrations of the university’s founding. Until the late 1970s, however, the rectoral address was the main event at the Dies academicus, though admittedly in some years it competed with the banquet.