Ordre des Palmes Académiques

Ordre des Palmes académiques
Insignia of Commandeur
Awarded by  France
Type	Order of Merit with 3 degrees: Commandeur Officier Chevalier
Awarded for	Distinguished contributions to education or culture
Status	Active
Statistics
Established	Decoration: 1808 Order: 1955
Precedence
Next (higher)	Resistance Medal
Next (lower)	Order of Agricultural Merit
Commandeur Officier Chevalier Ribbon bars of the Order

The Ordre des Palmes académiques (Order of Academic Palms) is a national order of France for distinguished academics and figures in the world of culture and education. Originally a decoration founded by Emperor Napoléon to honour eminent members of the University of Paris, it was changed into its current form as an Order on 4 October 1955 by President René Coty.

The early Palmes académiques was instituted on 17 March 1808 and was bestowed only upon teachers or professors. In 1850 the decoration was divided into two known classes:^[1]

• Officier de l'Instruction Publique (Golden Palms)
• Officier d'Académie (Silver Palms)

In 1866, the scope of the award was widened to include major contributions to French national education and culture made by anyone, including foreigners. It was also made available to any French expatriates making major contributions to the expansion of French culture throughout the rest of the world.

Since 1955 the Ordre des Palmes académiques has comprised three grades, each grade having a fixed number of recipients:

• Commandeur (Commander) — gold cross of 60 mm with a coronet ("couronne") worn on necklet
• Officier (Officer) — gold cross of 55 mm worn on ribbon with rosette on left breast
• Chevalier (Knight) — silver cross of 50 mm worn on ribbon on left breast

Decisions on nominations and promotions are decided by the Minister of Education. For those not connected to state-sponsored public education, or the Ministry of National Education, these honours are announced on 1 January, New Year's Day. For all others, they are made on 14 July, which is French National Day.

Notable recipients

French Recipients

Isabelle Bogelot

• Monique Adolphe
• Michel Alaux
• Pierre Arpaillange
• Jules Benoit-Lévy
• Henri Betti
• Isabelle Bogelot
• Henri Brocard
• Alexandre Bouzdine
• Colette Caillat
• Patrick Cousot
• Émilie Desjeux
• Louis Dewis
• Claire Gibault
• Hervé Laborne
• Patrick Louis
• Germain Marc'hadour

Anna Krauth-Ballinger

• Subrata K. Mitra
• Pierre Louis Rouillard
• Roger Taillibert
• Henriette Tirman
• Marie-Pier Ysser
• Philippe Zawieja

Foreign Recipients

See the List of Foreign recipients of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques.

• Bruno Bernard, Belgian author dictionary French foreign languages
• Francis L. Lawrence (1937–2013), classical drama and baroque poetry scholar, President of Rutgers University (1990–2002)^[2]
• Ali-Akbar Siassi, Iranian intellectual, psychologist and politician during the 1930s and 1960s, serving as the country's Foreign Minister, Minister of Education, Chancellor of University of Tehran, and Minister of State without portfolio.
• Javad Tabatabai, Iranian thinker^[3]
• Ahmad Kamyabi Mask, Iranian littérateur
• Buddy Wentworth, Namibian politician, for his contributions to the Namibian independence struggle^[4]

References

1. Paul Hieronymussen, Orders, Medals and Decorations of Britain and Europe in colour (2nd ed.), London: Blandford Press, 1970, p.162.
2. Lawrence, Francis L. Leadership in Higher Education: Views from the Presidency (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 2006), 345.
3. Javad Tatabai, Institut d'études avancées de Paris
4. "Former deputy minister Wentworth dies". The Namibian. 5 June 2014.

External links

• www.legifrance.gouv.fr (French)
• Association des Membres de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques (French)
• France: Order of the Academic Palms Medals of the World