People who are appointed full professors at the University of St.Gallen present themselves in a public inaugural lecture. Usually, full professors give their inaugural lecture within a year after taking office.

Besides full professors, habilitated lecturers are also entitled to present themselves in an inaugural lecture. In principle, people who were habilitated at the University of St.Gallen give their inaugural lectures within a year after the conclusion of the habilitation process. All other faculty members do not give inaugural lectures. 

Inaugural lectures deal with a wide variety of issues from the fields of economic, legal, social, cultural and political sciences. The inaugural lectures are announced once a semester in the programme brochure of the public lecture courses.