Academic Pageantry & Dress
The pageantry of American colleges and universities, including such ceremonies as commencement, has been inherited from the medieval universities of the 11th and 12th centuries.
Academic life as it is known today began in the Middle Ages, first in the church and then in the guilds. The teaching guild was the Guild of the Master of Arts, in which the Bachelor was the apprentice of the Master and the dress was the outward sign of privilege and responsibility.
The ceremony you will witness today will be less formal than would have been the case even a few decades ago. Still, many traditions have been continued. To maintain continuity with the past, University of North Dakota faculty, the stage officials and the degree candidates will wear academic dress.
Principal features of academic garb are the gown, cap and hood. Early it became necessary
for universities to set rules to preserve the dignity and meaning of academic dress.
Both Cambridge and Oxford since the 15th
century have made academic dress a matter of university control even to its minor
details, and have repeatedly published revised regulations. American universities
agreed on a definite system in 1895.
Academic Dress
The Gown
The flowing gown comes from the 12th century. While it originally may have been worn
as protection against the chill of unheated buildings, it has today become symbolic
of the democracy of scholarship, for it covers any
trappings of rank or social standing underneath. It is black for all degrees, with
pointed sleeves for the bachelor’s degree recipient, long closed sleeves with a slit
at the arm or wrist for the master’s degree, or full bell double
sleeves for the doctoral degree. Bachelor’s and master’s degree gowns have no trimming.
For the doctoral degree, the gown is faced down the front with velvet and has three
bars of velvet across the sleeves in the color
distinctive of the faculty or discipline to which the degree pertains.
The Cap
The academic cap is a sign of freedom of scholarship, and of the responsibility and
dignity with which scholarship endows the wearer. Ancient poetry records the cap of
scholarship as square to symbolize the
book. The color of the tassel denotes the discipline. At the University of North Dakota,
the tassel colors associated with academic divisions are:
- White, College of Arts & Sciences
- Drab (subdued orange), Nistler College of Business & Public Administration
- Black and White, John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences; light blue, College of Education & Human Development
- Orange, School of Engineering & Mines
- Purple, School of Law
- Green, School of Medicine
- Apricot, College of Nursing
- Black, School of Graduate Studies & Professional Disciplines.
For undergraduate students, the tassels hang on the right side of the cap until they receive their degrees, at which time the tassel is moved to the left. For master’s and doctoral students, the tassel hangs on the left side of the cap and is not moved.
The Hood
The hood is trimmed with one or more chevrons of a secondary color on the ground of
the primary color of the college. The color of the facing of the hood denotes the
discipline represented by the degree; the color of the
lining designates the university or college which granted the degree. The official
colors of the University of North Dakota, selected by the student body in preparation
for the institution’s first commencement in 1889, are
the pink and green of the prairie rose.
Ceremonial Objects
The Mace
The mace was initially modeled after a 12th century implement of war. In earlier days, the mace, or heavy staff, was borne by or carried before a magistrate or other dignitary as an ensign of authority. A mace is placed as the symbol of royal authority on the treasury table in the British House of Commons at the opening of each session and is removed at its close.
In the U.S. House or Representatives, it is a rather plain staff mounted in a marble pedestal at the right hand of the Speaker. The mace of the University of North Dakota symbolizes authority to carry out its mission, especially the granting of degrees. Made from the oak of the University’s first building, “Old Main,” the mace is carried by a marshal during academic processions and is placed at a prominent spot on the stage during commencement.
The Medallion
A medallion or seal of office worn by the head of an educational institution is a practice that also dates to the Middle Ages. In those times, a seal
was used to mark documents as official. Possession of the seal was so important that
it was usually worn around the neck for safekeeping. The wearing of the seal eventually
became a symbol of authority. One side of the medallion worn by the president bears
an engraving of the University’s official seal and the names of all former presidents
are included on the
chain of office.
The Charter
The University of North Dakota was founded six years before North Dakota became a
state. The original, handwritten charter, enacted in 1883 by the Dakota Territorial
Assembly, is preserved in UND’s archives.
One facsimile is displayed in the President’s Office and another is used at commencements
and other special occasions.
The University Flag
The University flag features the UND flame logo set on a white background. The flag
is used at ceremonial events and is carried by the honorary faculty flag marshal to
lead the commencement procession. The
flag is displayed on the stage during the commencement ceremony along with the mace
and charter.