UHV Online Graduation Packet
History of the Commencement Ceremony
The commencement ceremony as we know it had its beginnings in the Middle Ages as rites of initiation into the close brotherhood of guild membership. Guilds were groups of artisans, tradesmen, and merchants who banded together to regulate their industry and standardize the training of potential new members. Our modern academic degrees of bachelor, master, and doctor correspond loosely to the titles of apprentice, journeyman, and master that indicated the ancient guildsman's level of knowledge and skill. Like the initiation rituals of the medieval guild, our commencement ceremony symbolizes both a new beginning and acceptance into the ranks of those who have attained an important and substantial body of knowledge.
An important part of the pomp and circumstance of the traditional commencement ceremony, the mace is a symbol of the authority of the university. It evolved from the weapons carried by the elite bodyguards who protected the king and other high officials at important events. It is carried in the processional by the grand marshal, a faculty member chosen for the occasion. In the early centuries of the university system, faculty members who were appointed to be marshals were charged with the task of ensuring that scholars complied with the curfew. Today, the mace has a purely symbolic purpose—to represent the authority of the university as a degree-granting institution.
History of Academic Regalia
The academic costumes we generally reserve for commencement ceremonies today actually have a longer history than the degrees we confer. The caps, hoods, and long gowns were once the daily, practical clothing for the copyists and clerics of the early middle ages, and they were very similar to the everyday clothing everyone else wore—perhaps as much for warmth in the cold, unheated stone buildings as for status and recognizability. But as general clothing fashion changed, the three basic elements of cap, hood, and gown were retained by clerics and academics and acquired symbolic meaning. In 1895, American academic costume was standardized in the Intercollegiate Code by a commission especially appointed for that purpose, though some choice in specific details was allowed.
Bachelor's regalia.
The University of Houston-Victoria 's bachelor's degree recipient wears a cap known as a mortarboard. This style evolved from a softer version that was popular during the 14 th and 15 th centuries. The familiar hard version we see today is an adaptation of the style adopted by Oxford University . According to legend, the mortarboard's stiffness is intended to allow scholars to use it as a portable desk for writing. The cap adopted by the University of Houston-Victoria is black and sports a black tassel.
The bachelor's gown is black and has long, pointed sleeves. It is a long, full gown and is to be worn closed at the front. Oftentimes, the gown will be pleated at the yoke. There is no hood for the bachelor's costume.
UH-Victoria honors candidates, those whose degrees are awarded summa cum laude, magna cum laude, or cum laude, are recognized by a gold chord draped over the shoulders. The gold chord signifies academic excellence.
Master's regalia.
The cap worn by the UH-Victoria master's degree candidate is identical to the one worn by the bachelor's candidate.
The master's gown is black with oblong sleeves open at the wrist. The lower portion hangs down with an arc at the bottom of the sleeve. Some older gowns may be open near the upper part of the arm. The master's gown can be worn either opened or closed.
The master's costume includes a hood. Originally intended for warmth, the hood retains a shape that would allow it to be worn over the exaggerated and very large wigs prevalent in the 18 th century. The trim on the hood is velvet, and the colors symbolize the school granting the degree and the program of study:
Master of Arts—white
Master of Business—drab (light brown)
Master of Education—blue
Master of Science—gold
Faculty regalia.
Faculty regalia are more varied than the costumes of the graduation candidates. Faculty may choose to wear the costume adopted by UH-Victoria or the style adopted by the university from which they received their doctoral degrees.
The faculty cap may be the familiar mortarboard or a softer version based on the style adopted by Cambridge University . The cap is usually black, but may be colored if they are wearing the costume of the university from which they earned their doctorates.
The faculty gown is generally fuller than the bachelor's or master's gown and has much fuller sleeves. It has full velvet panels on the front and three velvet crossbars on each sleeve in black or in the color that symbolizes the wearer's program of study.
The hood is the most intricate part of the faculty regalia. Draped over the shoulders and down the back, its colors indicate both the university which granted the degree and the program of study. The hoods are lined with satin in the official colors of the college or university that granted the doctoral degree. The binding or edging of the hood is of velvet or velveteen, and the color represents the wearer's program of study.