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Traditions & Symbols

Academic regalia

The pageantry of Commencement is rich with symbolism and tradition. Candidates for graduation must wear a cap and gown to participate in the ceremony and other symbolic elements are part of the procession and program.

The wearing of academic gowns is a tradition that dates back to the early 14th century. The gowns were first used to distinguish scholars from regular citizens. The added advantage of the garments was to keep the medieval academics warm in the unheated buildings they used. Their practical purposes soon gave way to embellishments and the gowns became a means of identifying certain academic achievements.

Gonfalon

Commencement not only includes academic protocol and traditional costume, but also symbolic elements of the procession and ceremony. Among the most visible of these are the gonfalons which represent each of the Colleges in the University. Acting as the College Marshal, the senior member of the faculty in each College bears the gonfalon in Commencement and Convocation processions.

All Rowan University gonfalons have in common several elements that symbolize the unified mission of the institution’s six colleges. Among these common elements are the school colors, brown and gold, derived from the Brown-eyed Susans used to decorate the podium at the first Commencement in 1923. Also used in all the gonfalons is the oak swag, inspired by the stately oaks that shade campus and symbolize long life, strength and endurance. Within the shield, the owls suggest the pedagogical heritage of the university. According to heraldic code, their posture—shown in profile with inverted, addorsed wings and with both feet on the ground—suggests a collegial relationship, positive demeanor, readiness and intent to rise with purpose. The checkerboard pattern on some of the the shields pays homage to the Rowan family coat of arms. Following the pattern of the University seal engraving, beneath each college shield is a motto in Latin, the classic international language of scholarship and thought.

The Graduate School
Like that on all the University’s gonfalons, imagery for The Graduate School was created by artists from the Rowan student and alumni family after extensive research. Commissioned to design a banner that would efficiently represent the many disparate disciplines of Rowan University’s graduate studies, the artists turned to medieval tradition for relevant icons: the scroll and quill pen. Archaic now, the scroll and pen symbolize communication tools essential for teaching and learning. Using these two classical symbols to represent the tradition and purpose of graduate study suggests the elevated stature of the post-baccalaureate scholar. Translated from Latin, The Graduate School motto is, “Know, understand, create.”