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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.

Gonfalons

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.

 

Rohrer College of Business
The art depicted for the College of Business is derived from Greek and Roman mythology: the helmet of Hermes or Mercury, the god of trade, profit and commerce. In both mythological traditions, the god was associated with commerce in general, invention, travel and boundaries, and weights and measures, all appropriate for discussion of the international scope of business in its various specialties as studied at Rowan’s Rohrer College of Business. The College motto is, “Honor, wisdom, industry and integrity.”

 

 

College of Communication
Trumpets and pennants on the College of Communication gonfalon derive from medieval communication methods used in both peacetime and war. Trumpet blasts were a means by which encampments and kingdoms exchanged messages over long distances. The pennants hung from structures and in pageantry identified their bearers and their purposes. Although modern communication encompasses varied academic areas, all 21st Century media are related to the fundamental methods illustrated on the pennants: verbal, aural and visual communication. The College motto is, “Building community through communication.”

 

 

College of Education
A traditional symbol of enlightenment, the lamp’s rendering on the gonfalon is a classical form which existed with little change into the 19th Century. Its practical uses for shedding light or preserving a flame to ignite others makes the ancient device appropriate as a contemporary symbol of education’s best purposes. The use of three lamps on the gonfalon suggest the three levels studied at Rowan: elementary, secondary and higher education. The repetition of the art also signifies the pedagogical fundamentals inherent in each course of study that link them together and build upon one another in the College of Education. The motto of the College of Education is, “The learning community.”

 

College of Engineering
Icons of engineering wonder and ingenuity, the two pyramids on the gonfalon are meant to symbolize the original elements and principles employed by the ancients. The sun suggests energy as well as the continual enlightenment and opportunity that come as a result of exploration, problem solving and discovery through application of engineering disciplines. The College of Engineering is the legacy of Henry M. Rowan, the benefactor of the University and specifically, its mission in engineering education. Inspired by Mr. Rowan’s life and the name of his autobiography, the motto of the College speaks of his passion for ingenuity and purpose and kindling that passion in others. Translated, the motto is, “Building the fire within.”

 

 

College of Fine & Performing Arts
This gonfalon contains a composite illustration inspired by principles applicable to all fine and performing arts and those who create and interpret artistic expression. At the center of the art is a Celtic symbol suggesting creative replenishment and new life. Outside the world triad is the lotus flower, a symbol of creation in Greek and eastern cultures. Blended together, these symbolize the best intent of fine and performing artists expressing a vision or giving voice to a thought. The art also employs the Fibonacci sequence that produces a balanced and pleasing effect. Translated, the College of Fine & Performing Arts motto is, “O Muse, create, illuminate, inspire!”

 

 

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
A 12th Century engraving inspired the art based on the elements of classical liberal education in the trivium (grammar, rhetoric, logic) and quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy). Although modern liberal arts and sciences encompass more and different academic areas than the original trivium and quadrivium, all are based on and related in some way to the original seven academic disciplines. Rowan’s adaptation of the classical imagery suggests the ability of a liberal education to remove prejudices and unjustified assumptions. The College motto is, “Trivium and Quadrivium: Liberating the mind.”

 

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.”

 

 

College of Professional & Continuing Education
The art on this gonfalon is derived from eastern and western traditions: the tree of life, or sacred tree, encompassed by a circle. In countless cultures throughout time, civilizations have considered a tree or type of tree sacred and symbolic of dignity, strength, longevity and productivity. With deep roots in traditional disciplines and ambitious, deliberate growth in new methods and venues for lifelong learning, the College finds an appropriate icon in the tree of life. Subtle but symbolic, the circle suggests continuity, applicable as a reference to the college mission to continually provide resources and invigorating experience for its students wherever personal and professional growth offers opportunity. Translated, the College motto is “Prepared in minds and resources.”