Over the course of a few days in late September 2008, Shenandoah University will celebrate its history, its community and the inauguration of its 16th president, Tracy Fitzsimmons, Ph.D. Shenandoah University has been a proud resident of the Shenandoah Valley since 1875, and it has been an active partner with the Winchester community since 1960. The inauguration of Dr. Fitzsimmons is a wonderful time for everyone to gather in appreciation of an institution of higher education and the place it calls home.
Americans are familiar with the presidential inauguration, which takes place at noon on Jan. 20 once every four years, when the oath of office is administered on the steps of the United States Capitol. The inauguration of a U.S. president is also surrounded by 10 days of celebratory events. Is a university’s presidential inauguration like that?
At an institution of higher education, inauguration refers to the series of events planned in celebration of the installation of a new president. The installation is the actual moment the new president assumes the articles of office. The ceremony itself is an investiture.
This means that even though Dr. Fitzsimmons became president of Shenandoah University at 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 2008, her inauguration is a series of events planned for Sept. 25 and 26, 2008. The investiture ceremony is on Friday, Sept. 26 at 11 a.m. During the event, Shenandoah’s former president James A. Davis will ceremoniously hand the Chain of Office to a university trustee, who will place the Chain of Office around President Fitzsimmons’ neck. That is the moment of installation.
But, for the extended Shenandoah University family - friends, trustees, alumni, students, faculty, staff and the Northern Virginia community - the inauguration festivities begin on Thursday, Sept. 25. The day includes presentations by special guests Dr. Maya Angelou and Mr. Jay Allison, performances by musicians, dancers and actors, and a black-tie-optional dessert gala to end the evening.
Following the inauguration on Friday, everyone is invited to enjoy a picnic on the quad in the center of main campus. The spirit of Shenandoah carries over into Saturday, Sept. 27, when the university community packages 30,000 meals in a Stop Hunger Now event.
Over the course of these days, guests may wonder about the significance and symbolism of some of the objects and images Shenandoah University uses.
University Seal
Every college has a seal that is used consistently to represents the institution on official documents such as diplomas. Shenandoah University round seal features three Greek Doric pillars above the date 1875, the year Shenandoah was founded. (The university also uses a rectangular logo, which is a variation of the presidential seal.) The historic function of a seal is primarily to authenticate documents; that of a logo is to create recognition. The seal denotes the official sanction of the university president and governing board.
The Mace
The mace is a sacred symbol of the presidential office. In 12th century Rome, the mace doubled as a club carried by a bodyguard, whose job was to protect the clergy. Shenandoah University’s mace, which is made of wood and bronze, functions as a symbol of authority. Shenandoah’s mace is the presidential seal in bronze imbedded in maple wood surrounded by bronze olive branches. During commencement ceremonies, one faculty member is given the honor of carrying the mace to lead the processional and recessional.
The Chain of Office
The chain of office is an ornate pendant that honors all the past presidents of an institution. Shenandoah University’s chain of office is bronze with a large medallion in the center that is the university seal. At the inauguration ceremony on Sept. 26, 2008, former President James A. Davis will symbolically hand the chain of office to a trustee, who will place the chain of office around President Fitzsimmons’ neck.
Academic Regalia
The wearing of caps, gowns and hoods at college and university functions dates to the Middle Ages when they were worn by monks and students in order to keep warm in damp and drafty 12th century castles and halls of learning. Through the years, the style and color of caps, gowns and hoods have come to represent certain exact meanings. The following descriptions apply to current American usage. A number of variations are represented in the regalia worn by those who received degrees from non-American institutions.
Gowns for associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees have semi-stiff yokes, long pleated fronts and may have intricate shirring across the shoulders and backs. Gowns for the doctor’s degree have long velvet panels down the front and three velvet bars on the bell-shaped sleeve. This velvet trimming may be either black or the color distinctive of the field of learning to which the degree pertains.
Caps may be of serge, broadcloth, cotton, rayon, silk or - for the doctoral regalia only - of velvet. The tassel of the doctoral cap may be of gold thread. Caps are normally mortarboard in form although square-topped caps are traditional for certain universities.
The hood carries the heaviest symbolic burden. The hood indicates the level of the degree, the discipline and the institution which awarded it. The level of the degree is shown by the size of the hood, the width of the velvet trimming and - in the case of doctoral degree - by the shape. Master’s hoods are three and one-half feet long; doctoral hoods are four-feet long.
The color of the trim identifies the discipline of the degree. For example, doctorates in Arts, Letters and Humanities are white. Education is light blue. Fine Arts is brown. Music is pink. Nursing is apricot. Philosophy is dark blue. Theology is scarlet.
The institution which granted the degree is shown by the hood’s lining. Because there are so many universities and a limited number of colors, many schools use multiple colors on the lining of the hood, often with the contrasting color in the shape of a chevron.
Processional and Recessional
The processional-first used at the Olympic Games in ancient Greece-is the grand march into a formal ceremony. It usually begins at the back of the seating area and ends near the front of the stage or dais. The academic processional at an inauguration differs from commencement in that delegates from other colleges and representatives of academic societies are invited to march along with an institution’s own faculty and staff. Marshals usually will lead each division of the university and seat representatives in their appropriate order. Academic institutions and societies process in the order of the year their institutions were founded. The recessional is much the same, but follows the reverse order as the new president walks alone, following the mace bearer.