Participants in the commencement procession are attired in regalia that reflects a history and heritage that can be traced to the medieval universities of the 11th and 12th centuries. Modern academic regalia evolved from the kinds of apparel worn by monks and students in the Middle Ages to keep warm in the medieval castles and halls in which they studied.
Academic life as we know it today began in the Middle Ages, first in the church, then in the guilds. The teaching guild was the Guild of the Master of Arts, and the Bachelor was the apprentice of the Master; their dress was the outward sign of stature and responsibility. Academic regalia was thus a visible manifestation—in color, pattern, and design—that unified those of common discipline and like purpose.
In later centuries, to preserve the regalia’s dignity and meaning, universities set rules of academic dress. American universities agreed on a definite system in 1895, establishing a code of approved attire. In 1932, the American Council on Education revised this code, which, for the most part, governs the style of academic dress today. The principal features of academic dress are three: the gown, the cap, and the hood.
The Gown
The flowing gown dates to the 12th century. Many think it was worn as protection against the cold of unheated buildings. It has become symbolic of the democracy of scholarship—for it completely covers any dress of rank or social standing. It is (with a few institutional exceptions) black for all degrees. Pointed sleeves indicate the bachelor’s degree; long closed sleeves with a slit in the arm, the master’s degree; and round open sleeves, the doctoral degree. The gowns for bachelor’s and master’s degrees have no trimmings; the gown for the doctoral degree 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 in which the degree pertains.
The official colors of the college may also appear in the gown or its decorations. The trustees and some administrators of IUP wear gowns of slate trimmed in crimson velvet.
The Cap
The freed slave in ancient Rome won the privilege of wearing a cap, and so the academic cap is a sign of the freedom of scholarship and the responsibility and dignity with which scholarship endows the wearer. Old poetry records the cap of scholarship as square, symbolizing the book, although other authorities claim it is a mortarboard, the symbol of the masons, a privileged guild. The tassel on the cap is moved from the right side to the left upon conferral of the degree.
The Hood
In regalia, the hood is an inverted shield 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 of the hood designates the university or college from which the degree was granted.
The Mace
The Mace is a ceremonial staff carried by a senior faculty member who serves as the grand marshal. This official opens and closes all academic convocations. Artist and metalsmith Walter J. Kipp, a 1942 graduate of Indiana State Teachers College, designed and constructed the mace for IUP in 1967. The design was created around the state seal, which was placed at the top of the mace. The large keystone which comes next symbolizes the state emblem, and on this keystone the letters IUP are placed. The handturned shaft is made of native Pennsylvania walnut.
The President's Medallion
The President’s Medallion is worn by the president of the university during academic convocations as a symbol of the leadership responsibilities vested in that office. Michael A. Driscoll was the first president to wear the current medallion, which features the university seal in antiqued silver and crimson. A creation of the IUP Design Studio, this fourth presidential medallion was constructed by Medallic Art Company in 2014. Walter Kipp made the original medallion in 1968 for the 15th president, William W. Hassler. Robert W. Hamilton ’54, M’64, professor emeritus of art, created a replacement medallion in 1998, and Wendell August Forge crafted a third in 2005.
The Philanthropy Cord
The Philanthropy Cord is worn as a symbol of philanthropic pride by the newest alumni who have contributed to the Senior Giving Campaign. This double-knotted gray and crimson cord symbolizes the reciprocal commitment between IUP and its alumni.
The Education Abroad Cord
The Education Abroad Cord, blue and green entwined, designates students who have participated in an education abroad program during their time at IUP. These students have studied, volunteered, conducted research, and/or interned in a wide variety of majors at institutions and other locations throughout the world.
The Regional Campus Cord
The Regional Campus Cord, in crimson and gold, is worn by new graduates who studied at an IUP regional campus. The crimson represents IUP as the degree-granting institution, and the gold symbolizes the knowledge and determination that were keys to success at the regional campus.
The Lavender Cord
The Lavender Cord is worn by graduates who identify across the spectrum of gender identity, gender expression, and/or sexual orientation. The lavender represents a combination of the pink and black triangles gay men, lesbians, and some political prisoners were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps.
The Red, White, and Blue Cord
The Red, White, and Blue Cord indicates a student’s military affiliation. Those wearing the cord may be current or former members of the military or their family members.
Colors of Academic Dress
Maize
Agriculture
Lilac
Dentistry
Copper
Economics
Light blue
Education
Orange
Engineering
Brown
Fine arts, architecture
Russet
Forestry
Maroon
Home economics
Peacock blue
Public administration
Crimson
Journalism
Purple
Law
Lemon
Library science
Green
Medicine
Pink
Music
Apricot
Nursing
Silver gray
Oratory (speech)
White
Arts, letters, and humanities
Olive green
Pharmacy
*Dark blue
Philosophy
Sage green
Physical education
Salmon pink
Public health
Gold yellow
Science
Citron
Social work
Gray
Veterinary science
Scarlet
Theology or divinity
Sapphire
Business administration
*Includes doctor of philosophy degree in all fields except those listed here