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REGALIA
In medieval universities, students and teachers wore gowns
indicating their status and scholastic achievements. Today,
European institutions still show great diversity in the
specifications of academic dress, and American colleges
and universities adopted a system which all could follow. In
1895, at Columbia University, an intercollegiate commission
drafted a uniform code for the use of caps, gowns and
hoods. These standards, with few revisions, are still in effect.
Broward College follows the Academic Costume Code.
Four academic degrees are generally recognized: the
associate, the bachelor, the master and the doctor. The
associate degrees (associate of arts and associate of science)
are offered by the standard two-year colleges. The other
three are conferred by universities and colleges. The
bachelor’s or baccalaureate degree takes its name directly
from the medieval practice of “bachelors” wearing a
garland of bayberries. The master’s degree was equivalent
to a license to teach, and sometimes was followed by the
express words Licentia Docendi. The doctor’s degree, when
earned by study, indicates advanced study and independent
research in a specialized field of learning. Honorary degrees
are granted for meritorious service and for distinction in
public or private endeavor.
Those holding a bachelor’s degree wear a black gown
fastened at the top, distinguished by long pointed sleeves
hanging nearly to the knees. The master’s gown, worn open,
has long closed sleeves with an arc of a circle appearing near
the bottom and a slit for the arm near the middle of the
sleeves. The doctor’s gown, usually worn open, is made of
silk, faced with a broad strip of velvet, and has three bars
of velvet on each sleeve. A hood made of the same material
may be worn with the gown. The bachelor’s hood is three
feet long, with a two-inch strip of velvet; the master’s hood
is three and one-half feet long, faced with a three-inch strip
of velvet; the doctor’s hood is four feet long, faced with a
five-inch strip of velvet. The color of the tassel or velvet
strip on the hood indicates the field of study in which
the degree was earned or granted, as for example: ARTS,
white; SCIENCE, golden yellow; EDUCATION, light
blue; ENGINEERING, orange; MUSIC, pink; LIBRARY
SCHOOL, lemon yellow; BUSINESS, drab; JOURNALISM,
crimson; LAW, purple; THEOLOGY, scarlet;
PHILOSOPHY, dark blue. Each hood is also lined in silk
with the colors of the institution which granted the degree.
The appropriate cap for all degrees is the familiar black
“mortar board.” A tassel, black or a color signifying the
field of specialization, is worn hanging to the left of the
face. Those holding a doctor’s degree may wear a soft velvet
cap of the color indicating their field of study, or with the
mortar board, they may wear a tassel in gold or in part of
gold thread.
The mace, carried by the parade marshal, is a symbol of
the authority vested in the college president. In medieval
times, it was a weapon of war which was effective against
the strongest armor and was used chiefly by knights.
Maces were often borne by a royal bodyguard to protect
the king in processions, but in the course of time (by the
14th century), they assumed more ceremonial functions
and lost their warlike appearance. A mace is carried in
academic and ecclesiastical processions, particularly in
English-speaking countries.
At Broward College, academic distinction is noted by the
addition of one or both of the following to the graduate’s
regalia: The tri-cords in royal blue, white and antique
gold represent the academic distinction of membership in
the Robert “Bob” Elmore Honors College. The gold satin
stole and gold tassel represents the academic distinction of
membership in Phi Theta Kappa. Veterans of the United
States Armed forces wear a silver medallion to signify
their service to our nation. Students wearing the navy
blue and silver intertwined cord are graduating from
Broward College with a minium of a 3.25 GPA.
COMMENCEMENT 202 3
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