Graduation History and Traditions

Academic Regalia

Much of the regalia in today's ceremony originated in medieval European universities such as Oxford. Since most of the professors in that age were church clergy people, they wore heavy, rather austere, long robes with hoods. This manner of dress not only reflected their vows of poverty, but also kept them warm in the drafty university halls of the period. As time passed, these hooded robes evolved into elaborate vestments that more closely resembled the colorful, symbolic fashions of the royal courts. These vestments were often made of colored silks with heavy embroidery. Different styles of hoods (which were now entirely symbolic and no longer designed to cover the head), mortars (a stylized cap popular at the time) and cassock-like gowns displayed the loyalties, disciplines and levels of achievement of the wearer.

Cords & Stoles Colors

Gold cords represent Academic Honors, for students with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Community College Faculty Academic Regalia Colors

Blue Violet - Architecture
Brown - Master of Fine Arts
Crimson - Master of Science
Drab - Master of Business Administration or Accounting
Garnet- Law
Gold - Master of Science
Light Blue - Master of Education
Ivory - Medicine
Light Blue - Education
Purple - Juris Doctorate in Law
White - Arts and Letters

Mace

The Mace is carried by the oldest Emeriti faculty member of the college who leads the platform party procession at Commencement and other formal academic occasions.

Cap and Gown

The traditional graduation dress of cap and gown started in the 13th and 14th centuries when universities began forming throughout Europe. The graduation cap and gown date back to England. In the late 1800s, colors were assigned to signify certain areas of study. At both the high school and college level, students wear a traditional long gown and cap in their school colors (or just black). In the latter half of the 14th century, excess in apparel was forbidden in some colleges and prescribed wearing a long gown." It wasn't until the late 1800s that schools began introducing different colors of gowns. The cap dates back to the 14th century as a way to signify superiority and intelligence.

Hoods

Master’s and doctoral graduates are given symbolic hoods that originate back to the Celts. Within the Celtic groups, only the Druid priests wore capes with hoods to symbolize their superior intelligence. The hood is presented during the baccalaureate ceremony and was originally worn as a head covering in the cold schools of the Middle Ages. Today the velvet color on the outer edge of the hood denotes the graduate’s degree -white for arts and letters, gold for science and brown for fine arts.

Tassels

At most high schools and universities, the tassels are first worn on the right and then flipped to the left upon receiving the diploma or degree to signify moving on from one stage of life to the next. Most graduates flip the tassel after the receipt of the degree; others may flip the tassel before walking off of the stage. This varies by school. At East Los Angeles College, tassels are placed to the right first, and after graduation ceremony are placed to the left. Tassels are normally black. Gold tassels denote a doctoral degree.

Diploma

The first diplomas were made from paper-thin sheepskin, handwritten with ink, rolled and tied with a ribbon. This tradition continued until 100 years ago when the diplomas began to be printed on parchment.

Pomp and Circumstance

“Pomp and Circumstance” is the traditional graduation march. The song was written in 1901 by Sir Edward Elgar. It's known as the Pomp and Circumstance and first played at a graduation ceremony in 1905 at Yale. Other schools quickly picked it up and it spread throughout the United States. In a matter of no time, the song was being played at nearly every school for graduation. Today, it is still widely used at graduations and other ceremonies.

Tossing your Cap in the Air

This tradition is all thanks to the Naval Academy. CNY News explains, "Prior to the graduation of 1912, graduates of the academy were required to serve two years in the fleet as midshipmen before being commissioned as Navy officers, therefore they still needed their hats. The class of 1912 was commissioned from the time of graduation and received their officer’s hats, thus their hats were no longer needed, leaving the graduates free to toss their caps into the air and not worry about getting them back. The tradition then caught on at other institutions throughout the country. Now the action is regarded as a symbolic gesture of the end of a chapter in a graduate's life."