ACADEMIC REGALIA
A C A D E M I C RE G A L I A
The) wearing of gowns by by judges, ministers, teachers, and “(The) wearing of gowns judges, ministers, teachers, and scholars is an ancient and impressive . .. . . A . As sthe scholars is an ancient and impressivecustom. custom. thegraduatgraduingating students of American highhigh schools, colleges, andand universistudents of American schools, colleges, univertiessities march in academic procession on Commencement DayDay to march in academic procession on Commencement to receive diplomas or degrees, perhaps, receive their their diplomas or degrees, they,they, too,too, (and(and perhaps, for for some, onlyonce this in once in their the caps and of some, only this their lives)lives) wearwear the caps and gowns of this long . . . For athey moment, they are thisgowns long tradition. . . .tradition. For a moment, are wearing anwearancient ing anthe ancient regalia, proud badge belonging to a great regalia, proud badgethe of belonging to aofgreat profession, that profession, that of student. Holding hands with students past of student. Holding hands with students past and students presand students present in a chain which goes back into history. ent in a chain which goes back into history. Every detail should be Every detail should be keyed to stress the occasion as advenkeyed to stress the occasion as adventure, a turning point, someture, a turning point, something memorable and important.” thing memorable and important.” Frank C. Baxter Frank C. Baxter Professor Emeritus of English Professor Emeritus of English University of Southern California University of Southern California
At the end of the 19th century, colleges and universities in the United States were developing the kind of ruleless academic costume that emerged from the centuries in Great Britain. There and in the dominions, each university adopted its own costume without regard to what other institutions had done. The result was a confusing array of caps, gowns, and particularly hoods, each one of which must be separately memorized. Recognizing this problem, American institutions responded in 1895 by creating an intercollegiate commission to consider a uniform code for academic costume. The resulting Intercollegiate Code regulated the design or pattern of gowns and hoods and the colors and materials to be used. The code was subsequently adopted by almost all of the colleges and universities in the country. It is still in use today, although slightly modified by successor committees appointed by the American Council on Education. Gowns The code provides for three types of gowns. Those for bachelor’s students are made of black material and have long, pointed sleeves. They should be worn closed. The master’s gown, also black, is made with an oblong sleeve, open at the wrist. The rear part of its oblong shape is square cut, and the front part has an arc cut away. It is also worn closed. In 2018, the university unveiled new custom regalia for bachelor’s and master’s students. The new gowns feature a cardinal band and the USC shield on the sleeves, along with cardinal piping. The custom regalia highlights the prestigious brand of USC in an elegant and timeless manner. The doctor’s gown is an elaborate costume marked by velvet panels down the front and around the neck and by three bars of the same material on the bell-shaped sleeves. It is cut much fuller than
4
the other gowns and may be ornamented in color. (As a matter of practice, except in the areas of philosophy and law—dark blue and purple, respectively—faculty colors are rarely seen on the gown.) The standard cap and gown are almost universally worn, but there are some outstanding deviations, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, New York, Chicago and the University of Southern California. Cardinal and gold doctoral gowns were proposed for the university’s centennial by Dr. Jerome B. Walker, centennial director, in 1980. Cardinal gowns with yellow velvet panels were first worn during President James H. Zumberge’s inauguration in May 1981. For President Steven B. Sample’s 1991 inauguration, the design for doctoral gowns was modified, adding red velvet panels framed by bright gold braids. Caps Although there is an exception, rarely seen, for women that allows them to wear a soft cap, the mortarboard or Oxford-type cap is worn. Only the doctor’s cap may be made of velvet. The tassel worn with the cap has three variations: (1) it may be black for any degree, (2) it may be in the color of the faculty (field of learning) in which the degree was granted, or (3) doctors and governing officials, only, may wear a tassel of gold metallic thread. Black tassels are worn at USC for all bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The cap is an essential part of the academic costume and is worn with it at all times except, of course, when the men remove theirs during prayer or during the playing of the national anthem. The gold tassel of the doctor’s cap is so fastened that it drapes over the left front quarter of the cap. From this design, it has become customary to leave the tassel draped over the left temple at all times. Hoods Of all the components of the costume, the hood is the most symbolic. It makes clear the level of the degree, the faculty in which it was given 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 the doctors, by the shape. The hood is lined with the colors of the school awarding the degree; at USC, the silk lining is gold with a cardinal chevron. The color of the velvet band around the hood shows the department in which the wearer has taken his or her degree. All master of arts (white) and master of science (gold) degrees are bestowed by the Graduate School. The color of the velvet band around the hood for all PhDs is dark blue. Specialty degrees have individual colors based on the degree earned. The academic regalia worn by the participants in the commencement ceremony is not merely costume. It represents an unbroken chain uniting students and scholars since the Middle Ages.
#USCgrad
192835.Text_2020.indd 4
4/23/21 12:33 PM
