HERALDIC FLAGS
HERALDIC FL AGS
Originally designed by Dr. Jerome B. Walker for President James H. Zumberge’s 1981 inauguration, heraldic flags for each academic degree-granting unit are displayed at commencements and other academic convocations. These flags, carried by students, precede the faculty in the procession. By a long-standing tradition, most academic disciplines have used an identifying color, which is displayed on academic hoods to indicate the subject area in which the wearer obtained the degree. These identifying academic colors are used in the banners of the various schools and divisions of the university. Found in the university seal, the torch of knowledge is a clear and honorable symbol, well suited to an institution of higher learning, and is one of the charges on the university’s official seal. The university seal also contains a sun. Known as a “sun in its splendor,” it has a perimeter featuring alternating straight and wavy rays. The straight rays represent the light and the wavy rays the warmth and affection that the university extends to its students and community. The torch and the sun are used to unite these disciplines under the flag of the University of Southern California.
Architecture Academic color: blue-violet. The Doric portico is used here as a symbol of beauty and proportions inspired by the early Greek architects, who continue to inspire the architect today. The modern bridge represents progress, connections and stability. The blue background, representing the sky, suggests the almost limitless scope of architecture.
Art and Design Academic colors: brown for arts, white for letters. Here the symbols reflect two important branches of art and design. The paintbrush and pencil symbolize fine arts such as painting, drawing and sculpture. The abstract symbol, with its pixel-like design, reflects the emergence and evolution of digital arts.
College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Academic colors: white for letters, gold for sciences. The wide-ranging fields over which this college functions are symbolized by the intimate intertwining of letters, arts and sciences in the heraldic pattern known as “gyronny.” The torch of knowledge serves as a reminder that the college is the academic heart of the university.
The Graduate School Academic color: white for arts, gold for sciences, royal blue for the doctorate. In heraldry, the saltire (a corner-to-corner cross) symbolizes the very wide range of disciplines over which this school presides and which the saltire unites in one unit.
Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation Academic color: brown. The supernova, an astronomical event that occurs during stellar evolution causing the sudden appearance of a new, brighter star, represents the idea of disruption and the supreme energy exhibited by the founders and students of the academy. The flag’s additional colors are described in heraldic language as metals: gold and bronze.
Bovard College Academic color: white. The soaring sails symbolize confidence and agility in providing a student-centered approach to learning. The rooted plant is a symbol of the stability, growth and abundance of opportunity. Colors featured in the flag are rendered as metals—gold, silver and bronze—in traditional heraldic terms.
USC 137TH ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT
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