Creating the Future: The Role of the University in Transforming the World
Inauguration Program
Inauguration Symbols & Traditions
Presidential Medallion
Academic presidential medallions symbolize the wearer's allegiance to the institution. Presidents wear these ornate pieces on ceremonial occasions as part of their regalia. The medallion worn by the president was donated to the University as a 100th birthday gift by goldsmith and University of Rhode Island alumnus Robert C. Corio, Class of 1973. Of 18-karat gold and about the size of a half dollar, it is stamped with the University seal and is bordered by an elegant, rounded setting. The chain is made of small gold ovals linked together, each engraved with the name of a University president emeritus. Through the years, the name of each new president is added to the medallion.
Inauguration Symbols & Traditions
Presidential Medallion
Academic presidential medallions symbolize the wearer's allegiance to the institution. Presidents wear these ornate pieces on ceremonial occasions as part of their regalia. The medallion worn by the president was donated to the University as a 100th birthday gift by goldsmith and University of Rhode Island alumnus Robert C. Corio, Class of 1973. Of 18-karat gold and about the size of a half dollar, it is stamped with the University seal and is bordered by an elegant, rounded setting. The chain is made of small gold ovals linked together, each engraved with the name of a University president emeritus. Through the years, the name of each new president is added to the medallion.University Mace
The ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood symbolizing strength and authority. For academic institutions, it symbolizes the power of the president or the board to confer degrees. The University's mace was donated by the graduating class of 1963. It is made of gold-plated sterling silver and is mounted on a three-foot rosewood staff. The URI seal, three inches in diameter, crowns the staff, with a sketch of Davis Hall on the back. Davis Hall is one of the University's oldest buildings and is the site of the college bell tower.
Robes & Regalia
The structure of the inaugural ceremony is based on customs dating to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The academic caps and gowns worn by participants in the processional are instantly recognizable to anyone who has ever been to a graduation ceremony. Academic dress had its origin in the colorful gowns and hoods of the Middle ages. Academic robes have been worn since colonial times in the United States, and the practice was standardized by intercollegiate code in 1895. This decreed three kinds of gown and three lengths of hood for bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees. Hoods are lined with the color or colors of the university conferring the degree, and are bordered with a color representing the subject of study for which the degree is conferred.Transforming the World
"It's a simple fact that the kinds of skills that the students are going to need for the future are the kinds of skills and experiences that are going to be hard to come by in the formal classroom. The goal of the modern university is to prepare students for things we don't yet know exist." -- David M. Dooley
