The Academic Procession
Korean Traditional Performing Arts Association
DARTMOUTH FLAG
Ting-lan T. Chang A&S’11, President of the Graduate Student Council
U.S. FLAG
Samuel T. Crist ’10, Lance Corporal, United States Marine Corps, Retired
CHIEF MARSHAL
Barry P. Scherr, Provost
PRESIDENT
Jim Yong Kim
PRESIDENT EMERITUS
James Wright, Eleazar Wheelock Professor of History
COLLEGE USHER
Jeffrey L. Horrell, Dean of Libraries and Librarian of the College
Bearing Lord Dartmouth’s Cup
TRUSTEES
Adam M. Keller, Executive Vice President for Finance & Administration
College Steward and Trustees Marshal
Bearing the College Charter
TRUSTEES EMERITI
Carolyn A. Pelzel, Vice President for Development
Trustees Emeriti Marshal
PLATFORM GROUP
Sylvia C. Spears, Acting Dean of the College
Platform
Marshal
INSTITUTIONAL DELEGATES
David P. Spalding, Vice President for Alumni Relations
Delegate Marshal
FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATORS
Katharine Conley, David F. Kotz, Michael A. Mastanduno, Lindsay J. Whaley
Associate Deans of the Faculty
Faculty Marshals
The Platform Group and Marshals
Seated on the platform are Trustees and Trustees Emeriti, those who will address the assembly, and senior administrators with ceremonial roles. The Provost presides over the ceremony and, serving as Chief Marshal, leads the academic procession. The platform group also includes the Dean of the College, Dean of the Faculty, Deans of the professional schools, Dean of Graduate Studies and distinguished guests.
The officer holding the title of College Usher, currently the Dean of Libraries and Librarian of the College, bears Lord Dartmouth’s Cup in the procession. The Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, serving as College Steward, carries a replica of the College Charter.
Also performing a ceremonial role are the Associate Deans of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, who serve as Faculty Marshals. The Faculty Marshals follow the platform group in the procession and guide the faculty to their seats at the front of the assembly.
Academic Attire
Based on text by the late Sidney C. Hayward, Class of
1926, Secretary of the College 1930–1965
The traditional pageantry of an academic procession... is one of the impressive spectacles of our time. Its significance is attested to by the array of handsome gowns and vividly colored hoods worn by Faculty, Trustees, functionaries of the College, and invited guests. These display the symbols of scholarly attainment.
The earliest gowns, of which illustrations exist at Oxford University, somewhat resemble cassocks, which were worn by English teachers who found good use for the hood, or cowl, as protection against the weather. A uniform American system of academic heraldry indicates the level of the degree displayed by the costume; also the field of study in which it was earned, and the institution by which it was granted.
It is the hood which generally provides academic regalia its color and offers the most information about its wearer. The silk lining of the hood bears the color or colors of the degree-granting college or university; its velvet facing reveals the color assigned to the area of study. The doctor’s gown may bear velvet trimming on the front and sleeves such as dark blue for doctors of philosophy. A few institutions, mostly overseas but some in this country, authorize the wearing of colored robes, departing from the traditional black, and brightly displaying the official colors of the university. The cap and gown signifying Dartmouth’s doctoral degrees have been green since 1967.
The American mortarboard, derived from the soft Oxford cap, is usually black. Its tassel, for holders of the bachelor’s and master’s degrees, is also usually black, although gold tassels may be worn by holders of doctoral degrees and heads of institutions. The tassel is worn on the right side of the cap by undergraduates, on the left by holders of bachelor’s and higher degrees.
The edging, or facing, velvet of academic hoods, as mentioned above, indicates the area of study. The principal scholarly fields seen in the Dartmouth procession today include:
- Arts, Letters, Humanities: white
- Business Administration: nugget
- Economics: copper
- Education: light blue
- Engineering: orange
- Fine Arts: brown
including Architecture - Law: purple
- Library Science: lemon
- Medicine: green
- Music: pink
- Philosophy: dark blue
- Physical Education: sage green
- Public Administration: peacock blue
including Foreign Service - Public Health: salmon pink
- Science: golden yellow
- Theology: scarlet
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