The Presidential Chain-of-Office symbolizes the Office of the President at Northwest and records the succession of individuals who have served as the institution’s highest administrative officer. The inauguration of Dr. Lance Tatum marks the unveiling of a new chain and medallion that replaces the set worn by the University’s presidents since the inauguration of Dr. B.D. Owens in 1977.
The brass-plated chain link features 12 curved banners, each engraved with the names of Northwest’s presidents and the years they held the office. A solid brass medallion, measuring 3.5 inches in diameter, features the Northwest Missouri State University seal with an antique brass finish.
The chain was manufactured by Medalcraft Mint Inc. in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and weighs about 2.5 pounds.
The Ceremonial Mace was created in recognition of the University’s centennial in 2005 by President Emeritus Dr. Dean L. Hubbard, who led Northwest from 1984 to 2009.
Dr. Hubbard crafted the mace’s towered crown from the wood of an Austrian pine that once stood on the lawn of the Thomas Gaunt House, Northwest’s historic presidential residence. It is believed the tree was one of several planted about the time the home was built in 1870. Walnut from another campus tree forms the mace’s handle, to which Dr. Hubbard applied a satin finish.
The eight-sided crown is modeled in the shape of the Administration Building’s distinctive Tudor Revival turrets, the architectural feature most closely associated with Northwest history and tradition.
The regalia worn during academic ceremonies evolved from the everyday attire of students and teachers at European universities during the Middle Ages.
In the United States, the square mortarboard is the most common head covering. Tassels are either black or one of many colors associated with specific scholarly fields. Short gold tassels are reserved for individuals with doctoral degrees.
Gowns worn by individuals with doctoral degrees have velvet trim on the front and three velvet bars on each sleeve. When these bars indicate the academic discipline of the degree holder, they appear in the same color as the border of the hood. In other cases, the trim is dark blue or black and simply means the wearer holds an earned or honorary doctorate.
Hoods are worn by people with advanced degrees. Like trimmed gowns, hoods display colors that represent the wearer’s discipline and degree-granting institution.
American colleges and universities often adopt distinctive regalia for members of governing boards and chief administrative officers. At Northwest, members of the Board of Regents and the president wear green gowns trimmed with green velvet and white piping. Hoods worn with these gowns retain the colors associated with the wearer’s academic field and the school or schools where advanced degrees were earned. Northwest regents have velvet, four-sided tams with white tassels, while the president has an eight-sided bonnet with a distinctive doctoral tassel.
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