Graduation ceremonies and traditions have evolved over centuries

Sunday, May 21, 2023 New London will hold its traditional graduation ceremony. Seniors look forward to this day as it officially closes a chapter of their life and opens the door to an unknown adventure. Some have planned to enter the job market directly or enter an apprenticeship chosen by their current interests. Others have planned education at two or four year vocational or collegiate institutions.

Pomp and Circumstance is played as the seniors march down the aisle to their seats. The following ceremony will be both the shortest and longest program they have ever experienced at this point in their lives. The seniors have chosen their motto, their colors, their flower and invitations.

According to the American Council on Education’s ‘Guide to Academic Regalia’, the original gowns were adaptations of cleric robes chosen and worn by medieval scholars. These robes were worn all the time. They reflected the status of the schools as well as signifying the area of study and level of accomplishment. One theory claims the dress was a way for them to stay warm while studying as the buildings were unheated and drafty. As time passed, students began to wear more conventional dress, but gowns were used for special occasions such as graduation. In 1895, a group of American colleges tried to standardize their gowns. ‘The Intercollegiate Code of Academic Costume’ focused on the sleeve. Long pointed sleeves were for bachelor’s degrees, long closed sleeves for master’s degrees and round open sleeves for doctor’s degrees.

Original head wear was a long hood. It certainly would have contributed to warmth in medieval times. Sometime in the 1700s, these eventually became skull caps and finally flat square mortarboards. The hood became ceremonial and hung down the back of the gown. In 1895 caps were to be black, The square mortar boards originally sported pom-poms. The 1895 code required tassels attached to the middle point at the top.

A tradition unfamiliar to most rural Midwestern ceremonies has largely disappeared. A heavy, elaborately decorated pole carried by a college president or high-ranking official was used to lead the officials to their seats. Graduates followed and filed into their area. It is hard for the modern audience to understand how the display of a weapon used by medieval knights to clobber each other fits into high education but probably has something to do with the rivalry between institutions.

Pomp and Circumstance was first used in 1905 in the United States at a Yale University graduation. Yale gave an honorary degree to its composer, Edward Elgar. The song was composed in 1901 and was first used at the coronation of King Edward VII of Great Britain. Its use quickly spread across the nation and the familiar strains instantly remind the audience to rise and honor the graduates as the proceed to the seats.

Sheila Bock, associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is studying mortarboard decorating. The earliest samples she has found were in the 1960s and are associated with protests against the Vietnam War. The 1985 code makers would be horrified but the tradition is here to stay. In current times, mortar boards have become a way to identify your student in large university graduation ceremonies. It doesn’t take long for behavior at colleges and universities to drift down to high schools and its creativity is enjoyed by all.

Originally, graduation speeches came from the graduates themselves. Gradation is also called commencement. It is believed that these two words became synonyms because graduates come prepared to commence their careers. Over time, the commencement address has shifted to a speaker well known to the audience. These speakers share with the young people their experiences and advice. In some cases, the speech hasn’t focused on the graduates at all but some serious issue of the time. Fortunately this occurs more frequently at universities than at high schools.

The diploma has an interesting history. Greg Daugherty notes that the first Harvard diploma dates to 1813, 170 years after the initial graduation ceremony. Since early diplomas were printed on parchment made from animal hide, the term “sheepskin” was used. High school diplomas date to the mid-1800s. At most high school commencements, the salutatorian and valedictorian give the traditional speeches which incorporate a remembrance of years together in the community and a look to the future. In New London, the graduating class as a group selects a person close to them to give the commencement address.

Oxford University records indicated that honorary degrees began as early as the 15th century. Harvard seems to have been the first in the U.S. Benjamin Franklin received an honorary Master of Arts in 1753. It is a little-known fact that some honorary degrees have been rescinded due to the bad behavior of the recipient. Honorary degrees have also been awarded to iconic fictional figures such as Borden mascot Elsie the Cow ("doctor of bovinity," Ohio State, 1948) and Kermit the Frog ("doctor of amphibious letters," the former Southampton College, 1999). Kermit also gave the commencement address.

The Intercollegiate Registry of Academic Costume recorded that switching the tassel from right to left on the mortarboard was an established tradition by 1909. A 1935 attempt to standardize the dress code was a bit belligerent stating that there was no common sense in trying to determine the position of the tassel but the tradition remains.

The 1935 code also tried to keep graduate’s caps on throughout the entire ceremony. Removing the cap during the conferment of a degree was considered particularly offensive. The 1935 code writes were on the losing side of this battle as well. The United States Naval Academy graduating class destroyed that hope when the class of 1912 threw their hats into the air. The joyous toss spread to high schools, universities and colleges everywhere. No graduate was going to give up that statement of success.

Resource: Greg Daugherty, “The History behind Pomp & Circumstance and 8 Other Graduation Traditions,” https://www.history.com/news/graduation-traditions-pomp-and-circumstance-cap-and-gown Publisher A&E Television Network,\. Access this site for more detail and fun. Greg Daugherty has written on historical topics for Smithsonian, National Geographic Traveler, and other outlets.