As the faculty march into the stadium their regalia makes a colorful display.

Participation in this year’s 106th Commencement ceremony links graduates and faculty with scholastic antiquity. The rituals of our Commencement stem from the European Middle Ages, when the church was the center of learning. At that time academic gowns were a common form of dress retained by the clergy when the laity adopted more modern styles. The early European universities were founded by the church; the students, being clerics, were obliged to wear the prescribed gown at all times.

All graduates wear special robes in royal purple, which is in one of the university’s official colors. Bachelor’s and master’s gowns have long pointed sleeves without trim; doctoral gowns may have bell-shaped sleeves or oblong sleeves with wrist openings. The size and shape of the academic hood and the width of its velvet edging also help to identify the level of the degree that the wearer has earned. Hoods designating the bachelor’s degree (worn by the nine students chosen to represent their colleges) are three-feet long, those for the master’s degree are three and one-half feet, and those for the doctoral degree have panels at the side.

The shell of the hood is lined with the official color, or colors, of the college or university conferring the degree. San Francisco State’s colors are purple and gold. More than one color is often displayed in V-shaped stripes, known as chevrons. The color of the hood’s velvet border indicates the field or discipline in which the degree is granted. SF State’s master’s degree hoods are edged in the following colors:

Behavioral & Social Sciences: Citron (pale yellow)
Business: Drab (light brown)
Creative Arts: White
Education: Light blue
Ethnic Studies: Crimson
Health & Human Services: Gold
Nursing: Apricot
Humanities: White
Science & Engineering: Gold
Liberal Studies and Special Majors: White

Our faculty have earned degrees at top universities around the nation and the world. As they march into the stadium their regalia makes a colorful display. The linings of their hoods identify the institutions at which they took their degrees. Leading the Platform Party in the ceremony is the faculty marshal, who carries the mace, a symbol of the twelfth-century community of scholars.

2006 Faculty Marshal, Academic Senate President Caran Colvin, professor of psychology, leads the
Platform Party to Cox Stadium carrying the mace, a symbol of the twelfth-century community of scholars