Kennesaw State University Mace
The honor of leading the academic procession as chief faculty marshal is given to
the chair of the Faculty Senate. Faculty members are chosen to serve as student and
faculty marshals and to assist with the ceremony. The ceremonial staff carried by
the chief faculty marshal of the academic procession is a symbol of the rich traditions
of higher education.
The practice of carrying a mace dates back to the Middle Ages, when the mace was designed
to be used as a weapon. It was carried by a respected senior member of the community
who was chosen to protect and guide the leaders as their group traveled through crowded
streets.
Kennesaw State takes special pride in its mace, which was designed by Patrick Taylor, former chairman of the Department of Visual Arts, and hand-crafted on campus. The polished bronze handgrip is actually a stylized owl. In addition to being Kennesaw State鈥檚 mascot, it is the symbol of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
The globe near the top of the mace represents graduates going out into the world. Topping the globe is the traditional symbol of higher education 鈥 a lamp of learning, with a flame representing the quest for knowledge. A large bronze medallion displaying the university seal is part of the globe and the festive ribbons streaming from the crown that cradles the globe represent the university colors.
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