The Mace is used for all University of Minnesota Commencements . The word “mace” is from Middle English and was originally used to refer to the implement for breaking armor during the Middle Ages. Today its use is more peaceful, for it now is a staff borne by, carried before, or placed near a dignitary as an insignia of his dignity and authority. First designed in 1961 for the inauguration of O. Meredith Wilson, the original mace is made of aluminum and topped by a crystal ball, which symbolizes the illuminating quality and the clarity of thinking that characterizes education. The crystal ball is topped by a star representing Minnesota , the North Star State. The staff, weighing forty pounds, is carried by the most senior professor of the college.

The Regents' Medallion

The five-foot Regents' Medallion is displayed at commencements and other official events of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. On the face of the medallion, silk screened in the University's colors of maroon and gold, is the seal of the regents. An antique lamp represents the metaphysical sciences; a telescope, the physical sciences; a plow, the industrial arts; and a palette with brushes, the fine arts. The Latin motto, Omnibus artibus commune vinculum, means “a common bond for all the arts.”

The Torch

A tradition unique to UMC is the presence of the academic torch at special ceremonies. The symbolic light of the torch represents the educational philosophy of the University of Minnesota . The original torch was designed and constructed in 1968 and was used in the last commencement ceremonies of the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA). It was then passed from the NWSA student council to a representative of the first graduating class of the University of Minnesota Technical Institute at Crookston—now known as the University of Minnesota , Crookston—to symbolize the shift in educational responsibility from the high school to the college.

In the summer of 2002, David Badman , a regional artist, metalsmith , and designer, was asked to create a new torch that would reflect the continuing evolution of UMC from its roots in the NWSA to its current status as a baccalaureate institution with a focus on technology. He presented the new torch to UMC as a gift. Around the top edge of the new torch—just below the flame—five important campus historical dates are etched:

• 1851 - The Minnesota Territorial Laws of 1851, chapter 3, establish the University of Minnesota at what is now its Minneapolis campus and vest its government in a Board of Regents. This statute was approved on February 25, 1851.

• 1895 - The Minnesota legislature appropriates $30,000 to procure equipment and to construct two experimental research farms, one at Morris and one at Crookston. The Great Northern Railway, under the guidance of James J. Hill, donates 476.61 acres. The Northwest Experiment Station (now called the Northwest Research and Outreach Center ) is established.

• 1905 - The Minnesota legislature appropriates $15,000 to establish the Northwest School of Agriculture , a regional residential agricultural high school. The school provides training in “the technical and practical business of agriculture and in the art of homemaking.” The term of schooling begins in October and ends in March to accommodate farm students.

• 1966 - Classes begin in September at the University of Minnesota Technical Institute . Associate in Applied Science degrees are offered in three academic divisions: Agriculture, Business, and General Studies. Dedication ceremonies for the new college are held on November 30, 1966.

• 1993 - The University of Minnesota , Crookston is approved to offer baccalaureate degree programs by the Board of Regents and the Minnesota Higher Education Coordinating Board. The programs are accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Classes for the baccalaureate degrees begin that fall. UMC also becomes the nation's first “Laptop U”—an undertaking that places a notebook computer and software in the hands of each student and that creates a unique interactive learning environment.