Developing a college or university club
Colleges and universities often employ a “mace” to connect the customs of the institution with the best traditions of higher education dating back to the first universities founded during the Middle Ages.
A mace symbolizes authority, learning and scholarship, history, reputation, and values. It suggests commemoration, elegance, honor, pomp, purpose, quality, solemnity, stability, and continuity.
During my service as president of Cornerstone University, we developed a club for the university. While the product of our efforts is spectacularly beautiful, that result was not guaranteed during development because we were forced to learn by trial and error. We discovered articles about the history and meaning of the academic mace, but found no useful “how-to” content. Helping you with the process is the purpose of this article.
First, your chairperson should endorse the effort and preferably be enthusiastically involved. His leadership can smooth out the bumps in a process that will take months and may take years.
Second, identify a Mace Development Coordinator. The importance of who this person is and what vision, talent, and work ethic they bring to the task cannot be overstated. This project needs a champion, because the president has neither the time nor the experience to give him. Developing a distinctive mace involves a unique combination of knowledge and skills: artistic, philosophical, administrative, political. Identifying a highly regarded coordinator who possesses these gifts, and who “gets things done,” is key to success. I found a retired music professor emeritus who was eager to continue contributing. She was a gift from God.
Third, take the time to carefully and thoroughly research the history of college maces, the style of maces used in universities around the world, the art and symbolic meaning of mace workmanship, and the types of events academics in which the university maces are presented. Perhaps visit other colleges and universities to see their clubs and learn how those clubs were developed. Only after completing this review should you begin the lengthy process of drawing a sketch in which the evolving shape, size, and symbols of the mace can be visualized and evaluated. This is an iterative experience. You will accept, rather than give up, a series of “big ideas.” Metal versus wood. Philosophical versus practical. Academic, sports, regional or state images? Length or height, weight. Gems and precious metals? Cost. Maces range from inexpensive functional pieces to unique and “priceless” art objects.
Fourth, at this juncture we found it useful to share a progress report with selected staff and constituents, inviting their comments. We worked especially closely with three or four professors whose experience in philosophy, traditions of the academy, and the history of our university protected us from inadvertent presentation errors. Throughout the process, the Mace Coordinator kept me regularly informed as Chairman, allowing me to contribute ideas and connect the project with the appropriate supporters. We found that this interim exhibition also generated interest and enthusiasm in the project.
Fifth, if applicable, connect your mace physically, not just symbolically, to your institution’s heritage. For example, identify a piece of wood or metal taken from the original campus or Old Main and include this element in your mace design. Our institution was founded by religious leaders in a church, so we contacted the current leadership of the church, requesting their help. They graciously gave the university an original piece of oak from which our woodcarver fashioned a portion of the university’s seal that appears on the mace. This item is not only beautiful, it is emotional, full of meaning, honoring our ancestors and reminding our students that the university was not born yesterday. And the people who attended the church were moved by the memory of the university.
Sixth, once you have determined, at least in general, the likely materials and design of your mace, the next step is to seek out craftsmen or women with qualitatively superior artistic and technical skills capable of making a collegiate mace to the level of excellence you desire. want. require. We made our mallet out of Honduran mahogany and surprisingly found an incredibly skilled and fast woodcarver in our town. The precious gems were donated and installed by local jewelers. A nearby fine furniture store donated and completed the polished lacquer finish on our mallet, bringing out the mallet’s intricately carved features while preserving the natural tones of the wood. Both a local architect and sculptor contributed design expertise. Area carpenters fabricated and contributed Michigan cherry wood truss, along with a black marble base, to create the mace pedestal. I recommend that you give preference to regional artisans or artisans to facilitate communication, preserve local character, and promote charter commitment. The person you select also influences the time required to complete the project.
Seventh, as the hub development project nears completion, write a set of rules that govern when and how the hub will be submitted. Remember, in order to carry out the traditions of your institution by associating a certain aura with your mace, you must handle it in a special way. Consider these guidelines: the mace must be used at all official ceremonies and official ceremonies only (not on loan to a frat party or sports championship); a Mace Bearer, a position of high honor, must be chosen for his achievements; the mace wielder must wear white gloves to represent elegance and preserve the finish of the mace; the mace must lead all the processions and recessions; the mace should be placed in a position of prominence and dignity on the speaker’s platform, etc. You may also wish to designate a Mace Trustee, a person charged with the care of the mace before and after the event, including delivering the mace to the event venue and returning it to the President’s Office after the conclusion of the event. event. Appointing a Mace trustee is a practical matter, but it also gives the university another opportunity to involve people in the university’s august traditions.
Eighth, the college mace must reside in the Office of the President, who will be responsible for securing and displaying the mace. Institutions have placed their maces elsewhere, but I think the symbolic authority vested in the mace is enhanced by residence in the Office of the President, sort of like the key to the city in the mayor’s office.
Ninth, when we discovered our club, I was able to say that all the funds necessary for the development of the club had been contributed by friends from the university. This comment always goes down well with the faculty and the CFO.
Tenth, finally, when your mace is finished, I recommend a mace commissioning ceremony in the fall or perhaps a special convocation. When you present and explain the symbolism of the mace, you are celebrating the values and the growing prestige of the institution.
The college mace we developed was quickly adopted as an iconic addition to college lore. Those who wear it speak of the honor bestowed upon them. It connects us with those who have come before and those who will come after in the search for learning. Like great art, it moves us. it’s the university.