Additional Program Information

The wand carried by the College Marshal is the gold-headed walking stick of the Rev. Dirck Romeyn (1744-1804), founder of Schenectady Academy in 1785 and a leader in the founding of Union College in 1795. The flags along the Library Colonnade are of the states in the Federal Union at the time of the establishment of Union College. The “Union” referred to in the College’s name, however, is not of the states but of the religious denominations in Schenectady, which joined together to secure a charter for a college. Union is the first college to be chartered by the Regents of the State of New York.

To end the ceremony, graduates will march through the Nott Memorial. The campus centerpiece is named for Eliphalet Nott, president of Union College from 1804 to 1866. One of America’s most dramatic examples of Victorian architecture, the 16-sided building is a National Historic Landmark.

Some degrees are awarded signifying levels of the graduates’ cumulative grade point averages. They are summa cum laude (at least 3.8), magna cum laude (3.65) and cum laude (3.5).

Established in 1873, Union University is a federation of independent undergraduate and graduate institutions consisting of Union College (1795), Albany Medical College (1839), Albany Law School (1851), Dudley Observatory (1852) and the Albany College of Pharmacy (1881). The President of Union College serves as Chancellor of Union University.

Gowns, caps and hoods comprise the distinctive dress of the academic profession. Originally
developed in the Middle Ages, they served to distinguish both students and faculty as members of the university.

The American academic costume follows a uniform code drawn up by a special commission in 1895. The cap, usually referred to as a mortar board, is black and has a long tassel attached by a button on the top. The tassel may be black for any degree, or it may be the color associated with the degree, or gold for the doctor’s degree and for governing officials of the institution.

The style of gown indicates the degree attained by the wearer. The bachelor’s gown has pointed sleeves and is worn closed. The master’s gown has oblong sleeves with a characteristic crescent cut in the sleeve. The doctor’s gown has bell-shaped sleeves with velvet panels down the front and around the neck. The sleeves have three bars of velvet, either black or colored.

The hoods show the degrees and the institutions awarding them. The hoods for bachelor’s,
master’s and doctor’s degrees are three, three and one-half, and four feet long, respectively, with the velvet border being two, three and five inches wide, respectively. The colored lining of the hood indicates the institution that awarded the degree.

Accessories

Some of the graduates at today’s ceremony are wearing accessories to signify membership in an honor society or academic program. The accessories, and their significance, are:

• Gold cord with gold tassels; worn by Union Scholars and Seward Fellows
• Braided royal blue and silver cords; Psi Chi, national honor society in psychology
• Red, white and black cords; Pi Sigma Alpha, national honor society in political science
• Green cords and tassels; Alpha Kappa Delta, national honor society in sociology
• White stole with embroidered gold society symbol; Tau Beta Pi, national engineering honor society
• Pink and sky blue cords; Phi Beta Kappa, national honorary, liberal arts and sciences
• Blue and white cords; Sigma Xi, national honorary for scientific research
• Purple and gold cords with tassels; Eta Sigma Phi, national honorary for Greek and Latin
• Blue and gold cords; Omicron Delta Epsilon, national honor society in economics
• Pink cords; Iota Iota Iota (Triota) national honor society for Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies
• Black and white cords; Posse Scholars
• Black and gold strands; Nu Rho Psi, national honor society in neuroscience
• Maroon sashes with grey trim; AOP/HEOP Scholars
• Gold cord with gold tassels; Eta Kappa Nu, national honor society for electrical and computer engineering
• Gold and white cords; Order of Omega, leadership honor society for fraternities and sororities
• Garnet and silver, green and gold; Leadership in Medicine
• Gold and silver; Leadership in Medicine student association
• Light blue, white and black cords; Omicron Delta Kappa, national honor society recognizing leadership and scholarship
• Red and blue cords; Phi Alpha Theta, national honor society in history
• Purple and garnet cords; Writing Center tutors

Africana Studies
Asian Studies
Anthropology
Biochemistry
Biology
Biomedical Engineering
Chemistry
Classics
Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Economics
Electrical Engineering
English
Environmental Policy
Environmental Science
French & Francophone Studies
Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies
Geosciences
History
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Managerial Economics
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Music
Neuroscience
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Science, Technology & Society
Sociology
Spanish & Hispanic Studies
Theater
Visual Arts

A number of national honor societies are represented at Union. The societies and elected graduates are listed below.

Alpha Kappa Delta
Delta Phi Alpha
Eta Sigma Phi
Iota Iota Iota (Triota)
Lambda Alpha
Nu Rho Psi
Omicron Delta Epsilon
Omicron Delta Kappa
Phi Alpha Theta
Phi Beta Kappa
Pi Delta Phi
Pi Sigma Alpha
Psi Chi
Seward Fellows
Sigma Delta Pi
Sigma Pi Sigma
Sigma Tau Delta
Sigma Xi
Tau Beta Pi
Union Scholars

*inducted as a junior
**inducted as a sophomore

Students were honored for achievement in academics, research, service and governance at Prize Day, held on Saturday, May 10 in Memorial Chapel. View the list of winners here.