About Convocation
The University Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms consists of a shield, crest, supporters and a motto. It was granted to the university on July 15, 2009 by Claire Boudreau, Chief Herald of Canada under the authority of the Governor General of Canada.
The Coat of Arms offers a graphic representation of important facets of the university, including its history, values and achievements.
The shield features an open book, an inverted canoe and a division line, representing higher education, intellectual exploration, Oshawa’s meaning as portage or carrying place, and the values of energy, innovation and community.
A falcon atop the crest symbolizes leadership and persistence, and holds a flaming thunderbolt representing technology. Thoroughbred horses flank the shield as a reference to Windfields Farm, and symbolize excellence, energy and agility. The grass and trillium flowers represent Ontario.
The university motto, Cogitando et Agendo Ducemus, means by thinking and doing, we shall lead.
The University Mace
Designed and crafted by: Beth Alber, Associate Dean, Faculty of Design at OCAD University
The mace symbolizes the university’s authority, independence and responsibility as a protector, creator, and facilitator of knowledge. Unveiled in 2007, it features a carved cherry wood handle, topped with polished quartz rings and sodalite in the university’s colours.
The handle supports a silver flower-bud crown, reminding us of our responsibility to nurture, protect and celebrate academic achievement. Its petals feature a microscopic poplar leaf imprint, as a symbol of hope and endurance, while the Belmont Rose granite base from the Kawartha Lakes region represents the foundation of knowledge and our interdependence with the surrounding community.
Gonfalons
The Gonfalon originated in the medieval republics of Italy as an ensign of state or office. Universities from around the world use them during Convocation ceremonies to symbolize the different academic areas within the university.
Ontario Tech University
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Business and IT
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Social Science and Humanities
School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Academic Regalia
The colourful academic dress worn in the Convocation ceremony was introduced more than 600 years ago. At the university, all graduates wear a gown, with a cap and hood. The gowns of bachelor’s and master’s graduates are black. The gowns of doctoral graduates are dark blue and trimmed in light blue. Mortarboards are worn by bachelor’s and master’s graduates, and velvet bonnets are worn by doctoral graduates. The hoods of bachelor’s and master’s graduates are black and the hoods of the doctoral graduates are dark blue. All degree hoods have an inside lining of royal blue as the colour of the university. The colour of the velvet trim on the hoods is distinctive of the degree that has been earned by the graduate. Graduate diploma recipients wear a black bachelor’s gown.
The Chancellor and President and Vice-Chancellor wear gowns that are distinctive of the positions they hold in the university community. University governors who participate in the Convocation ceremony wear a gown and sash distinctive of the Board of Governors. University officers, faculty and staff who participate in the Convocation ceremony wear the academic dress distinctive of the institution from which they graduated and the degree they received. If the institution’s colours are not available, participants will wear a black gown.