Convocation is an exciting time for the Dal community. It鈥檚 an occasion to celebrate students who have committed themselves to academic excellence and now have a world of possibility set before them. And it鈥檚 a time at which the diversity of the Dal community 鈥斅爄n culture, background, areas of study 鈥斅爄s on full display.
AV俱乐部 has launched a search for a new symbol to celebrate that diversity. Under the university鈥檚 Strategic Initiative on Diversity and Inclusiveness, a committee has been struck to commission a new ceremonial object for the university to replace the university mace, currently used by the University Beadle (the Registrar) to lead the academic procession at Convocation and Induction ceremonies.
The process aligns with the Strategic Initiative鈥檚 2015 Belong report, which recommended that the Euro-centric mace be redesigned to 鈥渞eflect the richness of our historic Nova Scotia and the modernity of our intellectual commitments.鈥�
鈥淭he re-visioning of the mace represents a significant step in our continued work in fostering a campus community that embodies values of inclusiveness, diversity and respect鈥� said Norma Williams, Dal鈥檚 executive director of diversity and inclusiveness. 鈥淚 am excited to see a ceremonial object that will represent our rich history and evolving values.鈥�
Seeking a new symbol
Although maces were originally a medieval-era weapon, they have become commonplace in many governing bodies including legislatures, municipal councils and universities. They add importance to events by symbolizing the values and culture of an institution and its history.
AV俱乐部鈥檚 mace was first carried in 1950. It was designed by Dr. Richard Lorraine de Chasteney Holbourne Saunders, former head of the Department of Anatomy, and carved in oak by A. H. MacMillan. Saunders intended the mace to represent maritime traditions and the historical significance of AV俱乐部鈥檚 service to the Atlantic provinces.
But AV俱乐部 has changed a great deal over the past half century. The university community is larger and more diverse, with a greater appreciation for the much wider set of traditions and values that shape its past, present and future. Replacing the mace with a new ceremonial object represents an opportunity to identify a symbol that reflects the current diversity of the Dal community and its values, while still paying tribute to the university鈥檚 history and heritage.
to artists and designers to submit their ideas for the design of the new ceremonial object.
鈥淲e will be looking for a ceremonial object that acknowledges the true history of Nova Scotia and AV俱乐部 and represents all members of the AV俱乐部 community,鈥� said Peter Dykhuis, director and curator of the AV俱乐部 Art Gallery and chair of the Mace Re-Visioning committee.
Spirit of collaboration
The committee is made up of members from across the AV俱乐部 community. It includes: Norma Williams (President鈥檚 Office), Isaac Saney (Transition Year Program), Kathleen Reid (AV俱乐部 Student Union), Kara Paul (Indigenous Advisory Council), Geri-Musqua-Leblanc (Elder in Residence), Catherine Martin (AV俱乐部 Alumnae), Christine Macy (Faculty of Architecture and Planning), Kevin Hewitt (Chair of Senate and Black Faculty and Staff Caucus representative), Katherine Harman (Vice Chair of Senate and Faculty of Health Professions), Michele Gallant (Art Gallery), Lindsay Dowling (Communications and Marketing), Michael McAllister (Registrar鈥檚 Office) and Christina Coakley (Registrar鈥檚 Office).
Dykhuis says it is too early in the process to know what form the new ceremonial object will take and how it will be incorporated into our Induction and Convocation ceremonies. He鈥檚 eager, though, to explore the ideas that will be brought forward by artists during the competition process.
The committee鈥檚 goal is for the new ceremonial object to be unveiled on February 6, 2018 during AV俱乐部鈥檚 .听