Academic mace created to represent tradition, excellence
By Stephanie Hall
Student Correspondent
 |
| The mace made its first apperance at the 2007 commencement ceremony. |
A piece of a cottonwood tree felled by a storm at the Central Park Campus last May was saved to create a symbol of tradition and excellence for Collin College graduation ceremonies.
The Collin College academic mace was used for the first time during the 2007 spring graduation commencement ceremonies. The Central Park Campus in McKinney is Collin College's founding campus, so Dr. Thom Chesney, vice president of academic affairs, asked Luke Sides, a professor of sculpture, to use the piece of wood to construct an academic mace to be used for graduation and other academic ceremonies.
“It took a great deal of the spring semester on this mace,” said Sides.
The cottonwood tree, which was dried for a year, was fashioned into the base of the academic mace with the help of Jimmie Arledge, an art student at Collin College. The bronze seal was constructed by Sides. The bronze seal that sits atop the mace is a replica of Collin College’s district seal and includes the college’s core values: Learning, Service and Involvement, Creativity and Innovation, Academic Excellence, Dignity and Respect, and Integrity.
“I was very honored to be able to build this for the school especially since it’s the first one,” said Sides. “It was a very challenging project, but it was well worth all the effort.”
The entire construction was done at the art department at the Spring Creek Campus. The mace itself, once it was entirely finished, measured in at 43 inches and weighed in at 15 pounds. The mace is an age-old college graduation traditional article, which is carried by the marshal of the graduation procession.
“The mace has been used in graduation ceremonies for a very long time, and is something that Collin College will use for a long time as a symbol of our school’s excellence,” said Sides.
 |
| Professor Luke Sides creates the bronze seal for the mace. |
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
|
