REVIVING ACADEMIC CULTURE AND
ETIQUETTE
Professor Is-haq OLOYEDE
Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin
Paper Presented at the 25th AVCNU Conference
19TH -22ND April, 2010, holding at
Osun State University
Oshogbo
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REVIVING ACADEMIC CULTURE AND ETIQUETTE
INTRODUCTION
Defining a University is a challenge from the medieval perspective. The word university is derived from the Latin universitas
magistrorum et scholarium, roughly meaning "community of teachers and scholars"1. The term University may also be applied to a
place of advanced study which has continued its role uninterrupted through the ages. While another definition is to regard the
university as an institution based on the dual principle of independent scientific research and the indissoluble link between such
research and teaching. A university may also be regarded as an institution which remains entirely independent of any external
powers2.
A more contemporary way of looking at a university is to regard universities as institutions of higher education and research, which
grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. We can also say that a university is a corporation that provides both undergraduate
education and postgraduate education.
The origin of Universities may also be somewhat difficult to describe due to the mode in which some events have been documented
over time. However in a classic, The Origin of Universities, some of the oldest institutions of higher learning appear to be from the
far East. There is the Shangyang, "higher school," in China, established sometime during the Yu period: 2257-2208 BC, Imperial
Central School, established sometime in Zhou Dynasty: 1046-249 BC, "The early Chinese state depended upon literate, educated
officials for operation of the empire, and an imperial examination was established in the Sui Dynasty (581–618) for evaluating and
selecting officials from the general populace."). Takshashila University, Taxila, Pakistan, 7th c. BC, Nalanda University, Bihar, India,
5th c. BC "famous center of Buddhist scholarship [attracting] scholars from East, Central, and South-East Asia and China3.
From the medieval period, we have University of Magnaura, Constantinople, 848 Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt, 988. In Europe
some of the earliest universities are: University of Bologna (1088), the University of Paris (c. 1150, later associated with the
Sorbonne), the University of Oxford (1167), the University of Palencia (1208), the University of Cambridge (1209), the University of
Salamanca (1218), the University of Montpellier (1220), the University of Padua (1222), the University of Naples Federico II (1224),
and the University of Toulouse (1229)3.
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Apart from the Al-Azhar, University, the earliest universities were developed under the aegis of the Catholic Church, usually as
cathedral schools or by papal bull as studia generali, later they were also founded by Kings (Charles University in Prague) or
municipal administrations (University of Cologne, University of Erfurt). In the early medieval period, most new universities were
founded from pre-existing schools, usually when these schools were deemed to have become primarily sites of higher education.
Many historians state that universities and cathedral schools were a continuation of the interest in learning promoted by
monasteries. In the same vein some scholars have argued that early medieval universities were influenced by the religious
Madrasah schools in Al-Andalus, the Emirate of Sicily, and the Middle East (during the Crusades).
THE UNIVERSITY MANDATE
Three key activities define the mandate of universities; these are knowledge generation, Knowledge dissemination, and knowledge
application. Each of these operates on the different platform of learning.
Knowledge generation
The university is a place where a scholar traces the outlines of a discipline and within this framework carries out precise research for
the sake of knowledge. Hence knowledge generation advances the cognitive functions. The creation of knowledge itself is made up
of three planks; these are consolidation of knowledge (synthesizing), extension of knowledge and creation of knowledge.
Knowledge dissemination
The knowledge dissemination mandate makes a university to be a place where a scholar, while carrying out his research, transmits
his knowledge to a group of pupils who follow him freely, this being done outside the influence of state or religion. The knowledge
dissemination mandate is thus related to our affective functions.
Knowledge application
To the extent that the University is for knowledge application, it is also a place where society may, if necessary, turn to for research
and exploitation of its knowledge. This has to do with the psychomotor functions.
Furthermore, the learning approaches have undergone a systematic evolution from the medieval period to the contemporary times.
In this regard the following period and their approach to learning are recognized2
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Medieval period: During this period the renaissance of philosophical thought focused scholars’ attention on methodology and logic,
this lead to the development of centres of judicial and theological hermeneutics. The University of Bologna began as a law school
teaching the Roman law of peoples which was in demand across Europe for those defending the right of incipient nations against
empire and church. Bologna’s special claim to Alma Mater Studiorum is based on its autonomy, its awarding of degrees, and other
structural arrangements, making it the continuously-operating institution independent of kings, emperors or any kind of direct
religious authority unlike the University of Al-Azhar.
Immediate past: The end of the medieval period marked the beginning of the transformation of universities that would eventually
result in the modern research university. Many external influences, such as eras of humanism, Enlightenment, Reformation and
Revolution, shaped research universities during their development. From about the 17th and 18th the experimental and
observational science replaced traditional scholastic methods. Man began to probe more into the immediate environment and
seeking an understanding of the way things worked using that to his advantage. During this period the disciplines of, medicine,
physics and mathematics all flourished. By the 18th century, universities published their own research journals and by the 19th
century, the German and the French university models had arisen. The German, or Humboldtian model, liberal ideas pertaining to
the importance of freedom, seminars, and laboratories in universities. The French university model involved strict discipline and
control over every aspect of the university
Contemporary times: Currently our learning approach is that of the applied sciences. This has led to the rapid expansion of
Engineering and information & Communication Sciences. In Britain the move from industrial revolution to modernity saw the arrival
of new civic universities with an emphasis on science and engineering, a movement initiated in 1960 by Sir Keith Murray (chairman
of the University Grants Committee) and Sir Samuel Curran, with the formation of the University of Strathclyde. The British also
established universities worldwide, and higher education became available to the masses not only in Europe. In a general sense, the
basic structure and aims of universities have remained constant over the years4.
It is important that any system of higher education recognizes the evolutions of these eras of learning and ensure that we produce
graduates that would operate successfully within their own era. The implication is that irrespective of the primary discipline, a
university must ensure that its graduates are schooled in cotemporary concepts. Hence just as most scholars of the medieval times
are masters in the liberal arts of their day, today’s scholars must be properly schooled in cross cutting skills like
computing/information technology and the applied sciences.
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NORMS AND VALUES
To appreciate some of the norms and values of the University system, it may be worthwhile to trace the historical trends in the
emergence of some of our pristine values.
Historical timelines2
12th Century: The Birth of Academic Freedom and Institutional Autonomy2
Of all the values and norms of the university, academic freedom and institutional autonomy are basic. The origin of these norms can
be traced to the 12th century, in the era of what was then known as the Investiture Controversy. It was crucial moment in the
development of the European politics and in the definition of the relationship between the State and the Church. During this period
Emperor Fredrick Barbarossa invited some four scholars to the Diet of Roncaglia to express their scientific opinion on the rights of
the Empire. Three of these scholars pronounced themselves in favour of the Empire. They proved through very subtle glossae that
the Roman law entrusted to the Empire was the only valid law. Hence in 1158, Fredrick I Barbarossa issued a Constitutio Habita
which established that “every school of learning should constitute a societas of socii (pupils), presided over by a dominus (master)
who was to be paid with sums of money granted him by the students”. The empire pledged to protect all those scholars who had to
travel for their studies from any interference on the part of political authorities. This became an extremely important event in the
history of European Universities. The University legally became the place where research could be carried out, independent of any
other power. The paradox in all of these however was the fact Fredrick I issued this edict to reward those scholars who had upheld
his claims, hence the birth of the difficult problem of the relationship between the University and the political power.
13th Century: Faculties and Salaries2
Payment of salaries and creation of faculties were evolutionary in the European University System. In the first centuries of the
University’s existence, the teachers were paid with money collected by the students. This was given as an offering, as knowledge
was considered to be a gift of God which could not be bought or sold. However the students did not always contribute to these
collections, so the commune had to intervene in order to guarantee the continuity of studies. Thus around the mid 14th century, it
was the commune which paid the most famous professors a salary. This was how the triangle of the professors, students and the
commune, which characterized the medieval phase, was formed. Further distinctions were to be made later between full professors
and provincial lecturers.
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14th and 15th Centuries: Artists2
By the 14th century, the study of Law ceased to be the main point of reference for the early universities. For instance in Bologna, the
School of arts joined that of Law. The term “Arts” was to be understood in the classical sense as a TECNIQUE. What courses
constituted the Arts of that time? They were Medicine, Philosophy, Arithmetic, Astronomy, Logic, Rhetoric and Grammar. Theology
was also instituted as a discipline. The mid 15th century ushered in the philosophical disciplines and this also led to the introduction
of Greek and Hebrew in University curriculum.
The 16th and 17th Centuries: The turning points2
This era was a remarkable turning point in the history of universities. Until this period the Universities were run by students and
even the rectors were students. Later with government paying the salaries of the professors, the Universities became a state
organization. A long period thereafter followed in which universities were run by a mixture of students and professors until, in
Napoleon’s time, the figure of the rector was re-introduced, but now as a professor. This loss of autonomy on the part of the nations
enabled the Studium to be better organized but the study of Law and the Arts never reached those heights it had attained in the
medieval period. The study of Medicine, Mathematics and Sciences in general however advanced.
Magna Charta Universitatum2 (Magna Charta of University)5: A consolidation of the history and purpose of
Universities
On the occasion of the ninth centenary of the University of Bologna on the 18th September 1988, the Rectors of 380 Universities
subscribed to the Magna Charta Universitatum Europeum. This Charta was developed against the backdrop of the fact that peoples
and States should become more than ever aware of the part that universities will be called upon to play in a changing and
increasingly international society. They therefore considered that
1. at the approaching end of this millennium the future of mankind depends largely on cultural, scientific and technical
development; and that this is built up in centres of culture, knowledge and research as represented by true universities;
2. the universities' task of spreading knowledge among the younger generations implies that ,in today's world, they must also serve
society as a whole; and that the cultural, social and economic future of society requires, in particular, a considerable investment
in continuing education;
3. that universities must give future generations education and training that will teach them, and through them others, to respect
the great harmonies of their natural environment and of life itself.
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Fundamental principles
1. The university is an autonomous institution at the heart of societies differently organized because of geography and historical
heritage; it produces, examines, appraises and hands down culture by research and teaching. To meet the needs of the world
around it, its research and teaching must be morally and intellectually independent of all political authority and economic power.
2. Teaching and research in universities must be inseparable if their tuition is not to lag behind changing needs, the demands of
society, and advances in scientific knowledge.
3. Freedom in research and training is the fundamental principle of university life, and governments and universities, each as far as
in them lies, must ensure respect for this fundamental requirement. Rejecting intolerance and always open to dialogue, a
university is an ideal meeting-ground for teachers capable of imparting their knowledge and well equipped to develop it by
research and innovation and students entitled, able and willing to enrich their minds with that knowledge.
4. A university is the trustee of the European humanist tradition; its constant care is to attain universal knowledge to fulfill its
vocation. It transcends geographical and political frontiers, and affirms the vital need for different cultures to know and
influence each other.
The means
To attain these goals by following such principles calls for effective means, suitable to present conditions.
1. To preserve freedom in research and teaching, the instruments appropriate to realize that freedom must be made available to all
members of the university community.
2. Recruitment of teachers, and regulation of their status, must obey the principle that research is inseparable from teaching.
3. Each university must - with due allowance for particular circumstances - ensure that its students' freedoms are safeguarded, and
that they enjoy conditions in which they can acquire the culture and training which it is their purpose to possess.
4. Universities - particularly in Europe - regard the mutual exchange of information and documentation, and frequent joint projects
for the advancement of learning, as essential to the steady progress of knowledge.
Therefore, as in the earliest years of their history, they encourage mobility among teachers and students; furthermore, they consider
a general policy of equivalent status, titles, examinations (without prejudice to national diplomas) and award of scholarships
essential to the fulfillment of their mission in the conditions prevailing today.
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The Rectors, on behalf of their Universities, undertake to do everything in their power to encourage each State, as well as the
supranational organizations concerned, to mould their policy sedulously on this Magna Carta, which expresses the universities'
unanimous desire freely determined and declared.
ACADEMIC CULTURE AND ETIQUETTE
It was Robert A Nisbet6 who noted in his book, The Degradation of the Academic Dogma that stated that: “All major institutions are
built around dogmas, and by extension, so is social life, generally. We could not live without dogmas, which are no more that a
system of principles or ideals widely believed to be not merely true of right but beyond the necessity of the more or less constant
verifications we feel obliged to give to so many other aspects of our lives”. Some of the common dogmatic beliefs today include
justice, democracy and freedom. It is also one such set of dogmas that has translated into what we are referring to broadly as
Academic Culture and Etiquette. A culture is defined by the beliefs, behaviors, and practices of a particular group.
We shall for the purpose of our discussion today consider academic culture from two broad perspectives, namely the attitudinal and
the professional dimensions.
Academic Culture: Attitudinal Issues
The under listed are the distinctiveness of the University academic culture:
Critical Thinking7
Critical thinking is that mode of thinking — about any subject, content, or problem — in which the thinker improves the quality of his
or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it. Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, selfmonitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their
use. It entails effective communication and problem-solving abilities, as well as a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism
and sociocentrism. The word ’’critical’’ derives etymologically from two Greek roots: "kriticos" (meaning discerning judgment) and
"kriterion" (meaning standards). Etymologically, then, the word implies the development of "discerning judgment based on
standards." To assess thinking we must check it for clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance, logic, and
fairness.
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Neutrality (Objectivity)
The academic culture thrives on objectivity and openness. To this end neutrality implies absence of bias. While scholars have their
convictions, they must nevertheless remain open to the dynamic nature of knowledge. Neutrality is what makes a scholar to
appreciate the way others do things without being judgemental.
Evidence based conclusions (Inquisitive mind)
This is closely related to the critical thinking norm of our academic culture. The scholar being objective is also at the same time very
inquisitive. The inquisitive mind of the scholar is ever trafficking on the questions of what? Why? How? Who? In answer to these
questions the university thrives on the careful gathering and presentation of evidence in a manner that lead to logical conclusions.
The process of generation of knowledge in the universities is unique.
Communication skills (Persuasive)
Both to the students and public the academic is expected to have good communication skills. This is in line with the primary
mandate of disseminating information. The language of the academic must be simple, clear, and unambiguous. It is this
communication skill that informs the followership enjoined by the academic.
Deep (Comprehensive)
it is part of the culture to be deep or comprehensive. We must examine all sides of an issue, not only from the point of its
importance but also anticipating all other unintended consequences.
Frugality
University environment is a place of accountability. This therefore imposes on the members of that community the obligation of
frugality. To be frugal is to avoid wastage in the deployment and use of resources; be they man, material or money. It also implies
prudence.
Pride
The pride expected of the scholar is not that of arrogance or haughtiness. Rather it is in self respect and contentment. Granted the
opportunities the scholar has in meeting the higher hierarchy of needs, they are better able to experience contentment, not just
from the abundance of their wages but from the impact and influence they have brought to their communities. The scholar
therefore is expected to have great sense of self worth that is defines by the achievement and not necessarily by environmental
circumstances.
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Elegance (low but neat)
The academic environment is definitely not for show or ostentation. It is the place for the expression of elegance, gracefulness
without repulsion; lowliness but with great neatness; simplicity mixed with comprehensiveness.
Virtuous
There are expected ethics of moral excellence, integrity, uprightness in the centre of higher learning. We must seek to ensure these
values by supporting actions that would promote while prescribing and applying sanctions against those found wanting on the
critical aspects of our moral obligation.
Well informed
The scholar must be well informed, possessing a body of knowledge that transcends the immediate spectrum the ones chosen
discipline. The academic is a major moulder of opinion, whose incisive analysis of public issues can influence decisions and affect the
polity. Hence the academic is expected to have great latitude of knowledge.
Collaboration (we): in preserving the value of collaboration, the uniform expression in the academic culture is to use the expression
“we”. Even when you have carried out any work as a single author, it is nevertheless acknowledged that you are not the alpha and
omega on all that pertains to the research activities. You probably built on some previous efforts and you must have received some
help along the way. Even your subjects are themselves part of your collaborators.
Humble (Student not scholar)
Although the saying is that; “Knowledge puffs up”, the academic culture seeks to instill humility. Whereas we use the word scholar
to refer to the people of this commune, the people themselves do not address themselves as such. It is a misnomer to refer to one
self as a scholar. Rather the correct expression is to say “I am a student of history or of the arts or medicine” as may be applicable.
Collegiality8
Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and respecting each other's abilities to work toward that purpose. Thus,
the word collegiality can connote respect for another's commitment to the common purpose and ability to work toward it. Within
the universities there is a sense of brotherhood. We are expected to be our brothers’ keeper. We also look after the students who
are in need of one form of assistance or the other in their academic engagement and sometimes in their personal life. This has made
the universities to have standing position of advisers, in addition to having schemes that enables our helping one another.
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Critical
Being critical in our sense is not with reference to finding faults and running things down. Rather we refer here to a sense of
evaluation and discerning judgment. This implies that we refuse to take things at face value until we have overcome our doubts. We
must be tolerant as people express this important aspect of the university’s existence.
Openness (Full disclosure of sources)
It is inherent in the academic culture to be completely open. This is why there must be full disclosure of sources; be they
information, resources or any contributions that have influenced the current output. Failure to make such disclosure would be
regarded as plagiarism.
Accuracy
No stone is expected to be left unturned in ensuring accuracy of our output. These could be accuracy of information, claims and
products.
Academic Culture: Professional Dimensions
Mentorship (Guided freedom)
Mentorship refers to a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a
less experienced or less knowledgeable person. The receiver of mentorship was traditionally referred to as a protégé or apprentice
but with the institutionalization of mentoring the more neutral word "mentee" was invented and is widely used today (Wikipedia).
From our discussion on the origin of the higher education, we can appreciate that it has always been founded on the principle of
mentorship. Our students should not only be students to us but they should also be our mentees whom we are guiding into maturity
for the actualization of their academic potential. Mentoring involves caring, sowing (investment for the future), catalyzing the
mentee’s experiences of change, showing the mentee the how and harvesting the mentee at the point of maturity so as to be
released to into the world of academic freedom.
Academic freedom
This is the freedom of a teacher or student to hold and express views without fear of arbitrary interference by officials. It is about
the most critical element of the academic culture. This heritage we must protect from every form of interference whether they are
covert or overt. However the question is then often asked is academic freedom a reality or myth? This is a raging debate which time
and space may not allow us to exhaust on this occasion.
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Tenure
Tenure policies and procedures reflect academic priorities and standards at an institution. Virtually all research institutions have a
tenure system. Although some variation exists among campus tenure policies, tenure is considered an innate part of the academic
culture and represents a faculty member's rite of passage into the professoriate. In the academic community, tenure is regarded
more as doctrine than a personnel policy. It is, therefore, helpful in understanding the tenure system to consider the social forces
that have shaped the academy
Institutional autonomy9
In an EU sponsored project on Institutional Autonomy and Accountability, the following thoughts were expressed; The present-day
understanding of institutional autonomy implies that the university enjoys freedom from government regulation in respect of the
internal organisation of the university, its governance, the internal management of financial resources, in the generation of income
from non public sources, the recruitment of its staff, conditions of study and finally, the freedom to conduct teaching and research.
Put succinctly, institutional autonomy is that condition which permits an institution of higher education to govern itself without
external interference. Such is the theory.
In practice, no higher education system is wholly free from external control. It is, rather, a boundary condition between university,
government and society which is capable of being modified, redefined and new conditions enforced as price of its continuation.
When we analyse the reality of institutional autonomy in the light of cost-driven priorities, it is evident that the expansion in the
range of responsibilities assigned away from central administration down to the individual establishment, whilst adding to the
sphere of activities in which institutional self regulation operates, is also conditioned by a parallel strengthening of the principle of
accountability, performance assessment and audit.
Institutional autonomy has never meant an absence of law. Universities are answerable to general legal instruments, be they
national constitutions, constitutional or administrative laws and decrees as well as to that portion of the law which deals specifically
with higher education. That institutional autonomy is 'conditional' – that is, it is dependent on, and its extent determined by, an
institution's fulfilling certain previously defined criteria of cost, output or performance measured in some other manner - is one of
the most significant revisions to this age-old concept that recent policies in certain countries, have introduced.
So today we talk about “conditional autonomy”, which sounds somewhat paradoxical.
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One of the more interesting is the distinction between substantive autonomy, procedural autonomy and what certain legal writers
have termed 'organic' autonomy. Since they have direct bearing on both the range of activities which fall under the purview of the
institution and their nature, it is useful to spell them out.
Substantive autonomy is the right of a university to determine its own study programmes and their goals. Procedural autonomy
involves the right of a university to determine the means it shall devote to fulfill priorities agreed upon beforehand and assigned to it
as part of national policy.
Organic autonomy recognises the right of institutions of higher education to determine their own academic organisation, whether it
is to be based on Faculties and Departments, Schools, Institutes, professional areas etc.
Research and Teaching
Eugene Rice10 in “The Making of a New American Scholar” observed that by 1974 a consensus had emerged on what it meant to be
an academic professional:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
Research is the central professional endeavor and focus of academic life.
Quality in the profession is maintained by peer review and professional autonomy.
Knowledge is pursued for its own sake.
The pursuit of knowledge is best organized by discipline.
Reputations are established in national and international professional associations.
Professional rewards and mobility accrue to those who persistently accentuate their specialization.
The distinctive task of the academic professional is the pursuit of cognitive truth.
In the course of preparing for this presentation, I found a 1996 Senate extract of the University of Houston as follows “The academic
paradigm - publish or perish - echoes through the halls of every institution of higher learning. It is the silent voice that guides
professors through their academic career. Although teaching is a primary responsibility of faculty, professors are not hired
exclusively to disseminate knowledge. Through research and scholarship, professors contribute to their disciplines by expanding the
pool of knowledge that leads to the advancement of humanity, whether technologically, scientifically, intellectually, or aesthetically.
Imbedded deep in the academic psyche is the belief that research and scholarship are more prestigious endeavors than teaching and
service, a perception reinforced by our reward system. Teaching and service are more humble endeavors and, therefore, more
difficult to evaluate, measure, and reward. We have settled into a mindset that isolates rather than integrates research, teaching,
and service. This results in an academic hierarchy and an imbalanced standard for excellence”.
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Academic Gown (Dress): One of the Externalities (The credit for this section is from the Wikipedia free online
encyclopedia)11
Academic dress or gown is probably the most distinctive identity of the academic community. The Wikipedia describes the academic
dress as a traditional form of clothing for academic settings, primarily tertiary and sometimes secondary education, worn mainly by
those that have been admitted to a university degree (or similar) or hold a status that entitles them to assume them (e.g.
undergraduate students at certain old universities).It is also known as academicals and, in the United States, as academic regalia.
Contemporarily, it is commonly seen only at graduation ceremonies, but formerly academic dress was, and to a lesser degree in
many ancient universities still is, worn on a daily basis. The Burgon Society was founded in 2000 to promote the study of academic
dress.[8
Anatomy of the Academic dress
The academic dress generally consists of a gown (also known as a robe) with a separate hood, and a cap (generally either a
mortarboard, a tam, or a bonnet) which are distinctive to each institution.
The academic dress found in most universities in the British Commonwealth and the United States is derived from that of the
universities of Oxford and Cambridge, which was a development of academic and clerical dress common throughout the medieval
universities of Europe.
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Formal or sober clothing is typically worn beneath the gown so, for example, men would often wear a dark suit with a white shirt
and tie, or clerical clothing, military or civil uniform, or national dress, and women would wear equivalent attire. Some older
universities, particularly Oxford and Cambridge, have a prescribed set of dress (known as subfusc) to be worn under the gown.
Though some universities are relaxed about what people wear under their gowns, it is nevertheless considered bad form to be in
casual wear or the like during graduation, and a number of universities may bar finishing students from joining the procession or the
ceremony itself if not appropriately dressed.
The Gown
The modern gown is derived from the roba worn under the cappa clausa, a garment resembling a long black cape. In early medieval
times, all students at the universities were in at least minor orders, and were required to wear the cappa or other clerical dress, and
restricted to clothes of black or other dark colour.
The gowns most commonly worn, that of the clerical type gowns of Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Master of Arts (MA), are substantially
the same throughout the English-speaking world. Both are traditionally made of black cloth, (although occasionally the gown is dyed
in one of the university's colours) and have the material at the back of the gown gathered into a yoke. The BA gown has bell-shaped
sleeves, while the MA gown has long sleeves closed at the end, with the arm passing through a slit above the elbow12.
In the Commonwealth, gowns are worn open, while in the United States it has become common for gowns to close at the front, as
did the original roba. Some gowns may have 'strings' (i.e. grosgrain ribbons) attached to them behind the lapels. These in the past
were tied together to hold the gown together but are now merely indicators of rank.
The Hood
The hood was originally a functional garment, worn to shield the head from the elements. In the English tradition, it has developed
to an often bright and decorative garment worn only on special occasions.
Hoods comprise two basic patterns: full shape or simple shape. The colour and lining of hoods in academic dress represents the rank
and/or faculty of the wearer. The hood is nearly always worn with a gown. The neckband of the hood usually has a loop of which
original function is to hook onto the button of a cassock. Since many do not wear cassocks for graduation, the loop is sometimes
hooked onto a shirt button instead. However, since the hood is rather heavy this has a tendency to pull the lightweight shirt
upwards. The correct way to wear the hood is to allow the neckband to naturally hook itself onto the collar under the tie which
secures the hood in place. Sometimes, the hood is worn too forward and down being hooked onto the jacket button or pinned
which causes the hood to sit badly and more be likely slip down the shoulders like a shawl.
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The Cap
The academic cap or square, commonly known as the mortarboard, has come to be symbolic of academia. In some universities it can
be worn by graduates and undergraduates alike. It is a flat square hat with a tassel suspended from a button in the top center of the
board. Properly worn, the cap is parallel to the ground, though some people, especially women, wear it angled back. The
mortarboard may also be referred to as a trencher cap (or simply trencher).
In many universities, holders of doctorates wear a soft rounded headpiece known as a Tudor bonnet or tam, rather than a trencher.
As with other forms of headgear, in the Commonwealth, academic caps are not generally worn indoors by men (other than by the
Chancellor or other high officials), but are usually carried. In some graduation ceremonies caps have been dispensed with for men,
being issued only to women, who do wear them indoors, or have been abandoned altogether. There is, in some European
Universities, a tradition of throwing the cap off into the sky as soon as the degree is awarded.
The Tassel
The tassel comprises a cluster of silk threads which are fixed together and fastened by a button at one end, and fixed at the centre of
the headpiece. The loose strands are allowed to fall freely over the board edge. Often the strands are plaited together to form a cord
with the end threads left untied. The tassel worn on the mortarboard or a tam seems to provide, by tradition, the greatest
opportunity for latitude in American academic dress. It has been black, or represented the university's colors, or the colors of the
specific college, or the discipline. The tassel has also been used to indicate membership in national honor societies or other awards.
However, strictly speaking, the ACE code states that "The tassel should be black or the color appropriate to the subject," and only
makes an exception for the gold tassel. Just as for the use of velvet headwear, the gold metallic tassel is reserved for those entitled
to wear the doctoral gown. Only one tassel is worn at a time.
Regarding the positioning of the tassel, it is to be moved from one side to the other on graduating. This is a modern innovation to
mark the transition to graduate status. This practice has the benefit of taking less time than more traditional indicators such as the
individual conferring of the hood or a complete change of dress part-way through the ceremony (as at Oxford in the United
Kingdom). It is expected that for undergraduate to begin the commencement ceremony with their tassels on the right. Switching the
tassel to the left may be done individually or as a group. For doctoral and masters students, the tassel commonly begins and remains
on the left.
Dress for university officials
Officers of the universities generally wear distinctive and more elaborate dress. The Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor should have
their dress made of damask lay type gown (sometimes with a long train) trimmed with gold or silver lace and frogs. They wear a
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velvet mortarboard, similarly trimmed with gold braid and tassel. This form of dress is not strictly 'academical' but it is typical dress
for those in high positions.
Officers of lower rank may wear plain black lay type gowns, sometimes with gold or silver trim, or ordinary gowns in university
colours. In general, officials do not wear hoods with their gowns.
Members of the Board of Trustees or other governing body officers of a college or university, regardless of their degrees, are
entitled to wear doctor's gowns, faced only with black velvet and black velvet bars on the sleeves. However, their hoods may be only
that of a degree actually held by the wearer, or one specially prescribed for them by the institution.[38]
Inter-Collegiate colors
The colors allocated to the various fields of learning have been largely standardized in the United States by the Intercollegiate
Bureau of Academic Costume, and accepted by the American Council on Education in its Academic Costume Code. The color
assigned to a given hood trim and/or tassels and—where appropriate—gown facings, should be as closely related as possible to the
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field studied. For example, one who has earned a degree in animal husbandry would wear the maize of agriculture, as no color is
specific to the subject of animal husbandry, and it is generally included within the broader field of agriculture. Less simply,
mathematics is traditionally among the liberal arts (which are represented by white) while more recently associated with what has
been termed the formal sciences, (which would seem to imply being represented by golden yellow for science), and thereby exposes
debates about the very nature of some fields. The codified colors associated with the different academic disciplines are as shown
below:
Faculty
Color
Agriculture
Maize
Arts [Liberal Arts], Letters [Literature], Humanities
White
Commerce, Accountancy, Business
Drab
Dentistry
Lilac
Economics
Copper
Education
Light Blue
Engineering
Orange
Fine Arts, Architecture
Brown
Forestry, Environmental Studies, Sustainability
Russet
Journalism
Crimson
Law
Purple
Library Science, Information Management
Lemon
Medicine
Green
Music
Pink
Nursing
Apricot
Oratory, Speech, Communications
Silver Gray
Pharmacy
Olive Green
Philosophy
Dark Blue
Sample
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Physical Education, Manual Therapy, Physical Therapy Sage Green
Public Administration, Public Policy, Foreign Service
Peacock Blue
Public Health
Salmon Pink
Science (both "Social" and "Natural")
Golden Yellow
Social Work
Citron
Theology, Divinity
Scarlet
Veterinary Science
Grey
In the case where a color is specified for a field that may be included in another, broader, discipline, and that broader discipline is
represented by its own color (e.g.: oratory, assigned silver gray trim, is generally regarded as among the liberal arts [arts],
represented by white trim), the graduate should wear the color of the more specific field (in this case, silver gray for a degree in
oratory, rather than white for liberal arts). Conversely, it is problematic when a field of study that does not have its own color
assigned to it has been considered to be included in more than one discipline, which are represented by different colors, e.g.: history
has traditionally been considered as among the humanities, represented by white, while also considered a social science, which can
be represented by golden yellow. This is often addressed by an academic institution allowing the degree earned to influence (but
not determine) color assignment. For instance, a Bachelor of Arts graduate in history might display white, while a Bachelor of
Science graduate in history at the same institution could properly display golden yellow (or, theoretically, vice-versa), thereby
creating confusion in appearing to display colors based on degree earned rather than—as stipulated in the Code—academic field
studied.
In 1986, the American Council on Education updated the Code and added the following sentence clarifying the use of the color dark
blue for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, which is awarded in any number of fields: “In the case of the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
degree, the dark blue color is used to represent the mastery of the discipline of learning and scholarship in any field that is attested
to by the awarding of the degree, and it is not intended to represent the field of philosophy.”
Adornments
A number of other items such as cords, stoles, aiguillettes, etc. representing various academic achievements or other honors are also
worn at the discretion of some degree-granting institutions. Technically, however, the ACE code does not allow their use on or over
academic regalia:
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Honor cord
Honor cords usually consist of twisted cords with tassels on either end. They are sometimes awarded for various academic
achievements, or to members of honor societies. Often, cords come in pairs with a knot in the middle to hold them together. Sashes,
stoles, or medallions are also awarded in place of cords. Any of these items are customarily worn with non-academic attire, as well.
With cap and gown, and hood when utilized, some educational institutions have permitted these cords to complement the regalia of
a high school or university candidate, ignoring the ACE Code to the contrary. Unlike hoods, tassels and stoles, custom allows more
than one cord to be worn at the same time.
Academic procession (An Academic Ceremony Guide)
It was in the course of one Convocation Ceremony that I also appreciate the degradation that has happened to our academic
culture. On that occasion, the Registrar did not stand from her seat until the last person to perform a function on the podium has
taken his seat. While the seeming delay lasted, a number of people were already suggesting to the Registrar to quickly get up and
perform the next function. I watched with keen interest to see what the Registrar would do. I am grateful that this particular
registrar knew the Academic culture.
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-The American Council on Education, through its Committee on Academic Costumes and Ceremonies in 1959 prepared the following
academic ceremony guide13:
Many factors, such as the nature of the institution, the size of the graduating class, the weather, and the place of the ceremony
(indoors or outdoors), affect the details of the various kinds of academic ceremonies. Institutions have wide latitude in meeting
these conditions. It is therefore recognized that the following suggestions do not answer all pertinent questions concerning any
specific ceremony.
Wearing the Costume
Caps: Those wearing academic costumes always wear their caps in academic processions and during the ceremony of conferring
degrees. Men may remove caps during prayer, the playing of the national anthem and the alma mater, and at other specified times,
e.g., during the baccalaureate sermon or the commencement address. It is traditional that all such actions be done in unison. Hence,
the plan for each ceremony should be carefully prepared in advance. The participants should be notified beforehand and someone
(usually the presiding officer) should be designated to give the cues for removing and replacing the caps.
There is no general rule for the position of the tassel on a mortarboard. However, numerous institutions have adopted the practice,
during commencement exercises, of requiring candidates for degrees to wear the tassels on the right front side before degrees are
conferred and to shift them to the left at the moment when degrees are awarded to them. This custom is, in some respects, a
substitute for individual hooding.
Gowns: At ceremonies where degrees are conferred, it is proper for a candidate to wear the gown in keeping with the degree to be
received.
Hoods: If a person holds more than one academic degree, he or she may wear only one hood at a time. The hood worn should be
appropriate to the gown.
The traditional rule is that a candidate for a degree should not wear the hood of that degree until it is actually conferred. This rule
still applies to those who are to be individually hooded during the commencement ceremony; they should not wear the hoods in the
preliminary academic procession. However, when degrees are to be conferred en masse, without individual hooding, the groups
involved, e.g., master's degree candidates at large universities, may wear their hoods in the preliminary procession and throughout
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the ceremony. Many institutions have dispensed entirely with bachelors' hoods. It is quite appropriate for the bachelor's gown to be
worn without a hood.
Academic Procession in General
There is wide variation in customs concerning academic processions. In some institutions, the procession is led by a mace bearer, in
others by the chief marshal. Either may be followed by a color guard. (On some occasions the colors are displayed on the stage and
are not moved during the ceremony.) Such groups have traditional places in the procession, determined by the individual institution.
Commencement (Graduation Ceremony) Exercises
The Preliminary Procession: The commencement procession is usually composed of the following divisions:



the speakers, trustees, administrative officers, and other members of the platform party;
the faculty; and
candidates for degrees, with candidates for advanced degrees in the lead and others in groups according to the degrees for
which they are candidates.
The divisions may march in the above order, or in reverse order. If the latter procedure is chosen, the candidates for degrees after
reaching their seats, face toward the center aisle as a mark of respect while the faculty and trustees proceed to their places.
In a procession involving various heads of Institutions, the age of the Institution (from the year of establishment) is the determinant
of the position of a particular head of institution in the procession
The Commencement Ceremony
The essential elements of the ceremony are the conferring of degrees and the commencement . Earned degrees are usually
conferred in ascending order, with baccalaureate degrees first and doctorates last. Honorary degrees are conferred, with individual
citations, after the earned degrees. (At some institutions, this order is reversed, with baccalaureate degrees conferred last.)
The Subsequent Procession
The platform party and faculty leave the hall in that order. Recipients of degrees may be required to join the procession or may be
permitted to disperse from their seats when the first two divisions have left the hall.
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Some norms about procession



You do not robe or unrobe in public but you can be dressed publicly for honours
You do not cross a procession
Persons not properly robed should not be part of the procession
Inauguration Exercises
The Preliminary Procession: When a president or chancellor of a college or university is to be inaugurated, it is traditional for the
academic procession to include at least the following divisions in the following order:




delegates of colleges and universities arranged according to the dates when the respective institutions were founded;
delegates of learned societies and associations;
the faculty;
the trustees; and the speakers and other dignitaries in the president's party, with the person to be inaugurated marching
alone at the very end of the procession.
The Ceremony: The essential components of the ceremony are the installation, usually by the chair of the board of trustees, and the
inaugural address by the new head of the institution. Additional addresses preceding the inaugural address may be made by
representatives of governments, churches, other institutions, alumni, etc., as appropriate.
The Subsequent Procession: The newly inaugurated president or chancellor leads the procession from the hall, followed by the five
divisions listed above, in reverse order.
Platforms /Outlets
There are different platforms and outlets for exchange of knowledge. However, as it has been with other aspects of the academic
culture, the understanding of the meaning and purposes of the various outlets has become blurred. Many, today, use many of the
terminologies wrongly. We shall therefore endeavour to consider some of these terms.
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Conference
This refers to a large gathering of individuals or members of one or several organizations, for discussing matters of common interest.
It can also be said to be a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a
formal agenda). Key characteristics therefore are those of size, predetermined agenda, agreed or topic of discussions.
Seminar
A seminar is a presentation on a topic covering some facet of knowledge or skill. Seminars tend to be a blend of lecture and
discussion. The program can be public or private and the presentation is often organized into modules. The speaker's goal is to
impart knowledge of the topic, and he or she typically uses a combination of lecture, visual aids, interaction with participants, and
exercises to get the job done. Due to the emphasis on theory and the imparting of information, a seminar is typically no more than
half a day (three hours).
Workshop
A workshop is similar to a seminar but with a greater degree of attendee participation, interaction, and hands-on exercises. It is
usually a full day (six hours) where participants learn and practice the knowledge and skills that is the workshop's focus. Workshop
can also be regarded as a series of meetings emphasizing interaction and exchange of information among a usually small number of
participants: a creative writing workshop. It is a brief intensive course for a small group; emphasizes problem solving. Key
characteristics are those small groups with focus on capacity development or skill acquisition.
Consultation
A consultation is a meeting to discuss, decide, or plan something. Example could be a meeting of several doctors to discuss the
diagnosis and treatment of a case, a meeting of Vice Chancellors to discuss the menace of cultism on the campuses. It is a forum to
share experiences, conduct critical analysis of the subject matter and reach some consensus on the proposed solutions.
Colloquium
Colloquium is an informal meeting for the exchange of views. It is an academic equivalent of the town hall meeting. Participants are
free to express themselves; and such atmosphere must be deliberately cultivated for one to have a proper colloquium. It could be
useful when seeking to engage in some new ventures for which the institution did not have significant prior experience. Recently the
University of Ilorin held a colloquium on how to form a synergy between Engineering faculties and the College of Health Sciences in
the manufacturing and maintenance of their equipment. At the end there was a consensus to establish the department of Bio-
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medical Engineering as a way of addressing the issues that were identified. Such could be the beauty of a Colloquium on our
campuses. Colloquium, unlike Conferences is not expected to issue communiqué because it is informal.
Round Table Discussion
The round table is a meeting of peers for discussion and exchange of views; "a roundtable on the future of computing”. It differs
from the colloquium in that it is much smaller and it is a meeting of peer.
Encounter
It is like a classroom. The coordinator holds and proposes a position that is generally not popular and participants are free to debunk
or enrich the stated position. This is the student-teacher interaction in the setting of the class room. What we need is to ensure that
in our various institutions we institute measures for evaluating the effectiveness of these encounters. In our contemporary time it is
no longer an anathema for have the students evaluate the performance of their lecturers. Conducting such exercises at the
UNILORIN has been very revealing.
Furthermore there are specific tools that can be used to survey the classroom encounter. One such tool is the critical incident
technique (CIT), which is used to categorise positive and negative student-lecturer interactions, to reveal quality dimensions of the
lecturer, and to reconsider which attributes of the lecturer are likely to cause satisfaction and which dimensions mainly lead to
dissatisfaction.
In one such study conducted in a commercial college, a total of 225 students took part in the study on a voluntary basis and reported
429 incidents. Respondents were aged between 16 and 21 years (mean age?=?17.8). On average, every student provided 1.9
incidents. The results of the CIT study manifested nine quality dimensions of lecturer behaviour, confirming previous research in this
area. Quality dimensions that were mainly mentioned in the negative incidents were classified as “dissatisfiers” (“expertise”,
“communication skills”, “fairness”, “assertiveness”, and “enthusiasm”), attributes that appeared in the positive incidents were
labelled “satisfiers” (“flexibility”), and dimensions with a high score for both positive and incidents were described as “criticals”
(“teaching skills”, “empathy”, “friendliness”).
Practical implications – For instructors to improve students' experiences, they should address the identified “criticals” first before
moving on to improving the “dissatisfiers” and then the “satisfiers”. Gaining knowledge of (deviations of) student expectations
should be beneficial for lecturers to design their teaching programmes.
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Conclusion
For all the Vice-Chancellors, scholars and guests here present, we have made a critical appraisal of the University Culture. We must
protect that culture from every form of degredation and we pursue higher degrees of competitiveness in world ranking of
Universities. We salute the efforts of our heroes past and we can only repeat at this juncture the words which have marked
tradition, and which may be heard whenever universities mark a solemn celebration: VIVAT FLOREAT CRESCAT (VFC)2
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