Regalia
The academic attire worn at commencement and other ceremonial events is reminiscent of the distinctive dress associated with academic processions and convocations of the Middle Ages. Students in English and European universities wore woolen and fur garments to stay warm in unheated, drafty stone buildings. Most scholars of the time were clerics in holy orders, and wore cloaks with hoods to cover their tonsured heads. Today academic attire indicates by style and adornment the highest degree earned, the major field of study and the college or university attended by the wearer. Hence, graduates receiving degrees in medicine in today’s ceremony wear a black robe with green chevrons and a green tassel. Similarly, the colors on the hood reflect the degree being conferred and the colors of the institution. Hoods for graduates in the osteopathic and podiatric colleges are green and have purple and white trim. Doctoral graduates of the Program in Physical Therapy wear hoods of peacock velvet with purple and white trim. Graduates receiving master’s degrees in public health wear hoods of salmon-colored velvet and graduates receiving master’s degrees in health care administration wear beige hoods, also with trim in the university's colors. Hoods for graduates who earned the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies wear a hood of green and purple.

Medallion
The president’s medallion serves as a visible display of the authority vested in the office of the University president. As a complement to academic attire, the medallion is worn by the president at Commencement and at other official ceremonies of the University. The University’s medallion, designed in the Year 2000 to celebrate the new millennium, was struck in pure silver and plated with 24-karat gold. The center features a two-dimensional seal bearing the lamp of learning, to signify education, and the caduceus, to signify medicine. A chain of office honors the University’s presidents, from its founder S.S. Still, D.O., to its most recent president Governor Terry E. Branstad.

Mace
The presence of the mace is another sign of a ceremonial event. As used in academic settings today, the mace is modeled after a medieval weapon carried by a bodyguard to protect a king or person of high status. Carried at the head of the Commencement procession by a member of the faculty, the mace is symbolic of office and authority. As on the president’s medallion, the mace is adorned with the University seal.

Hooding

Hooding for Doctoral Degrees
For many years, the academic tradition of hooding has been a significant and cherished part of the Commencement Ceremony. During this on-stage ritual, the doctoral hood is placed over the shoulders of the graduates to signify the professional stature attained by terminal degree holders.

Customarily, the honor of hooding is reserved for faculty in recognition of their role in the education of the graduates. However, the University’s hooding policy does allow direct line relatives – parents, grandparents, siblings and spouse – who hold a D.O., D.P.M., D.P.T. or M.D. degree the honor of hooding graduates. We want to assure everyone that we have thoroughly discussed this policy and believe it serves the interests of the graduates while preserving the academic focus of the tradition.