College Symbols
Motto | Logo | Old Main | Mace|
Gates | Chain of Office | Official Seal | Presidential Regalia
Carpe Diem
It didn't take the film "Dead Poets Society" to popularize the expression Carpe Diem at Mercyhurst. The Latin phrase has been the official motto of the college since Mercyhurst opened in 1926.
For Mercyhurst students, Carpe Diem, "Seize the Day" - grasp the opportunity - is the way of life and the spirit of winners.
Let these words be your inspiration for personal growth and professional development.
Let them guide and fire your imperatives.
Let them underline the vigor and enterprise necessary to achieve great victories.
Capture the essence of living the full life.
Engage the day.
This is, indeed, the moment. The opportunity may not come again.
Besiege the occasion, wage war upon it.
For it is the resolute of mind who receives the greatest achievement and the highest fulfillment and reward.
Be vigilant and diligent.
The genius of life and secret to success is to capture each precious opportunity.
For to seize the moment personally is the essence of living a full life, the kind so many desire and so few know how to achieve.
College seal
The seal of Mercyhurst College is a simple rendering. Its most prominent element is the cross of the Sisters of Mercy shown on a shield with four bars. Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, adopted the cross and shield from another order - the Fathers of Mercy co-founded by St. Peter Nolasco and King James of Aragon, Spain.
The Seal of Mercyhurst College carries the year of the founding of Mercyhurst, 1926, the motto of the college, Carpe Diem, and the city and state of its location, Erie, Penna (as the state was abbreviated back then).
The cross, a symbol of love and sacrifice, is white to signify purity. The four bars are red to represent courage and zeal and are on a field of gold.
Modern-day interpretation of the bars is that they stand for the religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience with the fourth bar representing the Sisters of Mercy's special mission of service.
But ancient tradition tells the story of an Aragon knight, Geoffery of Velu, defending France against the Norman invader. When he appeared before the Emperor Charles, he was bleeding from a wound. When the Emperor asked him what he wanted for his gallant conduct, the young man requested a crest for his unemblazoned shield. The Emperor dipped his four fingers into the knight's wounds and drew his bloodied fingers swiftly down the shield. Such is the ancient tradition of the four bars as a part of the Aragon coat of arms later incorporated into the Mercy shield.
While the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas use a more stylized version of the Mercy cross as their logo today, 10 out of the 19 Mercy colleges in the United States incorporate the original Mercy shield as part of their corporate seals.
Mercyhurst logo
When Mercyhurst President Thomas J. Gamble, Ph.D., took the helm as president in the spring of 2006, bringing one unified vision and mission to all three of Mercyhurst's campuses became one of his goals. As part of that journey, discussions of a single Mercyhurst logo began. Over the years, several symbols have stood for Mercyhurst logos including the Old Main tower and the official college seal. But the logo that was designed and put into use in the fall of 2006 is one that, due to its uniqueness and longevity in its design, will represent the college and its three entities for years to come. Designed by Rachel Mason Lusky '04, a Mercyhurst graphic design graduate, the logo uses a combination of "M"s and "C"s. These letters work together to form a cross and a four-pointed star, representing the Catholic and Mercy heritage of the college. The star, called the Bethlehem star, also symbolizes the journey toward the college's vision, mission and destiny. Allowing flexibility, the word "college" is used for the Erie campus and is replaced with "North East" and "West" when used for the other campuses. The seal will continue to stand as a symbol of the college but will be reserved for use by the Office of the President and for official college ceremonies such as commencement and official documentation such as diplomas.
Old Main
The original building on the Mercyhurst campus, Old Main remains the spiritual center of a campus that has blossomed to include more than 50 structures. From the beginning, Mercyhurst foundress Mother M. Borgia Egan was determined to make Mercyhurst the "beauty spot in the diocese of Erie." Wanting the institution to be a masterpiece of harmony, she directed that the exterior of the college be given as much attention as its interior. Designed by Ferdinand Durang of Philadelphia, one of the country's leading architects of educational buildings at the time, this Tudor-Gothic building opened in 1926 with an unobstructed view of the city of Erie, Lake Erie and the surrounding landscape.
From its opening, Old Main has been the crown jewel of southeast Erie. More than 5,000 people were present for the laying of the first college cornerstone in Erie on Aug. 25, 1925, marking the beginning of Old Main's historic tenure. In its first year, the building welcomed 19 freshmen and four sophomores.
Today the building of 63,236 square feet houses administrative offices and classrooms, and its connection to Christ the King Chapel, Egan Hall, Sullivan Hall and Preston Hall keeps Old Main's halls filled with students and staff alike. An integral part of the campus, Old Main faced a rocky start to what has become a historic tenure.
The pitched slate roof that gives Old Main such distinction almost wasn't. During construction when costs needed to be cut, it appeared the Sisters of Mercy would need to reduce the pitch or settle for a flat roof. The late Mother M. Pierre Wilbert wouldn't hear of either. Instead, she pledged to raise $10,000 needed for the roof by asking donations of family and friends and by sponsoring projects that brought in small sums of money for the cause.
On August 4, 1926, a construction strike left the interior of Old Main just short of completion while only a few weeks remained before classes were scheduled to begin. Not to be defeated, the Sisters of Mercy went to work and finished the interior of the building themselves, sanding floors, painting walls and preparing Old Main for its first class of students.
On August 26, 1993, during one of the college's most historic moments, Mercyhurst trustees voted unanimously for the Mercyhurst College Corporation to purchase the Old Main complex from the Sisters of Mercy and also the land they still owned between college buildings. Until that time, the Sisters had leased Old Main to the college for $1 each year.
The front gates
The imposing 20-foot tall, wrought-iron gates installed in 1950 that frame the entrance to Mercyhurst College have an interesting story all their own. They were purchased by the founder of the college from the estate of eccentric Pittsburgh millionaire Harry K. Thaw, who, in a jealous rage, shot Stanford White, the architect of Madison Square Garden. His life is the subject of the movie, "Girl in the Red Velvet Swing"
The Chain of Office
Originating in the medieval "collars," such as the English House of Lancaster Collar of Esses still in use today, a Presidential Chain of Office is a visual reminder of the historical responsibility invested in the office of the presidency. The Mercyhurst College Chain of Office, used for the first time at the presidential inauguration of Dr. Thomas J. Gamble in September 2006, includes the medallion of the college seal made of cast bronze in a three-dimensional design and the links of past presidents of the college. These alternate from left to right beginning with Mother M. Borgia Egan, the foundress of Mercyhurst College.
The Mace
In addition to academic institutions, governing bodies such as the British Parliament and the United States House of Representatives have ceremonial maces. Ultimately derived from the ancient Roman fasces, which were bundled rods of birch tied by a red cloth and encircling a single-headed axe, the mace re-emerged in the 12th century as a weapon carried by the bodyguards of Kings and Popes. Once it became a symbol of authority, many institutions adopted it, including the newly created universities of Europe where it became the symbol of their authority to grant degrees. Because the Mace is so symbolized, it is often carried in procession immediately before the president. In the processional during the inauguration of Dr. Thomas Gamble as Mercyhurst's 11th president, it preceded the chair of the Board of Trustees. In the recessional, it preceded Dr. Gamble as president of the College.
The Mercyhurst College Presidential Regalia
The academic dress worn at the inauguration of Dr. Thomas Gamble is the official presidential regalia of Mercyhurst College. The official colors of Mercyhurst College are kelly green and white which are reflected in the hood. The four kelly green chevrons outlined in gold across the sleeves of the robe further signify that these are the official presidential robes of Mercyhurst. All academic attire is composed of a gown, hood, and mortarboard or tam. Each component dates back to the medieval universities of Europe, when especially the robe and hood were worn as the ordinary dress of an academic. Because academic regalia today is worn only on ceremonial occasions, colleges and universities often design Presidential academic attire that reflects the institution's official colors and traditions. The robes of doctors are adorned with three chevrons; only presidential robes are permitted to bear the fourth.