One of the highlights of university teaching is being involved in mentoring amazing educators committed to making a difference. For each Ph.D. student, when they come to the stage to receive their diploma, part of the ceremony is their advisor getting to 'hood' them with the velvet hood that goes around the neck and hangs down the back of the gown. The three in the upper left were all my advisees and good friends who were able to graduate together -- a wonderful event! You can tell UIC's colors are red and black.
How wonderful to see this collage Taffy! Such happy faces! After listening to you talking about your work in education I can appreciate how lucky these young ladies are to have been taught by you! What an incredible gift you have and I love the way you are able to share it! Congratulations all round! Fav!
Excellent record for all concerned. Congratulations mentor/supervisor and students all. What's the difference between the awards with a bonnet and the trenchers?
@golftragic The bonnet -- the soft velvety ones, means it was purchased and not rented, basically. When we get the rental ones, we get the cheap mortarboard hats with the flat tops. If my gown weren't in storage, I would have had my own robe with the light blue velvet signifying education, and a black six pointed hat because I think they look better! The only significance of the hat is that left tassel means graduate. The hoods and the robes have tons of significant features, from the type of sleeve, color of the velvet, color of the silk, etc.
@taffy All very interesting, always like to hear about other universities traditions. Deakin University has the same PhD blue with red facings robes and hood with a circular bonnet for all faculties' students. I sold my set of robes etc once my last postgrad student graduated. Undergrad degrees have faculty-specific hood colours and black trenchers. I'd never heard that term until I worked at Deakin, apparently it derives from the head-gear worn by monks at the predecessors of universities, theological institutions of the Middle Ages. The poor souls apparently used something like that for their eating bowls. Same origin as trencherman. Today's piece of trivia. Quite agree with you about the velvety hats looking much better!
@golftragic Interesting! I wonder if the colors and silks are universal across nations or only within. Given that it's all going back to medieval, I suspect any differences are more to do with my lack of knowledge or poor memory from reading the program book.
@joysabin@moonmtn@jgpittenger@jackie8@louannwarren
Thank you for your kind words and congratulations for these wonderful women. Yes, I was VERY proud of them and what they've accomplished. I only have two students left to 'complete' and hood next spring and that will be it. A strange feeling making this even more special of a night.
A belated congrats to the next generation... and to you, their teacher. This collage commemorates the night of passage well. It must be bittersweet for you, to bid them bon voyage. :)
@rosiekerr Thanks! It is bittersweet as they are in the last cohort that I agreed to serve as advisor through dissertation. These three (plus one more who went through the December graduation) were great to work with and are going to do wonderful things for education. The last two I recruited and they'll finish sometime next year. When they are done, that is it for my university life. VERY strange, but I think I'm quite ready.
I know how important those hoods are having earned one myself! I think I was just as proud to receive it as my advisor was to give it to me. You must be quite proud of them and rightly so!
Thank you for your kind words and congratulations for these wonderful women. Yes, I was VERY proud of them and what they've accomplished. I only have two students left to 'complete' and hood next spring and that will be it. A strange feeling making this even more special of a night.