At the head of the faculty processional at commencement is the university mace. Its symbolic weight matches its physical grandeur as ancient academic rituals are played out.
For Loyola Marymount University’s 2023 Commencement Exercises, a redesigned mace will debut as it’s carried up the aisle by Faculty Senate President Leon Wiebers, professor of costume design and chair of Theatre Arts.
“It’s an honor for Senate presidents to open the ceremony, carrying the mace and leading the community to begin one of our most important rituals” said Wiebers. “I’m especially proud to serve the faculty and carry the new mace to celebrate the occasion.”
The new mace succeeds the mace that was designed and adopted in 1973 to signify the merger of Loyola University and Marymount College. That iteration, designed by Reneé Harrangue, the first provost of the merged LMU, has deteriorated over time. The 1973 mace will be retired to University Archives and Special Collections.
“Ceremonial maces have an ancient history and are derived from the weapon of the same name,” Wiebers said. “Used in academic processionals, the mace symbolizes the university’s authority and independence as a steward of traditions and life-long learning. The new mace represents LMU’s unique history and celebrates the coming together of the three religious orders that guide our mission in the 21st century.”
The steering committee charged with approving the new design chose the mace conceived by Will Pupa, clinical assistant professor of art. Pupa’s elegant and emotionally evocative works are familiar across LMU’s Westchester campus: he sculpted the “The Nine Muses” in 2006, that is displayed in the Margaret R. Bove Sculpture and Meditation Garden outside the Marymount Institute; the “Portrait Bust of Father Lawton,” sculpted in 2014, which celebrates LMU’s 14th president and is displayed at Lawton Plaza; and the “Father Gailhac Memorial Sculpture” for the 2018 Bellarmine Forum, which is exhibited in University Archives and Special Collections in the William H. Hannon Library.
Most prominently, Pupa’s “Ad Astra Per Aspera” dedicated in 2012, is the memorial to those who died while they were students at LMU. It stands majestically along the bluff, to the east of Sacred Heart Chapel.
“It is an honor to have been chosen to create the new university mace,” said Pupa. “The process of working on a commissioned piece affords the opportunity to collaborate with people who have differing visions of what they would like the new mace to be.” Partners in Mission and Ministry as well as the Chancellor’s Office were consulted in the design phase of the new mace.
The new mace conjures a century of LMU academic excellence, and the nearly 500-year tradition of Jesuit education grounded in a bedrock of social justice. Pupa’s inspiration came from ancient mace examples; modern, contemporary art; and the natural world. It has a handle of acacia wood – a symbol of strength in one of the oldest of humanity’s fabrications – and its asymmetrical curves lead to a torch element signifying St. Ignatius’ call to action, “Go set the world on fire.” The three flames cradle the university’s ceremonial mark, the university seal, the element of our graphic identity system that is reserved for, and celebrates, academic ceremonial traditions.
At the base of the flame are three planes where a symbol is carved, representing each founding order of LMU, the Society of Jesus, the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. A “globus cruciger” nestled in the flames signifies the students, their formation at LMU, and the impact LMU makes on the world as a mission-driven institution. A cross at the top signifies our Catholic identity and is a symbol for all humankind.
“It is my sincere hope that the new mace will function as a symbol that represents the entire university community,” said Pupa.
