University Mace
The Lee University mace was first used in the Spring 2003 Commencement and was a gift of Upsilon Xi, a Greek-letter social and service club on campus. First proposed in November 2002 by Dr. Bill George, a former Lee professor and alumnus of Upsilon Xi, the mace was purchased for $7,000 through the donations of alumni of Upsilon Xi. Since 2003, Upsilon alumnus and Lee professor Dr. Mark Wickham has carried the mace while leading the procession of faculty and graduates during commencement exercises.
The mace is a 54-inch wood staff, ringed with gold bands, the top one-third carved with a repeated design of tiny raised squares. It is crowned by a golden, 14-karat gold orb topped by a copy of the university’s seal and includes the date of the university’s founding in 1918. From the top, a set of intertwined cords hang down about one-third the length of the staff. One set of cords symbolizes the university colors of maroon and white, and the other set of cords symbolizes the black and gray colors representing Upsilon Xi.
/ L.F. Morgan
The mace is a 54-inch wood staff, ringed with gold bands, the top one-third carved with a repeated design of tiny raised squares. It is crowned by a golden, 14-karat gold orb topped by a copy of the university’s seal and includes the date of the university’s founding in 1918. From the top, a set of intertwined cords hang down about one-third the length of the staff. One set of cords symbolizes the university colors of maroon and white, and the other set of cords symbolizes the black and gray colors representing Upsilon Xi.
/ L.F. Morgan
