Associated with the office of president at Bethany Lutheran College are certain objects of ceremonial significance. On occasions such as the opening service and commencement ceremony, the college president wears a special hood and medallion. Also, the Key and Mace represent the function of the president in his college duties.

The Presidential Medallion

The presidential medallion signifies the authority of the college's chief executive. The college president wears the medallion at commencement, opening service, and other times when academic apparel are appropriate. The medallion is hand tooled, cast in oxidized bronze and hand polished. It measures 3-5/8 inches in diameter with a decorative bezel around the three-inch medallion. The presidential medallion hangs on a bronze chain individually listing the past presidents of the college on a small metal banner. The current president's banner is in the center above the medallion, and is separated from those of past presidents by leaf clusters. The seal of Bethany Lutheran College is engraved on the front side of the medallion.

The Presidential Hood and Gown

Academic hoods were once actual garments worn by students and faculty for warmth. They were also designed to indicate the status and academic achievement of the wearer within a university. The hood, together with the president's gown, was specially made to be unique to the college and is to be worn only by its president, or in rare instances, by his representative. It is in the design of a standard American doctoral gown with double bell sleeves and velvet trim. The front panels and sleeve chevrons of the gown are velvet and in the school colors, as is the velvet facing and silk lining of the hood.

The Presidential Mace

The college mace is a symbol of power or authority. Its origins can be traced to early medieval times when it was literally an instrument of power as a war club. It eventually evolved into the ceremonial scepter of monarchs. For colleges and universities it symbolizes the authority to grant degrees given to the faculty by the state. The mace is carried by the chair of the faculty assembly.
The mace was designed and carved by Bethany art professor Eric Ouren. The wooden cross at the top of the mace is carved from one of the "Koshkonong Oaks." The first Norwegian Lutheran worship service in America was conducted under the oak trees by Lake Koshkonong near Madison, Wisconsin in 1844. The shaft of the mace has three bands over what looks to be "roots" connecting the top to the bottom. This is reminiscent of Scandinavian/Viking carving, something that connects Bethany to the old world and its Norwegian-American cultural origins. At the base of the shaft is a small piece of the old Bethany gates. These gates had been part of the foundation of a planned conservatory next to Old Main that was never fi nished. Inset in the top of the mace is a bronze casting of the college seal.