SMU has three generations of gonfalons. The first gonfalons, inaugurated in 1978 under the direction of Chief Marshal Lorn Howard and approval of Provost James E. Brooks, were made of velvet in each of the school colors with the discipline of each school and SMU logo stitched in white felt. In 1978, SMU had six gonfalons - Arts, Business, Engineering, Law, The College, and Theology.
Commencement not only includes academic protocol and traditional costume, but also symbolic elements of the academy and of the procession and ceremony. Among the most visible of these symbols are the gonfalons.
Gonfalons, ceremonial banners or flags suspended from a crossbar, have descended from medieval Italy where they were used as symbols of office or state. They have been adopted by many universities to enhance the ceremonial nature of the commencement exercises, and to designate each of the colleges or groups within a university.
At SMU, the honor of carrying a gonfalon is awarded to the student with the highest grade point average in each college. Standard bearers, as they are referred to on our campus, march at the head of their college during the procession, similar to athletes in the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games. The gonfalons separate each college as the graduating students file onto the floor of Moody Coliseum during the procession.
