Historical Significance of Mace
 Originally a weapon of offense used in medieval warfare by a king or a noble,
the mace has been refined to a symbolic device used on ceremonial
occasions. The mace, as an academic symbol, dates back to 16th
century England when Queen Elizabeth I presented a replica of her
own royal mace to the corporation of the University of Oxford. She
ordered that it be used in all ceremonies to represent the royal
presence and the authority given to the university to grant degrees
under the royal insignia. King Charles I made a similar gift to
Cambridge University in 1625.
Robert E. Burns, Pacific president from 1946-1971, asked Stuart
Devlin, an internationally known London silver designer, to create
the University of the Pacific Mace. It was commissioned in
recognition of the University’s transition from a college to a
university with several colleges and professional schools that were
to be modeled after Oxford and Cambridge. It was first used at a
Founders Day ceremony on March 6, 1966, and is constructed entirely
of silver with a gold plated seal of the University in its head. The
mace is approximately four feet long and weights 15 pounds. It was a
gift from Mrs. Winifred Olson Raney, a regent of the University. The
mace is displayed at all official University functions and generally
is carried by the chair of the Academic Council at Convocation and
Commencement ceremonies.
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