Pomp with Purpose: Faculty Reflections

Rachmi Diyah Larasati, Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies

What does wearing your academic regalia mean to you personally?

For me, it is a symbol of a journey that began nearly 28 years ago, when I said goodbye to my family and set out for the US. Donning the regalia feels like being wrapped in a comforting embrace, a reminder that I am part of a vibrant community, especially among the graduate students I hold close to my heart. It connects me to a rich tradition of learning and to my mentor at the University of California, who gifted it to me. The wisdom passed down to me now guides my thoughts and inspires what I offer in return.

What is your favorite part of commencement ceremonies?

What I treasure most about Commencement is walking alongside students and sharing the meaningful moment of hooding. In those moments, I feel a profound connection to our community, celebrating each student and the unique journey that led them here. Every student deserves a genuine, heartfelt send-off that truly honors all they have accomplished.

What is one piece of wisdom you want every graduating student to take with them?

If I were to sum up my academic journey in three words, they would be persistence, conscience, and potential. It is about forging ahead with determination, honoring my own boundaries, and letting knowledge open doors to new possibilities. My advice to every graduating student is to be gentle with yourself and honor your boundaries as you move forward. The world is wide and eager for your unique gifts. I started from a difficult place and found my path. You can find yours, too.

Elisia Cohen, Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication

What does wearing your academic regalia mean to you personally?

I purchased my academic regalia after I was promoted to full professor from the University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The training and mentoring that I received there launched my professional career, and I have fond memories of my cohort of graduate students who remain my closest friends in the field. I love seeing other robes like mine from USC, knowing that we are part of the same academic family.

What is one piece of wisdom you want every graduating student to take with them?

I always tell my advisees to think about and visualize the career they want to have, and to "be that job." Identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences that you need to do it well and then go after that. If you love working in communities, for example, find meaningful ways to conduct teaching and research that helps you connect with the new community that you find yourself in. If you love trying out innovative ideas in the classroom, volunteer in classrooms, seek outside professional development, and lean into opportunities where you can test new ideas and approaches in diverse instructional settings. 

What’s the most surprising or rewarding thing a student has ever taught you?

When you spend years in academic leadership, it is easy to get caught up in the institutional budgets, strategic plans, and curriculum models. But the most rewarding thing a student ever taught me was a lesson in staying true to purpose. During the height of the pandemic, when the world and the university shifted overnight, I watched our student journalists and faculty researchers operate under immense pressure. They completely reimagined how to gather news, analyze data, and tell vital stories when the physical world was locked down. They taught me that the core values of our discipline—ethics, truth-seeking, and a commitment to the public good—are not tied to traditional newsrooms or physical classrooms. They are both portable and passionately protected by the incoming generation. Our students who were reporting on social unrest during the pandemic and more recently in January 2025 taught me and reminded me that our job as teachers is to build a flexible learning environment that empowers students to create new ways of learning and connecting, and to lead with agility.

Regalia and Rituals

Regalia refers to the official, formal, and ceremonial clothing, emblems, or insignia worn by people of a certain rank, office, or society. We often use it today to talk about academic regalia—graduation caps and gowns.

Academic gowns date back to the 14th century, when they served two functions of nearly equal importance: to indicate the academic rank of the wearer and to keep the scholar warm in the drafty stone halls of academia. 

The markings, cut, and colors of the modern-day academic costume—cap, gown, and sometimes hood—indicate the academic degree, the field of study, and the institution that granted the degree. At commencement ceremonies those who already have a doctoral degree wear hoods. Degree candidates wear the gowns appropriate for the degrees they are about to receive, and new doctorates are hooded on stage. 

Bachelor’s degree gowns are black and untrimmed. A tassel hanging from the mortar board worn on the head is color-coded by college at the University of Minnesota. The College of Liberal Arts' tassel is white. Honors graduates wear a medallion adorned with a maroon and gold ribbon. Graduates with High Distinction wear maroon and gold cords. Graduates with Distinction wear gold cords. President’s Emerging Scholars (a program for select undergraduate students with diverse backgrounds and characteristics) wear a purple cord. Students who have completed CLA’s Career Readiness Certificate program wear a silver cord. 

Master’s degree gowns, black and untrimmed, have pointed sleeves. Doctoral gowns in the United States traditionally have been black with velvet front facings and crossbars on the sleeves but in recent years a number of universities have adopted gowns of distinctive school colors. 

The Minnesota hood, which may be worn by anyone with a doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota, is black with maroon chevron on gold. Each institution has its own pattern of colors on the hood, worn around the neck and down the back of the gown. The length and shape of the hood identify the most advanced degree the wearer has earned, and the velvet edging shows the field: blue for doctor of philosophy, light blue for doctor of education, and pink for doctor of musical arts.