2023 Winter Commencement Program

A Brief History of Millersville

Millersville has the distinction of being Pennsylvania’s first state-owned university, founded in 1855 as a normal school. In the mid-19th century, normal schools were developed throughout the East as a way to train teachers for the country’s fast-growing new public schools. In Lancaster County, James P. Wickersham was in charge of the public schools and was convinced of the need for training programs for teachers. He held his own program, a teachers institute, in the little borough of Millersville. After its success, he then convinced the town fathers who had built the school to permit it to be used instead as a permanent normal school.

For the next 100 years, Millersville’s purpose was to prepare teachers, and it did so with great success. Its reputation as an institution of excellence was established during the period when it was operating two-year and later four-year programs to prepare the individuals who taught the children of this Commonwealth.

Over the years, the school’s name changed several times. Wickersham called it the Lancaster County Normal School. In 1859, when it was four years old, the school was officially recognized by the state legislature, and its name became The First Pennsylvania State Normal School. That lengthy title was gradually changed by usage to Millersville State Normal School. It was known by several other names before 1959, when the name was changed to Millersville State College, and soon to follow were a great many new four-year baccalaureate programs in the arts and sciences. Also added were master’s degree programs, at first in teacher education and later in many other fields. On July 1, 1983, the college became Millersville University of Pennsylvania, and the 14 state-owned colleges became the State System of Higher Education.

Millersville University Today

During Millersville’s evolution from a normal school to a university, its reputation as a good training ground for teachers has not diminished. Teacher certification programs are available across all schools in Special Education, Elementary and Early Childhood Education, a wide selection of Secondary Education programs, Technology and Engineering Education, Art Education and Music Education.

The College of Education and Human Services is home to the following departments: Educational Foundations; Early, Middle and Exceptional Education; Psychology; and Wellness and Sport Sciences, as well as the School of Social Work.

The College of Science and Technology is comprised of the following departments: Applied Engineering, Safety & Technology; Biology; Chemistry; Computer Science; Earth Sciences; Geography; Mathematics; Wehrheim School of Nursing and Physics. Offerings in the health fields include Respiratory Therapy; Medical Technology; Nuclear Medicine Technology; Pre-Athletic Training; Pre-Med; Pre-Optometry; Pre-Pharmacy and Pre-Podiatry.

The College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is the home of the liberal arts disciplines in humanities and social sciences, including the departments of Art and Design; Communication and Theatre; Criminology, Sociology and Anthropology; Economics; English and World Languages; Government, Policy and Law; History; Language and Culture Studies; and Philosophy, as well as the Tell School of Music. The College also offers interdisciplinary programs in African American Studies, Entrepreneurship, International Studies, Latina/o Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies.

Originally established in 2019, the Lombardo College of Business offers majors in Accounting, Business Administration, Finance, Management and Marketing. The College was officially named in 2020 in recognition of Dr. Samuel and Mrs. Dena Lombardo’s generosity to both the College and University. This is the first named college in Millersville’s 166-year history.

The College of Graduate Studies and Adult Learning was established in fall 2009 following 50 years of graduate program offerings. Today, Millersville offers more than 50 graduate degree and certification programs, and three doctoral programs that serve the needs of adult learners in our community and beyond.

University College was established at the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year and is comprised of Academic Advisement and Student Development, the Center for Public Scholarship and Social Change, the Center for Civic Responsibility and Leadership, Experiential Learning and Career Management (ELCM), the Francine G. McNairy Library and Learning Forum, Integrated Studies, Multidisciplinary Studies, the Office of Learning Services, Starfish, Success Coaching, the University Honors College and the Writing Center.

The University’s curriculum is continuously studied and adjusted to allow for the development of programs to meet the needs of students. Millersville University’s Multidisciplinary Studies (MDST) major is an innovative and flexible program of study that allows students to tailor studies to meet their academic strengths and career goals with careful advisement.

Integrated Studies is an individualized postsecondary education course of study for individuals with intellectual disability that leads to social and professional networks, careers and bright futures. Students receive support from trained personnel, including coaches, mentors, faculty and staff.

Millersville’s excellent reputation extends beyond the classroom as well. It has outstanding athletic, intramural and recreational programs. It offers a wide range of cultural activities for both educational and entertainment purposes. The Winter Visual and Performing Arts Center houses the Tell School of Music and state-of-the-art facilities, including performance and recital halls, recording suites and piano labs. The Ware Center in downtown Lancaster offers space for academic studies as well as elegant performance areas and cultural events programs.

The 250-acre main campus is well-tended, and the park-like area around the campus pond is regarded as a special place by students where they can sit and enjoy the outdoors and watch the swans, Miller and S’Ville.

All of these factors contribute to a good deal of pride at Millersville University—pride that parents and friends of graduates rightfully share.

ACADEMIC SYMBOLISM

Academic ceremonies are steeped in centuries-old ritual. The elaborate trappings contribute to the pageantry and dignity of the occasion, and convey the continuity of academic tradition from medieval times to the present. Incorporating these traditions unites Millersville University with the community of scholars and institutions of higher learning.

THE ACADEMIC PROCESSION
The academic procession that begins and ends most academic ceremonies is a descendant of the clerical procession. Millersville University’s procession, formed in ranks of two, is led by one of the most senior faculty carrying the University mace, followed by the candidates for degrees, the University faculty, the Council of Trustees and platform party, and the University president and guest speaker.

THE MACE
The staff carried at the front of the academic procession is called a mace and represents the authority of the Office of the President.

THE UNIVERSITY SEAL
Millersville University’s seal, a gift of the Class of 1916, is worn on a gold chain by the University president.

ACADEMIC ATTIRE
The academic regalia has always consisted of three parts: the gown, the hood and the cap. It has traditionally been worn at academic ceremonies as a record of the academic achievement of the participants. Its use originated in the Middle Ages, when all undergraduates were required to wear clerical robes, since students were expected to enter the ranks of the clergy. In this country, a color system was adopted in 1893 to identify the academic discipline in which the degree was earned. Some of the most frequently seen hood colors, and the field of learning represented by each, are white, arts and letters; light blue, education; dark blue, philosophy; golden yellow, science; copper, economics; scarlet, theology; and pink, music. The tassels for bachelor’s and master’s degrees are usually black, while the tassel of the doctorate cap is usually gold.