Buying an academic hood can be surprisingly complicated. A graduate may know the school colors, degree and graduation Bachelors gown color and still not have enough information to select the correct hood. Why? Because an academic hood can communicate several different pieces of academic information at the same time. Depending on the institution and academic-dress

For professors, commencement is different from attending graduation as a student. A faculty member may spend several hours in academic dress, walk in a formal procession, sit on stage, present awards, hood doctoral candidates, represent an academic department or participate in multiple ceremonies during the same commencement weekend. That means choosing faculty regalia involves more

Walk into almost any university commencement and the faculty section can look remarkably diverse. One professor may be wearing a traditional black doctoral gown and velvet tam. Another may have a brightly colored university-specific gown. A third may be wearing master’s academic dress with a mortarboard. Are all of these examples faculty regalia? Potentially, yes.

For many professors, academic regalia becomes part of professional life long after their own graduation ceremony. Faculty members may wear academic dress at commencement, convocation, doctoral hooding ceremonies, academic installations and other formal university events. A professor who participates regularly may eventually decide that owning a personal set of academic regalia is more convenient than

Students are the center of commencement, but professors are an important part of the ceremony as well. Faculty members may process into the venue, sit with academic departments, participate in doctoral hooding, serve as marshals, present graduates or join the platform party. That creates an important practical question for new and experienced faculty alike: What