The University of Colorado Mace was created for the commencement ceremony of May 1984 and was given to CU by Mr. and Mrs. David G. Hawthorn. The academic mace is carried by the marshal at public events such as commencements, inaugurations, and convocations.

The Mace was designed by Mary Sartor (B.F.A. 1967, M.F.A. 1971), owner of the Silverworks in Boulder. She was commissioned to design and construct the mace by the Hawthorns. The Mace is of a traditional battle mace form, but topped with a crown using royal sceptor forms. Both gold and silver, CU’s school colors, are incorporated into the design. The staff of the Mace is bound in silver rings at uneven intervals. The silver crown of the mace is capped with University of Colorado Seal in silver and bound in gold, and its base is inscribed with the University motto in Greek: “Let Your Light Shine.” The wooden staff of the Mace is 4 1/2 feet long and made from aged black walnut by woodcraftsman Arthur H. Franz, a retired staff member of CU. The original walnut tree, from Franz’s family ranch north of Fort Collins, is thought to have been among the saplings given to settlers of the Colorado Territory by President Abraham Lincoln.

The Chain of Office is worn by the president of the university. It was also commissioned by the Hawthorns and made by Mary Sartor. It was given to the University in 1980 for the inauguration of President Arnold R. Weber.

Colorado gold and silver, the University of Colorado school colors, are used throughout the chain to symbolize the importance of these minerals to the history of the state. The gem stones are all from Colorado and include diamonds, citrine, topaz, and amethyst. There are three pendants suspended from the chain, which in and of itself symbolizes the ever-changing circle of human knowledge. The pendants include the back pendant which is the seal of the State of Colorado and surrounded by a golden ribbon representing the circle of knowledge, the front top pendant which is the seal of CU- supported by laural wreaths to symbolize honor and success and surmounted by an arch set with diamond and topaz to signify the necessary link between the search for knowledge and its practical application to the world beyond the University, and the lower pendant which is centered with a golden topaz indicating man’s quest for knowledge. The lower pendant is surrounded by a ring set with fragmented cubes and diamonds to suggest fragments of knowledge which are tied to brilliant moments of understanding.