Traditions of Excellence

A ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood that originated in the Ancient Near East as far back as the Stone Age. The mace was intended to be a symbol of rank and authority, with some of the earliest ceremonial maces being used as weapons carried by Sergeants-at-Arms to protect their Kings during Medieval times. Processions often feature maces, and in academic settings they are typically carried at the front of the faculty line.

The Lansing Community College (LCC) mace is 42 inches in length and made up of four components: the upper finial, the head, the staff, and the lower finial. The finial on top of the LCC Mace is a nod to the State Capitol Building which is adjacent to our Downtown and founding campus in Lansing, MI. The wood throughout the mace, with the exception of the circular top, is from Lansing High School, later known as Old Central, which was LCC’s first building when founded. The head of the mace is round with gloss finished and lacquer coated Poplar wood as the base. The official seal of the college is inset into this wood on the front of the mace and a previous college medallion that includes materials from buildings across campus is inset on the back. The LCC Vision Statement and founding year are milled into the ring plate. The staff of the mace is forged entirely from Old Central Wood; revived, strengthened and connected with ground and polished metal. The lower finial of the staff is polished metal with four etched stars encircling the round end.

The LCC mace was produced internally by LCC staff from across campus. The design was developed by Bruce Mackley, Director of Marketing and Communications, the Old Central wood was prepared by Brad Latusek, Facilities and fabricated at our West Campus by Todd Cotter, Brian Skogheim and the Precision Machining team.

The official bearer of the College Mace at the annual Commencement ceremony is the individual selected for the current year's Experience StarPower Provost's Award. The Provost's Award is bestowed annually upon the faculty member recognized as the Faculty of the Year during our Awards Showcase.

In the event that the Provost's Award recipient is unable to fulfill this role, the responsibility will then fall to the current Academic Senate President.

Both individuals chosen for these roles exemplify the dedication, excellence, and leadership that are hallmarks of our institution, and we look forward to their contributions to our commencement ceremony.