What is Convocation?
“Convocation” is a word often used on the campuses of colleges and universities in the United States, but it can designate many different types of ceremonies. In its simplest form, the word convocation means “the act or process of calling an assembly of persons to a meeting.” When it pertains to a college or university, it normally refers to some type of ceremonial gathering.
Cameron University held its first Convocation in the early 1980s. Back then, the ceremony brought together faculty for a rededication of the university’s academic mission. Faculty were celebrated, students and staff who were members of various on-campus honor societies were recognized, and the university honored an individual – whether they be an alumnus, a Lawtonian, someone from the southwest part of Oklahoma, or a state political or civic leader – whose actions had benefitted or furthered Cameron University’s mission, or generally promoted higher education.
Over the years, the format transitioned to include student speakers, but the event itself retained some of the traditional ceremonial elements common to Cameron’s celebrations … a processional, the wearing of academic regalia, the parade of banners denoting each department on campus, national flags recognizing the homes of our international students, and the presence of the mace carried by the head of the faculty senate.
The year 2020 saw a major change to Cameron University’s Convocation, partly due to COVID-19’s impact on the gathering of large groups, but also because administrators sought input from students and faculty on how the ceremony could best represent the university and its Aggie family. In place of an in-person ceremony, students were recognized during a virtual ceremony. Whether additional modifications are made after the pandemic abates remains to be seen, but regardless of the format, Convocation will continue to celebrate Cameron University’s mission and the best and brightest of its student scholars.
