Mo Lovegreen, the Department’s Executive Officer, was presented with a pin commemorating her 20 years of staff service to UCSB on Sept. 30. Mo was an Assistant Dean at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management before joining the Geography Department in January of 2004. While some predictably frivolous comments were made about her staff service award, the pin isn’t “just a pin”—it replicates the Seal of the University of California which, like Mo herself, also has an interesting background.
In 1884, the first University of California Board of Regents adopted a resolution stating: “The corporate seal of the Regents shall be of the size of a Mexican dollar, and the legend around the rim shall be: ‘University of California—Organized 1868.’ And the motto shall be: ‘Let there be light’.” The original artwork, commissioned from Tiffany & Co., was destroyed in the great San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906. In 1908, The Regents again contracted with Tiffany for the creation of a new design incorporating a five-pointed star and, in 1910, chose the design still used today (for more on the history of the UC Seal, see http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/graphicresources/history.php).
The “unofficial” seal (shown at right) is the mark used in all official UC publications and branding efforts, from annual reports to business cards—not to mention staff service awards! Just as the UC seal symbolizes a mission of teaching, research, so the 20 year pin symbolizes the university’s appreciation of Mo’s dedication to that mission—and the Geography Department is indeed fortunate to have her dedication, expertise, and experience.
.jpg)
