Unveiled at President Cantwell's Investiture, New University Mace is Truly One of a Kind

Design concepts for a reimagination of the Utah State University mace began flowing in the fall of 2023. The university mace is a cherished symbol of academic authority, tradition and excellence, playing a central role in ceremonial events and fostering a sense of pride and belonging within the university. It was unveiled on April 12 during USU President Elizabeth R. Cantwell’s Investiture ceremony.

The university’s previous mace — crafted out of a white oak banister saved from Old Main after the 1983 fire — was heavy, had fallen into disrepair, and no longer reflected the heritage of USU. With president Cantwell’s Investiture followed closely by the university’s 2024 Commencement ceremony, it was the perfect time to reimagine the mace.

“This piece is an innovation in itself,” said Joseph Needham, head goldsmith of S.E. Needham Jewelers, who consulted with the university for months and provided materials, at cost, to bring the idea to fruition. “The amount of detail put into the mace is not common. The personalization — including the bulls, symbols of industry, words and other emblems are incredible. Crazy technology that didn't exist even just a few years ago made it possible. It is amazing.”

That technology included having the entire 42-inch mace 3D-printed into a single piece of aluminum. Once S.E. Needham received the completed 3D print back, they supplied the finish work, which included adding in engraved glass panes, LED lighting and gold plating.

“If I had any element of influence, it is this idea that the mace lights up,” USU President Elizabeth Cantwell said. “We looked at lots of different design elements and the idea of illuminating, lighting up, seemed like just such a lovely design element.

“If you look at other university maces, they're all over the map. You go back to the medieval times and they're many things, but having the illuminated ‘A,’ which is totally evocative of the ‘A’ on Old Main … this is a design element that USU has used for decades, and embodying it in the mace, I thought was a really, really cool idea.”

While S.E. Needham Jewelers brought the vision to life, the ideas for the design itself were largely the brainchild of Dennis Hassan, a professor of scene design at USU. He said the group really wanted to incorporate the university’s land-grant mission, as well as historical symbols reflective of USU and the entire state of Utah.

From beehives to thistle to sego lilies, to being topped with an “aggie” marble, the mace — which with the LED lighting resembles a lamp or torch more than anything else — does just that. Along with the state itself, USU is well-represented through lettering, as well as the previously mentioned illuminated “A” indicative of Old Main and glass windows patterned after that building’s famous tower.

“We wanted to create an heirloom piece. There are many maces that are unique and different, and really, that's where my specialization comes in,” Hassan said. “As a prop designer, I do a lot of historical pieces. So, to me, I didn't want this to look like something that was created right now. I wanted it to look like something that originated with the university and has a very historic feeling to it. This is a very special opportunity for me to do something that's an heirloom piece that will be used and enjoyed for generations.”

All parties involved said the opportunity to leave a legacy with USU was paramount.

“These objects are institutional, not personal,” Cantwell said. “They are about USU across the state of Utah and symbolize the rich traditions and values that bind us together as a scholarly community. The mace serves as a tangible reminder of our commitment to academic excellence, shared governance, and the pursuit of knowledge — and so, with that I sent a team off to go build a design that was enduring.”