Cambridge College
Massachusetts
1971
Detailed historical information about the blue and white colors of Cambridge College is not available at this time, but the college’s blue is typically a medium shade of “true blue”.
Cambridge College was founded in 1971 at a time the Intercollegiate Bureau of Academic Costume (IBAC) was floundering. Cotrell & Leonard, the academic costume manufacturing company that was home to the Bureau, was experiencing severe financial problems and would go bankrupt in 1980. As a result, the Bureau does not seem to have ever assigned the college an official hood lining pattern.
Cambridge appears to be using a hood lined white with a blue chevron. Unfortunately this is the hood lining pattern the Bureau assigned to Virginia Theological Seminary and College (today known as “Virginia University of Lynchburg”) as late as 1912.
Today Cambridge College has adopted a “custom” doctoral gown that is blue with black velvet facings and sleeve bars edged with white piping. Two embroidered patches of the college seal are sewn to the upper part of the gown’s facings. The hood is of a standard pattern, with black exterior fabric. Shown above and to the left are photographs of this gown with a Doctor of Education hood from the University Cap & Gown Company (Balfour).
To avoid duplicating the hood lining of Virginia University of Lynchburg, the Intercollegiate Registry of Academic Costume has reassigned Cambridge College a hood lined white with two medium blue chevrons, a lining pattern used by no other college or university.