Commencement Tradition: The Symbolism of International Sashes (Video)

By Purnell T. Cropper | June 21, 2013

In 2003, Arcadia University started a Commencement tradition—group photos of students who participated in a global experience. In the photos, and during graduate and undergraduate Commencement ceremonies, students can be seen wearing study abroad sashes representing the country or countries in which they had an academic experience.

In the video, Dr. Josh Blustein, Professor of Psychology, who takes the annual photos, reflects on the tradition. View Commencement photos.

International Learning Experiences

The undergraduate Class of 2013 studied in more than 30 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belize, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica, England, France, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Wales. Graduating international students hailed from Ireland, Nepal, Pakistan, and Tanzania.

Graduate students participated in international academic experiences in Australia, Belize, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominica, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, Netherlands, Rwanda, Scotland, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, and Ukraine.

Graduating master’s- and doctoral-level international students hailed from Belgium, Bolivia, China, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. More than 90 students from the Republic of Singapore graduated from the International M.B.A. program.