Ivy Day (United States)

{{Short description|Ceremonial occasion at some colleges}} {{Infobox organization | image = IvyBates College.jpg | caption = Ivy growing on the side of Hathorn Hall, featuring respective classes' Ivy Stones | formation = | type = University and college tradition | footnotes = Founded in 1873 | name = Ivy Day | named_after = The ivy plant, Hedera | region_served = New England, Northeastern United States | founding_location = }}

'''Ivy Day''' is a series of annual ceremonies in which an '''ivy stone''' is placed on either a residential, academic or administrative building or ground to commemorate academic excellence. The ceremony is most known for being practiced among older colleges in the Northeastern United States. It is most associated with the Ivy League and a group of small liberal arts college known as the Little Ivies. Some institutions announce members of Phi Beta Kappa and specialized honor designations for students.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.smith.edu/events/commencement.php|title=Smith College: Events|website=www.smith.edu|access-date=2016-05-31|archive-date=2016-05-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531221023/http://www.smith.edu/events/commencement.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some classes donate to the college, in the form of gates, facades, and door outlines,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://innocents.unl.edu/ivy-day-0|title=Ivy Day {{!}} Innocents Society {{!}} University of Nebraska–Lincoln|last=Network|first=University of Nebraska-Lincoln {{!}} Web Developer|website=innocents.unl.edu|access-date=2016-05-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826142543/http://innocents.unl.edu/ivy-day-0|archive-date=2016-08-26|url-status=dead}}</ref> by inscribing or creating their own version of symbolic icons of the college's seal or other prominent insignia. The ivy stones are usually decorated with the graduation date and a symbol that represents the college as a whole or the class as a whole. The most common ivy stone is one-by-two feet and is usually made out of workable stone.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/pennhistory/ivystones/ivystones.ica.html|title=Penn History-ICA Ivy Stone Brochure|website=www.library.upenn.edu|access-date=2016-05-31}}</ref>

On occasion students have featured prominent alumni on their class on ivy stones or have selected to feature an engraving of a member of their graduating class. Since 1866 at Princeton, and later at other colleges, students have unveiled class ivy stones at the annual ivy day preceding commencement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The American Ivy Society, Inc. |url=http://www.ivy.org/about_bv12.htm |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=www.ivy.org}}</ref> Students may also have a selective procession prior to the official commencement walk to honor each stone being placed on the buildings. On some occasions students plant ivy in front or on the side of their ivy stones.<ref name="auto">[http://www.bates.edu/x61823.xml Bates College website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414113219/http://www.bates.edu/x61823.xml|date=2009-04-14}} (accessed February 27, 2009)</ref> Students are known to give speeches at Ivy Day to commemorate their time and work at the college.<ref>[http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/pennhistory/ivystones/ivystones.ica.html UPENN website] (accessed February 27, 2009)</ref> At Tulane University, the medical school also participates in Ivy Day, likely given the fact that Tulane was founded first as a medical school.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-05 |title=Tulane University - School of Medicine - ivy-day |url=https://tulane.edu/som/student-affairs/graduation/ivy-day.cfm |access-date=2023-10-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305194216/https://tulane.edu/som/student-affairs/graduation/ivy-day.cfm |archive-date=2016-03-05 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" ! colspan="7" |Ivy Day events |- !School !Location !Type !Founding !Years participated !Ivy League !Little Ivy |- |Bates College |Lewiston, Maine |Private |1855 |1879–1973; 1976–present<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-04-14 |title=Bates College {{!}} Scene Again |url=http://www.bates.edu/x61823.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414113219/http://www.bates.edu/x61823.xml |archive-date=2009-04-14 |access-date=2023-10-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=|first=|date=2006-05-04 |title=The Class of 1975 joins the ivy stone tradition |url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2006/05/04/ivy-stone/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=News |language=en}}</ref> | |20x20px |- |Bowdoin College |Brunswick, Maine |Private |1794 |1865–present<ref>{{Cite web |title=History and Traditions |url=https://www.bowdoin.edu/about/history-traditions/index.html |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=Bowdoin College |language=en}}</ref> (except 1877)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Columbia Daily Spectator 1 July 1877 — Columbia Spectator |url=https://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/?a=d&d=cs18770701-01.2.15&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-%22ivy+day%22----1877-- |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu}}</ref> | |20x20px |- |Columbia University |New York, New York |Private |1754 |1875–1918<ref>{{Cite news |title=CLASS DAY AT COLUMBIA COLLEGE. |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.comhttp//timesmachine.content-tagging.us-east-1-01.prd.dvsp.nyt.net/timesmachine/1875/06/15/91671387.html?pageNumber=7 |access-date=2023-10-09 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=of 1918 |first=Columbia College (Columbia University) Class |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t58_AAAAYAAJ&q=ivy |title=Senior Year Book, 1918 |date=1918 |language=en}}</ref> |20x20px | |- |Princeton University |Princeton, New Jersey |Private |1746 |1866–present<ref>{{Cite web |title=The American Ivy Society, Inc. |url=http://www.ivy.org/about_bv12.htm |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=www.ivy.org}}</ref> |20x20px | |- |Smith College |Northampton, Massachusetts |Private |1871 |1884–present<ref>{{Cite web |title=Smith College Commencement & Ivy Day Traditions |url=https://www.smith.edu/news-events/events/commencement/commencement-ivy-day-traditions |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=www.smith.edu |language=en}}</ref> | | |- |Tulane University |New Orleans, Louisiana |Private |1834 |1909–present<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ivy Day |url=https://medicine.tulane.edu/graduation/ivy-day |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=Medicine |language=en}}</ref> | | |- |University of Nebraska–Lincoln |Lincoln, Nebraska |Public |1869 |1901–present<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adam |first=Suzanna |date=2006-07-10 |title=Ivy Days echo from UNL's past |url=https://www.dailynebraskan.com/ivy-days-echo-from-unls-past/article_eb4b7765-d327-5244-a792-6696465c1558.html |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=The Daily Nebraskan |language=en}}</ref> | | |- |University of Pennsylvania |Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |Private |1740 |1873–present<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-03-01 |title=Penn History-ICA Ivy Stone Brochure |url=https://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/pennhistory/ivystones/ivystones.ica.html |access-date=2023-10-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301103107/https://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/pennhistory/ivystones/ivystones.ica.html |archive-date=2017-03-01 }}</ref> |20x20px | |- |Williams College |Williamstown, Massachusetts |Private |1793 |1862–present<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-01 |title=Williams College Ivy Exercises |url=https://commencement.williams.edu/files/2024_Ivy_Exercises.pdf}}</ref> | |20x20px |} As part of the modern college admissions process, the term "Ivy Day" also refers to the day in late March where the Ivy League universities release their admissions decisions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dickler |first=Jessica |date=2023-03-30 |title=On 'Ivy Day,' college hopefuls hear from Harvard, Princeton — but here's the school more students want to attend |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/30/ivy-day-dartmouth-harvard-princeton-announce-admissions-decisions.html |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links ==

* [http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002cmgc5 Image of University of Southern California students marching on Ivy Day, Los Angeles, 1926.] Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Category:School traditions Category:Ceremonies in the United States Category:Bates College Category:Bowdoin College Category:Columbia University Category:University of Nebraska–Lincoln events Category:Princeton University Category:Smith College Category:Tulane University Category:University of Pennsylvania