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The Vice President and University Secretary is responsible for the administration of matters related to the Board of Trustees, its standing committees and visiting committees, including the official record of actions considered and taken by the Board of Trustees and its committees, providing staff support for the Board of Trustees and its committees, and is the liaison between the Board and the University Administration. Government Relations and University Archives and Records Management report to the Vice President and University Secretary. The office also oversees commencement.

University Seal

The University Seal has represented the University of Delaware throughout much of its long history. The University of Delaware traces its origins to the free school founded by the Reverend Francis Alison in 1743 in nearby New London, Pennsylvania. Alison’s school was the predecessor of the Newark Academy, established in the 1760s. The Seal itself dates back to 1833, when Newark College was founded and the original Board of Trustees selected the Treasurer to obtain a seal for their use. In 1843, when Newark College was renamed Delaware College, the University Seal served as the official emblem. The seal briefly disappeared during the closure of Delaware College from 1859-1870, but later turned up in Philadelphia and was recovered by the college from a pawnbroker’s shop. The University Seal is used on all official documents of the university.

The design of the University Seal has not changed since 1833. The seal is circular, with an open book at its center. Eight courses of study (GRAMM – Grammar, PHILOL – Philosophy, RHETOR – Rhetoric, ETHICA – Ethics, METAPH – Metaphysics, LOGICA – Logic, MATHEM – Mathematics, and PHYSICA – Physics) are listed on the seal, and rays of light radiate outward from behind the book. Beneath the book is the University’s motto: Scientia Sol Mentis Est, meaning “Knowledge is the light of the mind.” An outer circle contains a Latin inscription, “Seal of the University of Delaware,” and the date 1743, the year of the founding of Allison’s New London school. The wording of this inscription has changed twice as the institution’s name has changed, from Newark College to Delaware College in 1843 and to the University of Delaware in 1921.