124th Founders’ Day (Virtual)
Oct. 8, 2020
Building for the Future: Strong & Resilient
This year’s Founders’ Day theme is “Building for the Future: Strong and Resilient,” and focuses on the challenges we have all overcome during the past several months while laying a strong foundation for the University’s future. On a day where we would normally celebrate in person, remember that we remain together as one University of Montevallo, moving forward to meet the moment.
This virtual ceremony is available on the University of Montevallo YouTube channel.
Seniors, it is time to officially don the robes that mark your entry into the Community of Scholars. Our Provost, Dr. Mary Beth Armstrong, will lead the investiture of the senior class and robe your class president. Then, it will be time to put on your academic armor and finish the journey you began several years ago.
To mark this milestone for our seniors, a photo frame will be installed in front of Palmer Hall. Stop by Oct. 7-9 in your robe and take a snapshot to share on social media using #IBelongAtMontevallo. Please remember to adhere to face-mask and social-distancing guidelines. We encourage all members of the campus community to also pose and post! To order your cap and gown, use the following link: montevallo.shopoakhalli.com/
Although we will not be shoulder-to-shoulder that day, belonging is a feeling that we carry in our heart and head, no matter where we are.
Digital Backgrounds
Zoom and Computer Desktop Backgrounds
To add a background to your Zoom account, download the image to your computer. Right click on “Download Background” underneath the image and click on “Save Link As” to download the image.
Once you’ve downloaded the background image, open Zoom. Click the arrow near the video icon at the bottom left. Select “Choose a virtual background.” Here you can upload the image and set it as your background.
Phone Wallpapers
To add one of these images to your phone, download the image on your device. Tap or press on the image and wait for your device to prompt you to download it to your phone.
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The Tradition of Founders’ Day
Each year, on the second Thursday of October, the establishment of the University is celebrated on campus at Founders’ Day convocation.
Originally founded on Oct. 12, 1896, as the Alabama Girls’ Industrial School, UM has developed over the course of a century into the state’s premier public liberal arts institution.
The annual ceremony begins at 11 a.m. with UM faculty, clad in their processional regalia, leading graduating seniors into Palmer Hall. For seniors, Founders’ Day marks their first opportunity to officially don their black graduation robes with the Investiture of the Senior Class.
Investiture of the Senior Class
An annual tradition, the seniors march across Main Quad into the ceremony in Palmer Auditorium with graduation gowns in hand. Toward the end of the Founders’ Day convocation, the senior students rise as one and slip on their robes while family, friends, alumni, faculty and staff applaud in approval. This symbolizes the achievements each student has made in their academic endeavors to reach the point of graduation.