What is a Baccalaureate Service?
The Baccalaureate Service is a medieval tradition that incorporates the custom of presenting the candidates for the degree of bachelor (bacci) with the laurels (lauri) of sermonic oration. Legend states that the baccalaureate ceremony can be traced as far back as a statute dated 1432 at Oxford University that required each bachelor degree candidate to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of his academic exercise. Because the earliest institutions of higher learning in this country were founded primarily to educate clergy, the British practice of a baccalaureate service has continued. Today, the baccalaureate service is a farewell address delivered as a sermon to a graduating class, and as an institution of faith, Reinhardt continues to celebrate this tradition. For more information on baccalaureate, please contact: The Rev. Leigh S. Martin Campus Chaplain The Norman W. Paschall Office of Campus Ministry 770-720-5634 fax 770-720-5538 LSM@reinhardt.
A baccalaureate service is a traditional event associated with graduation services. Baccalaureate Service is usually associated with higher education, such as college and university, however high school graduations may also include a baccalaureate service. There are different interpretations of the etymology of the name for a Baccalaureate Service. According to some, bacca is said to come from bachelor, and lauri is said to denote oration. Another interpretation as to the etymology of the term baccalaureate points to the tradition of bestowing laurel plants upon those scholars who have earned a bachelor’s degree. In this case, the name is said to come from bacca or berry, and laureatus, or crowned with branches of bay laurel leaves. In either of these cases, there is a connection between speech giving, bestowing laurels, and bachelor’s degrees, and the interpretations are not mutually exclusive. The event is considered a typically American event, and is a traditional part of American g
A Baccalaureate Service is a worship service for graduating Seniors. Attendance is voluntary. It is not in any way a school sponsored event. The Baccalaureate service is a multi-faith occasion of thanksgiving and celebration for the completion of high school. It is a traditional religious observance associated with graduation from high school. The service is intended to incorporate a variety of traditions and perspectives.
