History of the Seal

The University of Texas Board of Regents adopted the university seal in 1905. The central feature is the shield form that is divided into an upper white section and a lower orange to signify the university's colors. A wreath and the star of the Great Seal of the State of Texas are in the lower field. An open book, symbolizing an institution of higher learning is in the white field. The shield rests within a circle of blue, the color of sincerity containing the motto "Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis" or "Cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy."

The right half of the wreath is an olive branch, the left half, a live oak branch. The shade of orange is from the orange used in the arch over the entrance to the Student Union Building in Austin.

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