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A Medallion is given to a new President to represent a transfer of the responsibility of office and an obligation to promote and maintain the values represented by the institution.  The Presidential Medallion, designed by Northern Art Professor Audrey Schmitz, incorporates elements of the college seal as well as including the following:

• The flame represents the torch of learning passed to students throughout generations.  As Socrates once said, “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”
• The column reflects the ancient origins of Greek architecture as exhibited in Wilkin and Harold Hall.  It also symbolizes the history of liberal arts education in the Classical world.
• The border reflects an Ivy League tradition in Northern’s association with Harvard University, the alma mater of Northern’s second president and the source from which Northern’s first president brought back the ivy to decorate the campus in its early form as UPS.  Because of this history, Northern was known as the “Little Harvard on the Prairie.”   The Border was designed by gathering real leaves from the centennial clock tower on campus.
•  The stars in the border represent the three campuses of 91���� in Tonkawa, Enid, and Stillwater.