The Morgan State University Presidential Chain of Office is bestowed upon each President of the University at an official inauguration ceremony and is worn by the President at Commencement and all official occasions requiring the wearing of academic regalia. It is a permanent insignia of office and is passed down to each succeeding president of the University.
The Morgan State University Presidential Chain of Office is cast in bronze with an antique patina and consists of a chain of 1 1/2-inch medallions engraved with the names of the presidents of the institution and the four periods and dates in its evolution: Centenary Biblical Institute, Morgan College, Morgan State College and Morgan State University. The medallions for the current and past presidents drape around the front, and the medallions noting the periods in the history of the institution drape around the back of the academic regalia. Near the bottom of the Chain are two banners with laurel leaves, attached to two round medallions bearing the official logo of the University. At the bottom of the Chain is a banner, crested with laurel leaves, bearing the inscription President, below which sits the official Presidential Medallion, a 3-inch round medal with a double-faced design embossed in bas-relief with the Seal of the University and its colors on the front and engraved with the University logo on the verso plane. Below the Presidential Medallion is a banner inscribed with the name of the current President.
The Presidential Chain was designed by the Inauguration Committee for Morgan’s Tenth Inaugurated President, Dr. David Wilson, in collaboration with the Office of Public Relations and Communications, and crafted by Medallic Art Company of Northwest Territorial Mint in Dayton, Neva- da, in 2010. It was donated by Dr. Clara I. Adams, Morgan State University Class of 1954, Special Assistant to the President, and Mr. Wilbert L. Walker, Morgan State University Class of 1950.