A Signature Tradition: Hartwick’s Matriculation Book Connects First-Year Students to Centuries of History

Each fall, as they begin their academic journey at Hartwick College, new students take part in one of the College’s most meaningful and enduring traditions: signing the Matriculation Book during Opening Convocation.

This tradition marks the ceremonial beginning of their time at Hartwick and by adding their names to the book, students commit to the values and expectations of the College.

The tradition began in 1977 under Hartwick’s seventh president, Dr. Philip S. Wilder, who was inspired by a similar practice at his alma mater, Bowdoin College. An avid student of Hartwick’s past, President Wilder saw the act of signing the Matriculation Book as a personal and symbolic way for students to connect to the institution’s long and storied history. He often reminded them to write legibly so he could still read their names once they became famous!

This tradition has even deeper historical roots. Ernst Hazelius, the second principal of Hartwick Seminary and Academy, documented the names of the first nineteen students in 1815 in his school journal. That record is the forerunner of today’s Matriculation Book and is preserved as part of the College’s archives.

Today, the first volume of the Matriculation Book, filled in 2017, is housed in the College archives. The second is now in use and continues to grow with each new class. The moment a student signs their name, they become part of an unbroken chain stretching back more than two centuries.

This moment is even more powerful when paired with another, newer tradition. On the day before classes begin, first-year students walk together up Founders’ Way, a symbolic journey that connects Hartwick’s past, present and future.

Photos are part of the collection in Hartwick College Paul F. Cooper, Jr. Archives.