Traditions
The Faculty of the Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office has been in existence since July 1st, 2014, when Tamar Gendler took office as the inaugural Dean of the FAS. As a relatively new administrative body, the FAS Dean’s Office is both steeped in the centuries old traditions of the University and endowed with the opportunity to create its own traditions and legacy.
Joining the long tradition of university coats of arms, dating back to 1749 when the first known seal of Yale appeared on the master’s diploma of future Yale president Ezra Stiles, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office has commissioned a coat of arms which can be found throughout campus and at the Yale Club of Manhattan. A detailed description of the FAS coat of arms can be found here.
Several FAS symbols can also be found at the University Commencement every year. Since 1948, a retiring faculty member is recognized for their achievements and contributions to the 
University by serving as the senior marshal of the faculty and carrying a wooden and silver mace presented by to the University by Loomis Havemeyer, Ph.B. 1910, Ph.D. 1915. Beginning with the commencement of 2017, the faculty marshal is accompanied by the graduating senior who is the incoming Woodbridge Fellow for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office in the procession. The Woodbridge Fellow is honored for the completion of their term as a student of the College and the beginning of their service to the University as an employee by carrying a flag emblazoned with the FAS coat of arms.
But perhaps the most important tradition of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean’s office is that of the excellence of the FAS faculty themselves. In the fulfillment of its mission to be the research university most committed to teaching and learning, Yale has long sought to cultivate an outstanding faculty who are nationally recognized in the laboratory, the archive, and the classroom. To read more about the history of faculty excellence at Yale, see President Salovey’s note on “The Past, Present, and Future of Great Teaching at Yale.” With the creation of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office, the University is now equipped to nurture and facilitate the outstanding accomplishments of the FAS faculty more than ever before.