Cornelia STRONG COLLEGE

Per aspera ad astra

Since the founding of the ancient colleges of Oxford and Cambridge it has been customary for collegiate societies to bear coats of arms. Many of the collegiate arms in use today can be seen by visiting the various institutions included in the Collegiate Way’s directory of Residential Colleges Worldwide. The arms of Cornelia Strong College at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro were designed from two of the three colors of the University, blue and gold, and they display three stars for Cornelia Strong (1877–1955), the College’s namesake and the University’s first Professor of Astronomy. The heraldic description or blazon of the arms is Azure in sinister chief three Mullets of eight points Or one and two (blue, in the bearer’s upper left three eight-pointed stars of gold, one over two). The arms correspond to the Latin motto of the College Per aspera ad astra (Through rugged ways to the stars).

The gallery below records some of the many representations of the Strong College coat of arms that were produced in different media through the first six years of the College’s life.