College Seal

Dr. Irving Bartlett, the first president of Cape Cod Community College, selected graphic artist Brooks Kelly to design the college seal. Kelly, a 1953 graduate of Barnstable High School, had a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Carnegie Tech and had also studied in Paris.

In a letter dated March 2, 1961, Bartlett wrote to Kelly that the college's motto would be "Light, Liberty, and Learning." Dr. Bartlett explained the meaning of the motto:

The word "light" suggests the beacon which dominates the college seal and has long played such an honorable role in Cape Cod history. It also suggest the enlightment that should accompany college experience.

The word "liberty" suggests, first of all, the ingrained freedom of those who live by the sea. It suggests a quality which should pervade the atmosphere of any institution of higher learning.

"Learning" is the acquistion of knowledge or skill. It suggest the books that must be mastered to be successful at the college and also the practical skills that will be aquired.

Designer Brooks Kelly says of the college seal:

"I've tried to fuse the area's maritime heritage with the traditional "knowledge is light." ... The seal should have an open feeling, reflecting both the limitless scope of education and the boundless, ever-shifting sea. The college should become as much of a beacon to the Cape Cod people as the lighthouses have to the seafaring. I like to think the arrangement of "Cape Cod Community College" forces the viewer's eyes into a movement not unlike that of the shifting sea."