Griffith Memorial Arch By Bridget Muñóz The Griffith Memorial Arch has been the gateway to campus since its dedication on November 28, 1923. Framing the heart of campus and Old Main, the Arch is symbolic of new beginnings and celebrations. This year, the University commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Arch, acknowledging the role it has played in originating one of UF’s most honored traditions. At the start of each academic year, faculty and staff welcome incoming students and their families with the annual Arch Ceremony. This marks not only the start of a new school year but also the beginning of the next chapter in the lives of first-year students. Students process through the Arch toward Old Main during orientation weekend to symbolize the official start of their college experience at Findlay. The incoming Arch Ceremony is anticipated by students, faculty and staff, family members, and friends, but this revered celebration was not initially considered when developing the Griffith Memorial Arch.
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Named in memory of Caddie Griffith who graduated from Findlay College in 1909, the structure was funded by her parents following her untimely death from influenza in February 1923. Caddie Griffith served as head of the English department at Findlay College from 1914-1917 and had a special connection to her alma mater. Mr. and Mrs. F.H. Griffith wanted to ensure her legacy remained prevalent on campus for years to come and hoped the Arch would serve as a rite of passage for students entering the world following college graduation: With Christian fortitude and invincible faith, her [Caddie Griffith’s] loved ones have arisen from the first shock of her homegoing, and erected an arch at the gateway of her Alma Mater, beneath which class succeeding class shall pass in hopeful review into the larger life for which their training has fitted them. Just as Mr. and Mrs. Griffith intended, it is tradition that students process
through the Arch toward Main Street following Commencement and are celebrated once again by faculty, staff, and their loved ones. It is believed the first class to engage in the Commencement Arch Ceremony was Findlay College Class of 1924. Campus lore cautions students against walking through the Arch at any point before Commencement day for fear they will not graduate. In keeping with the superstition, students had worn a path in the grass surrounding the structure to avoid jinxing themselves. As a result, the University installed sidewalks around the outside of the Arch in 1990. Additionally, Findlay College changed its name to University of Findlay in 1989 after significantly increasing the number of undergraduate and graduate programs offered. To acknowledge this triumph, the institution engraved “The University of Findlay” on the opposite side of the Griffith Memorial Arch and turned it around to face Main Street. Today, the original "Findlay College"
