Speaking of Latin: Ad Scientiam Renovandam


On the agenda for the Wednesday (Nov. 18) Faculty Senate meeting is a longstanding proposal for a University motto (in Latin). The phrase “Ad Scientiam Renovandam” was proposed for UW-Green Bay, by several faculty members, roughly a decade ago but never officially endorsed or adopted. Ad means “towards” or “for”; scientiam is the source of our word “science,” but in the Latin of ancient Rome it meant both “learning” and “knowledge,” and thus spans the teaching and research aspects of academic life; renovandam comes from a verb that means “to renew,” “recreate,” or “innovate,” arguably tying in not only with the school’s original innovative focus and our mission for innovative teaching, but also to the Phoenix being recreated from the ashes. Is Latin in our future? Habeo Responsus Mox! (We’ll have the answer soon.)