- The Governor General of Canada
The contents of this Register are intended for research purposes only. The heraldic emblems found in the Register may not be reproduced in any form or in any media without the written consent of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and/or the recipient.
University of Lethbridge
Lethbridge, Alberta
Grant of Arms, Supporters and a Flag
January 20, 2012
Vol. VI, p. 100
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Blazon
Arms
Azure a sun in splendour Or within an orle Argent;
Crest
Issuant from a circlet of wild roses, a closed book proper lying flat bound Azure its spine to the dexter resting thereon an open book proper bound Azure its sinister page surmounted by an eagle’s feather proper;
Supporters
Dexter a pronghorn buck, sinister a mule deer doe, each holding a miner’s lamp and standing on a grassy base set with coulees, a rock and rough fescue proper;
Motto
FIAT LUX;
Symbolism
Arms
A blue shield with white edging and the sun has been used as the university’s emblem since 1974. The sun represents intellectual illumination and enlightenment.
Crest
The books are symbols of education and appeared in the crest of the 1974 coat of arms design. The eagle feather pays tribute to the First Peoples of Canada and acknowledges the university’s location on Blackfoot land. The wild rose is the provincial flower of Alberta.
Supporters
The pronghorn – one of the supporters of the arms of Alberta – and the mule deer were used as the supporters in the university’s 1968 coat of arms design. The university’s sports teams are named the Pronghorns. The pronghorn buck and mule deer doe represent the men and women who make up the university community. The coulee landscape and rough fescue (the official grass of Alberta) are characteristic of southern Alberta, and the sun-grass-animal connection represents the flow of energy that supports all life and reminds us of our own connection with the landscape. The rock below the shield recalls the name “Medicine Rock” bestowed on the university by Blackfoot elder Bruce Wolf Child in 2002. It also alludes to glacial erratics, large rocks deposited in the area when the glaciers receded. The miner’s lantern, an artifact of the early history of Lethbridge, recalls the idea of the illumination of knowledge and symbolizes the achievements of the university’s alumni. Shown as a traditional Welsh miner’s lantern, it symbolizes the coal mining industry that helped develop the local economy in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Motto
This Latin motto means “Let there be light”. It refers metaphorically to the illumination that comes from research and learning, symbolized by the sun in the arms.