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Our New Seal

Motlow's Seal

For official use only. Contact External Affairs if you would like to use the seal asset.

Motlow’s new seal honors the College’s rural roots while telling the story of its rise toward urban growth. The imagery moves across time and space. The lower center of the seal frames Motlow’s origin story. It chronicles the College’s 1969 agricultural topography and then reaches forward in time and space toward new horizons. 

The horizons in the seal include a real Tennessee cityscape intended to provide an authentic sense of place and a symbolic sunrise expressing organizational vision for a bright future. Success for students. Growth for the region. Fulfillment of the College mission. 

The panorama conveys this sense of mission as well. Motlow is a pathways institution. We teach learners to climb academic peaks and support them through the terrain of challenging scholarship. 

The people, the programs, and the strategies through which we accomplish this mission are symbolized by light. Our faculty and staff, our curricula and support services, our scholarship, leadership, and partnerships, meld to illuminate the paths that move learners forward to academic, career, and personal success. 

Our shared mission to fuel student enlightenment and our duty to be a beacon to the communities we serve is expressed through the symbolism of a torch. Lamplight is a common symbol in higher education. In Motlow’s origin-and-vision story, 
the imagery of torchlight functioned as a better fit for the message we sought to convey. Our torch is held high above all else. The glow from Motlow’s torch lights the beginning
of the academic path. Its flames burn intense, illuminating the fullness of the scholarship journey. Students’ paths are brightened from beginning to end with a torch designed to be passed to future generations. The torch design reflects the three stars from the state flag. Its light is cast toward Tennessee’s capital off on the horizon. 

The seal’s pathway continues until it meets a rising sun symbolizing student success. The laurels of academic excellence and accomplishment ground and encompass the complete visual narrative. 

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