The seal of Northwestern was created as an action that followed pre-established traditions of higher education. The first iteration of the seal in 1856 featured an open book with sun rays behind it, hinting at the “illuminating influence of the impartation of knowledge.” This version of the seal was widely accepted by the Northwestern University community. It combined many of the traditional elements of other educational institutions: open books signifying the pursuit of knowledge, as well as beams of light signifying the enlightenment that comes from this pursuit. The seal was accepted for 34 years until the executive members of the university thought it was time to add significance to its meaning. In this context, the original seal was not meaningful enough and didn't capture the identity that Northwestern wanted to display. 

          In 1890 two religious verses were added to the seal: “Quaecumque Sunt Vera” or in English “Whatsoever Things Are True” from the book of Philippians Chapter 4, Verse 8, and ho logos pleres charitos kai aletheias,” Greek for “The Word . . .full of grace and truth,” from the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 1, Verse 14. From the perspective of the Board, this seal was exactly what they were looking for. It embodied the ethical and moral values that Northwestern wanted to be true for itself and its students. It also pays respect to the Methodist Church, as the university was established under the patronage of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1851. 

          The seal does have obvious ties to the Christian religion and was in partnership with the Methodist church, however, it was also established that the university would be open to all religions. In the 1930s, the university saw an increase in religious diversity, with larger populations of Jewish and Catholic students enrolling. After World War 2, there was a general consensus amongst the student body that Northwestern did not feel like "a Methodist school at all,'' despite its selective religious seal. Finally, in 1974, the trustees formally ended Northwestern’s affiliation with the United Methodist Church, due to its newly established identity as a secular school. Without this tie, much of the student body still pursued their religious interests, no matter the religion. All of this growth and diversity has continued over the past 100 years, except the seal itself has not seen a revision since 1891. The seal may just be a piece of history respecting the past religious foundation but does not reflect the diverse religious populations of students today.