Columbia Seal

The Seal of Columbia University is the most official symbol of the university. It's used by the trustees to place their official approval or stamp on something- they figure prominently on your diplomas. The seal itself is filled with symbolic imagery. Over the head of the seated woman is the (Hebrew) Tetragrammaton, YHVH (Jehovah); the Latin motto around her head means "In Thy light we see light" (Psalm 36:10); the Hebrew phrase on the ribbon is Uri El ("God is my light"), an allusion to Psalm 27:1; and at the feet of the woman is the New Testament passage commanding Christians to desire the pure milk of God's word (1 Peter 2:1–2).^[1]