"Dickinson is the first college or university in the United States to have a symbol of liberty on its official seal—the liberty cap. Conceived by Dr. Rush and John Dickinson, the device on the seal includes a liberty cap over a telescope and an open bible. The college motto, Pietate et doctrina tuta libertas, which means “Religion and learning, the bulwark of liberty,” appears below the device. Around the circumference is written Sigillum Collegii Dickinsonii, meaning “Seal of Dickinson College.”