In October 1905, The Board of Regents ordered the University seal devised by Professor William James Battle and recommended by President Houston be adopted by the Board.
In conformity with general usage, the design has as its central feature the shield form that shows the origin of heraldic arms. This shield is divided into two fields, the upper white, the lower orange, the University's colors. In the lower and larger field are the historic wreath and star of the Great Seal of the State of Texas; in the upper field is an open book, fit symbol of an institution of learning. The shield rests within a circle of blue, the color of sincerity, containing the motto, Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis. Around the disk of blue is a larger disk of red, color of strength, bearing the words, "Seal of The University of Texas."
The motto, Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis, is the late Dr. Edwin W. Fay's terse Latin rendering of the famous quotation from Mirabeau B. Lamar, "Cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy."
The right half of the wreath is an olive branch, the left half a live oak branch. The shade of orange used is taken from the orange used in the arch of the entrance to the Student Union Building on the campus which has the best claim to being the official University orange. The shades of red, blue, and green are not officially designated, but are strong shades of these colors in conformity to heraldic usage.
-- Board of Regents' Minutes May 4, 1957
