Eastern Economic Journal Recognizes Two Holy Cross Economics Professors

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Sara Bovat ’14
Melissa Boyle

Melissa Boyle

Melissa Boyle, associate professor of economics, and David Schap, professor of economics, have been named 5th and 11th respectively on the Eastern Economic Journal’s list of their 20 most downloaded articles of the year, out of almost 1,500 articles.

Boyle, who co-wrote “The Effect of Ticket Resale Laws on Consumption and Production in Performing Arts Markets” (2011) with Lesley Chiou, associate professor of economics at Occidental College, said that while the article is a few years old, the ranking is evidence that it is still relevant and being read.

“The article examines the impact of state and municipal scalping laws on production and consumption in the market for live theater, such as plays and musicals,” said Boyle. “We found that restrictions on scalping (licensing requirements for resellers and prohibiting resale above face value) lead to decreases in variety in local markets, but at the same time these restrictions lead to higher theater attendance. This potentially occurs because in areas without regulations, producers can make riskier choices because the scalper acts like insurance when demand is uncertain. At the same time, consumers may value the protection that these laws bring and the associated lower ticket prices more than increased variety.”

Schap’s article “Forensic Economics: An Overview” describes the forensic economics field broadly with various examples of different cases, especially concerning forensic economic analysis of personal injury and wrongful death cases.

The journal’s top 20 also includes Nobel winners and other notable economists, including Paul Krugman, 2008 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics and professor of economics and international affairs at Princeton University; Greg Mankiw, chairman and professor of economics at Harvard University; David Colander, Christian A. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Economics at Middlebury College; Joe Stiglitz, 2001 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics and professor of economics at Columbia University; and Robert Shiller, 2013 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics and Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University.

The “Eastern Economic Journal” is a quarterly publication of the Eastern Economic Association that publishes papers written from every perspective in all areas of economics. The journal encourages manuscript submissions that are methodological and philosophical as well as empirical and theoretical. The journal highly considers the articles’ readability and general interest as factors for acceptance.

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Holy Cross Announces Faculty Promotions

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Jacqueline Smith ’15

Tenure faculty The following members of the College of the Holy Cross faculty have been promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure.

Renee Lynn Beard, of the sociology and anthropology department, received her B.A. in sociology from Boston College and her Ph.D. in medical sociology from the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to coming to Holy Cross, she was a National Institute of Health Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Illinois at Chicago. A member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2008, her areas of expertise include the sociology of health and aging, illness narratives, and social policy. An expert in Alzheimer’s disease, her empirical work has been published in numerous journals including Social Science & Medicine, Sociology of Health & Illness, Culture, Medicine & Psychiatry, and the Journal of Aging Studies. She is working on a forthcoming book on the subjective experiences of living with early Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to teaching courses on medical sociology and aging and society, Beard has supervised a large number of research students, many of whom were invited to present their work at national conferences.

Barbara L. Craig, of the theatre department, has designed sets, lighting, costumes and properties in academic, professional and community theatres in Baltimore, Minneapolis, Denver, and beyond. She returned to academic theatre in 2004 after 12 years as the co-owner of a custom furniture and cabinetmaking shop, and six years as the properties director for the Denver Center Theatre Company. A member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2007, she has designed the set for most Theatre Department productions and mentored the student designers of the Alternate College Theatre productions.  In addition to the courses she teaches in technical theater, she has advised students completing multidisciplinary majors through the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, served as the department representative on the Academic Affairs Council, and was an advisor for Gateways Orientation. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, she received her B.A in English from Barnard College and her M.F.A. in design and technical theatre from the University of Minnesota.

Caner K. Dagli, of the religious studies department, received his B.A. from Cornell University in Near Eastern studies, his M.A. from George Washington University in Religion with a specialization in Islam, and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in Near Eastern Studies.  Prior to coming to Holy Cross in 2008, he served for a year as an interfaith affairs consultant at the Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan. While in Jordan, he provided consultative support to HM King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and his special advisor HRH Ghazi bin Muhammad and performed tasks related to interfaith and Islamic affairs for Jordan’s vision of interfaith understanding and cooperation. He has been actively involved in the Common Word Initiative promoting interfaith dialogue between Muslims and Christians.  A recipient of a Fulbright Grant to study in Turkey and an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities, his publications include the “Ringstones of Wisdom” (Kazi Publications/ABC International Group, 2004) and two forthcoming books:  “The Study Quran” (HarperOne, spring 2015) and the “Oxford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Science and Technology in Islam” (Oxford University Press, 2014).

Bryan Engelhardt, of the economics department, earned his B.A. from Oberlin College and his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. A member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2008, his research and teaching interests include labor economics, macroeconomics and the economics of crime.  A frequent media commentator, his recent research includes a study on how long it takes released inmates to find a job, and when they find a job, how their incarceration rate changes; and a study on the effects of various labor market and crime policies.  His work has appeared in prestigious journals including the Journal of Public Economics and the Journal of Labor Economics.  He has served on numerous committees at the College including the Academic Affairs Council and the Faculty Compensation Committee.  He has also directed the Economics Department Honors Program and summer research program.

Brian R. Linton, of the chemistry department, earned his B.A. from Allegheny College and his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. A member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2008, he teaches courses in organic chemistry and molecular pharmacology.  His research focuses on the role of hydrogen bonding in protein structure and function, has been supported by grants and has resulted in numerous presentations throughout the U.S.  More than 25 students have been involved in his work through independent studies and summer research projects. He has published in numerous journals including the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal of Organic Chemistry, Chemical Reviews and the Journal of Chemical Education.

John Panteleimon Manoussakis, of the philosophy department, was born in Athens, Greece, and received his Ph.D. from Boston College.  He has taught courses in medieval philosophy and phenomenology as well as seminars in the Montserrat program for first year students.  He was ordained into the diaconate in 1995 and into the priesthood in 2011, receiving the distinction of an archimandrite. He is an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy at the Australian Catholic University. His research interests and publications focus on philosophy of religion, phenomenology (in particular post-subjective anthropology in Heidegger and Marion), Plato and the Neo-Platonic tradition, and Patristics (Dionysius and Maximus). He is the author of two books, editor of five volumes, and has published more than 30 articles in English, Greek, Russian, Serbian, and Ukrainian.

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‘Garden Crusade: The 1947 NY Champions of Holy Cross’

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Holy Cross in the News

47chmpAs the NCAA Final Four approaches, New York Daily News is revisiting historical coverage of some of the “greatest moments at [Madison Square] Garden.” Reporter Ian Powers describes the 1947 Holy Cross men’s basketball team in his piece, “Garden Crusade.”

“Kaftan, a little basketball wunderkind from Queens named Bob Cousy (maybe you heard of him), and a bunch of other New York area and New England kids shocked the basketball world by taking little Jesuit school Holy Cross to the NCAA championship, winning three straight games at Madison Square Garden,” writes Powers. “Basketball in New England would never be the same after that.”

This “Holy Cross in the News” item is by Bridget Cass.

 

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‘Crimea: Power on Display’

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Holy Cross in the News

putinCynthia V. Hooper, an associate professor of history at the College of the Holy Cross and an affiliate of Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, is the author of a History News Network blog called “Post-Soviet Futures.” Her latest post discusses the differences between political fact and political theater.

“Throughout the centuries, Russian leaders have used the Crimea as a stage from which to send messages of greatness both to their own people and to the world, orchestrating elaborate pageants cast as victories of enlightenment values over poverty, ignorance, or outright barbarism,” writes Hooper. “These ‘scenarios of power’ have frequently involved a hefty element of artifice – and the decision of a whopping 97% of Crimean voters to endorse union with Russia is no exception.”

Read the full blog post from the History News Network.

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This “Holy Cross in the News” item is by Sara Bovat ’14 and Jacqueline Smith ’15.

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Acclaimed Author Leah Hager Cohen Appointed as Distinguished Writer in Residence

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Cristal Steuer

Leah-Hager-CohenLeah Hager Cohen, critically acclaimed nonfiction writer and novelist, has been appointed Distinguished Writer in Residence at the College of the Holy Cross. Cohen has served as the Jenks Chair of Contemporary American Letters at the College for the last five years.   She will assume the three year position on July 1, 2014, and her responsibilities include teaching two classes per year, advising and mentoring students in the Creative Writing Concentration, and contributing to the overall literary life of the College.

“We are delighted that Leah will remain a member of the Holy Cross community. Her strengths as a  writer, teacher and mentor make her a perfect fit for this position,” says Margaret Freije, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College. “Students across disciplines at Holy Cross will benefit from her talents whether they are writing an analytical paper, a fellowship narrative or a work of fiction.”

“I’m moved and immensely pleased that the college has extended this opportunity,” says Cohen. “Working at Holy Cross turned out to be a greater gift than I ever might have anticipated, and being offered a chance to continue that work feels both inspiring and affirming.”

Cohen’s latest novel “No Book but the World” (April 3, 2014) is a powerful exploration of familial love and responsibility. Ava and Fred are siblings, raised in a “free” environment by their progressive parents, who gave little guidance and overlooked Fred’s serious developmental and social impairments. Now adults, Fred is accused of a horrific crime and Ava feels impelled to try to piece together the story of what actually happened. As she is drawn deeper into the unsettling details of the crime, she becomes obsessed with learning the truth, convinced that she and she alone will be able to explain her brother in a way that allows the rest of the world to regard him with sympathy.

The New York Times Book Review declares, “Leah Hager Cohen is one of our foremost chroniclers of the mundane complexities, nuanced tragedies and unexpected tendernesses of human connection.” The San Francisco Chronicle raves, “Cohen’s empathy is sure-footed and seemingly boundless; her writing gifts its characters with glints of ordinary human radiance. It is the possibility of this glinting that ultimately becomes Cohen’s most powerful gift to us, her readers, as well.”

Cohen is the author of five novels, including “The Grief of Others,” which was long-listed for the Orange Prize; selected as a New York Times Notable Book; and named one of the best books of the year by The San Francisco Chronicle, Kirkus Reviews, and Globe and Mail. She is also the author of five nonfiction titles, including “Train Go Sorry” and “I Don’t Know.” She is a frequent contributor to The New York Times Book Review.

Her book “The Grief of Others” (Riverhead, 2011) will soon hit the big screen. Production for the movie has started and will shoot in April in Nyack, N.Y. The cast includes Rachel Dratch (“Saturday Night Live”), Wendy Moniz and Trevor St. John (“One Life to Live”); and is directed by Patrick Wang, whose first film, “In the Family,” was nominated for the 2012 Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.

Cohen will give a reading from “No Book but the World” on Thursday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Rehm Library at the College.

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Media Coverage

  • People Magazine, April 3: “No Book but the World” receives four stars and raves “Cohen demonstrates a masterful talent, creating richly drawn characters and settings and supplying a satisfyingly shocking yet believable denouement.”
  • Vogue, April 1: 14 Novels to Add to Your Spring Fiction Checklist
  • Apple iBooks, April 1: “No Book but the World” is one of 10 best novels for of April
  • 5MinutesForMom.com, Mar. 24: “No Book But the World #Giveaway”
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Biology Professor Identifies 56 Plant Species Unknown to Have Existed in Worcester County

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Andrew Cook '15

Biology professor Robert Bertin has identified 56 plant species previously unknown to have existed in the Central Massachusetts area. He made the discoveries while doing research on the loss of plant species in Worcester County and studying the herbarium, a collection of dried plants, at the EcoTarium, a science and nature musem in Worcester.

Kaleigh Pare, collections specialist at the EcoTarium, wrote a letter that was published in the January/February issue of Museum News detailing Bertin’s accomplishment (PDF).

“These specimens were collected between 1876 and 1938, allowing Bertin to document the loss of native plant species within the last 150 years in relation to succession, human activities and climate change,” Pare wrote.

The herbarium’s archives have been the main focus of Bertin since his first contact with the EcoTarium 13 years ago. “The EcoTarium is known primarily as a science education facility,” Bertin says, “but down in its basement, there is an amazing collection of these scientific objects, plant specimens, and so on.”

Bertin began his project by simply cataloguing and labeling many of these carefully preserved plant species gathered in Worcester. Most of these collected items, as it turns out, came from amateur botanists collecting at that time. “A lot of the collection harkens back to when botany, and science in general, was a very inclusive field,” Bertin says. “Rather than golf, or hunting, or other such recreational activities, many people – priests, lawyers, etc. – used to keep botanical collections as a hobby, for pleasure.” It is from these non-professional sources that many of the 4,000-5,000 pieces in the EcoTarium’s collection originate.

Bertin identifies with this personal interest in botany. With a father in the Air Force, much of his childhood was spent overseas in places like France, England, and Germany. A constant throughout was a love of the outdoors. “Since I can remember,” he says, “I’ve always loved nature, and I’ve always just loved being outside.”

Originally intending to study ornithology (bird zoology) in college, Bertin soon became more interested in the study of flora. He earned his Ph.D. in the field from the University of Illinois. Bertin came to Holy Cross in 1984 – this year marks his 30th anniversary on the faculty — and he’s been teaching in the biology department ever since.

Work as a biology department professor kept him from his earlier interest in plant research for some years, but the passion was re-ignited after teaching a field class in the late ’90s. He published an extensive survey in 2000 detailing plant life in the city of Worcester, titled “Vascular Flora of Worcester, Massachusetts.”

“I wanted to do something more analytical, though, rather than just a simple catalogue,” Bertin explains, “so I began this project with the Worcester EcoTarium. I began asking questions like ‘Has Worcester seen an increase in non-native species as its human population has grown?’ This is then what drove my research.

“I’m just glad to still be doing the thing I love most,” Bertin continues. “And even more especially, I love seeing a mutual collaboration between professional and non-professional scientists. That’s why any of this was even possible in the first place. It all just comes down to finding something you’re passionate about doing, and enjoying it.”

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Walters ’14 Receives Fulbright Grant to Study Organic Farming in Indonesia

Posted on March 21, 2014 by

Martha Walters ’14, of North Grafton, Mass., has received a Fulbright research grant for the 2014-15 academic year to study organic farming trends and influences in Indonesia. This will be the third consecutive year that Walters will travel to Indonesia, following two years conducting summer research in Bali.

A double major in anthropology and environmental studies, Walters aims to see what themes in international development emerge from studying organic farming in Bali and West Sumatra, especially in relation to women’s roles

“I argue that even though the trend of ‘going organic’ derives in large part from globalization and the spread of neoliberalism, Indonesia’s organic food scene is not merely a case of supply and demand: it has also developed in ways particular to Indonesia, and I believe women have played a prominent role in its development,” Walters wrote in her statement of grant purpose.

For the past two summers, Walters has traveled to Bali with Susan Rodgers, the W. Arthur Garrity Sr. Professor in Human Nature, Ethics, and Society and professor of anthropology, as part of the Mellon Summer Research Program. In 2012, Walters and two other students accompanied Rodgers to study the commercialization of intricate Southeast Asian textiles called ikat. Walters studied natural dyes used to color ikat. She took a particular interest in how non-governmental organizations empowered women through reviving traditional textile dyeing and weaving. The research culminated in an exhibit titled “Transnational Ikat: An Asian Textile on the Move” in the Cantor Art Gallery in spring 2013. In 2013, she returned to Bali to study organic farms.

Walters is currently researching the complex history of international development and organic farms in Bali as part of her senior year honors thesis, which also includes research she conducted in spring 2013 on food justice in Worcester. Rodgers, who was named the 2013 Massachusetts Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, is serving as her advisor.

After graduation, Walters hopes to work in environmental policy or with an environmental nongovernmental organization. She then plans to pursue either a joint degree in anthropology and environmental studies or a degree in environmental science and policy.

At Holy Cross, Walters is an intern at the Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning and research assistant for the department of sociology and anthropology. This past January she was a leader in the Non-Profit Careers Conference. From May 2011 to May 2013, she held a community work-study position at a greenhouse on campus for the Regional Environmental Council’s food justice program in which she grew seedlings that were distributed to organic farms and community gardens throughout Worcester. She is currently an intern for the same program at the organization.

Each year approximately 1,900 U.S. college students are awarded grants through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program in international educational exchange, awards grants to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception in 1946, more than 300,000 participants — selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential — have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.

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‘Presidential Preparations’

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Holy Cross in the News

johnson_commencementThe recent announcement that President Barack Obama will be speaking at the commencement exercises for Worcester Technical High School on June 11 reminded the College community of another presidential commencement address: Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 at Fitton Field.

“7,500 people lined the streets, school was dismissed for the day so that school children could watch, and there were another 14,000 people in the stands at Fitton Field to hear the president speak,” said Rev. Anthony Kuzniewski, S.J., a professor in the history department.

Watch the news segment from Charter TV 3.

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This “Holy Cross in the News” item is by Bridget Cass.

 

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Emmons ’15 Receives Award for Tree-Kangaroo Habitat Research Conducted in Australia

Posted on March 20, 2014 by

Erin Emmons ’15, a biology major at the College of the Holy Cross, has received a School for Field Studies Distinguished Student Research Award for work she did while studying abroad in Australia during the fall semester.

Emmons, of Rockville Centre, N.Y., shares the award with research partner Wes Hauser of Wabash College while working at the SFS Center for Rainforest Studies in northeastern Queensland. The students used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software to focus on the habitat of the Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo.

Their research resulted in two papers: “Putting Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo on the map: Using present distribution to assess habitat requirements and identify areas for further surveys,” and “Assessment of the Distribution and Habitat Requirements for Lumholtz’s Tree-kangaroo Using Spatial Analytical Tools in ArcGIS.” The project significantly contributes to the center’s ongoing five-year research plan by addressing one of the center’s key research issues: understanding social and ecological systems.

Each year, the SFS honors its most exceptional students with Distinguished Student Research Awards for their important contributions in environmental research. SFS students engage in undergraduate research guided by faculty projects related to each of the seven research center’s individual research plans. Outcomes of the research projects provide information and recommendations to community members and other stakeholders on critical, local environmental issues.

Students are nominated by SFS faculty based on their demonstrated sophistication in research design, field work, reporting and their contribution to the center’s research plan. The SFS award also recognizes the students’ leadership exhibited while working with teams of students and faculty researchers in the field.

“I am extremely honored and excited to receive this prestigious award from SFS,” said Emmons. Experiences like this have shaped her desire to continue to be involved in research. She hopes to enter the biomedical field following graduation.

At Holy Cross, Emmons conducts research in the biology department, where she also serves as a teaching assistant, and is involved in liturgical ministry, the Magis program for church leadership, and Student Programs for Urban Development. She is also active in Relay for Life and Alternate College Theatre.

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Holy Cross Student Presents Research to Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Jacqueline Smith ’15

StephCarvalhoAt the winter meeting of the Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society (PVSS) in Steamboat Springs, Colo. on Jan. 30, Stephanie Carvalho ’14, a pre-med biology major with a concentration in biological psychology, presented a case report on work performed by Dr. Mark F. Conrad, director of Clinical Research and assistant program director in the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass. Their project, “A Rare Case of May-Thurner Syndrome Presenting As An Iliac Vein Aneurysm,” was the first reported case of an external iliac vein aneurism in a patient with May-Thurner Syndrome that was successfully treated endovascularly.

Carvalho worked on the case report with Dr. Conrad while she was a clinical research assistant in the Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at Mass General, under the direction of Dr. Richard Cambria ’73, Chief of the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and co-director of the Thoracic Aortic Center, during the summer of 2013 through the College’s Summer Internship Program (SIP).

Dr. Cambria, a parent of graduates in the classes of ’00, ’06, ’09 and ’11, has partnered with SIP since the summer of 2008.  The internship provides practical exposure to vascular and endovascular surgery and participation in clinical research.

The case report Carvalho presented at the conference focused on a patient that had May-Thurner’s syndrome, in addition to an external iliac vein aneurysm. “External iliac vein aneurysms are remarkably uncommon,” said Carvalho. “The majority of left external iliac vein aneurysms have been treated with open surgery, but the unique relationship to May-Thurner Syndrome in this case made an endovascular approach possible.” The endovascular approach is minimally invasive, and allowed the patient to avoid the risks of surgery for treatment, she explained.

“This is the first reported case of an external iliac vein aneurysm secondary to May-Thurner Syndrome that was successfully treated with stenting of the common iliac vein,” said Carvalho, noting that through the endovascular treatment of May-Thurner syndrome, there was a simultaneous reduction in the size and severity of the patient’s left external iliac vein aneurism.

Carvalho’s responsibilities at Massachusetts General Hospital included preparing for lab meetings, analyzing clinical research data, attending conferences, collaborating with peers, attending surgeries and clinics, and keeping an open line of communication with all of the members of the MGH community, in addition to the research presentation in January.

Since 2008, Dr. Cambria has hired 24 students, including four this past summer, to work with him and his team of researchers.   Previous interns include: Nicholas Cormier ’15; Patricia Giglio ’14; Ryan O’Keefe ’14; Michael Michalczyk ’13; Rita Malley ’13; Arissa Opalacz ’13; Andrew Cox ’12;   Michelle Foley ’12; Rio Nomoto ’12; Amily Atkinson ’11; Peter Laub ’11; Sarah Meng ’11; Jordan Trubiano ’11; Theron Fussel ’10; Ron Paranal ’10; Julie Guest ’09;  Brian Hendrickson ’09; Greg Leslie ’09; Ann Schufreider ’09.

About the Summer Internship Program (SIP)

SIP provides exceptional Holy Cross undergraduates with an opportunity to gain meaningful career related experience in an area related to a student’s occupational goals.  Internships are developed through the network of Holy Cross alumni, parents, and friends throughout the country and are earmarked and designed specifically for Holy Cross students. Internship sites span multiple industries and fields.

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Lecture to Spotlight Attempts to Subvert Unfair Economy

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Danielle Kane

Lisa dodson 11.23.09Sociologist Lisa Dodson, author of “The Moral Underground: How Ordinary People Subvert an Unfair Economy” (The New Press, 2011), will give a lecture at the College of the Holy Cross on Thursday, March 27 at 4:30 p.m. in Rehm Library. The lecture, sponsored by the Rev. Michael C. McFarland S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, is free and open to the public.

In her lecture, Dodson, a research professor at Boston College, will explain the conflicts that many Americans are experiencing in the context of deepening poverty and inequality. Drawing from examples in her book, she will discuss how middle-class managers and professionals intercede in the workplace to assist the working poor.

Dodson, also the author of “Don’t Call Us Out of Name: The Untold Lives of Women and Girls in Poor America” (Beacon Press, 1999), is currently conducting national policy research on low wage work and family. She recently received funding from the Ford and Annie E. Casey Foundations to research the link between youth development and the contemporary low-wage economy. Prior to becoming a sociology professor, she worked as a union activist, an obstetrical nurse, and as director of the Division of Women’s Health in Massachusetts.

Learn more and watch lectures online at www.holycross.edu/mcfarlandcenter.

About the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.

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A Look Back at 40 Years of Women’s Basketball at Holy Cross

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Holy Cross in the News

Women's basketballThis year, the women’s basketball program at the College of the Holy Cross is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The March issue of Connections, an online publications of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, features key moments in the team’s history.

Head Coach Bill Gibbons’ said his favorite coaching moment was a 1991 game on that Hart Center floor, when the Crusaders upset nationally ranked University of Maryland in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“We went undefeated: Maryland was the sixth seed, we were the 11th seed [and] we upset them in the Hart Center in front of a sold-out house. We beat them 81-74 [and] the fans rushed the court after the game,” said Gibbons. “That was the first time — and remains the only time in the League’s 24 year history — that a Patriot League women’s basketball team has won an NCAA tournament game.”

This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Cristal Steuer.

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New York Times Columnist to Give Annual Jenks Chair Lecture

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Jacqueline Smith ’15

SamFreedmanSamuel G. Freedman, an award-winning author, columnist, and professor, will give a reading as part of the Working Writers Series on Thursday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The event, sponsored by the College’s Creative Writing Program and W.H. Jenks Chair of Contemporary American Letters, is free and open to the public.

“Beyond his own brilliance as a journalist and author, he has an uncommon gift for inspiring young writers to take their writing seriously,” said Leah Hager Cohen, W.H. Jenks Chair in Contemporary American Letters and visiting professor of English department, who worked closely with Freedman as a student at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. “He gets people to work harder, and better, than they might ever have thought themselves capable. I am certainly a case in point. Without his remarkable generosity and mentorship, I very much doubt I would be here as the Jenks Chair, striving to pass along to Holy Cross students some of what he gave me when I was his student nearly 25 years ago.”

Samuel G. Freedman has written seven books, most recently “Breaking The Line: The Season in Black College Football That Transformed the Game and Changed the Course of Civil Rights”(Simon & Schuster, 2013). His book “Small Victories: The Real World of a Teacher, Her Students, and Their High School” (HarperCollins, 1991) was a finalist for the National Book Award and “The Inheritance: How Three Families and America Moved from Roosevelt to Reagan and Beyond” (Simon & Schuster, 1996) was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. In addition to currently writing for The New York Times column “On Religion,” Freedman was named the nation’s outstanding journalism educator in 1997 by the Society of Professional Journalists, and in 2012, he received Columbia University’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching for his work as a professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Freedman’s class in book-writing, which has been featured in Publishers Weekly and the Christian Science Monitor, has developed more than 65 authors, editors, and agents.

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Holy Cross Chamber Orchestra To Perform in Second Annual Worcester Symphonic Concert at Mechanics Hall

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Sara Bovat ’14

chamberorc_brooksEighteen members of the College of the Holy Cross’ Chamber Orchestra will perform in collaboration with several Worcester cultural organizations and colleges and universities for the second annual Worcester Symphonic Concert on Saturday, March 22 at 3 p.m. at Mechanics Hall. The featured pieces include Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 “Haffner” and Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 “London,” with additional music provided by the band and jazz band programs of Worcester colleges during both the concert and the post-event reception.

Peter Sulski, lecturer and violinist at the College, originated the Worcester Symphonic Project and is the current artistic director. The concert unites musicians of all ages both amateur and professional, where artists have the opportunity to perform in the city’s renowned Mechanics Hall. The project presents the performers with a unique learning opportunity, offering the chance to be involved with a performance where the process is more important than the end result.

Eric Culver, a lecturer and director of the Holy Cross Chamber Orchestra, is one of two conductors for the Worcester Symphonic Project. “One learns best from teaching, as one has to organize one’s thoughts well and really understand how to approach technique,” Culver said, explaining how his student performers are benefitting through engagement with other musicians. “Younger participants in this project also benefit from the process of osmosis, just by sitting with stand partners with more experience during rigorous rehearsals.”

Holy Cross is a charter member and has hosted all of the Worcester Symphonic Project’s rehearsals in Brooks Concert Hall. However, Culver expressed special excitement for the final performance venue, both for its prestige and for its role in the Worcester community.

“Not least of the many benefits of this project is our performance in 150-year-old Mechanics Hall, one of the great concert spaces on the East Coast and a real professional venue,” said Culver. “We are supported by the Music Worcester organization, one of the oldest presenting organizations in the country, and are able to reach out to the community in a big way with this concert.”

Other performers include students from Assumption College, Clark University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, as well as younger student musicians from schools and area music schools, and amateur and professional adult musicians.

For additional information please call the Holy Cross music department at (508) 793-3503.

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‘Brazil’s World Cup: Anger Over Waste, Poor Planning

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Holy Cross in the News

Victor MathesonVictor Matheson, sports economist and professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross, spoke with the Associated Press about how Brazil will have to rush to finish the stadiums in time for the upcoming World Cup. Politicians promised that there would be work done on 56 airports, subway lines, and other projects across the country, but only seven have been finished with only three months away. Matheson partly blamed FIFA and the International Olympic Committee for the distorted priorities.

“They started late and have boxed themselves in. Now they have to redouble efforts to finish stadiums, so much of the good stuff gets left behind,” said Matheson. “What was important gets pushed off, and what’s urgent gets done.”

The article ran in nearly 300 media outlets across the country.

This “Holy Cross in the News” item is by Sara Bovat ’14.

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College Community Remembers Rev. Joseph T. O’Callahan, S.J.

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Jacqueline Smith ’15

OCallahanCombinedOn Tuesday, March 18, the College of the Holy Cross will mark the 50th anniversary of the passing of Rev. Joseph T. O’Callahan, S.J., a Navy chaplain and a professor of math and physics at the College, with a memorial Mass and wreath-laying ceremony. Rev. Robert Keane, S.J., special assistant for mission who recently completed 23 years as a Navy chaplain, will preside and preach at the Mass, held at 12:05 p.m. in Mary Chapel on the lower level of St. Joseph’s Chapel. The wreath-laying ceremony will immediately follow the Mass, and take place in the Jesuit cemetery adjacent to the chapel at Fr. O’Callahan’s grave.

In the afternoon, the U.S. Naval Institute in Annapolis, Md., the NROTC Unit at the College, and the O’Callahan Society will sponsor a presentation by Dr. John Satterfield, author of “Saving Big Ben: The U.S.S. Franklin and Father Joseph T. O’Callahan” (Naval Institute Press, 2011). Held at 2:15 p.m. in Seelos Theater, located on the first floor of Kimball Dining Hall, this event is free and open to the public. Prior to this event, lunch will be available in the Kimball Main Dining Room.

Fr. O’Callahan was the first Navy chaplain to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest decoration for valor, for his service aboard the U.S.S. Franklin in World War II. An aircraft carrier known as “Big Ben,” the Franklin was nearly destroyed by a kamikaze attack in the Okinawa campaign in early 1945, which killed  hundreds of sailors. Fr. O’Callahan  organized and led firefighting crews, preventing a potentially fatal explosion, while ministering to the injured and dying sailors.

Satterfield’s book draws on interviews with survivors, the O’Callahan family, and members of the Jesuit community at the College, as well as other unpublished sources to document the actions aboard the Franklin. Following his presentation, Satterfield will host a book signing. Copies of “Saving Big Ben” will be available for purchase at the event through the Holy Cross Bookstore.

Satterfield, an adjunct faculty member at Wilmington University  and retired naval reserve officer, is also the author of “We Band of Brothers: The Sullivans and World War II” (Mid-Prairie Books, 1995).

View photos from the wreath-laying ceremony on the Holy Cross photo blog.

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Five Holy Cross Employees Honored for Outstanding Service

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Sara Bovat ’14

ClaireBurnsFive employees of the College of the Holy Cross have received 2013 Claire B. Burns Awards. The awards program, now in its 16th year, was established and endowed in 1997 by Donal J. Burns ’49 in honor of his wife, Claire, an alumna of the Class of 1990, who passed away in November of 2010. The awards are presented annually to non-exempt employees of the College, currently working or retired, who in the fulfillment of their responsibilities have demonstrated, fostered, and promoted the spirit of family, which is a treasured characteristic of the Holy Cross community.

The recipients, all from the Worcester area, were honored at a banquet on Wednesday, March 12.  They are:

Linda Bassan, a resident of Southbridge, has worked in physical plant for 20 years.

LuAnn Hennessy, a resident of Cherry Valley, has worked in the football office for 17 years.

Dhimiter Marka, a resident of Worcester, has worked in physical plant for 17 years.

Keith Rockwood, a resident of Webster, has worked in the Office of Public Safety for 11 years.

Heather Stewart, a resident of Auburn, has worked in the Bursar’s Office for 15 years.

As part of the Claire B. Burns Awards Program, Angelo Berti, an employee in dining services, received The Rev. William J. O’Halloran, S.J., Award. A resident of Sturbridge, Berti has worked at the College for twenty years.  The award he received was established to honor Fr. O’Halloran’s long years of service to the College, from 1963-2008; his closeness to non-exempt employees; and his contributions to the Claire B. Burns Employee Award Program. During his tenure with the College, Fr. O’Halloran served as chair of the psychology department, assistant chaplain, rector of the Jesuit Community, trustee, vice president of the College, and special assistant to the president.

On April 10, employees who have worked at Holy Cross for 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 years will be honored at the College’s 25+ Years Awards Ceremony.

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‘SAT changes: Some colleges will not feel impact in application process’

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Holy Cross in the News

Ann McDermott Last week, the College Board announced major changes to the SAT college admissions test.  Ann McDermott, director of admissions at the College of the Holy Cross — who was in the final stages of selecting the school’s class of 2018 when she heard the news — told Catholic News Service she applauded the proposed test revisions. “Anything that evens out the playing field is good, which seems to be the attempt,” she said.

The main changes to the college exam test include: making the essay optional; not penalizing students for wrong answers; and doing away with the test’s more obscure vocabulary words.

McDermott noted that Holy Cross, which made reporting SAT scores optional for its applicants in 2006, said the school places a stronger emphasis on the four years of choices a student makes — in grades and extracurricular activities — than specific test scores.

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This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Cristal Steuer.

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Former Obama Speechwriter Jon Favreau ’03 to Deliver Commencement Address at Holy Cross

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Cristal Steuer

Favreau

Jon Favreau ’03, former director of speechwriting for President Barack Obama and co-founder of Fenway Strategies, will receive an honorary degree from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 23 at 10:30 a.m. on the campus.

Favreau will return to the Holy Cross Commencement stage, where he delivered the Valedictory Address for his class in 2003.  The North Reading, Mass., native was director of speechwriting for President Obama from the beginning of his term as a United States Senator through early 2013. Prior to that, Favreau served as deputy director of speechwriting for John Kerry during his 2004 presidential campaign.

A political science major at Holy Cross, Favreau was a member of the College Honors Program and a Dana Scholar; he participated as a junior in the College’s Washington Semester Program, working in the office of then U.S. Senator Kerry.  His thesis, titled “The Politics of Abandonment: White Working Class Defection from the Democratic Party,” which was based in part on his work in Washington, was awarded the Maurizio Vannicelli Prize. While at Holy Cross, Favreau was director of the Welfare Solidarity Project of Worcester and a participant in the student-staffed Oncology Volunteer Effort at UMASS Memorial Hospital (M.O.V.E.) He also served as editor of the opinion section of “The Crusader” student newspaper.

After leaving the White House, he co-founded Fenway Strategies, a communications and speechwriting firm. In the spring of 2013, Favreau served as a fellow at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, teaching a weekly seminar, titled “Storytelling in the Age of Sound Bites.”

Featured in TIME magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” and in GQ’s “50 Most Powerful People in D.C.,” he is also a columnist for The Daily Beast.

In addition to Favreau, the College will award honorary degrees to the following individuals at Commencement:

Rochelle M. Bard ’98

Critically acclaimed soprano Rochelle M. Bard has won top prizes from prestigious national and international vocal competitions. She has appeared on the stages of Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Tampa, Sacramento Opera, Baltimore Opera, Utah Festival Opera, and Tanglewood, performing in “Lucia di Lammermoor,” “Madama Butterfly,” and “The Merry Widow,” and in such roles as Violetta in “La Traviata,” the four heroines in “The Tales of Hoffmann,” and Gilda in “Rigoletto.” She is a sought-after concert artist as well, with recent performances including: Beethoven’s 9th Symphony; Mozart’s Requiem; Handel’s Messiah; and Brahms’ Requiem.  The 2014 season includes the title role in “Norma” with the Knoxville Opera, “Tosca” with the Cambridge Symphony, and her mainstage Carnegie Hall debut as the soprano soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C and Mozart’s Vespers.

A Massachusetts native, she majored in biology at Holy Cross and received her master’s degree in vocal performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. Her most recent return to Holy Cross was in February of 2014 when she performed at the Brooks Concert Hall. While a student at Holy Cross, she was a piano accompanist in the music department, a cantor and student leader of the music ministry, and a member of the college and chamber choirs, the Delilahs, and Pax Christi. Bard has traveled to Haiti twice and is dedicated to performing fundraiser concerts for the island nation. She resides in West Hartford, Conn., where she also teaches voice at the Hartt School of Music and serves as the director of music at the Church of St. Timothy.

Rev. John W. Padberg, S.J.

An internationally recognized scholar and author, Rev. John W. Padberg, S.J., has been director and editor of the St. Louis-based Institute of Jesuit Sources since 1986.  In that role, he has made the rich resources of Ignatian and Jesuit scholarship available to a wide audience.  Fr. Padberg entered the Society of Jesus in 1944. He received a master’s degree in history from Saint Louis University and a doctorate of philosophy from Harvard University, where he specialized in intellectual history and the history of ideas.  He taught and served as academic vice president at Saint Louis University.  Fr. Padberg was a member of the staff of the U.S. Jesuit Conference in Washington, D.C., and then president of the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge from 1975 to 1985, before returning to St. Louis. While at Weston he was the founding president of the international Conference of Catholic Theological Institutions. His written works include “Colleges in Controversy: The Jesuit Schools in France from Revival to Suppression, 1815-1880” (Harvard University Press) and, with several colleagues, “For Matters of Greater Moment: The First Thirty General Congregations” (The Institute of Jesuit Sources); as well as 75 publications on various topics in the history of the Society of Jesus and on Jesuit higher education.  For 16 years, Fr. Padberg served as chairman of the Seminar on Jesuit Spirituality and editor of Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits. His current research and writing center around the history of the Society of Jesus.

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Holy Cross Faculty Offer Perspectives on Pope Francis

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Bridget Campolettano

DV1442881As Pope Francis completes his first year of papacy this month, the College Committee on Mission and Identity will host a panel titled “Who are we to judge? Perspectives on Pope Francis,” featuring commentary by Alice Laffey, associate professor of religious studies, Mathew Schmalz, associate professor of religious studies, and Rev. Thomas Worcester, S.J., professor of history. The panel will be held in Rehm Library on March 26 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., and is free and open to the public.

“Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope and the first Latin American pope, continues to delight and surprise Catholics and many others around the globe. In his first year as bishop of Rome, he has been a needed breath of fresh air, and he has demonstrated through his own actions how authentic Christians live,” says Fr. Worcester. “By questioning whether the pope should or should not judge persons with a homosexual orientation, Francis has helped to redirect the Catholic Church away from negative decrees and judgments, to a more positive and humanity-affirming agenda. And yet Francis does judge the world economic system, as profoundly unjust, and calls for radical changes that will liberate the poor from their suffering. He has made the poor a top priority, as it was for Saint Francis of Assisi, and indeed for Jesus himself.”

“Pope Francis speaks and acts with personal authenticity,” adds Laffey. “His theology is biblical and Ignatian: God deeply loves us and we are invited to love God and God’s people.”

In March of 2013, College president Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., faculty members from varying disciplines, and students all offered perspectives on the historic announcement. Interest among students continue to be lively, says Fr. Worcester.  “When I offered my course on ‘The Papacy in the Modern World’ last semester it quickly filled, with other students asking to get in.” Fr. Worcester will offer the course again in the spring 2015 semester.

The campus community has continued to weigh in throughout the first year of his papacy, including a recent story from CNN featuring Michelle Sterk Barrett, director of community based learning, who says that Francis has a unique gift for reaching people on a gut level, using simple language and earthy metaphors.

“He’s the best thing to happen in the Catholic Church in my lifetime” says Sterk Barrett. Read the full article, which ran in more than 30 different media outlets across the country, on CNN.com.

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