News

The College of the Holy Cross has announced the appointment of John B. Anderson ’57, associate professor emeritus of history and former mayor of the City of Worcester, as interim director of the office of government and community relations. Anderson will serve the College in this capacity, while Edward M. Augustus, Jr., is on leave to serve as Worcester’s City Manager. Augustus will serve as city manager until a permanent successor can be named, and will then return to his position at the College.

As part of his responsibilities at Holy Cross, Anderson will serve as the College’s point of contact with City of Worcester elected and appointed officials to help strengthen lines of communication and foster and explore partnerships between the City and the College.  He will also represent Holy Cross in work with state and federal government agencies, key legislators, and other colleges and universities on issues concerning higher education policy development and legislation.

“John Anderson has been a member of the Holy Cross and Worcester communities for more than 50 years,” says Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president. “His strong relationships with City residents and organizations, and rich history as a public servant, will help Holy Cross maintain and build long-lasting partnerships.”

Anderson began teaching at Holy Cross in 1961 and retired in 2001; since then, he has taught one course a year—usually “Worcester and Its People.”  On campus he has served as the Speaker of the Faculty, chair of the history department, director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, and director of the Honors Program.

First elected to the Worcester City Council in 1975, he served 11 terms, retiring in 1998. He was the city’s mayor in 1986—the year in which he was also the chairman of the board of the United Way of Central Massachusetts. In 2010, an official portrait of Anderson was hung in City Hall alongside past mayors and city managers.

Very active in the Worcester community, Anderson is a member of the Worcester Historical Museum and the Worcester Art Museum.  Anderson and his wife, Mary Lou, live in Worcester and have a daughter, Katherine (Anderson) Olney, and two grandsons.

The government and community relations office is supported by assistant director Susan Hunt, who has a special responsibility for forging and fostering strategic and mission-oriented community partnership opportunities for students in the Greater Worcester community.

Philip Kitcher, the John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University will give a lecture on “The Scientist’s Role,” at the College of the Holy Cross on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 4:30 p.m. in Rehm Library. The lecture is part of the series “The Practice of Science in a World of Competing Values,” sponsored by the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture. It is free and open to the public.

In the lecture, Kitcher will use the examples of Darwinism and climate change to explore how the sciences have come to play a major part in shaping national and global policy. He also will discuss the ethical issues that have surfaced as a result: What responsibilities do scientists have to answer to the needs and aspirations of a broader public? How can scientific expertise be integrated with democratic ideals? Is the private funding of scientific research a threat to the proper functioning of science?

Kitcher is the author of several books including “Science in a Democratic Society” (Prometheus Books, 2011),” The Ethical Project” (Harvard University Press, 2011), and “Living with Darwin: Evolution, Design, and the Future of Faith” (Oxford University Press, 2007). Kitcher is past president of the American Philosophical Association and the recipient of its inaugural Prometheus Prize for achievement in the philosophy of science.

For additional information, and to find video of lectures online, visit the McFarland Center website.

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.

The first annual Mr. Worcester pageant will be held on Friday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at Coral Seafood on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester.  Hosted by the Working for Worcester project and the Worcester Student Government Association, candidates from the College of the Holy Cross, Anna Maria College, Assumption College, Becker College, Clark University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), will compete to determine who will win the crown and title of Mr. Worcester 2014.  Contestants will compete in three rounds: talent, interview and formal wear; and will be judged by a panel of local celebrities: James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty, District 4 City Councilor Sarai Rivera, Assistant Vice President of Community Relations for the Hanover Insurance Group Jennifer Luisa, and Editor-in-Chief of Pulse Magazine Donna Roberson.

A $10 admission fee ($5 with a college ID) includes food, complimentary raffle tickets, and an evening of family fun and engagement between city residents and students.  Raffle prizes include a luxury suite for eight at the Demi Lovato concert at the DCU Center, an iPad mini and an assortment of gift card to local cafes and restaurants.

All proceeds will go to the Working for Worcester project this spring, which is working to renovate 20 community recreation sites across Worcester and promote wellness among youth. “The Mr. Worcester event is designed to be a social engagement that brings together residents and area college students,” says Holy Cross senior Jeffrey Reppucci, founder and CEO of Working for Worcester. “We came up with the idea after watching the Ms. America pageant this fall. We thought, what better way to bring people together than to round up Worcester’s finest and make them strut their stuff for their community!”

Reppucci says the event is also meant to raise awareness for the Working for Worcester spring project and build support, while promoting their partnership with the newly launched WSGA. “As much as we are pumped to laugh and have a ton of fun at the pageant, the real passion for the organizers of the event is to mobilize resources to renovate important recreation spaces all over the city this April,” he says.

• Learn more about Working for Worcester
• Learn more about the Worcester Student Government Association (WSGA)