News

Claire Burns Awards

Five employees of the College of the Holy Cross have received 2012 Claire B. Burns Awards. The awards program, now in its 15th 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 March 12.  They are:

June M. Caron, a resident of North Oxford, has worked in physical plant administration for the last 24 years.

Christina M. Fairbanks, a resident of Auburn, has worked in dining services for the last eight years.

Linda L. MacLellan, a resident of Worcester, has worked in physical plant/environmental services for the last six years.

Stephanie A. Outerson, a resident of Auburn, has worked in academic services for the last eight years.

Linda C. Paquette, a resident of Worcester, has worked in the bookstore for last 19 years.

As part of the Claire B. Burns Awards Program, Robert H. Holley, Jr., an employee in physical plant/environmental services, received The Rev. William J. O’Halloran, S.J., Award. A resident of Cherry Valley, Holley has worked at the College for seven 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.

In addition, 40 employees were recognized for perfect attendance over the past year, and 115 employees were recognized for years of service to the College.

On June 23, 20 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.

Community Service

The College of the Holy Cross has been named to the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for its strong institutional commitment to service and partnerships that produce measurable results for the community.  The Honor Roll recognition is from the highest levels of the federal government and recognizes commitment to service and civic engagement on campus and in the nation.

Social justice and community service are long-standing traditions at Holy Cross.  Last year, more than 2,277 students (out of a total population of 2,900) dedicated 100,214 hours to working with community organizations.  Student work in the community ranges from one-time initiatives supporting a fundraising or community event to long-term projects designed to bring major change to streets, schools, and parks.

“As a Jesuit Institution, service is essential to our identity and how we educate our students both in and out of the classroom,” says Edward Augustus, director of government and community relations. “Students’ connection with the community through service learning, volunteerism and community work study enhances their personal and intellectual growth. At the same time, it results in long-lasting community partnerships for the College.”

Holy Cross students come together into the community through a variety of programs including Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD), the College’s 30 year-old community service student organization with more than 700 active student members and 46 program sites, and the Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning, which allows students to extend their learning beyond the classroom and into the community through work with nonprofit, community, and public organizations.  Other opportunities for students to volunteer in the community include programs offered through the athletics department, and local internships with Worcester businesses and agencies.

The Corporation for National and Community Service has administered the Honor Roll since 2006. Other local schools named to the Honor Roll include: Anna Maria College, Assumption College, Clark University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Worcester State University.

Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school’s commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service.

Launched in 2006, the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognizes universities and colleges across the nation that encourage and support creative and effective community service and service-learning programs. The Corporation for National and Community Service oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education.

Katz

Noted journalist, author and Nieman Fellow, Yaakov Katz will give a lecture on “Israel’s Security in a Changing Middle East,” Thursday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The lecture, supported by the Kraft-Hiatt Fund for Jewish-Christian Understanding, is free and open to the public.

Katz is a military correspondent and defense analyst for the Jerusalem Post, and he is the Israel correspondent for Jane’s Defence Weekly, the international military magazine. His first book, “Israel vs. Iran: The Shadow War,” became a national bestseller in Israel in 2011 and was published in the United States in May 2012.

In his talk at Holy Cross, Katz will discuss the changes in the Middle East and their impact on Israel’s strategic standing in the region. He also will analyze the threat posed to Israel by Iran with its pursuit of a nuclear weapon. 

Katz has covered Israeli military operations over the past decade including the pullout from the Gaza Strip in 2005, the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2009. A popular lecturer on military affairs and former correspondent for USA Today, Katz is a frequent contributor to numerous American publications and a regular commentator on Israel Television, Sky News, Al Jazeera, and other networks. As a current Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, Katz is studying the use of censorship in the digital age to determine whether it is relevant and consistent with democratic values and if it can be applied differently, especially in coverage of Israel and the Middle East.

Originally from Chicago, Katz moved to Israel in 1993 and served in the Israel Defense Forces Armored Corps. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and four children and has a law degree from Bar-Ilan University.

The Kraft-Hiatt Fund for Jewish-Christian Understanding, administered by the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at Holy Cross, is committed to deepening understanding of Judaism, Jewish life around the world, and Jewish-Christian relations.  To learn more about this event and find lectures online, visit 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.