News

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross women’s basketball team held its annual game against the Mercy Centre on Thursday, Jan. 7. This year’s game marks the 18th consecutive time the two teams have competed against each other.

The women’s basketball team has a strong tie with the Mercy Centre, who provides comprehensive educational and employment training opportunities for people with developmental disabilities, mental retardation, sensory impairments, and/or physical challenges combined with attentional, communication, motor, medical and behavioral involvement. The annual basketball game is just one of the many activities Holy Cross head coach Bill Gibbons and the rest of the women’s basketball team provides for the Centre.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Miami is not likely to profit from hosting Super Bowl XLIV, despite the large crowds expected to descend upon its hotels, restaurants and shops, according to sports economists Robert Baumann and Victor Matheson.  The NFL’s claim of an economic windfall between $300 – $400 million for the Super Bowl’s host city is largely inflated, they say.

Their research, which examined the Super Bowl’s economic impact from 1970 – 2001, shows that the event fails to generate significant profits and could even end up costing the city.

Baumann and Matheson, both associate professors of economics at the College of the Holy Cross, have expertise in sports economics and the impact of mega-sporting events on host cities.

For additional information, see their papers:

* “Selling the Big Game: Estimating the Economic Impact of Mega-Events through Taxable Sales” http://ideas.repec.org/p/hcx/wpaper/0510.html
* “Padding Required: Assessing the Economic Impact of the Super Bowl” http://ideas.repec.org/p/hcx/wpaper/0403.html

Members of the media seeking additional information or assistance scheduling an interview should contact Kristine Maloney (associate director of national communications and media relations) or Cristal Steuer (manager of communications and media relations) at 508-793-2419.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Cardinal Seán O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Boston, will visit the College of the Holy Cross on Monday, Jan. 25. He will celebrate Mass at 4:15 p.m. at St. Joseph Memorial Chapel. The Mass is open to the public.  Also during his visit, Cardinal O’Malley will meet with students and visit the grave of Benedict Joseph Fenwick, S.J., second Bishop of Boston, who founded Holy Cross in 1843.

In July 2003, Cardinal O’Malley was appointed Archbishop of Boston by Pope John Paul II. Pope Benedict XVI named him a Cardinal in 2006.

He earned an M.A. in religious education and a Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese literature at the Catholic University of America. Upon graduating, he taught at Catholic University and founded Centro Católico Hispano (Hispanic Catholic Center) in Washington, D.C., an organization which provided educational, medical and legal help to immigrants.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Ward Thomas, associate professor of political science at the College of the Holy Cross, is an expert in international security and terrorism.  He is available to comment on issues related to terrorist activity in Yemen.  Specifically, he can address anti-terrorism strategy and foreign policy implications for other areas of the world, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Thomas is the author of The Ethics of Destruction: Norms and Force in International Relations (Cornell University Press, 2001), and his articles have appeared in International Security, Security Studies, Armed Forces & Society, Sciences Humaines (Paris), and The Boston Globe, among other publications.

His teaching and research interests include international security and strategic studies, international relations theory, U.S. foreign policy, international institutions, and ethics and international relations.

Members of the media seeking additional information or assistance scheduling an interview should contact Kristine Maloney (associate director of national communications and media relations) or Cristal Steuer (manager of communications and media relations) at 508-793-2419.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross junior strong safety Anthony DiMichele (McKees Rocks, Pa.) and senior quarterback Dominic Randolph (Amelia, Ohio) have been selected as third team All-Americans by the Sports Network. This marks the first time the Crusaders have had multiple players selected to the Sports Network All-America team in the same season since 1991.

DiMichele played in 10 games with nine starts at strong safety for Holy Cross this season, and was named first team All-Patriot League. Despite missing two games due to injury, he ranked second on the team with 82 total tackles, including 70 solo stops, one sack and five tackles for loss. DiMichele also posted two interceptions, five pass breakups and a fumble recovery. He finished the season ranked seventh in the Patriot League in tackles, interceptions and passes defended. Over the course of his collegiate career, DiMichele has totaled 154 tackles, 15 pass breakups and four interceptions.

Randolph was previously selected as the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and the Harry Agganis Award winner, in addition to being named a second team All-American by the Associated Press. Randolph completed 310 of 485 passes this season for 3,776 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing this year, carrying the ball 113 times for 480 yards and seven scores. Randolph led the nation in total offense, while ranking second in points responsible for, third in completions, fourth in passing yards and 13th in pass efficiency. Over the course of his career as a Crusader, he completed 1,131 of 1,786 passes for 13,455 yards and 117 scores, while amassing 14,240 yards of total offense. Randolph owns the Holy Cross and Patriot League career records for yards of total offense, passing yards, touchdown passes, completions and pass attempts.

Holy Cross concluded the 2009 season with an overall record of 9-3, and won the Patriot League championship with a 5-1 mark in conference games.

WORCESTER, Mass. – From The New York Times to USA Today to the cover of Worcester Mag, the College of the Holy Cross made headlines both locally and nationally in 2009. From January – December, nearly 2,000 newspaper, magazine, television and radio stories featured Holy Cross people and programs.  Here are just a few of them:

* Mathew Schmalz, associate professor of religious studies and director of the College Honors Program became a regular contributor to “On Faith,” an online conversation on religion sponsored by The Washington Post and Newsweek. His topics ranged from Pope Benedict’s public apologies to whether or not nuclear disarmament is a pro-life issue.  In April, ABC’s Good Morning America came to campus to interview Schmalz about miracles and sainthood in the Catholic Church.
* Victor Matheson, associate professor of economics at the College, talked about the state of the economy to numerous media outlets including CNN.com; as well as the economic impact of hosting the Olympics to the New York Times, Chicago Public Radio, Associated Press, and the Chicago Tribune.
* Matthew Clemente ’11, Mark Reeth ’11, Maryalice Gill ’11 and Jordan Jones ’12 talked about “MANuary,” a beard growing contest sponsored by the Class of 2011 that benefited Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. The month-long event raised more than $3,000 for charity. They were featured on FOX25 News and WTAG Morning News.
* Ann McDermott, director of admissions, talked about the College’s SAT optional policy to Readers Digest.  She was also a contributor and guest blogger for “The Choice,” The New York Times’ college blog, in which she provided insight into how admissions counselors evaluate applications.

The Choice (November 30, 2009)
How One College Evaluates a Transcript

The Choice (December 4, 2009)
Shedding Further Light on How One College Decides

* Lynne Myers, director of financial aid at the College, offered advice for families on paying for college and navigating the financial aid process on WCVB-TV.
* Samuel Partyka ‘10, and Sarah Grunstein, renowned pianist and assistant professor of music, described the experience of performing on historic pianos — dating back to 1790 — during Grunstein’s student’s annual Historic Piano Festival to WBUR (Boston’s NPR affiliate).
* Seven students from Holy Cross ran the Boston Marathon to raise money for Dana-Farber. Together they contributed over $20,000 for cancer research.  The students shared their story with NECN/Channel 3.
* In a feature story, Boston Globe reporter Tracy Jan wrote about Slow Food—one of the most successful dining programs and most popular ‘green’ initiatives—at the College.
* In another Boston Globe feature story, students Yalda Faqeerzada ’12 and Uzra Azizi ’12, reflected on their first year of studies at Holy Cross, through the Initiative To Educate Afghan Women, before returning to their native Afghanistan for the summer.
* WCVB’s Chronicle attended Commencement: Daryl Brown, Joseph Lopez and Edward Mullaney, all members of the class of 2009, shared their plans for the future and their thoughts about graduating in a recession.
* In a FOX25 News Special Report and on WTAG, Holy Cross seniors Kevin Sullo and Tom Booth talked about taking a zero-gravity flight to study the physics of baseball.  Matthew Koss, associate professor of physics at the College, graced the cover of Worcester Mag, for his research on the physics of baseball.
* In a national story on new trends in campus dining, Angelo Berti, sous chef at the College, talked about the cooking lessons he gives in the residence halls. The article ran in nearly 50 outlets including CBS News and The San Francisco Chronicle.
* Charles Manyak, production manager in dining services at the College, was splashed across the pages of Worcester Living Magazine, for his popular Crusader Cuisine class, during which teaches employees at the College to cook.
* The Redfeather Theatre Company at the College received rave reviews throughout the city for the Worcester Shakespeare Festival, with performances of Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing. Outlets included Worcester Mag, NECN/Channel 3, and the Telegram & Gazette.
* “From new construction, to energy conservation to even eliminating dining trays, Holy Cross has made a comprehensive campus-wide effort to reduce its global footprint over the past few years,” according to the Worcester Business Journal.  For these efforts and much more the College was recognized with a Central Mass Green Award by the Worcester Business Journal.  The College was also featured in Inside Higher Ed, in a story about its goal to reduce carbon gas emissions 20 percent by 2015 and reach carbon neutrality by 2040 as part of American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. Of the 392 colleges and universities whose presidents signed the pledge in 2007, Holy Cross was among the 88 to submit a plan by the deadline.
* Michael Lochhead, vice president for administration and finance at the College, provided insight into how the new GI Bill would work for veterans interested in attending Holy Cross to NPR’s All Things Considered. The show is heard by more than 13 million listeners weekly, on over 650 public radio stations nationwide.
* Once overlooked, Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph ’10, is received interest from the NFL, and was praised for his efforts on and off the field by The New York Times, ESPN.com, The Boston Globe, Sports Illustrated, WBZ-TV, USA Today, and the Associated Press.
* On a WBZ-TV feature, Chris Hayden ‘10, coxswain for the rowing team, shared his experiences as a varsity athlete born with only one arm.  Coach Todd Pearson and team captains Dan McGlinn ’10 and D.J. Estes ’10 talked about Chris’ contributions to the team.

To see more Holy Cross stories featured by the media in 2009, visit Holy Cross in the News.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at the College of the Holy Cross presents Pilgrimage and Faith: Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. This exhibition, which explores pilgrimage as experienced in Buddhist, Christian and Muslim faith communities, will run from Monday, Jan. 25- Thursday, April 1, with an opening reception on Wednesday, Feb. 3 from 5 – 6:30 p.m. in the gallery. The exhibit is curated by Virginia Raguin, professor of visual arts at Holy Cross and Dina Bangdel, associate professor at art history at Virginia Commonwealth University, with input from F.E. Peters, professor emeritus of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, history, and religion at New York University.

The exhibition will house 75 historical objects from the 12th century to the present. They include clothing worn on a present-day Muslim Pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca; sculptures in wood and limestone from France; copper and bronze from Tibet; stained glass from the Middle Ages; a Renaissance enameled chalice from Italy; a lavish embellished Quran from Iran; and Islamic prayer scrolls in silver amulet casings. Buddhist travel in Japan is explained through a 19th-century pilgrimage itinerary book and 20th-century pilgrim’s robe and staff.  (As a pilgrim progressed to each of the 33 shrines honoring the Boddhisatva Kannon, a stamp would be added to the robe.) Another group of objects, including a woodcut image from a 15th-century book, stained glass, and a collection of lead badges, relates to the pilgrimage to honor Thomas Becket, the murdered archbishop of Canterbury made famous by Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

“The global scope of the exhibit and accompanying collection of essays moves beyond an East/West opposition or the limitations of these faiths,” says Raguin. “It addresses shared goals of personal development and communal solidarity as deep human needs.”

The exhibit focuses on fundamental issues of the three religions and the many ways of convergence of practices in the pilgrimage experience. The pilgrim’s goal is the holy site and its approach involves both physical and temporal expense, beginning through detachment from the familiar. The process to, participation in and reflection on the experience can deeply alter the sense of self and of community for the believer. Paramount is the call to exercise charity to others and also, in humility, to accept charity from others.  By the juxtaposition of religions in this study, whose beliefs and practices are so often seen as incompatible in a contemporary world, the collaborators hope to encourage a more nuanced understanding of shared aspirations.

The strategy of the project also focuses on the continuity of the past and the present and the motivations and experiences of persons of all social strata. It transforms our way of looking at “works of art” from these cultures, too often exhibited without their animating context.  The exhibit contains objects of supreme artistic skill (Islamic glazed tile; Christian enameled reliquaries, and Buddhist bronze statues) mingled with mass-produced objects (lead pilgrimage badges, terracotta souvenirs, or paper mementos) and personal acquisitions such as stones or soil from the holy place. These objects all share the same purpose: to make more tangible the ephemeral experience and thus enable the owner to intensify memories of spiritual commitment and social interaction.

The exhibition will also travel to the Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago; the University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia; and the Rubin Museum of Art, New York City, before closing in October 2011.

The lenders include the Harvard University Art Museums, the Boston Public Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Newark Museum, the Loyola University Art Museum, College of the Holy Cross, Boston College, and several private collectors.

A substantial 350-page catalogue with 300 color illustrations unites 25 international experts to profile past and present practices for each religion. The three major contributors are Peters (Islam), Bangdel (Buddhism), and Raguin (Christianity).

Gallery Events

A series of lectures and events will be held at Holy Cross in conjunction with the gallery exhibition.  All events are free and open to the public.

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 5 -6:30 p.m., Cantor Art Gallery
Opening Reception
Thursday, Feb. 11, 4 p.m., Rehm Library, Smith Hall
Talk: The Roots and Reasons of Christian Pilgrimage, by Virginia Raguin, professor of visual arts and John E. Brooks Chair in the Humanities.
Tuesday, Feb. 16, 12 p.m., Cantor Art Gallery
Gallery Talk: Buddhist Pilgrimage by Dina Bangdel, associate professor, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 4 p.m., Rehm Library, Smith Hall
Talk: Pilgrimage and Prayer in the Muslim World by Mika Natif, Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in visual arts at the College.
Tuesday, March 16, 7 p.m. Rehm Library, Smith Hall
Talk: Tolerance and Intolerance among the Monotheists: Jews, Christians, and Muslims by F. E. Peters, professor emeritus of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, History, and Religion at New York University.
Tuesday, March 16, 12:30 p.m., Rehm Library, Smith Hall
Talk: Jewish and Muslim Shared Veneration of Holy Land Pilgrimage Sites by Pamela Berger, professor of art history at Boston College.
Wednesday, March 24, 4 – 8 p.m., Cantor Art Gallery
Demonstration: Dyah tayegu, Participatory Ritual of Stupa Making by Naresh Man Bajracarya, Ph. D., Katmandu, Nepal.
Thursday, March 25, 4 p.m., Rehm Library, Smith Hall
Talk: Buddhist Pilgrimage in the Himalayan Region by Todd Lewis, professor of religious studies at the College.

Gallery Information

Founded in 1983 through the generosity of Iris & B. Gerald Cantor, the Cantor Art Gallery serves both as a venue for a changing series of historical and contemporary public exhibitions, as well as a vital resource for Holy Cross faculty and students, linking exhibitions to the broader liberal arts curriculum.

The hours for the Cantor Art Gallery are Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 5p.m., Saturdays 2 – 5p.m. Closed: Feb. 27 and March 6 (for Spring break). Located in O’Kane Hall, 1st Floor, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worcester, MA, 01610.  Admission to the gallery is free.

Trained student tour guides are available for individual or for groups. Group visits may be possible outside of normal Gallery hours. For additional information please call 508-793-3356 or visit the Gallery’s Web site.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross senior quarterback Dominic Randolph (Amelia, Ohio) has been selected as the 2009 Eastern College Athletic Conference Player of the Year for the football championship subdivision. Randolph was also joined by senior offensive guard Chris Poole (Scituate, Mass.) and senior cornerback Michael Wright (Fort Washington, Md.) on the 2009 ECAC All-Star team. Holy Cross’ three selections to the ECAC All-Star team tied with Brown for the most from any school.

Randolph was previously selected as the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and the Harry Agganis Award winner, in addition to being named first team All-Patriot League and All-New England for the third straight year. Randolph completed 310 of 485 passes this season for 3,776 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing this year, carrying the ball 113 times for 480 yards and seven scores. Randolph led the nation in total offense, while ranking second in points responsible for, third in completions, fourth in passing yards and 13th in pass efficiency. Over the course of his career as a Crusader, he completed 1,131 of 1,786 passes for 13,455 yards and 117 scores, while amassing 14,240 yards of total offense. Randolph owns the Holy Cross and Patriot League career records for yards of total offense, passing yards, touchdown passes, completions and pass attempts.

Poole was previously named All-New England and first team All-Patriot League this year, after being a second team All-Patriot League selection in 2008. He started all 12 games for the Crusaders at right guard this season, as the leader of an offensive line which paved the way for Holy Cross to rank fourth in the nation in passing offense (314.9 yards per game), sixth in total offense (433.6 yards per game) and 15th in scoring offense (32.2 points per game). Poole started all 34 of Holy Cross’ games over the last three seasons on the offensive line.

Wright was previously selected All-New England and first team All-Patriot League this year, after being a second team All-Patriot League selection in 2008. He started all 12 games at cornerback for Holy Cross this season, and led the team with three interceptions and 13 pass breakups. Wright also totaled 53 tackles on the year, including 48 solo stops and a tackle for loss. He finished the season ranked second in the Patriot League in passes defended and seventh in interceptions. Over the course of his collegiate career, Wright totaled 96 tackles, four interceptions and 26 pass breakups.

Holy Cross concluded the 2009 season with an overall record of 9-3, and won the Patriot League championship with a 5-1 mark in conference games.

Dear Members of the Holy Cross Community,

I am writing to inform you that late yesterday the NCAA notified Holy Cross that the Division I Committee on Infractions is releasing a report that will be the final disposition of a major infractions case in which Holy Cross self-reported to the NCAA last year and has accepted responsibility for a major violation in its men’s soccer program. The Committee accepted our self-imposed penalties, including the forfeiture of two scholarships, and added the standard minimum sanction of a two-year probation.

Holy Cross has never before been involved in a major NCAA violation case.

We take these violations very seriously.  While I am disappointed that these violations occurred, I am satisfied with our swift and comprehensive response. The infractions are centered around a number of impermissible telephone calls made to high school student-athletes during a nearly four-year period (April 2004-June 2008).  The phone calls cited and investigated by both the College and the NCAA included contact with students prior to the first permissible calling date, as well as calls exceeding the prescribed limit made during permissible periods.  In its findings, the NCAA noted that the violations were not intentional, but determined that our former men’s soccer head coach failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance and that the College failed to monitor telephone calls within the men’s soccer program adequately.

In June of 2008, when we first discovered that violations had taken place, Holy Cross promptly began its own internal investigation and notified the enforcement division of the NCAA.  Over the past 18 months, the investigation has continued; and we have cooperated fully with the NCAA, as has our former head men’s soccer coach.  We submitted a full report to the NCAA in December 2008 and worked with the NCAA as it conducted its investigation.  We ceased all recruiting activities in the men’s soccer program for a substantial period of time and implemented a series of corrective measures designed to ensure full NCAA rules compliance.

Compliance with NCAA policies and regulations is and has always been a priority for the College and our athletics program—administrators and coaches alike.  As a result of the investigations, we discovered that our systems for monitoring telephone calls with prospective student athletes needed revision.  We have taken full responsibility for the violations and have developed new procedures to ensure that all sports and all coaches have increased compliance training, understand our tracking systems, and are aware of all NCAA rules regarding telephone contact with high school students.

It is important to note that while this is a major infraction primarily because of the number of calls, the NCAA concluded that the contacts with prospective student athletes were not deliberate violations of the rules nor an attempt to obtain a recruiting advantage.  Only 2% of the 103 prospects who received impermissible calls attended Holy Cross; and all of these student-athletes had their eligibility restored without conditions placed upon them.  In other words, the young men were innocently involved and not penalized by the NCAA.  Furthermore, the NCAA concluded that the failure-to-monitor charge was limited to recruiting calls in the men’s soccer program, as other areas of the men’s soccer program were adequately monitored.  An audit conducted by the College did not reveal telephone call violations in other sports.

As a result of the two-year probation, we will be under some scrutiny by the NCAA and must adhere to additional reporting requirements.  This will not have any impact on our eligibility for post-season competition, future recruiting or any other aspects of our program.  We are committed to enforcing the steps now in place to monitor calls and track prospects.

I would like to commend the Holy Cross Athletics Department and other staff for their swift and comprehensive responses upon discovering these problems. We promptly investigated and then reported these violations to the NCAA when they were discovered.  Director of Athletics Richard Regan and his staff worked diligently to identify the issues, kept me informed, and worked with the NCAA to take appropriate corrective actions.

It is imperative that we conduct all our affairs, including certainly athletics, according to the highest ethical standards.  We regret deeply this serious violation of the rules governing our athletics programs.  We are committed to full compliance with both the letter and the spirit of NCAA rules and will work proactively with our community, the NCAA and our partners in intercollegiate athletics to sustain this commitment.

Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J.
President

WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross head football coach Tom Gilmore has been selected as one of five finalists from the football championship subdivision for the 2009 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. Joining Gilmore as finalists are Jerry Moore of Appalachian State, Danny Rocco of Liberty, Bob Spoo of Eastern Illinois and John Stiegelmeier of South Dakota State. Winners will be announced January 6, 2010, in Los Angeles, in advance of the BCS championship game.

Liberty Mutual will award $50,000 to donate to the charity of the winner’s choice, along with a $20,000 grant to the winning school’s alumni association for student scholarships and activities. Between Dec. 15 and Dec. 29, fans can visit www.coachoftheyear.com/ to vote among the finalists. Fan votes constitute 20 percent of a coach’s final score.

Earlier this season, Gilmore was named the New England Coach of the Year and the Patriot League Coach of the Year, in addition to being a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award as the National Coach of the Year. He led the Crusaders to their first conference title since 1991, with Holy Cross posting an overall record of 9-3 and a 5-1 mark in the league. Gilmore also led the team into only the third postseason appearance in school history, when it faced Villanova in the the NCAA playoffs. His 2009 squad won nine games for only the ninth time in school history, while posting a 3-1 record against ranked opponents.

Gilmore has led Holy Cross to winning records in five straight seasons, including 7-4 marks in 2006, 2007 and 2008, along with winning streaks of six games (in 2008) and five games (in 2006 and 2009). Two of his players, Dominic Randolph (2007, 2008 and 2009) and Steve Silva (2005), have been named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, with Silva also earning first team All-America honors. Gilmore’s career record now stands at 39-28 over six seasons, including a 36-20 mark since the beginning of the 2005 campaign.

“Many passionate fans came out to vote for Tom Gilmore because he embodies the college football spirit and the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year values,” said Greg Gordon, senior vice president of consumer marketing at Liberty Mutual. “Tom Gilmore has made a great impact on the lives of his student athletes and his community and we are proud to recognize him as a Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year finalist.”

To ensure candidates are evaluated fairly and measured against the specific values of responsibility and integrity, selection committees of College Football Hall of Fame players and coaches – including Archie Manning, Lou Holtz, Vince Dooley, Ronnie Lott and Jerry Rice – and the national college football media will also cast votes for the winners. Hall of Fame and media votes account for 55 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Biology major Emily Atkinson ’11 of Florence, Mass., and economics/accounting and classics double major Matthew Mullaney ’11 of Livingston, N.J., are the co-recipients of the 2009 Mrs. Kate C. Power Medal, funded by an anonymous bequest in 1942 and given to the second-year student with the highest class rank. Atkinson and Mullaney, now in their third years, both earned a top-notch 4.0 GPA in their sophomore class of 723 students last year.

“I was so honored when I heard I had received the Power award!” Atkinson says. “I can’t take any credit for it, though—I have to give the glory to God. He’s given me all the ambition and dedication I possess.” Atkinson, who currently studying at the University of Leon in Spain, offers enthusiastic advice to future classes: “Study abroad! I promise you it’ll be the most memorable experience of your Holy Cross career.”

Mullaney, who can often be found studying in the student lounge of Stein Hall, commented that the award was a welcome acknowledgement for the time he devotes to his studies while planning his academics around a busy swimming schedule. Asked for his advice for incoming students who want to mirror his level of achievement, Mullaney offers: “Success will only come if you work hard, do what is asked of you and take your education seriously. It’s a unique and privileged opportunity to come to Holy Cross, so taking advantage of that will pay off in the long run.”

Psychology professor and Dean for the Class of 2011, Mark Freeman, comments “Matt and Emily are both terrific students who embody many of the characteristics we prize here. Having entered the College as an economics/accounting major fiercely dedicated both to his studies and to varsity swimming, Matt decided last year to pursue a second major in classics and is therefore an outstanding example of the Holy Cross scholar-athlete.

“Emily is a biology major pursuing premedical studies along with significant course work in Spanish,” he continues. “And is also actively engaged in campus ministry as well as related activities beyond the confines of the College. That Matt and Emily are perched at the very top of their class is extraordinary in its own right. That their academic records only tell part of the story makes their accomplishments that much more remarkable.”