Holy Cross Announces New Financial Aid Initiative for Worcester Residents

Posted on January 30, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Beginning with the 2008-09 academic year, Worcester residents who are admitted to the College of the Holy Cross and who come from families with incomes below $50,000 will receive four years of free tuition.

The announcement was made today by Holy Cross president Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J.  “Many low-income families in Worcester do not even consider a private college education for their children because they assume it is out-of-reach,” he said.  “Through this new program, we are strengthening our commitment to making a Holy Cross education available to Worcester residents who otherwise would not be able to afford it.  We are delighted to extend our many partnerships with Worcester with one that will directly benefit our city’s young people.”

According to U.S. Census data, the median family income in the City of Worcester is $42,988.

Holy Cross’ tuition for the 2007-08 academic year is $34,630.  Standard room and board and fees bring the current comprehensive cost to $45,102 per year.

Holy Cross Senior Vice President Frank Vellaccio said the new program is a further enhancement of the College’s commitment to financial aid and the City of Worcester.  “One of our key institutional priorities is to ensure that no student is denied a Holy Cross education because of his or her family’s financial situation,” he said.  “We hope this initiative will encourage more qualified Worcester students to consider Holy Cross.”

Holy Cross is “need-blind” for applicants, which means that the College reviews student admissions applications and makes decisions on which students to accept without any knowledge of the prospective student’s ability to pay for a Holy Cross education.  Approximately 58 percent of all Holy Cross students receive some kind of financial aid.

Currently, 54 percent of Holy Cross’ Worcester students are eligible for Pell Grants, a federal grant program geared to students who have the most financial need.  For students such as these—with the greatest need—Holy Cross will supplement free tuition with additional aid for room and board.

This new initiative was catalyzed by and now complements a number of established alumni-funded scholarship programs benefiting Worcester students.  Among the most recent scholarships funded by alumni specifically for Worcester residents are the Power Family Scholarship, endowed by Worcester native Dave Power ’53, founder of J.D. Power and Associates; and The Father Francis Xavier Seelos Scholarships.  Both funds are restricted to students from Worcester, and the Seelos scholarship is restricted to students who are the first in their families to attend college or who are non-traditional students.

The tuition-free component of Holy Cross’ commitment to provide financial aid to qualified Worcester residents will cost the College at least $1.4 million.

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Poster Perfect

Posted on January 30, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

Jimmy Doan ’09 says he wanted to create a poster for the “Hate: Not Here!” contest that portrayed a world of caring people. In order to do that he translated the words of the anti-bias initiative into a dozen languages, and placed them above a picture of the globe surrounded by five children holding hands.

The “Hate: Not Here!” committee selected Doan’s poster as this year’s winner of the poster contest, which had a theme of “Tolerance is Not Enough.” The second annual contest was part of the committee’s ongoing efforts to promote a community marked by dignity and respect at Holy Cross.

“I think that the idea of ‘Hate: Not Here!’ should be a universal concept, understood and practiced by all,” Doan says. “My goal with this poster design was to shed light on that, using the different languages as a way to form one community and understanding of the values in the ‘Hate: Not Here!’ campaign.”

Doan got some help from professors in the department of modern languages and literatures in writing “hate not here,” and used the magic of clip art and Photoshop to create the winning poster.

“I wanted to find a way to join the ‘Hate: Not Here!’ committee in their efforts to create positive change,” he says. “I saw last year’s poster and was amazed by the artwork that other students and departments on campus possessed.”

Doan, an economics major from Boston, is a staunch advocate for human rights. He serves as a peer mentor to first-year ALANA (African-American, Latin American, Asian-American, and Native American heritage) and international students.

As a National Association of Personnel Administrators Undergraduate Fellow, he is exploring a career in student affairs by spending time in the Office of Student Programs and Involvement, where he works as a student leadership coordinator and a student event coordinator. He is also treasurer of the Campus Activities Board.

A total of 10 submissions were entered in this year’s contest, all of which appear on the poster. Other participants included Megan Emmich ’10; Abby Healy ’11; Jennifer Kagno, manager of home events and promotions in the Athletics department; Klot KlengDong ’09; Alicia Lew ’11; Thanh Nguyen ’10 with Multicultural Peer Educators; Meara Weaver ’08; and the Office of Human Resources.

View the 2008 “Hate: Not Here” calendar (PDF).

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Annual Suzanna E. Waldbauer Memorial Concert to be Performed at Holy Cross

Posted on January 29, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross music department will present the annual Suzanna E. Waldbauer Memorial Concert performed by the Holy Cross Chamber Players on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. in Brooks Concert Hall. The concert, free and open to the public, will feature works by Georges Enescu (concert piece for viola and piano), Béla Bartók (Second Sonata for violin and piano), and Johannes Brahms (piano quartet in C-minor).

Performers are pianist Marc Ryser; violinist Carol Lieberman, associate professor of music; violist Marcus Thompson; and cellist Ronald Lowry. Lieberman and Shirish Korde, professor and chair of the music at Holy Cross, are co-directors.

The Holy Cross Chamber Players, founded in 1985 is a mixed ensemble consisting of members of the Holy Cross music department faculty and distinguished guest artists from the Boston area.

“Suzanna Waldbauer came to Holy Cross to teach music in 1970 and inspired scores of students over the next 20 years,” says Lieberman. “During this concert we play music that she would have loved.”

A native of Devavanya, Hungary, Waldbauer studied at the National Conservatory of Music and graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, both in Budapest. After graduation, she studied with Hungarian composers Zoltan Kodaly and Leo Weiner. In 1947, she left Hungary and moved to Mexico where she supported herself by playing and teaching piano.

After arriving in the U.S., she earned her M.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. An accomplished performer of music for two pianos as well as the mixed chamber music repertoire, Waldbauer gave concerts all over New England, including appearances as a soloist with the Vermont Symphony. An influential teacher and music department chair at Holy Cross, she offered courses in music history, introductory structure of music and keyboard music.

All of the music performed during the program was written by three well-known composers. Enescu, a French violinist, conductor, and composer who was considered a child prodigy; Bartók, of Hungarian descent, is considered one of the best composers of the 20th century; and Brahms, an important German composer during the Romantic period.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:

Ryser performs all over North America and Europe including the first performances in Bulgaria of Béla Bartók’s Concerto No. 3 (with the Vratsa Philharmonic) and concert tours in Switzerland that included performances of the Grieg and Ravel concertos with the Sinfonietta de Lausanne. Currently a member of the piano faculty at the New England Conservatory Preparatory Division, the Rivers School Conservatory, and an adjunct instructor of piano at Smith College, he has previously taught at Pomona College, Drake University, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Lieberman has been one of the leading exponents of Baroque violin performance for three decades, and is equally well known for her performances of 19th- and 20th- century violin repertoire.  She has toured throughout North and South America and Europe, and the scope of her versatility can be seen by her performances of the complete Bach Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord in such cities as Lisbon, Madrid, Rome, Boston and San Francisco, and her many premieres of 20th-century works. She is co-director of the Holy Cross Chamber Players, and violinist of the Early Music Ensemble of Boston and The Lieberman/Kroll Duo.

Thompson has appeared as viola soloist, recitalist and chamber music player in series throughout North and South America, Europe and the Far East. He was featured as soloist with the Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Saint Louis, and the Czech National Symphony. Thompson has received critical acclaim for performances of the John Harbison Viola Concerto with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Chicago Sinfonietta, and for performances of the Penderecki Viola Concerto in Boston and London. He is currently the Taylor Professor of Music, where he founded and leads programs in chamber music and performance study, at MIT. He also serves on the viola faculty at New England Conservatory of Music.

Lowry is an active performer in many of Boston’s leading musical organizations. He is the principal cellist of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra and the Boston Ballet Orchestra. Former principal cellist of the National Symphony of Costa Rica, the Handel and Haydn Society, and the Harvard Chamber Orchestra, Lowry performs frequently with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and with the Boston Pops. He is currently the artistic director for the Needham Concert Society and is on the faculties of the New England Conservatory Extension Division, the Longy School of Music and the Rivers Music School.

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A Climate of Change

Posted on January 29, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

Melissa Ogonowski ’09 “has taken Holy Cross by storm,” says Earl Peace, dean of the Class of 2009.

As a transfer student in fall 2006 she quickly distinguished herself as one of her class’ finest scholars, and instantly assumed the same energy and fervor that one might find in an upperclassman to become one of the College’s strongest proponents for making Holy Cross “green.”

“She’s a prime example of a student who takes to heart scholarship and leadership,” says Peace.

In the last year-and-a-half, Ogonowski, a political science major with an Environmental Studies concentration from Woodbridge, N.J., has encouraged the student body to use fluorescent lights in their dorm rooms (Eco-Action, in which she’s involved, has distributed more than 300 free bulbs since last year); advocated for making one of the two new ZipCars on campus a hybrid (the College ended up with a Toyota Prius); and urged the College to install a wind turbine on campus (a feasibility study is underway). Her enthusiasm for the subject even led this year’s Student Government Association leaders to create a new position: director of environmental concerns.

Ogonowski’s latest effort is hosting a Web cast as part of Focus the Nation’s National Teach-in on climate change on Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. in Hogan, Room 519. A discussion with Loren Cass, associate professor of Environmental Studies, will follow the event. Free T-shirts will be given to the first 75 people to attend the session, and free Clif-Bars will also be available. The event is one of many that the Environmental Studies Program is sponsoring this semester.

It’s appropriate that Cass, author of The Failures of American and European Climate Policy: International Norms, Domestic Politics, and Unachievable Commitments, will be available for discussion following the Web cast. It was his class, Comparative Environmental Policy, that encouraged Ogonowski to think about the future of the environment.

Her crusade will continue until she graduates — and probably beyond. As this year’s Earth Day coordinator at the Regional Environmental Council, garnered through the Academic Internship Program, Ogonowski will organize all Earth Day events for the city of Worcester on May 3. Her next major goal is to improve recycling on campus.

Ogonowski, who plans on attending law school to study environmental law, became familiar with Holy Cross after visiting friends on campus.

“I fell in love with the family environment,” she says. “Everyone’s so close and knows one another. It’s a very tight-knit community. I felt comfortable here and you can’t get better academics anywhere.”

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Virtuoso Concert Organist to Play as Part of Holy Cross Chapel Artist Series

Posted on January 28, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Stephen Hamilton, virtuoso concert organist, will perform Sunday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel at the College of the Holy Cross. The concert is free and open to the public.

As part of the Holy Cross Chapel Artists Series, the program will feature organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Barnardo Pasquini, Antonio Valente and Felix Mendelssohn.
This concert, as well as the entire 2007-2008 Holy Cross Chapel Artists Series, is dedicated to the memory of renowned composer Daniel Pinkham, who died in December of 2006.

“Dr. Stephen Hamilton is one of New York City’s most prominent organists; he is highly regarded as a superb teacher and a brilliant performer,” hails James David Christie, distinguished artist in residence at Holy Cross.

Hamilton is the minister of music at the historic Church of the Holy Trinity (Episcopal), in New York City, where he conducts the semi-professional Holy Trinity Choir and is artistic director of music at Holy Trinity, the church’s concert series. He is a member of the artist faculties at Hunter, Mannes and Queens Colleges and is a teacher of master classes and workshops, frequently lecturing on issues related to church music as well as organ teaching, playing and interpretation.

Hamilton has played in hundreds of solo recitals and has been on the nationally broadcast radio program Pipe Dreams and on WETS-FM’s Pipes, Pedals and Pistons. His CD release of Marcel Dupré’s  “Le Chemin de la Croix” received exceptional reviews from a number of magazines including The American Organist and The American Record Guide.

Pinkham, one of America’s most active and most-performed composers, taught at New England Conservatory from 1958 until 2000.  In addition to composing, he was an organist, harpsichordist, conductor, pioneer in the early music movement, and longtime music director at Boston’s historic King’s Chapel. With an A.B. and an M.A from Harvard University, his scholarship and work were recognized with a Fulbright Fellowship in 1950 and a Ford Foundation Fellowship in 1962. He received six honorary degrees: New England Conservatory, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Adrian College, Westminster Choir College, Ithaca College, and the Boston Conservatory.

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Global Consciousness

Posted on January 25, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

Catherine Roberts, associate professor of mathematics and director of the Environmental Studies program at Holy Cross, realized there was increasing interest in environmental concerns when she started getting deluged with requests from students who wanted to enroll in her already full Environmental Mathematics class earlier this semester.

“I turned dozens of students away,” Roberts says. “I asked my students on the first day why they took the class, and most said it was because they are interested in learning more about the environment.”

She’s not just blowing smoke. Over the last several years enrollment in the Environmental Studies program, which focuses on the causes, mechanisms, and effects of environmental problems, has risen steadily. There were eight Environmental Studies students who graduated in 2004; 12 in 2005; 23 in 2006; and 33 in 2007.

Students aren’t the only ones interested. Professors are showing the planet some love, too. When Roberts asked if faculty members would be interested in organizing an event for the Environmental Studies program, she was delightfully surprised at their enthusiasm. Approximately 15 events are scheduled for the spring semester. All the events are free and open to the public.

Among them, Judith Chubb, professor of political science, will host a talk titled “Hearing Nature’s Voice: The Possibilities of Ecological Democracy” by Roger Gottlieb, professor of philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, on Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Rehm Library; and on Feb. 26 at 4 p.m. in Rehm Library, visual arts professor Virginia Raguin will host a talk by Michael J. Crosbie, editor in chief of Faith & Form, who will address churches and green architecture.

“We’re seeing this wonderful interdisciplinary cross,” Roberts says. Professors from other departments — such as religious studies, philosophy, and biology — are attending events. And students are constructing their own program of study in the Environmental Studies program, taking courses from three or more disciplines to provide a comprehensive understanding of environmental issues. Environmental Studies courses can be found in nearly every field of study at the College.

“That’s what’s great about a liberal arts college — that a chemistry professor would want to attend a talk by a humanities professor,” she says.

The growing interest in the environment probably has much to do with educating students about pollution at a young age and increased media coverage — all of which has altered the mindset of today’s college students compared to those from years past, Roberts says.

“These students have never seen anyone smoking on a plane. They never throw trash out of their car. Keeping the planet in mind is part of their everyday reality. There’s a growing enthusiasm around the topic,” she says.

She adds: “I also don’t think it hurts that Al Gore has won a Nobel Prize for a movie about global warming and others have drawn so much attention to the issue.”

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Worcester’s McKeon Road Gateway Improvement Project Receives $750,000 in Federal Funding

Posted on January 25, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

The character of McKeon Road — the once-quiet two-lane stretch ringing athletic fields on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross and bordering the Blackstone River on the way to the Quinsigamond Village neighborhood — has been transformed over the past two years.

Local and commercial traffic is up significantly since McKeon Road now links Route 146 and I-290.  In the summer, the roadway is also a designated parking area for Worcester Tornadoes fans who attend baseball games at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field on the Holy Cross campus.

The years to come promise even more vehicular traffic, as well as a surge in pedestrians, cyclists, hikers, and others taking advantage of the multitude of recreation and cultural opportunities that the Blackstone River Valley Heritage Park Corridor — among other new projects — will bring to the area.

To address these dramatic changes, Congressionally-approved federal funding in the amount of $750,000 will be directed to make pedestrian and traffic safety improvements, including public sidewalks and lighting.  The City of Worcester is the recipient of the funding, and is working in partnership with the College and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in making and maintaining the public infrastructure improvements.

U.S. Representative James McGovern (D-Mass.) (photographed above) announced the funding and the project goals at an event on Friday, Jan. 25 on the Holy Cross campus, also attended by Holy Cross President Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., Worcester City Manager Michael O’Brien, state and local elected officials, representatives from areas businesses and nonprofit organizations, and neighborhood residents.

The funding is part of the omnibus appropriations bill approved by Congress at the end of the year.  Rep. McGovern helped secure more than $8 million in federal assistance for parts of central and southeastern Massachusetts.

Rep. McGovern said, “I was pleased to include $750,000 in the Transportation Treasury HUD title of the FY 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Bill for pedestrian safety improvements along McKeon Road.  With the reconfiguration of Route 146 and related economic development initiatives in the area, McKeon Road has become a major urban connector through the City of Worcester.  The residents of that neighborhood and the Holy Cross community deserve these public safety enhancements.”

“Speaking for the campus community and as a Worcester resident, I am deeply grateful for Rep. McGovern’s efforts on behalf of this project,” said Fr. McFarland.  “With the increased use of Route 146 and McKeon Road and the addition of McCarthy Lane—the roadway that connects the McKeon Road entrance with the Hogan and Hart Centers—the entrance is becoming a major gateway onto our campus.  In addition, the continued development of the surrounding neighborhood and the growth of recreational, cultural, and academic opportunities for our students and faculty along the Blackstone River make it imperative that we provide a safer and more attractive environment for both pedestrians and vehicles on that side of the campus.  We are delighted to be an active partner with the public and private efforts to preserve and improve this area.”

City Manager Michael O’Brien added:  “Worcester will undoubtedly benefit from these federally-funded improvements that will connect the vibrant college campus to Quinsigamond Village and the Heritage Park Corridor.  It is the kind of investment that will facilitate economic development, and will lead to continued revitalization of our neighborhoods.”

In coordination with the City of Worcester and the Massachusetts Highway Department, preliminary planning and assessment has begun.  Specific designs and structural plans will be developed over the course of the coming year.

The federally-funded improvements will also have an impact on other developments in the area, among them:

  • Relocation of the Worcester Historical Museum to a new “Worcester Blackstone Visitor Center” in the rehabilitated Washburn-Moen building.
  • Construction of a canoe launch in Blackstone Gateway Park next to the Museum & Visitor Center at the foot of McKeon Road where it connects with Blackstone River Road.
  • Staging area for cyclists and hikers accessing the Blackstone Bikeway, stretching from Worcester to Narragansett Bay in Providence.
  • Worcester Land Trust’s plans to develop hiking trails along the Middle River.
  • The growing popularity of the Canadian-American League’s Worcester Tornadoes professional baseball team.  Since its inaugural season in 2005, approximately 350,000 fans have attended the professional baseball team’s home games at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field, located on the Holy Cross campus.
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Holy Cross and Clark University Bring Paul Taylor’s Dance Company to Worcester

Posted on January 24, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – An exciting collaboration between the department of theatre at the College of the Holy Cross and Clark University’s Program in Performing Arts will bring the Taylor 2 troupe of the famed Paul Taylor Dance Company to Worcester.

The Taylor 2 company, a smaller touring troupe created by the pre-eminent choreographer Paul Taylor to allow his works wider reach, will perform on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m., in Clark University’s Daniels Theatre.  The Daniels Theatre is located on the Clark campus in Atwood Hall, at the intersection of Main Street and Downing Street in Worcester, Mass. Admission is free for all Clark University and Holy Cross students with student I.D. and $10 for all others.  Tickets will be available at the door (cash or check only) or online (credit card only) at www.zaptix.com/browse/ma.  For more information, call or email the ClarkArts Events Office at 508.793.7356.

Kaela San Lee, director of the Holy Cross Dance Collective and lecturer at the College, is largely responsible for bringing the troupe to Worcester.  “Paul Taylor is indisputably one of the greatest and most renowned American choreographers of the twentieth century,” she notes. “His body language always carries an incredible range of motion, emotion, and imagination.  Through his choreography, Paul Taylor comments on the human condition, and most importantly, he entertains while doing so.  This is a tremendous opportunity not just for the two institutions, but for Worcester as well.”

Gino DiIorio, Clark University’s program director for theatre arts, stated, “It’s an honor to have the Taylor 2 dance company visit Clark.  Paul Taylor’s contribution to dance and choreography cannot be overstated. I’m certain the performance will inspire and intrigue both students and faculty here.  I’m especially pleased that Clark and Holy Cross are working together to make this event happen. I’m hopeful that this is the beginning of a long collaboration between the performing arts departments of both universities.”

Information about the specific works being performed by the six-member troupe will be forthcoming.  In addition to the performance, Taylor 2 will provide a master class for select Clark and Holy Cross students as part of its visit.

Paul Taylor established Taylor 2 in 1993 to ensure that his works could be seen by audiences all over the world, unhindered by economic or technical limitations. Taylor worked with longtime colleague Linda Hodes to create a company that could accommodate performance requests as well as teach and provide community outreach. Taylor looked back to the 1954 origins of the Paul Taylor Dance Company for the structure of his new company: Six professionals with a particular gift for his style who perform his work throughout the world.

In selecting repertoire for Taylor 2, Taylor chooses dances that span the broad spectrum of his work. Several of the dances performed by Taylor 2 have been re-worked from the Paul Taylor Dance Company’s version to enable the smaller ensemble of dancers to perform them.

ABOUT PAUL TAYLOR:

Paul Taylor has set movement to music so memorably that for millions it is impossible to hear certain orchestral works and popular songs and not think of his dances. As the subject of the widely seen documentary, Dancemaker, and author of a critically acclaimed autobiography, he has demystified his creative process as few artists ever have. At 76, Paul Taylor may be the most sought-after choreographer working today, commissioned by leading companies, theaters and presenting organizations the world over.

Paul Taylor grew up near Washington, D.C., and discovered dance in the late 1940s, which he began studying at Juilliard. By 1954 he had assembled a small company of dancers. A commanding performer, he joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 1955 for the first of seven seasons as a soloist while continuing to make dances on his own troupe. In 1959 he danced with the New York City Ballet as guest artist in George Balanchine’s Episodes. After retiring as a performer in 1975, Taylor devoted himself fully to choreography. Celebrated for uncommon musicality, he has set dances to Ragtime and reggae, tango and Tin Pan Alley, telephone time announcements and loon calls; turned elevator music and novelty tunes into high art; and more traditionally, used the music of various Baroque and classical composers.

Taylor has received every important honor bestowed to artists by the United States and France. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton in 1993. In 1992 he was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, and received an Emmy Award for Speaking in Tongues, produced by WNET/New York the previous year. In 1995 he received the Algur H. Meadows Award for Excellence in the Arts, and was named one of 50 prominent Americans honored in recognition of their outstanding achievement by the Library of Congress’s Office of Scholarly Programs. He was elected to knighthood by the French government as Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1969 and has since been elevated to the ranks of Officier (1984) and Commandeur (1990). In January 2000 he was awarded France’s highest honor, the Légion d’Honneur, for exceptional contributions to French culture.

Taylor is the recipient of three Guggenheim Fellowships and has received numerous honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degrees. He has received the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship – often called the “genius award” – and the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award. Other awards include the New York State Governor’s Arts Award and the New York City Mayor’s Award of Honor for Art and Culture. In 1989 he was elected one of 10 honorary American members of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters.

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Worthy of Applause

Posted on January 22, 2008 by

The American Sign Language and Deaf Studies Program at the College of the Holy Cross was one of the three community service programs statewide highlighted in a video that showcases the range of volunteer work that students, faculty and staff from independent colleges and universities in Massachusetts regularly undertake.

The program was selected by the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM), which compiled a report last summer to measure the positive impact that its member colleges have on their communities. AICUM serves as a voice for public policy matters relating to independent higher education in Massachusetts.

Last summer, with the aid of intern Holy Cross junior Claire Rheaume, a political science major from Westfield, AICUM conducted the survey of volunteer programs at the state’s 56 private colleges and universities, and made site visits to interview community relations executives.

After sifting through her findings, AICUM selected three programs with strong visuals to highlight in the video. The 11-minute video debuted last month before approximately 600 guests at AICUM’s 40th anniversary gala in Boston.

Since 1998, students enrolled in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies courses join members of the Holy Cross swim team to offer lessons for deaf, hard of hearing, children of deaf adults and siblings at Holy Cross’ Hart Center Pool. Instruction is in American Sign Language.

The “DEAFinitely Swim Program” hosts about 35 to 40 children each year — with some families traveling more than an hour to participate. Lessons begin in early March and run through the end of April. (The ASL program also hosts skating and tutoring programs for Deaf children.)

“Stepping outside the classroom walls and into the community is where the learning begins for many students,” says Judy Fask, director of Deaf Studies at Holy Cross. “Connections are made between intellectual theory and the realistic world. Community-Based Learning partnerships, a component of some Deaf Studies classes, are ways we learn to value the resources that we offer one another. Students believe that Community-Based Learning pedagogy adds value to their academic and lifelong education; enhanced by the ‘hands-on’ learning — with ASL that is literal.”

Although Rheaume has never taken a Deaf Studies class at Holy Cross, she’s glad that a community service program from the College was selected among the many programs across the state.

“AICUM has a lot of credibility and is also very well connected to other organizations around the nation,” she says. “I was impressed to find out that Holy Cross’ programs stand out among some of the best colleges in the country. I think that oftentimes, Holy Cross students take for granted the opportunities that are available to us.”

Rheaume is also happy that she had the opportunity to work on the community benefit survey for AICUM.

“I learned a great deal about the town-gown relations and about the issues that arise for schools in an increasingly competitive higher education system,” she says. “This internship, along with my political science classes at Holy Cross has allowed me to understand what I want to do later in life.”

The internship, which she landed with the help of Holy Cross’ Summer Internship Program, inspired her to apply for the Washington Semester Program, where she will earn hands-on experience related to her major in Washington, D.C. during spring semester. She will be working for Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), a senior member of the Armed Services Committee.

Rheaume is no stranger to politics. Aside from her major, she is secretary of the College Democrats at Holy Cross, and member of the Student Advisory Committee for the political science department and the Voter Registration Committee.

She has also been a resident assistant, fall orientation leader, member of the Women’s Forum, plays intramural volleyball and is involved in Best Buddies, a group dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships.

Watch the AICUM video (the Holy Cross segment appears in the first few minutes).

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Holy Cross Students Rule the Runway in Honor of Black History Month

Posted on January 21, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – The 10th Annual Black & Gold Dinner and Fashion Show organized by the Black Student Union (BSU) at the College of the Holy Cross will take place on Friday, Feb. 1, at Mechanics Hall. Seating will begin at 6:45 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and the fashion show will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets, with dinner included, cost $15 for Holy Cross students, $20 for Consortium students, and $22 for staff, faculty and the public. General admission balcony seats (does not include dinner) cost $7. This semi-formal event, held during Black History Month, is a celebration of Black history and culture.

“The Black & Gold Fashion Show kicks of Black History Month with excitement and enthusiasm, drawing a massive crowd of people from the Holy Cross community and the Worcester Consortium to partake in the black experience,” explains Markenya Mirander ‘08, senior advisor to the BSU and organizer of the event.  “This showcase personifies only a fraction of what we have to offer about our culture.”

Walking down the runway will be 37 Holy Cross students who represent all classes, shapes, sizes and diverse ethnic backgrounds. They will wear the latest urban, casual, formal, seasonal and career wear donated by local stores including Bonardi’s, David’s Bridal, Alexis Bridal, Ann Taylor, Cache, Everything but Water. Other entertainment includes Gbenimah Slopadoe ’10 singing the national anthem, the Rhythm Nation Steppers and a student dance performance choreographed by Whitney Zelee ‘10.

“It is more than just a show, it is an experience that results in growth of character and friendship,” says Tyrone Billingsly ’09, executive board treasurer of the BSU and student model. “When it is time to take that final walk across the stage, the confidence exuded reflects the work put into the show by all my peers.”

Part of the proceeds will benefit the LaNyia Johnson Fund, a local African-American Worcester youth who was innocently shot and paralyzed last May.

The BSU’s principle objective is to promote a sense of unity among the black community at Holy Cross. Designed as a support group, this organization works to help black students develop and expand their potential. The BSU is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

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Holy Cross Crusaders Team Up with Red Cross for Fundraiser

Posted on January 18, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – The College of the Holy Cross and the American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts are teaming up to raise money and awareness at the Holy Cross women’s basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 1 p.m. at the Hart Recreation Center on the Holy Cross campus.

Fans making a donation to the Red Cross at the game will be able to purchase a game ticket for just $1.  In addition, the first 500 fans will receive a free team photo, and the entire women’s basketball team will sign autographs after the game.

The American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts has already committed two-thirds of its disaster budget to local disaster victims, just six months into the fiscal year.  Its volunteers have responded to 79 fires since July 1, 2007 — including 11 fires in the past 12 days which have displaced 74 individuals.

One hundred and thirty families from central Massachusetts have been permanently displaced by fires in their home since July 1.   Thanks to the Red Cross, more than 120 central Massachusetts residents are on call 24 hours a day to help their neighbors in need.

Red Cross volunteers have provided emergency housing and funds for food, clothing and medical prescriptions to 489 individuals including 167 children.

Donations of all amounts will be welcomed.  For donations of $20 or more, fans will receive one entry to the Red Cross’ “Great Golf Ball Drop” for a chance to win $10,000 this summer.

No more than 3,000 balls will be sold leading up to the event.  The balls will be dropped on Sunday, June 8, at the Worcester Memorial Firefighters Road Race.  The owner of the winning ball (closest to the hole) will win a $10,000 prize.   Entrants need not be present to win.

The Holy Cross women’s basketball won the 2006 Women’s Final Four Community Outreach Partnership Award for its outstanding community outreach efforts.  In addition, the program has made the NCAA tournament nine times in the last 13 years, and 12 times overall since 1985.  The Crusaders have won 11 Patriot League Championships in the past 17 years.

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Holy Cross Physics Professor Named Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate

Posted on January 18, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Robert H. Garvey, associate professor of physics at the College of the Holy Cross, has been named one of 10 Outstanding First-Year Student Advocates by the National Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and the Houghton Mifflin Company. He will be honored at the 27th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience Feb. 15-19 in San Francisco.

A member of the Holy Cross faculty since 1977, Garvey was instrumental in creating Holy Cross’ First-Year Program (FYP), and served as its first director for two years and from 2002-07.  FYP, a nationally recognized program, which has been an option for students since 1992, served as the model for Montserrat, the College’s new living-learning experience.  Inspired by the success of FYP, Holy Cross’ new program offers small, full-year seminar courses along with distinctive co-curricular and residence hall opportunities for all incoming students, beginning in September 2008.

“Bob Garvey has been an inspirational mentor to me during my 12 years at Holy Cross. I had the privilege of teaching in the First-Year Program under his directorship,” explains Nancy Andrews, associate professor of classics and director of Montserrat.  “During that year, I observed first-hand his uncompromising personal integrity and his total commitment to the intellectual and personal development of each first year student.”

In his time at Holy Cross, Garvey has developed courses for non-science majors as well as a range of courses for physics majors. He has conducted research in theoretical atomic physics, including energy levels of rare-earth ions in crystals; yield spectra of atmospheric gases; philosophical implications of technology; and general relativity.

In addition to his classroom and course development endeavors on behalf of Holy Cross students, Garvey has been a dedicated participant in the College’s science programs developed in conjunction with the Worcester Public Schools. He has taught in the Youth Exploring Science program and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Summer Science Workshop for WPS science and math teachers. Garvey has co-developed a weather program for 400 sixth-grade students that he team-teaches each May. Garvey received his Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University.

In 2000, Garvey was one of only four U.S. Professors of the Year to be named by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement and Support of Education. He was recognized for his extraordinary dedication to teaching, commitment to students and innovative instructional methods.

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Singer-Songwriter Matt Nathanson to Play Kenya Benefit Concert at Holy Cross

Posted on January 17, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) at the College of the Holy Cross is sponsoring a concert titled “IGNITE 2008”, featuring Matt Nathanson and special guest Ingrid Michaelson on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom. Tickets are $10 for the Holy Cross Community and $15 for the public. Tickets will be available for Holy Cross students only on Jan. 21, 22, 23 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Hogan Lobby. Remaining tickets will be open to the public beginning Jan. 24 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Hogan Lobby. All of the proceeds from this concert will go to help students in need at St. Martin DePorres School for Cerebral Palsy in Nyabondo, Kenya.

The St. Martin DePorres School was started by the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Anna in 2005, after they learned that Kenyan children with cerebral palsy were struggling in conventional schools.  They decided to establish a school designed especially for children with cerebral palsy. The school continues to grow, serving many communities.

“I am thrilled to be working with FCA again this year and I hope to put on an incredibly successful benefit concert,” says Meg Grogan ’08, organizer of the event. “After the remarkable response to last year’s IGNITE 2007, which raised over $5,000, and more importantly awareness across campus, everyone is very excited for what is in store this year. We’re hoping to raise over $7,000 and completely sell out.”

Nathanson, a Massachusetts native, is a singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player, whose music is a mix of folk and rock.  He moved to San Francisco in the early ’90s and became a prominent fixture on the coffeehouse scene. Early self-released CD’s include Ernst, Not Colored too Perfect and Still Waiting for Spring. He’s played with musicians including Tori Amos, John Mayer, Pink, Guster and OAR. His sixth and latest, studio album titled, Some Mad Hope, was released in August 2007.

Michaelson is a New York-based, Indie pop singer-songwriter who plays the piano. She received her big-break when her song titled Keep Breathing was featured on the Grey’s Anatomy season finale. Another song, The way I am, was on an Old Navy commercial, which helped lead to the popularity of her latest CD, Boys and Girls.

Founded in 1954, FCA is a nationwide youth organization. FCA counts itself as the largest Christian youth organization in the U.S. The Holy Cross branch has 35 members.

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The Tenth Annual ‘Hogwarts at Holy Cross’ Features ‘Slim Goodbody’

Posted on January 17, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – The College of the Holy Cross presents the 10th annual “Hogwarts at Holy Cross” titled “Biochemistry: Your Body’s Magical Spell Book” on Friday, Feb. 1 from 6 – 8 p.m. in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom. The event, intended for the children of Worcester, will feature hands-on science experiments for the whole family and an educational and interactive musical presentation by “Slim Goodbody,” a national promoter of children’s health. “Hogwarts at Holy Cross,” sponsored by the College’s Science Ambassadors and the biochemistry concentration, is free and open to the public.

“Seeing the excitement on a child’s face as you demonstrate how to extract DNA from strawberries or how to chop a clipboard in half using atmospheric pressure and a piece of newspaper is an experience like no other,” explains Elizabeth Morse ‘09, co-chair of the Science Ambassadors. “Hogwarts is unique because it brings people together from throughout the Worcester community, by connecting students both young and old from across the science disciplines.”

“Hogwarts at Holy Cross” is fashioned after the “potions” classes offered at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter series.  It’s an annual event for the entire Worcester community that includes innovative hands-on science activities for children in pre-K through grade 8, and features an exciting main event/show. The event, which focuses on a unique theme each time it is offered, is held one evening each year and is free to the community.  Organized by the Holy Cross Science Ambassadors, students and faculty develop and host the hands-on activities.

For the last seven years, the Science Ambassadors, a group of over 60 Holy Cross students, have been working with local children to foster an interest in the sciences. They put on science shows for children of all ages throughout the year, both at Holy Cross and at community schools. Hogwarts is their largest and most popular event.

“As a biology student who has loved science since my freshman year of high school, I thoroughly enjoy sharing my enthusiasm with younger students, so they can see how exciting science really is,” says Morse.

The “Slim Goodbody” character was created by John Burstein in 1975 to help him teach healthy living to children. He received his big break when PBS gave him his own television show, The Inside Story. He is now the host of National Bodyology Tour, a show that helps to enrich the K – 12 curriculum. His programs run on over 120 public television station throughout the nation.  He is also the author of more than a dozen children’s books.

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Mass … en Español

Posted on January 17, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

Beginning Jan. 17, the 10 p.m. Mass on Thursdays in Holy Cross’ McCooey Chapel will be celebrated in Spanish.

Rev. William Reiser, S.J., professor of religious studies, will preside and preach each Thursday evening. All members of the Holy Cross community are invited to participate in this Mass. English-Spanish bilingual guides to the texts of the Mass will be available for those who are unfamiliar with the Spanish texts.

“It is a great opportunity to celebrate Mass in the language used by an increasingly large number of Catholics in the United States as well as around the world,” says Paul Covino, associate chaplain and director of liturgy at Holy Cross.

This new weekly Mass in Spanish complements the monthly Mass in American Sign Language as well as the many liturgies in English in the College chapels at Holy Cross. Masses in ASL this semester will be at 7 p.m. in the McCooey Chapel on Jan. 24, Feb. 21 and April 8. Rev. Joseph Bruce, S.J., ’73 will preside and preach.

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Organist to Play Scandinavian Works as Part of Holy Cross Chapel Artist Series

Posted on January 16, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – Andrew Paul Holman, concert organist, and Michael Calmès, tenor, will perform Sunday, Jan. 27 at 3 p.m. in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel at the College of the Holy Cross. The concert is free and open to the public.

As part of the Holy Cross Chapel Artists Series, the program will feature organ works by contemporary Scandinavian composers alternating with works for tenor and organ by renowned composer Daniel Pinkham, who died in December of 2006. This concert, as well as the entire 2007-2008 Holy Cross Chapel Artists Series, is dedicated to his memory.

Holman received his B.A. from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and his M.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Mass., where he studied early music performance and harpsichord.  He has studied organ with world class performer and professor emeritus of organ and church music at Luther College, William Kuhlman; one of the finest organists of his generation and distinguished artist-in-residence at Holy Cross, James David Christie; and Canadian organist, harpsichordist, and teacher Bernard Lagacé.  He has given solo and ensemble performances in New England, the Midwest, on the West Coast and in Scandinavia. His concerts in the U.S. often include works by Scandinavian composers; conversely, he introduces American organ works to Scandinavian audiences.

Holman has performed numerous premieres of organ works composed for him by Pinkham. He is currently the organ instructor at the University of Massachusetts – Boston and has been music director at Harvard-Epworth United Methodist Church in Cambridge, Mass. since 1989.

Calmès’s performances include a large repertoire of concerts, recitals, chamber music, oratorio, and opera. Since his 1982 Boston Lyric Opera Company debut in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, he has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike in operas ranging from the sophistication of Richard Straus’s Ariadne auf Naxos to the comic genius of Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus. Calmès maintains an active schedule as a guest soloist with numerous choruses, orchestras, and other ensembles. He excels in great oratorios such as Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation and Mendelssohn’s Elijah; concert works include Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Symphony No. 9, and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. Calmès has an extensive repertoire of both well-known and rare works encompassing Monteverdi, Mozart, and contemporary masters – most notably, Pinkham.  He appears in many concert series and music festivals in the U.S., and has been featured on NPR broadcasts.

Pinkham, one of America’s most active and most-performed composers, taught at New England Conservatory from 1958 until 2000.  In addition to composing, he was an organist, harpsichordist, conductor, pioneer in the early music movement, and longtime music director at Boston’s historic King’s Chapel. With an A.B. and an M.A from Harvard University, his scholarship and work were recognized with a Fulbright Fellowship in 1950 and a Ford Foundation Fellowship in 1962. He received six honorary degrees: New England Conservatory, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Adrian College, Westminster Choir College, Ithaca College, and the Boston Conservatory.

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Recalling King’s Dream

Posted on January 16, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

The College of the Holy Cross will mark the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with two events on Monday, Jan. 21. The events, sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Education, are free and open to the public.

“King: Keeper of the Dream” a program of music and readings by members of the Holy Cross community will begin at noon in Rehm Library.

Michael West, associate professor of history at Holy Cross, will give a talk titled “King: Is There Still a Dream?,” at 3:30 p.m. in Rehm Library. A discussion will follow. West is an expert in African-American history, the U.S. Civil Rights movement, and U.S. radicalism.

“My aim will be to pull the historical Martin King out from the shadow of the iconic Martin Luther King,” explains West. “This iconic King is ‘all about’ peace and reconciliation and, generally, dreams of the other side of the mountaintop. The King I hope to recover is one who led a protest movement based on sparking conflict, not for its own sake, but in order to clarify matters of right and wrong and, in so doing, to rectify injustice in the United States.”

King was a Baptist minister in Alabama when he became involved in the civil rights movement. In 1955, in response to the arrest of Rosa Parks, King organized an African-American boycott of the bus company that ended when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the bus segregation laws of Alabama to be illegal.

At this time, King became the undisputed leader of the civil rights movement and led a march of 37,000 people in Washington, D.C., in 1958. The following year, King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, went to India, the homeland of Mahatma Gandhi, where King studied Satyagraha, Gandhi’s principle of nonviolent persuasion. This became King’s main instrument of social protest.

This method of peaceful protest was made manifest on August 28, 1963, when 200,000 people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation; it was here that King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

In 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize; he divided the prize money among various civil rights organizations. That same year, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law. After a controversial march for voting reforms, a voting rights bill was passed allowing African-Americans to vote in 1965.

Toward the end of King’s life, he had become associated with the antiwar movement as well as the civil rights movement and the rights of the underprivileged. On April 4, 1968, while supporting the sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Tenn., King was shot and killed.

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Leading by Example

Posted on January 15, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

Jacqueline Mulvehill ’10 knew there was plenty of historical material about Martin Luther King Jr. to draw upon for her speech about the civil rights leader at the second annual Student Leadership Luncheon on Jan. 15 at Holy Cross.

But it was when she viewed the video of King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech — which she found on YouTube — that Mulvehill was truly inspired. Watching it was a powerful moment for her, she said in her speech to students, faculty, and administrators. The call she heard from King echoed in how she views her responsibility as a member of the diverse Holy Cross community, she said; and helps inform the Jesuit call to be “men and women for others.”

The keynote speaker, Calvin Hill, director of diversity programs at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, urged his audience to “step outside your comfort zone” by getting to know people from different cultures and backgrounds; and that carrying King’s legacy is “in your hands.”

The luncheon offers an opportunity for student leaders — resident assistants, multicultural peer educators, and orientation leaders — to reflect on their position as role models for other students, and the positive impact they can have on increasing awareness of and sensitivity toward human differences. Approximately 50 students took part in the luncheon. Each table was hosted by a senior administrator at the College.

Hill is a former candidate for the City of Worcester school committee. Prior to joining WPI, he spent several years teaching in academia, most recently at Anna Maria College in Paxton, where he was an assistant professor in the Division of Business, Law and Public Policy.

He received his bachelor of arts degree in history-political science from Bethany College, master of science in student personnel administration from Emporia State University, and a doctorate of philosophy in political science from Howard University.

The event was sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Education and the “Hate: Not Here!” committee.

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Holy Cross’ Cantor Art Gallery Exhibition to Explore Ethics of the Natural World

Posted on January 14, 2008 by College of the Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at the College of the Holy Cross presents Zoologia Fantastica, from Jan. 28 – April 5. Zoologia Fantastica is an exhibition featuring the work of seven artists that addresses aesthetic and ethical issues concerning the natural world, especially the animal kingdom. Curated by Cristi Rinklin, assistant professor and studio art division head at the College of the Holy Cross, the exhibition will include works by Christine Baeumler, assistant professor of art at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Boston-based artist Brian Burkhardt; New York artist Catherine Chalmers; Kelli Scott Kelley, assistant professor of painting and drawing at Louisiana State University; Boston-based artist Mary Kenny; Boston-based painter Amy Ross; and Minnesota-based sculptor Karl Unnasch.

The exhibition draws on similarities to Jorge Louis Borges’ 1957 anthology, Manuel de Zoologia Fantastica or Book of Imaginary Beings, in which Borges compiles descriptions of fauna from distant mythology as well as those which sprang from the imaginations of such writers as Poe, Homer, Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, Kafka and Confucius. Similar to the historical descriptions in Borges anthology, the exhibiting artists have each created bodies of work which convey their personal interpretations of the natural world, with respect to the animal kingdom in a current context.  Borrowing from mythology, children’s literature, field work at World Heritage Sites, biomedical research, among other experiences, these seven artists bring challenging ethical issues — including genetic manipulation of animals and human competition with animals for natural resources — into extraordinary paintings, assemblage, drawings, and video works.

In conjunction with the exhibition Zoologia Fantastica, the gallery will host a series of artist’s talks and forums on the themes explored by these seven artists, as well as other contemporary artists working with animal imagery. All events will be held in the Cantor Art Gallery unless otherwise noted.

  • Jan. 28, 10 a.m. Exhibit Opens: Zoologia Fantastica
  • Jan. 30, 5 – 6:30 p.m. Opening reception
  • Jan. 31, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Roundtable discussion on Darwin’s theory of evolution and the creative process with Baeumler, David Hummon, professor of sociology at Holy Cross, and Karen Ober, assistant professor of biology at Holy Cross in Stein 129.
  • Feb. 27, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Artist’s talk by Catherine Chalmers in Stein 129.
  • March 17, 5 – 6 p.m. Artist’s Talk by Kelli Scott Kelley
  • Feb. 13 and March 26, 12 p.m. Guided tour of the exhibition with curator Cristi Rinklin, assistant professor and studio art division head at Holy Cross.


Zoologia Fantastica artists:

Baeumler has produced a series of portraits of endangered species through drawings, paintings, and video. These portraits are often based on her research at World Heritage Sites, including the Australian Rain Forest, the Galapagos Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.  The Zoologia Fantastica exhibition will include a recently made video and installation piece inspired by the theories of Charles Darwin that Baeumler developed after a research grant allowed her to spend several months on the Galapagos Islands.

Burkhardt creates small life-like creatures that appear to be actual plants and animals preserved under glass, but are actually an invented species of organisms that he assembles from scrapes of detritus and various modeling materials. The resulting “life” forms often incorporate corporate logos, cell phones, or bits of plastic into their bodies to form a synthesis or hybrid of nature and culture. Burkhardt’s sculptural skill, intellect, and sharp sense of humor merge to create small-scaled environments that one might encounter at a natural history museum of the future.

Chalmers has shown her large-scale photographs and videos of insects and lab mice at various moments of their life cycles in galleries and museums throughout the U.S. and Europe. In a recent series titled “Food Chain,” Chalmers investigates the place of insects in the hierarchy of the living, photographing with technical precision the linkage between predator and prey, eater and eaten, and between plants, insects and amphibians. Zoologia Fantastica will exhibit a series of Chalmers’ large scale C-print portraits of genetically engineered mice which possess characteristics that force the viewer to confront the reality of gene splicing and alteration of “lower” life forms.

Scott Kelley has been a faculty member at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge since 1999. A painter, printmaker, and performance artist, Scott Kelley creates narrative paintings and drawings where personal symbols blend with universal icons, often borrowed from the illustrations of animals in children’s picture books. The work that will be included in Zoologia Fantastica alludes to the contradictions between the reality of contemporary conditions for wild animals in our environment and the images of animals living in imaginary worlds of “cuteness,” where the warm and fuzzy constructions of pop culture reside.

Kenny creates stop-action animated films that were conceived after a frightening personal encounter with a bear in Yosemite National Park.

“As a city girl, I hadn’t realized the unnerving and unpredictable realities of nature and wildlife,” Kenny explains. “This brush with my own mortality led me to examine cultures living in extreme environments, in close proximity to dangerous animals.”

Kenny’s short films have a disarmingly low tech “look” about them in the tradition of children’s literature, picture books and animation, from the Brothers Grimm to South Park, while conveying the unsettling nature of the relationship between the hunter and the hunted.

Ross earned her B.A. in religious studies from Connecticut College, her M.A. in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School and then attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Mass.

According to a recent artist statement Ross explains, “I am interested in the idea of artists as mad scientists. My drawings offer visual hypotheses to the question: what would happen if the DNA sequence of a plant or mushroom were spliced with that of an animal? Using graphite, watercolor, and walnut ink on paper as well as directly on gallery walls in site-specific installations, I portray animals morphed with branches, mushrooms, berries, and blossoms, thus forming implausible hybrid creatures. These images subvert the traditional genre of botanical illustration by approaching the close study of the natural world through the lens of genetic engineering and mutation gone awry.”

Unnasch’s work is deeply related to his experiences growing up on a family farm in rural Minnesota. He received his B.F.A. from Winona State University in Minnesota and his M.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Unnasch’s tableaus and vignettes combine rusticated found objects, some natural materials, and the desiccated carcasses of animal road kill found in the rural setting of Minnesota. Unnasch works these castaway things into exquisite meditations on our contemporary disconnect from the natural world. In recent years, his work has been the subject of a Minnesota Public Radio program and numerous exhibitions at galleries in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and at MassMoca in North Adams, Massachusetts.

Gallery Information

The hours for the Cantor Art Gallery are Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturdays 2 – 5 p.m. Located in O’Kane Hall, 1st Floor, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worcester, MA, 01610.  Admission to the gallery is free.

For additional information please contact the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at 508-793-3356 or visit the Gallery’s web site.

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New Faculty Have Infused Energy Into Campus

Posted on January 11, 2008 by

Since the beginning of the decade, the College of the Holy Cross has made major bricks-and-mortar investments on campus: a new residence hall, parking garage, soccer stadium, renovation of St. Joseph Chapel, and the current construction of a state-of-the-art science complex.

There have been equally dramatic changes inside the College’s academic buildings, labs, and offices: at least 75 new tenure-track professors from the best graduate programs in the country have joined the College community since 2001.

“As a group, these new professors have definitely changed the College,” says Bill Morse, special assistant to the dean, who is responsible for orientation of new faculty members. “They have brought with them new pedagogies, openness to interdisciplinary work, and an excitement of experimentation in doing new things. They’re very active scholars, and that’s had a ripple effect on all faculty. They’ve really thrown themselves into the mission of Holy Cross.”

The increase in faculty members has led to a reduction of the student to faculty ratio from around 14 to 1 immediately preceding the new hires to its current level of less than 11 to 1. The growing number of faculty made possible a move to a 3-2 teaching load, in which faculty members teach three classes one semester and two the next. This has allowed faculty members more time to pursue research and faculty-student interaction outside of the classroom, while maintaining the College’s high standards for scholarship and campus citizenship.

Holy Cross sets high standards when recruiting new faculty members. “The most important thing is that applicants must have a lot of potential to be great teachers,” says Timothy Austin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College.

That’s a critically important attribute, he says, because classroom teaching at Holy Cross, where there are no teaching assistants, is central to a student’s experience.

“Faculty must also be able to work with students on independent research. This has been a trend in higher education over the last ten years or so, although Holy Cross has always valued strong faculty-student interaction. They also must have the excitement about scholarship that would allow them to go on to develop as researchers and scholars in their fields,” Austin says.

Over the last several years, the College has also enjoyed modest success in strengthening the diversity among faculty. Since the 2001-02 academic year, 16 multicultural hires have been made. Austin hopes to see more diversity among applicants in the coming years.

“I don’t think there is an institution in this country that is completely happy with the representativeness of its faculty,” he says. “There just isn’t the pool of minority Ph.D.’s to supply every elite institution with as many professors as we’d like to hire. The competition for the best graduates is fierce.”

As part of the recruitment process, Holy Cross sends prospective applicants the Holy Cross Mission Statement.

“We hire partly for ‘mission readiness’,” says Austin. “Our mission statement must be something that they’re intrigued by.”

Holy Cross looks for new faculty members who are “jugglers” of three loves: love of teaching, love of research, love of service.

Morse says that message has definitely appealed to candidates during the recruitment process.

“We find we can bring in faculty who want to be in a community and want to contribute to that community,” he says. “On the whole, when we start making offers, we usually get the candidates we want.”

Related Information:

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