Holy Cross Athletics Director Marcus Blossom Named to Patriot League’s Newly Created Anti-Racism Commission

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Holy Cross in the News

Marcus Blossom is announced as the new Athletics Director at a 2019 press conference. Photo by Avanell Brock

The Patriot League has named Marcus Blossom, director of intercollegiate athletics at Holy Cross, a member of its newly formed Anti-Racism Commission, which “will examine areas in which systemic racism is perpetuated and seek actionable solutions for long-term sustainable change” within the league.

Current and former student-athletes are set to participate in the Commission, along with coaches and administrators from Patriot League schools. In addition to Holy Cross, the Commission includes representatives from American University, Boston University, Bucknell, Colgate, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Loyola University Maryland, and the U.S. Military and Naval academies.

“The Patriot League Anti-Racism Commission is an important initiative in our League’s efforts to develop solutions to fight racism and discrimination and advance policies that will lead to an equitable, inclusive and welcoming educational experience for all,” said Marcus Blossom, director of intercollegiate athletics at Holy Cross. “I am thankful for the thoughtful conversations of our minority head and assistant coaches that spearheaded this initiative and for Jennifer Heppel and the Council of Presidents’ leadership in formally recognizing the Commission within the League’s governance framework.”

Stemming from conversations with a group of Black and Brown head and assistant coaches from multiple sports across the League, the Commission aims to address areas including recruitment, education, creation of support infrastructures and generational impact.

“The voices and experiences of our current and former student-athletes, coaches and administrators, as brought together by the League, are powerful,” Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel said. “The work of the Commission will intersect with existing and planned institutional initiatives and resources in order to maximize the value of the collective whole toward ensuring policies, operations and structure are absent of systemic racism.”

Blossom assumed the role of director of intercollegiate athletics at Holy Cross on July 1, 2019. Previously, he was the senior associate athletics director for business and finance at Boston College, he has been responsible for all budget and financial operations, and served as a member of the department of athletics executive team assisting with all aspects of strategic planning and vision execution

Prior to his time in Chestnut Hill, Blossom spent two years as the associate athletics director, business operations at Providence College, and two years at Brown University as the associate athletics director, finance.

Read more:

Photos: Marcus Blossom Named Athletics Director at Holy Cross

Posted in In The News, News | Comments Off on Holy Cross Athletics Director Marcus Blossom Named to Patriot League’s Newly Created Anti-Racism Commission

Holy Cross Religious Studies Professor Receives $5,000 Grant from the Wabash Center

Posted on July 2, 2020 by College of the Holy Cross

Summer Campus Scenic. Photo by Avanell Brock

Holy Cross Religious Studies Professor Tat siong Benny Liew has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion to explore teaching and learning about race and racial dynamics in ways that more effectively promote diversity and equity within the College, in keeping with its Jesuit affiliation and social justice ethos.

Professor Liew recruited six colleagues across disciplines to support this effort, including Alo Basu, associate professor of psychology; Danilo Contreras, assistant professor of political science; Alvaro Jarrin, associate professor of anthropology; Nadine Knight, associate professor of English; Jorge Santos, assistant professor of English and Lorelle Semley, professor of history.

“I am grateful for this opportunity for me and my colleagues to share our experiences and build solidarity among ourselves as a group of faculty of color across racial/ethnic and disciplinary lines,” said Liew. “The Wabash grant has enabled important discussions regarding a multitude of pedagogical challenges and practices to enhance our teaching.”

The Wabash Center, which is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. and located at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., supports theology and religion faculty and doctoral students reflecting on their teaching practice — in both theological and undergraduate education.

Some of the topics discussed over the 2019-2020 grant period include: “Identity and identification: when and how to use your own life experiences to teach,” “Cultural competence against cultural appropriation: how to learn and talk about other cultures without inappropriate cultural appropriation” and “Teaching (with) contemporary social events (e.g., Black Lives Matter movement).”

Posted in English, History, News, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology and Anthropology | Comments Off on Holy Cross Religious Studies Professor Receives $5,000 Grant from the Wabash Center

Holy Cross 2020 Graduates Find Success in Entering the Workforce

Posted on July 1, 2020 by College of the Holy Cross


As recent Class of 2020 graduates from the across the country make their way into “the real world,” we caught up with eight of the newest Holy Cross alumni to hear their reflections on where they’re going and how their time at Holy Cross influenced their path and prepared them for success.

 

Posted in Arthistory, Biology, Chemistry, Economics and Accounting, French and Francophone Studies, Mathematics and Computer Science, Political Science, Visual Arts | Comments Off on Holy Cross 2020 Graduates Find Success in Entering the Workforce

Holy Cross Funds Remote Student Research Opportunities

Posted on July 1, 2020 by College of the Holy Cross

As the coronavirus pandemic began to sweep the nation this past spring, it became clear that Holy Cross’ Weiss Summer Research program would not be possible in its traditional approach; in a typical summer, students in the Weiss program spend eight weeks conducting research on campus, with a stipend, meal plan, and on-campus housing paid by the College. So the directors of the Weiss program’s three academic divisions— Research in the Natural Sciences; Research in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Arts; and Research in Economics and Accounting—along with leadership from the J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World; and Loren Cass, Dean of Experiential Learning and Student Success, proposed an alternative to continue as much of the student research work as possible, remotely.

Posted in Biology, Chemistry, Classics, Economics and Accounting, English, J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World, Mathematics and Computer Science, News, Psychology | Comments Off on Holy Cross Funds Remote Student Research Opportunities

How will COVID-19 Reshape New York City’s Streets? A Holy Cross Professor Examines the History

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Holy Cross in the News

Assistant professor Amy Finstein

The coronavirus pandemic is likely to have long-lasting effects on aspects of society far beyond what we typically think of as public health — are New York City’s streets and sidewalks one of them?

In a piece for The Conversation, Amy D. Finstein, assistant professor of architectural history in the visual arts department at Holy Cross, says New York’s streetscape could be in for big changes, and not for the first time.

Throughout its history, New York has re-imagined its streets to adapt to societal changes, constructing elevated highways and walkways in response to the development of the train and the automobile, and the pedestrian deaths that came with them. The need for more personal space during the pandemic, including accommodations for more outdoor seating for restaurants, could drive other innovations, Finstein says.

“The pandemic has quieted both pedestrian and vehicle traffic, stimulating a bolder reconsideration of how streets should be used – at least temporarily,” Finstein writes. “As my research on transportation and urban history shows, the city has a long history of considering audacious designs to tame urban chaos.”

Finstein’s piece, originally published at The Conversation, has also been published by US News & World Report and Fast Company.

Posted in In The News, News, Visual Arts | Comments Off on How will COVID-19 Reshape New York City’s Streets? A Holy Cross Professor Examines the History

Can A Black Plague-Era Author Be a Spiritual Guide in Our Current Pandemic? Holy Cross Religious Studies Professor Explains

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Holy Cross in the News

Mahri Leonard-Fleckman, assistant professor of religious studies. Photo by John Buckingham

In a recent commentary for America Magazine, Mahri Leonard-Fleckman, assistant professor of religious studies at Holy Cross, writes about the timely relevance of the work of Julian of Norwich, an English anchorite of the Middle Ages, who lived through the Black Plague. What can her conviction that “all shall be well” teach us about living through a pandemic?

According to Leonard-Fleckman, Julian of Norwich – who wrote the earliest surviving book in the English language written by a woman, “Revelations of Divine Love,” after decades of self-isolation – teaches us to believe that change will come if we begin our own introspection and self-awareness.

“Transformation will happen within and through our world for ‘all things’ but not without our own inward work and outward response,” said Leonard-Fleckman. “Julian’s is no passive promise, no kumbaya statement. It necessarily involves human action, human purification.”

To read the full article, go to AmericaMagazine.org.

Posted in In The News, News, Religious Studies | Comments Off on Can A Black Plague-Era Author Be a Spiritual Guide in Our Current Pandemic? Holy Cross Religious Studies Professor Explains

Holy Cross Faculty Honored for Scholarship, Teaching and Advising

Posted on June 24, 2020 by College of the Holy Cross


Florencia Anggoro, Department of Psychology 

In her address at the spring faculty assembly, Margaret Freije, provost and dean of the College, presented the Mary Louise Marfuggi Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholarship to Florencia Anggoro of the Department of Psychology, the Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award to Victor Matheson of the Department of Economics and Accounting, the Mary Louise Marfuggi Faculty Award for Academic Advising to Debra Gettelman of the Department of English and the Donal J. Burns ’49 Career Teaching Medal to Kolleen Rask of the Department of Economics and Accounting.

Posted in Economics and Accounting, English, News, Psychology | Comments Off on Holy Cross Faculty Honored for Scholarship, Teaching and Advising

Holy Cross Seniors Create List of Black-Owned Local Businesses

Posted on June 18, 2020 by College of the Holy Cross

 

Holy Cross seniors Sienna Ablorh ’21 and Dorean Asuako ’21.

Holy Cross seniors Sienna Ablorh ’21 and Dorean Asuako ’21.

In communities across the world, people are searching for meaningful ways to support the Black Lives Matter movement by protesting or taking other action to fight against racism. Right here in Worcester, Holy Cross seniors Sienna Ablorh ’21 and Dorean Asuako ’21 created a list of local Black-owned businesses—currently at 153 and still growing—to make it easier for consumers to support Black-owned enterprises in the local community.

Posted in Featured, News | Comments Off on Holy Cross Seniors Create List of Black-Owned Local Businesses

What Can Ancient Byzantium Teach Us About Fighting COVID-19?

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Holy Cross in the News

Thomas Martin, professor and Jeremiah W. O'Connor chair of classics. Photo by John Buckingham

Experts of all stripes have been looking to Spanish Influenza of 1918 for insight into the current coronavirus pandemic, but leave it to a classics professor to go a little further back in history.

In The Washington Post, Thomas R. Martin, the Jeremiah W. O’Connor Jr. Chair in Classics, recently examined Byzantium’s response to the bubonic plague in A.D. 542, and found a society that came together to bend the curve of infections, despite their government’s inaction.

Under a passive emperor Justinian, the disease ravaged Byzantium, causing at one point upwards of 10,000 deaths per day and cratering the city’s economy. Finally, the people took it upon themselves to act, Martin wrote, spontaneously adopting what we now call social distancing.

“The normally packed streets of the capital city were practically deserted because everyone who could was staying indoors at home,” Martin wrote.

“The result of the population’s voluntary self-quarantine was remarkable: the crest of the infection had lasted about three months, but now it took only about another month for the virulence of the disease to fade to a level that allowed society to begin to revive.”

Read Martin’s piece in The Washington Post.

Previous Coverage:

The Washington Post, April 15: A plague can wipe out peoples — and democracies

Posted in Classics, In The News | Comments Off on What Can Ancient Byzantium Teach Us About Fighting COVID-19?

Holy Cross’ Montserrat Program Teaches Lessons That Resonate During Coronavirus

Posted on May 25, 2020 by College of the Holy Cross

As students across the country transitioned to remote learning in March in the wake of coronavirus, communities of learning had to start thinking about creative approaches to education outside of the classroom. For Holy Cross’ Montserrat program, however, learning that transcends the typical classroom had been part of the experience from day one.

Posted in Cynthia Hooper, Featured, History, News, Psychology, Russian and Eastern European Studies, Spanish, Studio Art, Visual Arts | Comments Off on Holy Cross’ Montserrat Program Teaches Lessons That Resonate During Coronavirus

Holy Cross Confers 707 Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Virtual Celebration

Posted on May 22, 2020 by College of the Holy Cross

The College of the Holy Cross conferred 707 bachelor of arts degrees as part of a virtual celebration on May 22, 2020. The event, aired live on the College’s website, included congratulatory messages from faculty, staff and alumni, reflections from the senior class, and a surprise message from Dr. Anthony Fauci ’62, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health and a member of the White House coronavirus task force.

“I am profoundly aware that graduating during this time and in this virtual way, unable to celebrate in person this important milestone in your lives, with your friends, classmates and teachers, is extremely difficult,” Fauci said. “I encourage you to stay strong and unflinching. The country and the world need your talent, your energy, your resolve and your character.”

A classics major with a premedical concentration at Holy Cross, Fauci has often credited his professional success to the Jesuit intellectual rigor that was a core part of his education at the College, which also instilled in him a lifelong commitment to social justice, more important than ever in these currently unsettling times.

“The College of the Holy Cross holds a very special place in my heart,” Fauci said. “The education that you and I have received at Holy Cross, steeped in Jesuit traditions, should suit us well to confront and ultimately overcome this historic pandemic.”

May 22 was the original date of the Class of 2020 commencement, which was postponed because of the ongoing pandemic. Based on feedback from Holy Cross seniors, the virtual celebration will be followed by an in-person commencement ceremony for the class of 2020 in spring 2021.

In addition to the message from Fauci, the virtual celebration included remarks from Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president of the College; remarks and degree conferral by Margaret Freije, provost and dean of the College; a blessing by class chaplain Rev. Keith Maczkiewicz, S.J.; and a performance of the alma mater by Rose Grosskopf ’20.

“All of us at Holy Cross will forever think of you as the most resilient, creative and generous class, who sustained many challenges and triumphed,” said Fr. Boroughs in his remarks. “May the questions that your education and formation here have encouraged and inspired give you direction and passion for the work ahead. And may your faith in God and each other bring you blessing and hope in all that lies before you.”

The Celebration of the Class of 2020 was the culmination of a series of virtual events celebrating the graduating seniors. Earlier in the week, students participated in a panel hosted by the Office of Student Involvement, “Men & Women for Others: Reflections of the Class of 2020,” which featured graduating student leaders and staff members who shared reflections from their journeys at Holy Cross. Some students participated in “Share Your Magis: The Senior Exit Talks,” a short-speech competition featuring 3-minute speeches by seniors on an especially meaningful aspect of their Holy Cross experience. The Office of Multicultural Education hosted events such the ALANA Celebration, which recognizes African-American, Latin American, Asian American and Native American and International student seniors on their success at Holy Cross; a celebration for First-Generation College Graduates; and the College’s annual Lavender Graduation, a ceremony conducted on numerous campuses nationwide to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and ally students, to acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the College. The Senior Art Major Digital Exhibition also ran through the week, and the morning of the virtual celebration, the College’s NROTC program celebrated the commissioning of its graduates as Ensigns and 2nd Lieutenants in the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps.

To view the video archive, as well as highlights of celebrations shared on social media, visit the Celebration of the Class of 2020 page on the Holy Cross website.

Related Coverage:

Posted in Academics, Classics, Father Boroughs, Featured, News | Comments Off on Holy Cross Confers 707 Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Virtual Celebration

Holy Cross Student Entrepreneurs Doing Their Part to Fight Coronavirus Pandemic

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Holy Cross in the News

From left to right: Luke Knox '22, Matthew Wiley, Mary Anne Wiley '22 and Paul Wiley '20

Holy Cross students and siblings Mary Anne ’22 and Paul Wiley ’20, together with their cousin Luke Knox ’22 and their younger brother Mathew, are designing, producing and donating face shields to local healthcare workers on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus.

The foursome spoke in detail about their motivation and the process behind the creation of the face shields in interviews with WMUR and the Concord Monitor, as well as Boston 25 News.

The concept came about after the Wileys’ parents, both healthcare workers in Concord, NH, fell ill with the coronavirus. Since then, the cousins have manufactured and donated 40 face shields to Concord Hospital and they’re currently in the process of making more for other local hospitals in need.

“Our hope by donating these masks is to equip our heroic healthcare workers with protective safety gear that will allow them to provide the best care to their sick patients, while also staying safe themselves,” said Wiley ’20. “We want to hopefully prevent someone else’s parents from becoming infected and go through what our family has.”

Active members of HC Launch — the Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society‘s student-run incubator — the cousins are no strangers to entrepreneurial ventures, having won several of the college’s annual Shark Tank competitions.

Paul Wiley ’20, a chemistry major in the Health Professions Advising Program, was the first freshman to win the competition back in 2017, which awarded him $12,000 to grow his business idea of creating custom, handcrafted executive products. In addition to the monetary prize, Wiley ’20 was also paired with an alumni mentor and given yearlong memberships to Worcester Clean Tech Incubator, Venture Forum and Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The cousins and founders of Wilox, are currently working on another venture, the production of a long-lasting hand sanitizer, a product that won first prize in last year’s Shark Tank competition. Paul wanted to make a sanitizer that would last, so he teamed up with his cousin Knox, an economics major.

After months of research and development using the College’s biology labs, they came up with a formula that allows the sanitizer to bond with skin cells until the skin exfoliates. That innovation allows the sanitizer to be effective for hours.

Also an economics major, Mary Anne Wiley ’22 is in charge of sales for the innovative sanitizer. And like her brother and cousin, she credits much of their success to the College’s business department for its entrepreneurial encouragement.

“I’m a member of Women in Business at Holy Cross and that has really taught me how to connect with people and how to move business ideas into action,” Mary Anne told the Concord Monitor.

Currently, the three Wileys and Knox have an assembly line producing the face shields in the Wileys’ basement in Bow, NH. And in addition to making more face shields for local hospitals in need, they are also working on designing custom shields for dental offices across the state, since those shields would have to sit farther away from the face.

“We have personally experienced how this virus can cripple and impair our loved ones and we are dedicated to helping others stay safe and healthy,” said Knox.

Related Coverage:

Posted in Biology, Chemistry, Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society, Economics and Accounting, Health Professions Advising, In The News, News | Comments Off on Holy Cross Student Entrepreneurs Doing Their Part to Fight Coronavirus Pandemic

Holy Cross’ 2020 Senior Art Exhibition ‘Énouement’ Moves to Online Format Due to COVID-19

Posted on May 8, 2020 by College of the Holy Cross

"Eddie" by Emma Waligory, acrylic paint, glass mosaic tiles, plastic buttons on canvas, 36 x 40 inches, 2020

The College of the Holy Cross is presenting “Énouement,” an exhibition of the work of nine graduating senior art majors from the Concentration Seminar offered by the Department of Visual Arts, Studio Division. In conjunction with the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery, the exhibition will be presented online following the closure of the campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students Xherd Aliko, Stephanie Browne, Claudia Davila, Luke Doughty, Annie Elbadawi, Murphy Grady, Thomas MacMullin, Morgan Sanders, and Emma Waligory will also give virtual presentations about their work through an online format.

Traditionally, after a year-long process of developing and creating art as participants in the Studio Concentration Seminar, the work of these students would have been installed in the Cantor Art Gallery in mid-April, they would have given artist’s talks in conjunction with the College’s Academic Conference in the gallery, and celebrated their culminating experience as young artists with an opening reception, also held in the gallery.

But, as the difficult decision was announced by Holy Cross President Fr. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J. to shut down campus in mid-March due to health and safety concerns generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this group of students was faced with the difficult task of returning to their homes, many of them unable to gather completed work and materials from studio spaces in the Millard Art Center. Thus, in the final weeks of their undergraduate career, these students were forced to pivot from the expectation of installing their artwork in the Cantor Art Gallery and experiencing this professional milestone, to reinventing the exhibition in a virtual format.

Associate Professor Matthew Gamber, who is the instructor for the spring semester of the Senior Concentration Seminar, has described this shift as daunting, but says, “I am proud of the way this group has handled the challenge and moved forward in ways that demonstrate the skills they’ve acquired as creative individuals.” Out of necessity, with the group dispersed to locations throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region, the remaining class sessions and planning moved to online platforms.

“Over the past month, the students have been faced with the enormous task of moving out of their campus studios, completing a finished body of work, photographing it, and reconceiving of their gallery exhibition in an online format,” said Meredith Fluke, Director of the Cantor Art Gallery. “And although we looked forward to working with the students in the gallery, we are extremely proud of their exhibition, and excited by the potential to present it to an even broader audience.”

As developing artists within a liberal arts program at Holy Cross, they have had the opportunity to experience an interdisciplinary approach to learning, one that values critical thinking, a broad approach to understanding societal issues and challenges, and an appreciation of the role that creative thinking plays in problem solving. The work highlighted in the online exhibition demonstrates these core values and the diverse academic interests of the artists, ranging from economics to psychology, math, English, and art history.

“Énouement,” the title chosen for the virtual exhibition by the students, embodies the emotional complexities of dealing with a global pandemic while being forced to reckon with an unknown future and a desire to know its outcome. Senior Emma Waligory explains, “When we were trying to think of a title for the show, we really struggled with what direction to go in because we ourselves couldn’t seem to find the words to explain our feelings, or the situation.” “Throughout our four years at the college, we have been looking forward to having our senior studios and our senior show in Cantor; one of which got cut short, and one that will never come to fruition… Life doesn’t seem to be real right now, and we’re all just making it up as we go along.”

“Énouement” can be viewed online here and features the following work:

Black and white analog photographs by Xherd Aliko; prints by Stephanie Browne reflecting her interest in maps and topography; playful narrative collages using found images, watercolor and thread by Claudia Davila; graffiti-like paintings by Luke Doughty that embrace line and color; landscape imagery created from cloth and embroidery techniques in homage to her home in upstate New York by Annie Elbadawi; paintings that embrace the deconstruction and reconstruction of denim material by Murphy Grady; poetic environmental photographs by Thomas MacMullin; mixed-media paintings of rock formations by Morgan Sanders — this year’s recipient of the John Paul Reardon Award & Medal from the Department of Visual Arts; and Emma Waligory’s playful and color-saturated paintings of endangered and farm animals.

VIRTUAL EVENT:

Tuesday, May 12, 11:30 – 1:00 p.m.

Virtual Presentations by Senior Artists

Event registration: https://holycross.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcrfuyppjIsGNzWLmMyzlT2cw_F_KfSftX7

Posted in News, Press Release, Studio Art, Visual Arts | Comments Off on Holy Cross’ 2020 Senior Art Exhibition ‘Énouement’ Moves to Online Format Due to COVID-19

Professor Constance Royden Named Class Dean for Class of 2024

Posted on May 7, 2020 by College of the Holy Cross

Professor Royden greets a student. Photo by Dan Vaillancourt

Professor Constance “Stanzi” Royden, of the mathematics and computer science department, will serve as Class Dean for the Class of 2024, joining Class Deans Matthew Eggemeier (2023), Patricia Kramer (2022), Paco Gago-Jover (2021) and John Anderson (2020).

“I’m excited about working with students across the college to help them discover how to make the most out of their Holy Cross education and to achieve academic success,” Royden says.

A member of the faculty since 2000, Professor Royden focuses her research on developing computer models of the neural mechanisms for human motion perception. She teaches a wide range of courses including data structures, computer science ethics, computer graphics and computational vision. Royden has developed multiple new courses for the computer science department and has advised numerous students on senior theses and summer research projects.

“I have also taught in Montserrat—our first-year program—in the honors program and in the Maymester program in Bangalore, India,” Royden explains. “These have given me experience teaching in a variety of ways, be it lecture, discussion or experiential learning, and they have allowed me to get to know students from across the campus who have many different interests and majors. I have also been a mentor in the College Mentor program and I have been a first year advisor for two years. I enjoy advising students and working with them to help them find their path to a successful college experience.”

As Class Dean for the Class of 2024, she will do more than just advise students during a single academic year—throughout the students’ four-year experience at Holy Cross, she’ll build a relationship with the class and observe and participate in the intellectual and personal development of the students. She has the responsibility to help connect students with resources tailored to where they are in their four-year journey. For example, as first-year students, they might be directed to offices on campus that provide workshops and support services on time management and study skills, identifying a curricular path, or building reflective habits. When they are seniors, she may offer support as they reflect on who they have become and what their next steps will be during their fourth year and ahead of their upcoming transition to the working world or graduate school.

The Class Dean role is just one of many available to students for support and guidance. Academic advisors and the Office of Academic Services and Learning Resources help with everything from course selection to academic progress and developing student interests into pathways. The Chaplains’ Office, Counseling Center, and other campus programs challenge students’ thinking and encourage paths self-discovery that will help shape the way they make a difference in the world. First-year students receive additional support through the Montserrat program, where many develop their first close relationships with the faculty who will act as both teachers and mentors for their time at Holy Cross. As students near graduation, they can turn to resources such as the Center for Career Development or the Office of Distinguished Fellowships and Graduate Studies for practical assistance on identifying and successfully navigating the applications for programs or fellowships.

As for Royden, she knows the impact she can have as Class Dean because of her experience with mentors who have supported her throughout her career, and she’s ready to pay it forward. “I have had some wonderful mentoring in my career,” she says. “I’ve had college professors and advisors who helped me switch fields from engineering to neuroscience, gave sage career advice throughout my career, and served as role models, particularly on how to succeed as a woman in science. When I made changes in my career path, they encouraged me to follow the path that was right for me. I’m excited at the prospect of helping Holy Cross students find and succeed in their own paths.”

Posted in Mathematics and Computer Science, News | Comments Off on Professor Constance Royden Named Class Dean for Class of 2024

Academic Conference Goes Virtual in Response to Pandemic

Posted on May 6, 2020 by College of the Holy Cross

As faculty members across the College worked to transition their courses to a distance-learning format this semester, one of the many logistical challenges to tackle was the annual Academic Conference, where students present the results of their independent work in the performing and visual arts, social sciences, humanities and natural sciences. How could a multi-day celebration of student work, filled with presentations, performances, poster sessions and engaging dialogue, move to an online format?

“It was an amazing effort on the part of students and their faculty mentors, many of whom were learning new technology skills with the guidance of our superb Education Technology team,” said Danuta Bukatko, professor of psychology and one of the organizers of the virtual Academic Conference. “When we realized the conference could not take its traditional form, we decided it was still important to acknowledge in some way the rigorous scholarly work conducted by so many of our students over the past several months. Because of the challenges of these times, not all students doing independent projects were able to participate this year, but the conference signals appreciation for what all of them did in contributing to the process of knowledge building. The response from the college community was very positive. In fact, there may be some features of the virtual conference we may want to keep next year!”

The virtual conference kicked off on Tuesday, April 21, with a live session with Las Cafeteras streamed online, which included musical demonstrations and conversation with the artists. Originally scheduled for a residency on campus in mid-March, Las Cafeteras worked with Arts Transcending Borders to connect with the campus community in a different medium that still showcased their use of storytelling through music to amplify the voices of the marginalized as a tool to promote community activism and social change.

On Wednesday, April 22, there was a full day of presentations by students from a variety of class years and disciplines; more than 20 departments and programs were represented. Sessions included a presentation by this year’s Fenwick Scholar Matthew Pinder ’20, “Stations of the Cross: A Non-Traditional Musical Passion,” which gave insight into his research and composition and debuted some segments, via a piano performance, of his yearlong project to create a musical Passion for soloists and orchestra based on the Stations of the Cross. Many of the presentations also included live Q&A sessions with the presenters, giving attendees a chance to engage directly with the research presentation.

Ellen Perry, director of the College Honors Program, explained that flexibility in the face of COVID-19 underscored all of her students’ presentations during the virtual Academic Conference. “There was a steep learning curve with technology,” Perry said. Instead of giving practice presentations, students broke into groups and critiqued pre-recorded performances of their peers, incorporating critical feedback into their final products. “Most important, I think, is this: a number of students completed this work in the face of adversity–technological, personal, or family adversity. And they went ahead and did it anyway.”

Adaptation to the new virtual conference wasn’t limited to research presentations; for example, the College Choir debuted their performance—remotely recorded—of the Tallis Canon. Under the direction of Allegra Martin, director of College choirs, with rehearsal support and guidance from Matthew Jaskot, lecturer in the music department, and audio and visual production by Brian Saia, lecturer in the music department, the ensemble learned to perform as a group of soloists, each singing and recording their piece individually for the cumulative video that was produced, edited and mixed by Saia.

“One of the most important skills we teach in academia is that of communication, which can come in many forms,” said Martin. “Musical performance is about communication and connection. We are connecting ourselves to the people who wrote the music and words, and we are reaching out to share that piece of expression with those around us. Figuring out new options for connection is particularly important right now, when we are all isolating to protect each other. I wanted to give the choir students a way to still make music and connect with each other, and I wanted them to have a chance to share their hard work with everyone else.”

Posted in Academics, Africana Studies, Arts Transcending Borders (ATB), Asian Studies, Chemistry, Economics and Accounting, English, Featured, German Studies, History, Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies, Music, News, Peace and Conflict Studies, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, Studio Art, Visual Arts | Comments Off on Academic Conference Goes Virtual in Response to Pandemic

Will COVID-19 Make Farmers of Us All? English Professor and Award-Winning Author Opines in The Boston Globe

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Holy Cross in the News

Leila Philip, professor of English. Photo by Allison Waltz

As more people become concerned with the American food production system’s vulnerabilities triggered by the pandemic, is a growing national trend toward back-to-basics farming emerging?

Leila Philip, professor of English at Holy Cross and a contributing columnist for The Boston Globe’s Opinion section, recently wrote a commentary for the paper on how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting U.S. agriculture.

“Raising our own food reconnects us to our most elemental relationship — the natural world as a source of sustenance,” Philip says. “Once we experience directly the miracle of how the planet feeds us, we can begin to make better choices about how to live on it in sustainable ways.”

A member of the Holy Cross faculty since 2003, Philip is a highly awarded writer of literary nonfiction. She is the author of four books, including “The Road Through Miyama,” for which she received the prestigious PEN Martha Albrand Special Citation for Nonfiction, and the award-winning memoir “A Family Place: A Hudson Valley Farm, Three Centuries, Five Wars, One Family.”

To read the full article, go to BostonGlobe.com.

Posted in English, Featured, In The News, Leila Philip, News | Comments Off on Will COVID-19 Make Farmers of Us All? English Professor and Award-Winning Author Opines in The Boston Globe

Holy Cross Community Turns Out With ‘The Power of Purple’

Posted on April 28, 2020 by College of the Holy Cross

Photos shared on social media during the giving day.

Over just 24 hours on April 17, thousands of members of the College of the Holy Cross community came together in support of current and future Holy Cross students on the annual day of giving. Almost 4,000 alumni, students, parents and friends of Holy Cross participated in the effort, rallying around the idea of “The Power of Purple” and donating $2.47 million in support of today’s students.

The 2020 one-day challenge was originally planned to take place during Winter Homecoming weekend in January. After the tragic women’s rowing team accident, the College postponed the giving day and made alternate plans to launch the day in conjunction with the Holy Cross Alumni Association’s Holy Cross Cares Day in April. “Even though we had to cancel the in-person community service events, there is no doubt that our community responded with an outpouring of hope and showed that Holy Cross Cares,” said Mike Shanahan ’78, president of the Holy Cross Alumni Association.

With the impact of COVID-19, the giving day prioritized giving options focused on funds that directly support Holy Cross students and emergency needs. Options included the Holy Cross Fund, which supports all areas of the academic enterprise and the Holy Cross community; the Emergency Relief Fund, newly established to help meet the unanticipated travel, technology and emergency financial aid needs of students affected by the COVID-19 crisis; support for financial aid; Crusader Athletics Fund, which provides the flexibility needed to support student-athletes during this period of distance learning; and the Bishop Healy Emergency Fund, which assists ALANA students by creating a last resort safety net of funds for emergency expenses, including books and resources for classes, travel and other basic needs.

“We continue to see the tremendous value and impact of our volunteers who help make the case for support, connecting with their classmates and friends in very personal ways,” said Christene Riendeau, director of annual giving and volunteer engagement at the College. “And we’re enormously proud of the class of 2019 who had the most individual donors of any class. They understand that giving back is paying it forward.”

“We all know our alumni are living proof of the value of a Holy Cross education,” said Tracy Barlok, vice president for advancement. “This day of giving is such a testament to the power of the collective Holy Cross community – and a reminder of what it really means to be a Crusader – for and with others. This support helps ensure the success of generations of Holy Cross leaders to come. It gives us confidence that our students will take on whatever challenges may come in the future.”

Posted in News | Comments Off on Holy Cross Community Turns Out With ‘The Power of Purple’

Worldwide Media Turn to Holy Cross Economics Professors for Expertise on Sports Post-Coronavirus

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Holy Cross in the News

From left: Victor Matheson and Robert Baumann, both professors in the economics and accounting department at Holy Cross

Will the postponed Tokyo Olympics help kick start Japan’s economy, or will it push it even further into financial ruin? What will sports look like when they return after the coronavirus-induced shutdown?

The Associated Press recently sought the insight of Victor Matheson, professor of economics at Holy Cross and a renowned sports economist, on this issue. Matheson, who has authored a study with colleague Robert Baumann on the impact of foreign tourism on the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, holds the general belief that “in most cases the Olympics are a money-losing proposition for host cities.”

“If Tokyo is hoping that a surge of tourism is going to cover the costs of moving the games by a year, they are likely to be very disappointed,” said Matheson.

Media around the world have been turning to Matheson to weigh in on the economic implications of the coronavirus on the business of sport, as well as its future post-pandemic.

In a story for UK’s The Telegraph, Matheson estimated that, for as long as sport is on hold, “at least 90% of this industry revenue is lost,” a significant number when you consider that sports competitions are thought to generate around $90 billion a year worldwide.

“In the past we’ve celebrated sports as a great return to normal,” Matheson said in a Reuters interview, but “I think it will be a much more muted atmosphere (this time) because you’re going to be looking at that person in the seat next to you.”

And when asked specifically by ESPN on the potential impact on Major League Soccer, Matheson seemed optimistic about its future. “At this point, every owner has hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, either in the form of expansion fee or in a stadium or some combination of the two. There are a couple billion reasons why MLS owners aren’t going to walk away.”

Relevant Coverage:

Reuters, Mar. 13

USA Today, Mar. 15

The Telegraph, Apr. 11

ESPN, Apr. 15

Associated Press, Apr. 17

Nikkei Asian Review, Apr. 22

Posted in Economics and Accounting, In The News, News | Comments Off on Worldwide Media Turn to Holy Cross Economics Professors for Expertise on Sports Post-Coronavirus

Alum’s Random Act of Kindness Takes an Unexpected Turn

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Holy Cross Magazine

Richard McGuinness '60 headshot

While at the post office one day, Richard McGuinness ’60 took an extra minute to hold the door for an elderly woman. The response he got took him aback.

Posted in Alumni, Holy Cross Magazine, News, Spring 2020 | Comments Off on Alum’s Random Act of Kindness Takes an Unexpected Turn

When Major League Baseball Starts, Matt Blake ’07 Will be on the Sport’s Biggest Stage

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Holy Cross Magazine

Matt Blake ’07, enjoying his first New York Yankees spring training in Florida.

When the 2020 baseball season finally begins, Matt Blake ’07 will put on the most famous uniform in sports history, the white, pinstriped pants and shirt with the interlocking, navy blue NY over the heart. It is the uniform worn by the New York Yankees for 108 years, the same one used by Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Derek Jeter.

Posted in Academics, Alumni, Holy Cross Magazine, News, Philosophy, Psychology, Spring 2020 | Comments Off on When Major League Baseball Starts, Matt Blake ’07 Will be on the Sport’s Biggest Stage