News

WORCESTER, Mass. – Timothy Fitzpatrick Mines, an attorney with extensive experience in higher education law, has been appointed the new general counsel at the College of the Holy Cross. The announcement was made by Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of the College.

Mines succeeds Rev. Dennis Yesalonia, S.J., who is leaving the College after five years of service to take a full-time position as treasurer for the New England Province of the Society of Jesus in Watertown, Mass. For the past two-and-one-half years, Fr. Yesalonia has served as the Province’s treasurer in addition to his Holy Cross duties.

“We are delighted to have Tim Mines join Holy Cross,” Fr. McFarland said. “The search committee was very impressed with his breadth of experience in higher education law, as well as his excellent communications skills, his approachability and collegiality. He’ll be a valuable member of our community and will be a great help in dealing with the many legal, compliance and policy issues we face as an institution of higher education.”

For the past four years, Mines has been associate counsel for the Community Colleges of Massachusetts, where he was involved in personnel matters, training, contracts, finance, regulatory compliance, intellectual property and related areas. Before that, he spent 17 years in the Office of the General Counsel at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he was associate counsel and also taught as an adjunct professor.

He received his law degree from Tulane after graduating with a B.A. in American history from the University of Maryland at College Park.

WORCESTER, Mass. – For the second year in a row, faculty at the College of the Holy Cross are strongly encouraging second-year students to participate in the institution’s rich elective program offerings through the Second-Year Opportunities Program, or 2YO.

There is more to the three years remaining in a sophomore’s college life than successful completion of the degree requirements, which include 32 intensive courses in eight semesters of full-time study at Holy Cross, according to Victoria L. Swigert, a member of this year’s 2YO organizing committee and assistant dean of the Class of 2008.

The program apprises sophomores of the range of resources and opportunities available to students, encourages them to think about how these resources and opportunities fit with their own interests and goals, and helps them to plan accordingly.

“Minors, concentrations, study away and abroad, special academic and advisory programs, internships, college and departmental honors programs, and post-baccalaureate opportunities are among the ways students can distinguish their undergraduate careers,” said Swigert.

The 2YO program, and all of its specifics, is one of the few of its kind.

This fall’s program consists of four events, two of which have been completed. The first, second-year advising was a meeting between second-year students and their advisor. The meeting was less about course selection for the fall semester and more about helping sophomores reflect on the experience of their first year toward planning for the three to come. The second, Academic Extravaganza allowed second-year students to browse displays showcasing the academic offerings at Holy Cross and to talk with program directors and department chairs.

The two remaining events stress the value of persistence in an ever-evolving and challenging world. Dr. Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health, a small public charity, will address second-year students on Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Hogan Ballroom in the Hogan Campus Center. Dr. Farmer is the subject of Tracy Kidder’s recent book, Mountains Beyond Mountains, which the students were assigned to read during the summer. On Nov. 9 students are invited to ” ‘Beyond Mountains There Are Mountains:’ Where do you want to go?” The conversation will be guided by academic and professional staff on the relevance of Farmer’s extraordinary life and work to the second-year experience.

A curriculum review group started at the College several years ago deemed it was necessary to stress the importance of a strong integrated college experience.

“The rationale for 2YO was recognition that sophomores are a transitional cohort,” she said. “First-year students have all sorts of advisory assistance — orientation, mandatory advising appointments at the beginning of the semester, the first-year program. Over the past decade there has been an explosion of academic programs — minors, concentrations, study away and abroad programs, honors programs, and the list goes on. Students need to know about these opportunities and they need to plan for them — and early in their academic careers.

“Second year is also one of high anxiety, as original curricular choices prove to have been the wrong ones, or students are clueless about what direction they want to take, and parents are worried about what their sons and daughters are going ‘to do’ with a major in ‘whatever.’ ”

The Lilly Endowment provided financial support for the initiative through a grant to help students reflect on their vocation. 2YO gives students means to think about how a variety of academic programs can help fulfill their life and career choices.

“With Holy Cross’ very special mission to educate men and women for others, money from the Lilly Endowment supports the program in its emphasis on helping students to reflect on the connection between their academic programs, life and career choices, and the mission of the College.”

WORCESTER, Mass. – Meghan Mahoney, a 2005 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and member of the women’s varsity ice hockey team, has received the prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for her self-designed research project titled “Life Without Title IX: The International Development of Women’s Ice Hockey.” Mahoney was one of five alternates when the Watson fellowships were announced in March; and received official word this month that her project was accepted.

Mahoney, an English major with a creative writing emphasis and philosophy minor from Utica, N.Y., will be studying in South Africa, New Zealand and one of the following countries: Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland or Iceland.

“During my time, I hope to play as much hockey as possible,” she said. “I have proposed to play in women’s club leagues in each of my chosen countries to find out how the game is taking shape in those countries that aren’t already dominant, well-known forces in the game. I may also attempt to train with each nation’s national team in order to expand my playing time, as well as coach youth teams and perhaps even observe physical education classes in local schools in order to discern how females are treated in athletics in general. My goal is to assess how strongly girls are encouraged to play sports and how equally they are treated in countries that may not have laws such as Title IX. The law has made a large impact on the growth of women’s ice hockey here in the U.S. and I want to see whether such legislation is being implemented in and effecting other countries, as well as whether or not the game can develop strongly without it.”

In addition to playing varsity ice hockey, Mahoney was a member of Habitat for Humanity International for two years (going to Zambia her first year, and leading a trip to Papua New Guinea this past June); president of the English honor society, Sigma Tau Delta; president of the Literary Society; a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, Phi Beta Kappa and the Philosophy Honor Society, Phi Sigma Tau; a member of the English department Student Advisory Committee; on the editorial staff of The Criterion; and a SPUD (Student Programs for Urban Development) participant.

Mahoney is one of 50 college seniors nationwide selected to receive a 2005-2006 Watson. The fellowship with a stipend of $25,000, is a one-year grant for independent study and travel outside of the United States.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The music department at the College of the Holy Cross will present the following musical performances in the Brooks Concert Hall during September 2005. All events are free and open to the public. For additional information, please contact the music department events line at 508-793-3528.

Sept. 15 – 8 p.m.
Raymond Ericson, piano

Sept. 23 – 8 p.m.
Jennifer Ashe, soprano
Alicia Didonato, flute

Sept. 28 – 8 p.m.
Holy Cross Chamber Orchestra

WORCESTER, Mass. – Members of the College of the Holy Cross Class of 2009 will arrive on the Mount St. James campus Saturday, Aug. 27.

The 725 students represent 32 states and two countries other than the U.S. Forty-five percent are male and 55 percent are female. Fifty-one percent come from public schools, 31 percent from Catholic schools, 10 percent from private schools and eight percent from Jesuit high schools.

Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of the College, will be on campus to greet the first-year students and their families, and returning students will help first-year students move into their residence halls.

In what has become a signature Holy Cross tradition, Fr. McFarland will preside at the Mass of the Holy Spirit at 4 p.m. on the Hart Center Lawn. During the Mass, faculty in academic regalia, administration, and staff welcome the new students with blessings, and their parents and families wish them well as they begin their new journey.

All first-year students are entering Holy Cross having read over the summer A Vanished World: Medieval Spain’s Golden Age of Enlightenment (Free Press, 2005). The book by Chris Lowney, is a history of Spain and the complex interactions among Jews, Muslims and Christians.

Like many colleges across the nation, Holy Cross asks incoming students to participate in an online alcohol education course/survey offered by www.alcoholedu.com and designed to promote responsible behavior. Unlike many other colleges, however, Holy Cross students showed a remarkably high level of participation: nearly 95% of the incoming class have taken the course.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Maggie Wilderotter ’77, president and chief executive officer of Citizens Communications, will give the annual Thomas More Lecture on Faith, Work and Civic Life on Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Citizens Communications Company is the second largest rural local exchange carrier, or RLEC, with about 2.5 million incumbent phone lines in Arizona, Minnesota, New York and 20 other states scattered around the U.S. The company also runs a competitive carrier that challenges the former telephone monopoly in several western states.

Prior to assuming her current role at Citizens, Wilderotter was senior vice president of Worldwide Public Sector at Microsoft. Reporting to Bill Gates, she was responsible for strengthening customer and partner outreach in the government and education markets, as well as working across Microsoft’s business divisions on developing and coordinating forward-looking strategies.

Wilderotter was also president and chief executive officer of Wink Communications Inc., which provides a complete end-to-end system for low-cost electronic commerce on television, executive vice president of national operations for AT&T Wireless Services Inc. and chief executive officer of AT&T’s Aviation Communications Division. She also served as senior vice president of McCaw Cellular Communications Inc. and was a regional president managing the company’s California, Nevada, and Hawaii Region.

Due to her contributions to the television industry, Wilderotter has received national accolades. She is one of 20 leaders ever to have been honored twice the prestigious Vanguard Award for Distinguished Leadership by the National Cable Television Association.

Wilderotter, who serves on the board of trustees at Holy Cross, has been actively involved in the leadership of a number of not-for-profit organizations.

The Thomas More Lecture honors a graduate of Holy Cross who exemplifies the College’s dedication to the integration of faith and learning. It is sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.

WORCESTER, Mass. – About a dozen of the incoming ALANA (African American, Latino, Asian American, and Native American) and international students from the College of the Holy Cross will engage in a community service project as part of the Odyssey project at Sacred Heart Church, 596 Cambridge St., on Aug. 24 from 9 a.m. – noon. Rev. James B. Callahan will also be at the church between 9 – 10 a.m. assisting the students.

The students will participate in a clean-up project at Sacred Heart. The agency will provide students a short orientation explaining what they do in the community.

“Odyssey: A Preview of Your Holy Cross Journey” is a one-week orientation program, open on a voluntary basis, for ALANA (African American, Latino, Asian American, and Native American) and international students. This interdisciplinary program was designed to introduce first-year students to Holy Cross’ academic environment with mini-classes and short writing assignments.

Odyssey participants will also volunteer their time at five other organizations in Worcester on Aug. 24. At 58, this year marks the highest number of students that will be participating in the program.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The following films will be shown at Kimball Theatre at the College of the Holy Cross. All films are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. For additional information, please call the Kimball Theatre Box Office at 508-793-2455.

“Sin City”
Wed., Aug. 31: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R.

“The Interpreter”
Fri, Sept. 2 and Sat., Sept. 3: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13.

“Million Dollar Baby”
Wed., Sept. 7: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG-13.

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith”
Fri., Sept. 9 and Sat., Sept. 10: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13.

“Kingdom of Heaven”
Wed., Sept. 14: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R.

“Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”
Fri., Sept. 16 and Sat., Sept. 17: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG.

“Millions”
Wed., Sept. 21: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG.

“Batman Begins”
Fri., Sept. 23 and Sat., Sept. 24: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13.

“Melinda and Melinda”
Wed., Sept. 28: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG-13.

“Howl’s Moving Castle”
Fri., Sept. 30 and Sat., Oct. 1: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG.

“Crash”
Wed., Oct. 5: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R.

“Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room”
Wed., Oct. 12: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Not rated.

“War of the Worlds”
Fri., Oct. 14: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13.

“Winter Solstice”
Wed., Oct. 19: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R.

“Downfall”
Wed., Oct. 26: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R.

“Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”
Fri., Oct. 28 and Sat., Oct. 29: Showing at 7 p.m. Rated PG-13.

“Rock School”
Wed., Nov. 2: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
Fri., Nov. 4 and Sat., Nov. 5: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated PG.

“Murderball”
Wed., Nov. 9: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated R.

“Madagascar”
Fri., Nov. 11 and Sat., Nov. 12: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated PG.

“Rize”
Wed., Nov. 16: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG-13.

“Wedding Crashers”
Fri., Nov. 18 and Sat., Nov. 19: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated R.

“Cinderella Man”
Wed., Nov. 30: Showings at 3 and 8 p.m. Rated PG-13.

“Hustle & Flow”
Fri., Dec. 2 and Sat., Dec. 3: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated R.

“A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”
Fri., Dec. 9 and Sat., Dec. 10: Showings at 7 p.m. Rated PG.

A complete listing of films is also located at:
http://www.holycross.edu/publicaffairs/features/2005-2006/kimballfilms_fall05

WORCESTER, Mass. – David O’Brien, Loyola Professor of Roman Catholic Studies in the department of history at the College of the Holy Cross, has been selected to receive the University of Dayton 2005 Marianist Award. The award is presented annually to “a Roman Catholic who has made an outstanding contribution to scholarship and intellectual life,” according to University of Dayton officials.

He will be presented the national award and give a speech at the ceremony on Sept. 21 in Dayton, Ohio. Recipients are asked to present an address in which they reflect on the connection between their faith and their scholarly work.

O’Brien is an historian of American Catholicism, specializing in Catholic social and political thought and religion and politics. A faculty member at Holy Cross since 1969, he is a Notre Dame graduate and earned his Ph.D. in history at the University of Rochester. He served as President of the American Catholic Historical Association, he holds six honorary degrees and he received the Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for distinguished service to Catholic higher education from the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.

“We asked David O’Brien to accept the award because of his achievements as an historian of U.S. Catholicism, especially of U.S. Catholic higher education. I don’t know of anyone who has been more faithful in insisting that American Catholics, especially lay people, keep thinking about how to keep the church alive and lively in the post-Vatican-II era,” said Una Cadegan, associate professor of history at the University of Dayton and chair of the forum that nominated O’Brien.

O’Brien is the author of several books including The Renewal of American Catholicism (Oxford University Press, 1972), Public Catholicism: The American Church and Public Life, 1789-1989 (Macmillan, 1989), Isaac Hecker an American Catholic (Paulist Press, 1991) and From the Heart of the American Church: Catholic Higher Education and American Culture (Orbis Books, 1994) and was co-editor of Catholic Social Thought: The Documentary Heritage (Orbis Books, 1992).

He frequently provides expert commentary for the media; he has been quoted in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Catholic Reporter, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Associated Press. He has also penned numerous op-eds for The Boston Globe and Telegram & Gazette (Worcester), among others.

O’Brien was the founding director of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at Holy Cross. He also developed the Peace and Conflict Studies concentration, a multidisciplinary program for students who wish to complement their major field of study with courses focused on peace, conflict, justice and human dignity.

The University of Dayton has presented the Marianist award annually since 1986. Recent recipients include Peter and Margaret O’Brien Steinfels, Mary Douglas, Mary Ann Glendon and Marcia L. Colish.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Robert W. Hart, a 25-year veteran of the Massachusetts State Police, has been appointed the new associate director of Public Safety at the College of the Holy Cross.

A resident of Sutton, Hart joins the 18-member professional staff led by Director Christine Bernard-McNamara. Most recently, he was State Police lieutenant/operations officer in the Holden headquarters. He has wide-ranging experience in investigations, emergency preparedness, and administration, as well as elite training as a fire and arson investigator.

“Bob brings new dimensions and depth to our department,” said Bernard-McNamara. “He embraces the community policing model, has an extensive background in fire safety and fire prevention, and with his teaching background, he will serve as an excellent mentor to our younger officers and professional staff.”

“I am already impressed with the sense of community that is apparent at the College of the Holy Cross,” Hart said. “I’m looking forward to working with my new colleagues in the department and the entire campus to ensure a safe and secure environment for students, faculty, and staff.”

Hart holds a bachelor of science in law enforcement from Western New England College. He has been an adjunct faculty member at Becker College’s criminal justice program, and has led courses for police officers, firefighters, and civic groups in crime scene management, fires/arson investigation, and fire safety. He served in both active and reserve duty as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1975-81.

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at the College of the Holy Cross will present FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA, A QUILT FROM THE ROSE BAKER SENIOR CENTER and These Beautiful Hands: A Tribute to Lives Long Lived, An Installation by Juni Van Dyke from Aug. 24 to Sept. 17.

Two public events in conjunction with the exhibits will be held at the Cantor Art Gallery:

* Artist Talk, Juni Van Dyke: Stories Hands Tell: Sept. 15, 5-6 p.m.
* Reception for the artist: Sept. 15, 6-7 p.m.

FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA is a large-scale hand-sewn quilt pieced together by a team of more than 40 individuals during a four-year period at the Rose Baker Senior Center in Gloucester, Mass. FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA was produced under the guidance of the Rose Baker Senior Center Arts Coordinator, Juni Van Dyke, who has, for the past 12 years, developed a very successful and widely recognized program of art education and practice for seniors in the Gloucester region.

In the fall of 2001, following the tragic events of 9/11, Van Dyke suggested to a group of seniors participating in her program the idea of creating a monumental quilt as a collaborative project that would celebrate the beauty of the United States through images representing the grandeur of the American landscape. After four years of work, FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA was completed. The quilt, measuring 9 feet tall and 30 feet wide was first shown outside of Gloucester at the Massachusetts State House in Boston in the spring of 2004. FROM SEA TO SHINNG SEA will be on display at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, Mass. later this year. The quilt will then return home and be permanently installed in the main community space of the Rose Baker Senior Center.

Van Dyke’s These Beautiful Hands: A Tribute to Lives Long Lived is a four-part installation in which the artist honors the wisdom, dignity, and courage of acquaintances born during the first quarter of the 20th century.

Speaking about her work, she says: “My work seeks to reverse a common American stereotype which suggests that to be old is to be unattractive and useless. I wanted to alter this stereotype by creating a tribute to the wisdom, grace, and dignity of older individuals. The marvel of lives long lived! I wanted to honor elders with a project involving their hands – hands that have been worn smooth as gems – from years of loving, caring, toiling, living. Hands wrinkled and callused, arthritic, spotted, veined. Beautiful hands of time.”

The work has evolved into four “projects,” each in a different medium:

Part I. Sculpture and Dialogue: “Gifts” consists of a grouping of 40 plaster cast of hands of anonymous individuals all born in the first quarter of the 20th century. A short monograph accompanies each cast which is based on the life experiences of the people whose hands the artist cast.

Part II. The Drawing Project: “Memories” is a series of abstract and representational drawings rendered by Van Dyke that acts as a visual record of emotional states and feelings between the artist and her own mother.

Part III. The Painting Project: “Gratitude” is similar to “The Drawing Project” in that Van Dyke conjures up imagery from her encounters with “elders” and their life stories while conducting art workshops at the Rose Baker Senior Center. The “Gratitude” section is comprised of small-scaled paintings that compliment and affirm many of the oral histories that are conveyed to Van Dyke at the senior center where the artist works.

Part IV. The Photo Project: “Then” consists of a time-based work of projected vintage black and white family photographs onto a scrim of moving fabric, coupled with faint audio recordings from the 1930s -1940s of various popular pieces of that era. Again, the photographs used in this piece reflect a variety of individuals associated with the Rose Baker Senior Center.

Gallery Information

The hours for the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery are Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5p.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. Public parking is located on Linden Lane, gate 2, off College Street.

For more information, call the Cantor Art Gallery at 508-793-3356 or visit the Gallery’s Web site at: www.holycross.edu/departments/cantor/website/index.html.

WORCESTER, Mass. – Thomas A. Maher ’84, a business leader with a strong commitment to education for disadvantaged inner-city youth, has established a $100,000 scholarship fund at the College of the Holy Cross to financially assist graduates of the Nativity School of Worcester who will eventually attend Holy Cross.

The Jeanne R. Maher Nativity Scholarship Fund, named after his late mother, will provide financial aid scholarship support to Nativity Worcester students who are offered admission to Holy Cross after completing high school. Recipients of the scholarship must do volunteer service at Nativity Worcester while students at Holy Cross.

The Nativity School of Worcester is a private Jesuit Catholic middle school for boys living in Main South and other vulnerable neighborhoods of Worcester.

“We are grateful and pleased that Tom Maher has once again stepped up and funded a scholarship at Holy Cross for graduates of inner city schools, this time for graduates of Nativity School of Worcester, which we co-sponsor with the New England Province of the Society of Jesus,” said Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of Holy Cross and chair of the board of the Nativity School.

“His generous gifts help support our mission to make the best of Jesuit education and all the opportunities it provides available to those who are shut out from the advantages many of our other students have. Just as important, Tom’s commitment reflects his deep commitment to the service of the poor and the marginalized, which is an essential element of a Holy Cross education. We are proud of him and his many accomplishments, both in business and in his work on behalf of inner city youth.”

Joanne Glavin McClatchy ’79, executive director at the Nativity School of Worcester, said “We are overwhelmed by Tom’s generosity. We are grateful not only for the scholarship that will assist our students to attend Holy Cross, but also for his vision in providing scholarships for worthy students. The high quality education they are receiving every day will be rewarded for those who are the most determined to succeed. Tom truly embodies the Jesuit motto of men and women for others. We thank him and the College of the Holy Cross for their vision and generosity.”

The first Nativity Worcester graduates will enter college in the fall of 2010. The scholarship will help strengthen Holy Cross’ connection to the Nativity School.

“This scholarship fund reinforces the strong bridge between the Nativity School of Worcester and Holy Cross,” Maher said. “The scholarship recipients’ service component to their school expands the mission of both schools in the Worcester community for many years ahead.”

Maher has established two similar $100,000 scholarship funds at Holy Cross for students from Manhattan and from Lawrence, Mass. Maher, a resident of Andover, is a founding director of Esperanza Academy, a Nativity-model school for girls in grades 5-8 in Lawrence, which will open in September 2006. Maher is a principal at Eastern Development LLC, a Woburn, Mass.-based development firm specializing in retail and office projects throughout New England. He is co-owner and director of the Worcester Tornadoes baseball team.