Bravehearts Return to Fitton Field for Opening Day

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Kelly Ethier

team winning championshipThe Worcester Bravehearts return to Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field on Friday, June 5 at 7:05 p.m. for their home opener against the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs. The Bravehearts played against the Dirt Dawgs on June 4 with the Bravehearts taking home the win in the ninth inning with 3-2 victory at Doyle Field in Leominster.

This is the second year of the partnership between Holy Cross, the city of Worcester, the Futures League, and local business owner John W.S. Creedon Jr. in their collective efforts to keep the tradition of baseball alive within the Worcester community. In their inaugural year the Bravehearts won the FCBL Championships series dethroning the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks.

The Bravehearts, members of the 10-team Futures Collegiate Baseball League include two Holy Cross varsity baseball members, pitcher Austin Cave ’18 and outfielder Bobby Indeglia ’16.

Opening weekend at the park will have many surprises for fans including the first of seven post-game fireworks shows on Friday, June 5. On Saturday, June 6 the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks come to town for a rematch of the 2014 FCBL Championship series and fans can expect to view skydivers delivering the team’s 2014 championship rings to the field. The first 250 fans in the park will receive a replica championship ring.

Tickets for all Worcester Bravehearts home games are available by calling 508-438-3773 or visit their website at www.worcesterbravehearts.com.

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Holy Cross Names New Vice President of Administration and Finance

Posted on June 1, 2015 by Ellen Ryder

Dorothy A. Hauver Following a national search, Dorothy A. Hauver has been named vice president of administration and finance at the College of the Holy Cross.  The announcement was made today by Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president of the College.

Hauver, who joined Holy Cross as director of finance in 2011, has served as interim vice president since February, after her predecessor Michael J. Lochhead left Holy Cross to take a position at his alma mater, Boston College.

“We are delighted Dottie Hauver is assuming this critical executive position on a permanent basis,” said Fr. Boroughs. “She seamlessly transitioned to the interim role, and has impressed the search committee—and all of us—with her range of skills, experience and financial acumen.”

Prior to joining Holy Cross, Hauver worked as an accountant and auditor at KPMG in Boston.  She joined the firm in 1991 after graduating from the University of Massachusetts with a B.B.A. in accounting.  She held positions of increasing responsibilities throughout her career there, most recently as senior manager, overseeing audit engagements and special projects for a variety of clients, primarily within the health care and higher education industries.  She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the National Association of College and University Business Officers.

A resident of Shrewsbury, Hauver is a member of the board of directors of the Boston Consortium for Higher Education, and chair of the audit committee of the Campion Health Center and Residence and Renewal Center.  She is also a member of  the chief financial officers committee of the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts (HECCMA), the Central Massachusetts Financial Executives Organization (CMFEO).  Her community service includes volunteer work for Marianapolis Preparatory School and Saint John’s High School.

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Churik ’15 Awarded Fulbright Study Research Grant to the Netherlands

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Kelly Ethier

Nick ChurikNikolas Churik ’15, of Hempstead, N.Y. has been awarded a Fulbright Study Research Grant to the Netherlands. Churik, a classics major, will be studying Greek literature and paleography, with a focus on the eleventh century Byzantine author Michael Psellos.

“Being able to go to the Netherlands is a great opportunity for me as the Dutch have an excellent tradition in the classics. Students in the country still study Greek and Latin in secondary school so when they enter into the university they have a very high competency in the languages,” says Churik. His grant will allow him another year of specialized study in classics and he will be able to focus on Greek literature. “I will also be studying antiquities and I hope that will provide me with a wider view of the human experience and will allow me to see common trends and ideas throughout the western civilization.”

While at Holy Cross, Churik was the editor of the Fenwick Review, an independent journal of opinion at the College; a member of the Manuscripts, Inscriptions, and Documents club; and a member of the Society of Saints Peter and Paul.

While Churik was growing up in N.Y. he often would see signs that certain properties were settled by Dutch merchants, this led him to want to learn more about the history and culture of the settlers. In his proposal for his Fulbright grant he stated his fond appreciation for the Dutch Masters and also discussed his research on the Dutch influence in certain parts of N.Y. Churik plans to attend graduate school and pursue a doctorate in classics and hopes to teach Latin and Greek.

Each year approximately 1,900 U.S. college students are awarded grants through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program in international educational exchange, awards grants to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception in 1946, more than 325,400 participants — selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential — have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions. The program operates in more than 140 countries worldwide.

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Holy Cross Athletic Teams Post Perfect Score on NCAA Progress Report

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Cristal Steuer

The Crusader Twenty College of the Holy Cross varsity teams achieved a perfect score of 1,000 in the recently released NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), which measures academic performance among Division I programs.

Nine of those Crusader teams had a perfect multi-year APR score (based on data from the 2010-2011 through 2013-2014 school years), which tied the College for 16th in the nation out of 357 Division I schools.

“We take great pride in our student-athletes’ achievements in the classroom,” said Nathan Pine, director of athletics. “Our young men and women put exceptional effort into their academic endeavors and I am thrilled to see them recognized for their success.”

The APR uses a series of formulas related to student-athlete retention and eligibility to measure the academic performance of all participants on teams at every Division I college and university.

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‘What Startup Life is Really Like: A Day Behind the Curtain at HourlyNerd’

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Holy Cross in the News

Offices Shot A recent article published on BostInno featured a behind-the-scenes look at working at the Boston-based startup HourlyNerd, an offshoot of the Harvard Business School. The startup offers many opportunities for customers to find a consultant specific to the needs of their business. Mark Cuban is an investor in this rapidly growing organization that started with 12 employees and now has 40 employees. The company currently has more than 10,000 consultants that are featured on the site with more 4,500 companies using the service including Microsoft, GE and American Apparel.

The article offers a day-in-the life perspective of five employees in different departments at the startup including Holy Cross alumna, Angie Malerba’08, sales associate. After graduation, Malerba, took a position at a small PR Agency in Boston for six years, her clients were mainly startups in varying stages. Upon hearing her agency was shutting down she started her job search and came across a business development opportunity at HourlyNerd and thought her PR Skills especially in prospecting might be a good fit for the company and would naturally be transferable to a sales role.

A typical day for Malerba at the office includes a morning sync up with the sales team where they collectively decide on one goal they hope to accomplish for the day. This could be reaching out to a new account or closing one. Malerba then starts her research for prospective clients which she finds from sources LinkedIn and digging through SEC filings.

Malerba has had the opportunity to interview many sales associates since she started with the company last fall as HourlyNerd will be expanding the team with the addition of three new sales associate positions. Malerba says “Only one of them has a sales background, everything else can be learned in training. We’re just looking for people who are eager to learn, passionate and well-spoken.”

Read the full article here.

This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Kelly Ethier.

 

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‘White House point man on Freddie Gray has deep ties to Baltimore’

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Holy Cross in the News

broderick_johnsonAccording to The Baltimore Sun, Broderick Johnson ’78 is leading the Obama administration’s effort to reach out to young men of color, most recently in Baltimore, Md., near his childhood home. Johnson, who majored in philosophy at the College and received his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1983, is Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary, as well as Chair of the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, which was created last year to engage private businesses and foundations in the effort to help young black men close education and employment gaps.

“The president has been very clear with me, to go and listen to what people have to say, to go and listen to what young folks are saying,” Johnson said in the article. “These young folks are not cynical. There was a lot of hope.”

Read the full article from The Baltimore Sun.

This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Bridget Cass.

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Blog: Dunbar Sets Out On Pilgrimage to Explore Roots of American Music

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Jessica McCaughey

Dunbar

HOMETOWN Hampton, N.H.

STUDIES Music and English major

WHAT HE IS BLOGGING ABOUT Funded by a grant from the Summer Research Program In the Humanities, Social Sciences and Fine Arts at the College of the Holy Cross, Mike Dunbar will be taking an American musician’s pilgrimage. Playing original music along the way, Dunbar will be traveling with high school classmate and fellow band member Collin Garcia, a 2015 graduate of Saint Anselm College. The duo will meet local musicians, give street and open mic performances, and encounter music in its native soil. At the end of July, they will return home to New Hampshire, where Dunbar will render the experience into a collection of songs.

WHERE HE IS GOING Dunbar will compose a new collection of songs about the experience of driving cross-country to the epicenters of American music including:
• Bristol, Tennessee, the “birthplace” of country music
• Memphis, Tennessee
• Nashville, Tennessee
• Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis Presley
• New Orleans
• Rolling Fork, Mississippi, the birthplace of Muddy Waters
• Greenwood, Mississippi, where he will be recording with New England Music Awards’ Producer of the Year Brian Coombes at blues legend Robert Johnson’s grave.
• Chicago
• San Francisco
• Woodstock

WHAT HE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO “Going to the South, seeing the places that influenced the music that influenced me, recording at Robert Johnson’s grave, and the moment I reach the West Coast and see the ocean again is also most exciting.”

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT HIM Whether you are a veteran musician, a working artist, or a fellow Holy Cross alum, Dunbar is seeking opportunities to collaborate with other artists in each locale. You can connect with Dunbar through his blog or social media to find out where you can see him perform or join him on stage.

Read the blog »

Related Information

• Follow Mike and Collin on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
• ‘New Hampshire Musician Mike Dunbar Hits the Road’
• ‘Dunbar awarded grant to write, record’
• ‘On Debut Album, Seacoast Band Black Agnes Explores The Meaning Of Home’

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Holy Cross Awards 724 Bachelor of Arts Degrees During Commencement Exercises

Posted on May 22, 2015 by

Public interest lawyer Bryan Stevenson delivers the Commencement address to the Holy Cross Class of 2015.

Public interest lawyer Bryan Stevenson delivers the Commencement address to the Holy Cross Class of 2015.

In an extemporaneous address at the College’s 169th Commencement Exercises held on May 22, social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson challenged members of the Holy Cross Class of 2015 to change the world by letting the ideals in their minds be fueled by the convictions in their hearts.

Under sunny skies on Fitton Field, a total of 724 men and women were awarded Bachelor of Arts degrees before family and friends of the graduates, Holy Cross faculty, administrators, staff and honored guests.

Stevenson, who also received an honorary degree, is the widely acclaimed public interest lawyer who has dedicated his career to helping the poor, the incarcerated, and the condemned. Last month, he was included among Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” of 2015.

A powerful voice for change in America’s justice system, Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, reminded graduates that their education has equipped them to make a positive difference in the world.

“As a Holy Cross graduate, you represent more than just a college graduate, you actually represent a graduate who’s been prepared to serve others,” he said.

Stevenson told the grads that getting “proximate” with people from all walks of life is necessary to help change the world. He shared a transformational moment he had after meeting condemned people on death row when he was in law school.

“I stood next to people whose lives are being taken. And I realized that there was something tragic in that space. I don’t believe that the death penalty in America is about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. I think that’s the wrong question,” he said. “The question in America of the death penalty is do we deserve to kill? And the truth is that we have a criminal justice system that treats you better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent. We have a criminal justice system that doesn’t value people fairly based on their race, we have these problems of inequality and suffering and because of that I feel the need to stand with condemned people. And being proximate with condemned people has taught me something about humanity, and power, and beauty.”

Graduates must change the narrative about the problems facing this country, including drug possession and drug dependency, and racial inequality and racial injustice, Stevenson said. They must also stay hopeful, even though a lot of things they will encounter in the future may threaten to make them feel hopeless.

“I want you to protect your hope,” he said. “I am persuaded that justice needs hope. Injustice prevails where hopelessness persists. Hopelessness is the enemy of justice. It is the enemy of progress. And your hope is vital, it’s precious, it’s essential if we’re going to change the world. Your hope will sometimes have to cause you to stand up when other people are sitting. It will cause you to speak when other people are quiet. But in your hope you believe the things that others have not seen and you begin to change the world.”

Another step in changing the world? Doing uncomfortable things.

“I want to ask you to consider doing uncomfortable things in service of justice, uncomfortable things that lift up the poor, uncomfortable things that lift up the marginalized, uncomfortable things that confront poverty and bias and discrimination. It is only when we do the uncomfortable things that we actually begin to understand the power that this degree opens up for us,” he said.

Stevenson offered graduates a metric system that will allow them to see if they’re living up to these lofty goals.

“It is a metric system that will evaluate your progress leaving here not by how much money you make, not by what kind of job you get, not by how many more degrees you obtain. It’s a metric system that looks at how much those ideas in your mind are being fueled by the conviction in your heart,” he said.

In his valedictory address, graduating senior, Nicholas Cormier, of Feeding Hills, Mass., told his classmates that, in a culture that demands moving at the speed of light, there is benefit to slowing down and being present to the people in their lives.

“If you are willing to stop regardless of where you are on your journey, you may discover that the people you meet and the experiences you have are even more important than where you are going in the first place.”

A biology and sociology double major with a premedical concentration, Cormier was this year’s recipient of the Fenwick Scholarship, one of the highest academic honors the College bestows. The award allowed him to spend the 2014-15 academic year conducting independent, interdisciplinary research which explored transplant medicine.

In addition to Stevenson, Holy Cross awarded honorary degrees to: Ella Baff, executive and artistic director of Jacob’s Pillow, an international dance festival in the Berkshires; P. Kevin Condron ’67, former chair of the Holy Cross Board of Trustees, and chairman and CEO of The Granite Group; Richard Sacra, M.D., assistant professor of family medicine and community health at UMass Medical School with a practice at the Family Health Center of Worcester, who contracted Ebola while caring for those stricken with the disease in Liberia.

For more coverage, including photos, video and audio, visit the Commencement website.

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First Nativity School of Worcester Student to Graduate from Holy Cross

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Cristal Steuer

When Joao Vickttor “Joveto” De Carvalho ’15 walks across the stage at the College of the Holy Cross Commencement exercises, not only will he be the first member of his family to graduate college, he will also be the first student from Nativity School of Worcester — a middle school for boys from low-income families — to graduate from Holy Cross.

Born in Brazil, De Carvalho and his little sister were raised by their mother in Worcester. “A few months after we had arrived in the U.S. my father left. My mother had to take care of us – not knowing any English, having little money, and not having any American friends yet. My mother provided for us by working multiple jobs: cleaning houses, making t-shirts in a factory, and working at Dunkin’ Donuts.”

Joao Vickttor “Joveto” De Carvalho '15 De Carvalho says since he was too young to work at the time, “I was taught the way I could work hard to better my life and provide for my family was to value my education.”

De Carvalho had just 10 children in his class at Nativity School, he says the school opened many doors for him.  “Nativity saw the potential I had as a student and provided me with mentors and resources that allowed me to flourish,”  he explains.

When De Carvalho entered Holy Cross, he inspired his mother to attend college. “She studied college level math and also took some ESL classes,” he shares.

While at Holy Cross, De Carvalho continued to give to others. He participated in many service programs including a spring break immersion trip to Alabama and another to El Salvador. He also tutored Nativity Worcester students.

After graduation, De Carvalho will return to the school that gave him so much – he has accepted a position as a Nativity Teaching Fellow for the next two academic years, beginning in July 2015. “It’s important to give back to a community that once helped you,” he shares.

Worcester News Tonight sits down with De Carvalho, his mother and administrators from Nativity Worcester and Holy Cross.

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Members of Class of 2015 Honored at Academic Prizes and Awards Presentation

Posted on May 21, 2015 by College of the Holy Cross

awardceremony2015Students and faculty filled the Dinand Library Reading Room on Thursday, May 21 to honor the achievements of outstanding members of the Class of 2015. Students were presented with awards for academic excellence and leadership in service. The full list of recipients is shown below:

The Presidential Service Awards    
Vicmarys Brito
Christopher Campbell
Nicholas Cormier
Patricia Feraud
Elizabeth Inman
John Milner
Vanessa Moscatello
Sheila Namirembe
Cindy Nguyen
Tyler Zeoli
Samuel Zum

The George B. Moran Award – Payton Shubrick

The George J. Allen, Ph.D., ’65 Psychology Award – Elizabeth M. Inman

The American Institute of Chemists Foundation Award – Michael T. Bender

The Pedro Arrupe Medal and Prize – Osvaldo Reza

The Asian Studies Program Award – Sophia H. Jin

The Elias Atamian Family Book Award – Rami K. Dalli

The Beethoven Prize – Colby A. Baker

The Bourgeois French Prize – Katherine M. Manansala

The Nellie M. Bransfield Award – Julia A. McCarthy

The Joseph C. Cahill Prize – Mary L. Maliszewski

The Frank D. Comerford Award (ex aequo) – Emily E. Cross, Jonathan R. Formichella

The Philip A. Conniff, S.J., Prize (ex aequo) – Melissa A. Luttmann, Michael T. Russo

The John J. Crowley Memorial Prize – Eric L. Nolette

The Patrick F. Crowley Memorial Award – Christine M. Fimognari

The John J. Cummings, Jr./BAI Award – Timothy J. Beekman

The Caren G. Dubnoff Political Science Award – Christine M. Fimognari

The Economics and Accounting Achievement Award – Connor C. Davock

The James Fallon Debating Purse – Emily S. Sawicki

The Father Flatley Medal – Timothy J. Nowak

The Rev. John W. Flavin, S.J., Award in Biology – Richard M. Guerra, Jr.

The Vin Forde Memorial Award – Valerie L. Kisselback

The Thomas A. Fulham Environmental Studies Prize – Andrew M. Varuzzo

The Dr. Marianthi Georgoudi Memorial Award (ex aequo) – Bethanne Bartscherer, Cecilia M. Wolfe

The Edna Dwyer Grzebien Prize – Katherine M. Manansala

The George H. Hampsch Award – Leila E. Souhail

The Rev. William F. Hartigan Award – Benjamin R. Schweitzer

The Rev. Robert F. Healey, S. J., Greek Prize (ex aequo) – Nikolas C. Churik, Lindsey A. Nemshick

The Holy Cross Club of Worcester Prize – TBA

The Walter Gordon Howe Award – Anthony D. Belmonte

The Thomas P. Imse Alpha Kappa Delta Award – Declan J. Foley

The Robert Edmond Jones Award – Matthew J. Wasser

The Monsignor Kavanagh Medal and Award – Lucy C. Moye

The Edward V. Killeen, Jr., Prize – Victoria A. Lee

The Lambda Alpha Anthropology Award – Samantha R. Schuetz

The Latin American and Latino Studies Award – Fiona R. Hogan

The John C. Lawlor Medal – Michelle E. McGahan

The William E. Leahy Award – Andrea M. Thompson

The Leonard Award – Nicholas R. Cormier

The Heather C. Lochmuller ’98 Award – Sheila Namirembe

The Rev. John J. MacDonnell, S.J., Computer Science Award – Samuel M. Silberstein

The Markham Memorial Scholarship Award – Justin A. Grabowski

The Gertrude McBrien Mathematics Prize (ex aequo) – Melissa R. McGuirl, Gopal R. Yalla

The Leonard J. McCarthy, S. J., Memorial Prize – Chase J. Padusniak

The John L. Philip Memorial American Sign Language Award – Katie E. Skara

The John Paul Reardon Medal and Award – Emiel Castillo

The James H. Reilly Memorial Prize – Alicia B. Carcione

The Freeman M. Saltus Prize (ex aequo) – Madison R. L. Burns, Edward V. Ryan

The George Bernard Shaw Award – Chase J. Padusniak

The Study Abroad Independent Project Prize – Erin S. Emmons

The Maurizio Vannicelli Prize in Italian Studies – Lorena R. Sferlazza

The Vannicelli Washington Semester Program Award – Julianne Bozzo (Fall ’13 ),
Christine M. Fimognari (Spring ’14 )

The Varsity Club Norton Prize – Trevor T. Dutton

The Shirley Verrett French Prize in Memory of the Rev. Lionel P. Honore, S.J. – Katherine E. Diggins

The Edward F. Wall, Jr., Prize – Timothy J. Konola

The Women’s and Gender Studies Award – Elizabeth M. Inman

The Carter G. Woodson Prize – Payton A. Shubrick

Click here to view photos from the event. For all other commencement coverage, please visit the 2015 commencement site.

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Holy Cross Students Raise $36,500 for Cancer Research

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Kelly Ethier

RELAYOn Friday, April 24, the College of the Holy Cross community participated in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. This national fundraising campaign is an overnight, relay-style event that raises funding  for cancer research, education, advocacy, and services. The event raised more than $36,500 with the help of 42 teams and 341 participants.

“Relay For Life is a truly inspiring event that fosters love and support within the unfortunately large community of people affected by cancer,” says Matthew Reagan ’15 co-chair of the event “As a night of joyful celebration of those who have survived, somber remembrance of those who have lost their lives, and poignant discussion of how we as a community can fight back against the disease, Relay has the power to touch the lives of so many and has become a major component of my experience on Mt. Saint James.”

Reagan’s grandfather passed away from cancer before he was born, and that is one of the reasons he has been involved with Relay since his first year at Holy Cross. “This year, as co-chair, I have had the pleasure of watching our Relay For Life grow since inception in September and blossom into the largest and most monetarily successful Relay that the College has ever seen,” explains Reagan.

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Terry McKenna Named Crusader of the Year

Posted on May 19, 2015 by College of the Holy Cross

Terry McKennaHoly Cross senior lacrosse player Terry McKenna from Summit, N.J. was recently named the 2014-2015 Crusader of the Year, which is the most prestigious student-athlete award at the school. McKenna played in every lacrosse game since he arrived at Holy Cross, stepping on the field 58 times for the Crusaders. This year marked the second year in a row that McKenna was selected to the All-Patriot League team. Over the course of his career, McKenna had 76 goals and 27 assists for 103 points, making him one of 21 players in school history to have totaled 100 career points. On top of that, he also had 11 hat-tricks. McKenna has additionally been named one of the 10 finalists for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award in college lacrosse. To be considered for this honor, a Division I senior must have excelled in the community, the classroom, in character and in competition. The recipient will be announced during the 2015 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse National Championship in Philadelphia May 23-25.

During the 2015 season, he ranked third on the team in scoring with 28 points on 19 goals and nine assists. Game highs include his two hat-tricks of the season against St. John’s and Lafayette. On three different occasions this season, McKenna scored four points versus Loyola (Md.), St. John’s and Colgate.

Off the field, he was named to the Academic All-Patriot League team three times, in addition to being a three-time selection to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. McKenna currently holds a grade-point average of 3.57 and will graduate on May 22 with a degree in Economics. He is also the team’s coordinator for its involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass., and organized the team’s participation in the Rodman Ride for Kids.

Read the full story on GoHolyCross.com.

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‘New Brookings Study Shows Holy Cross Adds Value to Alumni Mid-Career Earnings’

Posted on May 19, 2015 by College of the Holy Cross

Amy MurphyThe College of the Holy Cross fares well in new report from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, titled “Beyond College Rankings, a Value-Added Approach to Assessing Two- and Four-Year Schools.”

According to Brookings, the report analyzes college “value-added,” the difference between actual alumni outcomes (like salaries) and the outcomes one would expect given a student’s characteristics and the type of institution. Value-added captures the benefits that accrue from aspects of college quality we can measure, such as graduation rates and the market value of the skills a college teaches, as well as aspects we can’t.”

Amy Murphy, director of career planning, recently spoke with the Telegram & Gazette about the new study.  “Holy Cross educates its student body to be better thinkers, writers, speakers, readers and most importantly, better doers. Since the focus of the Holy Cross education centers on critical skills and values, graduates can enter a variety of occupational and educational fields with confidence and possess the professional agility to shift and adapt to today’s rapidly changing economy and the world’s needs.”

Brookings determined that graduating from Holy Cross added nearly 27 percent to an alum’s average mid-career earnings, which Brooking puts at $99,600. Other Jesuit schools also fared well in this area including the University of Scranton, Santa Clara University, John Carroll University and Loyola University Maryland.

“From almost the moment they enroll at Holy Cross, students have access to resources to help them prepare for life after college,” says Murphy. “Career planning has developed a ‘Post-Graduate Preparation Program’ that  provides timelines for career exploration and also acts as a focal point for Holy Cross students to navigate the extensive campus resources available to them.”

Brookings puts Holy Cross’ occupational earning power at 5 percent above market value and also determined that attending Holy Cross improved the repayment rate on federal student loans by 5.1 percent for alumni.

“Graduates of Holy Cross are among the most loyal and satisfied,” says Murphy.

Despite national trends indicating a decline in alumni participation rates at many institutions, Holy Cross once again surpassed 50 percent donor participation in alumni giving, which will likely place it among the top 10 colleges and universities nationwide. Alumni are also passionate about giving their time and advice to help, mentor, and even hire other graduates.

This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Cristal Steuer.

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Holy Cross Employee Shares his Passion at Local Tedx Event

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Kelly Ethier
Jerry Maday uses paint cans that he received from the facilities department as props during his presentation.

Jerry Maday uses paint cans that he received from the facilities department as props during his presentation.

On April 11, Jerry Maday, transportation manager at the College of the Holy Cross was a presenter at TEDx, an event held at Clark University. TEDx is local form of the popular TED Talks series, which was created by the nonprofit organization TED and is devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading,” usually in the form of short, powerful talks that are under 18 minutes in length delivered by today’s thinkers and doers. The theme of Clark’s event “inspired by you” was chosen to create an experience where speakers, audience and organizers alike inspire each other to dream, share, learn and take action. The presenters were comprised of students, faculty and staff, alumni, and members of the internal and external community. The live audience for the talk was very selective as only 100 seats were available, however, the event could be attended via live stream on the web.

Maday’s topic titled “Discovering Our Hidden Similarities” which was featured in the “Live Your Passion” segment of the program discussed finding common denominators with each other and leading with creative intent. Maday chose to use his passion for music theory as the channel to illustrate the depth of connections we can make if we look closely. His talk featured the overtone series that is used in music and how instruments create sounds that include this harmonic series. Maday demonstrated this technique using a corrugated tube from the local hardware store and compared it to the musical notes of the cello. These items are completely different in their physical make-up but Maday proved during his talk that they can ultimately create the same result by spinning the tube and using air to create notes and by playing the cello and using strings to achieve the same notes. Maday urged the audience to look past the physical exterior of objects and people and focus on the fundamental intrinsic components of what makes us similar to one another.

Maday says: “The idea that I presented, I hope will help people open their minds up to seeing similarities in others that are often overlooked because we tend, as people, to only see the differences between us. Hopefully my talk shifted the audiences perspective from simply embracing the differences in each other to appreciating the intrinsic and transcendent similarities we share.” He further explains “These common denominators help us gravitate to each other and work together – amid our stark differences.”

Watch Jerry Maday’s Tedx presentation here.

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Holy Cross Receives STARTALK Grant for the Fourth Year in Row

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Jacqueline Smith ’15

participants in 2014 programHoly Cross has been awarded a $90,000 STARTALK grant to convene a 10-day summer residential program on literacy development in Chinese as a foreign language (CFL). This is the fourth year in a row that the College has received STARTALK funding for this program. STARTALK programs are a component of the National Security Language Initiative, aimed at expanding and improving the teaching and learning of ‘critical languages,’ strategically important world languages that are not widely taught in the United States. The program will run July 23 – August 3.

Called “Read On: Training Modules for Reading Literacy in Chinese IV,” the 10-day STARTALK residential workshop is for master teachers of CFL to develop best practices in literacy development focusing on reading strategies and reading comprehension. Applicants must have at least 3-5 years of full-time experience at a specific grade level teaching Chinese as a foreign language in American classrooms.

During the program, participants will create reading modules integrated within Standards-based units that can be used in the classroom as well as in CFL teacher training programs. Participants will be ‘on-task’ for 10 hours a day and will engage in a pre-program forum on character literacy in a Standards-based curriculum, focusing on best practices developed in the 2012-2014 STARTALK “Read-On” programs.

The proposal was authored by Claudia Ross, professor of Chinese in the department of modern languages and literatures, and she will serve as the program director. The leadership team also includes Baozhang He, associate professor of Chinese in the department of modern languages and literatures, who will serve as the program coordinator, and Meng Yeh, associate director of the Center for the Study of Languages at Rice University, who will serve as the instructional lead. The program will begin with workshops led by two top researchers in the field of Chinese language and literacy development, Michael Everson, professor emeritus at the University of Iowa, and Shuhan Wang, who has served leadership roles in the Asia Society and the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland.

There have been many studies of Chinese literacy acquisition among first and second language learners of Chinese, but the findings have not made their way into the CFL classroom in any systematic way. The goal of the Holy Cross STARTALK literacy program has been to use research findings to develop ‘best practices,’ effective instructional strategies for teaching students how to read Chinese.

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27 Alumni Admitted to the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court

Posted on May 19, 2015 by College of the Holy Cross

HCLA On Monday, May 4, 27 alumni of the College of the Holy Cross were admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States at a proceeding arranged by the Holy Cross Lawyers Association (HCLA).

Lead organizers of the event included Lu Racco ’04 and HCLA founding members Brian Landy ’75, Paul May ’75 and Larry Rutkowski ’75. The ceremony, aside from the formal grant of the motion admitting the group to the Bar, included a lecture about the history of the Supreme Court and a visit from Chief Justice John Roberts.

There was also a special post-ceremony surprise: Kassia Smith ’02 accepted Chris LoConto’s marriage proposal on the steps of the Supreme Court!

Photo:
Front row (from left): Susan Ashley ’76, Mary Beimler ’94, Brian Landy ’75, Jennifer Greaney ’92, Pat Sheehan ’93, Tony Nuland (sponsor),  Larry Rutkowski ’75, Katie Bagdis Wally ’04, Elizabeth Trottier ’00

Second row: Judge Chris LoConto, Kassia Smith ’02, Bryan LeBlanc ’99, Lauren Brown ’07, Elyse Boyle ’07, Paul May ’75, Wendy Jean-Bart ’04

Third row: Christine Kingston ’08, Katherine Guarino ’02, Dan Cronin ’82, Stan Evans ’78, Joe Metzger ’85, Ann McEvily ’79

Back row: James Rosseel ’70, Dave Heller ’81, Bob Fitzsimmons ’77, Rodger Traynor ’74,  Jack Denney ’67

Not pictured (she was chasing her 4-year-old): Nicole Colby Longton ’00

By Jinny Van Deusen

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‘USA Today Ranks Holy Cross No. 2 Among the 10 Best Roman Catholic Colleges in the Country’

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Holy Cross in the News

chapelAccording to USA Today College, the College of the Holy Cross ranks No. 2 among the 10 best Roman Catholic colleges in the country.

The article lauds Holy Cross for its “devotion to providing an undergraduate liberal arts education” and “giving students the opportunity to work closely with faculty members in order to promote innovative thinking across numerous disciplines.”

The University of Notre Dame ranks No. 1, Georgetown University is No. 3 and Boston College places No. 4.

The article continues: “Holy Cross also offers its diverse student population the opportunity to become involved in numerous campus activities, including student government and campus ministry. The chaplain’s office provides service opportunities, retreats and immersion programs in addition to chapel services.”

The ranking also highlights that the College gives “students the knowledge and skills needed to make a difference in the world” and notes that Holy Cross is “highly selective and accepts only a handful of applicants so if you want to attend this school, it’s important to hit those books.”


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This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Cristal Steuer. 

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Senior Spotlight: Holy Cross Is the Place to Strive Academically and Athletically, Says Evan Ocello

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Jessica McCaughey

Evan-Ocello-webNAME Evan Ocello

HOMETOWN Camarinollo, Calif.

STUDIES Chemistry major

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Varsity baseball captain (all-time steals leader at Holy Cross), Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Holy Cross Leadership Academy, team liaison for Team Impact

UP NEXT Working at Ernst & Young in New York City. In June, he will also be entering the Major League Baseball draft.

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Senior Spotlight: Holy Cross Provides Small Campus with Big Reputation, says Valedictorian Nick Cormier

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Jessica McCaughey

Nick-Cormier-webNAME Nicholas Cormier

HOMETOWN Feeding Hills, Mass.

STUDIES Biology and sociology major, premedical concentration

FENWICK SCHOLAR Cormier had an unconventional senior year. As the Fenwick Scholar, he spent the 2014-15 academic year conducting independent, interdisciplinary research which explored transplant medicine from both a sociological and biological perspective.

“The sociological portion of my research was a qualitative study examining the divergent ways in which doctors and patients in the transplantation field understand and manage risk,” he says “while the biological portion developed an assay for measuring cell migration and tested the effect of several treatments on stem cell migration”

This research, Cormier explains, is important for developing stem cell based therapies that may one day replace transplantation altogether.

Over the course of the year, Cormier’s research work ranged from interviewing doctors and patients at local hospitals to working in the regenerative biology lab on campus. His research was supported by a team of faculty advisors, including Renee Beard, associate professor of sociology; Selina Gallo-Cruz, assistant professor of sociology; and Julia Paxson, assistant professor of biology.

The Fenwick Scholar Award — one of the College’s oldest and most prestigious awards, named in honor of the late Bishop Benedict J. Fenwick, S.J., founder of Holy Cross— allowed Cormier to employ the modes of critical thinking learned at Holy Cross in order to approach the field of transplant medicine from both a macro and micro perspective.

“This project has given me the chance to take my two majors — biology and sociology — to the next level. It is one thing to learn what others have done before me, but it is quite another to explore new fields and learn about something that builds on what is currently happening in the field, and to be able to contribute something new.”

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Admissions tour guide, lead intern for Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD), music minister.

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT Cormier is also a recipient of the prestigious Sheehan Scholarship, which covers the full four-year tuition at Holy Cross.

UP NEXT Working at Baystate Medical Center, applying to medical school.

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Senior Spotlight: Liberal Arts Education Connects Science and the Social Sciences for Raven Tukes

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Jessica McCaughey

Raven-Tukes-webNAME Raven Tukes

HOMETOWN Morrow, Ga.

STUDIES Chinese language major, education studies minor

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD), co-chair of the Study Abroad Ambassadors, co-chair of Modern Languages and Literatures Student Advisory Committee, Aptissimi Global Conference Committee, Multicultural Peer Educators, Black Student Union, Caribbean African Student Assemblage, Black Lives Matter, and previous member of the Cheerleading Team.

UP NEXT Participating in the African Leadership Academy Global Scholars program in Johannesburg, South Africa, followed by teaching in Taiwan on a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship. After returning to the United States, she will be pursuing a master’s degree in International Education Policies at Harvard University.

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