College of the Holy Cross

Not to be confused with Holy Cross College (disambiguation).
The College of the Holy Cross
Latin: Collegium Sanctae Crucis
Motto In Hoc Signo Vinces (Latin)
Motto in English
 In this sign you shall conquer
Type Private Nonprofit
Coeducational
Liberal arts college
Established 1843
Affiliation Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Endowment $726.2 million[1]
President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J. [2]
Academic staff
 Total: 325
(258 full-time / 67 part-time)
Students 2,872[2]
Location Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Campus Suburban - Total: 174 acres (70.4 ha)[2]
Fighting Song "Chu! Chu! Rah! Rah!"
Colors Royal purple
    
Athletics NCAA Division I - Patriot League AHA, ECAC, BSC
Sports 27 varsity teams[3]
(13 men's and 14 women's)
Nickname Crusaders
Mascot Iggy the Crusader
Affiliations AAC&U, NAICU, ACCU, AJCU, AICUM, WRC, COWC, 568 Group
Website www.holycross.edu

College of the Holy Cross
Location Fenwick and O'Kane Halls, surrounding landscaping
Coordinates 42°14′21″N 71°48′30″W / 42.23917°N 71.80833°W / 42.23917; -71.80833Coordinates: 42°14′21″N 71°48′30″W / 42.23917°N 71.80833°W / 42.23917; -71.80833
Area 2.6 acres (1.1 ha)
Built 1843
Architect Lamb,Capt. Edward, et al
Architectural style Classical Revival, Gothic, Second Empire
MPS Worcester MRA
NRHP Reference # 80000491[4]
Added to NRHP March 5, 1980

The College of the Holy Cross or Holy Cross is a private, undergraduate Roman Catholic, Jesuit liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest in the United States. U.S. News & World Report ranked Holy Cross 25th in the U.S. among liberal arts colleges in 2014.[5] Holy Cross is the only Catholic college among the top 50 liberal arts schools on the U.S. News list.

Opened as a school for boys under the auspices of the Society of Jesus, it was the first Jesuit college in New England. Today, Holy Cross is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) and is part of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium (COWC). Holy Cross sports teams are called the Crusaders, and their sole color is purple; they compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Patriot League. As of 2015, the Holy Cross endowment was valued at $750 million.

History

Beginnings

Holy Cross was founded by Benedict Joseph Fenwick, SJ, second Bishop of Boston, after his efforts to found a Catholic college in Boston were thwarted by the city's Protestant civic leaders.[6] From the beginning of his tenure as the second Bishop of Boston, Benedict Joseph Fenwick of the Society of Jesus intended to establish a Catholic college within the boundaries of his diocese.[7]

Benedict Joseph Fenwick, SJ, founder of Holy Cross

Relations with Boston's civic leaders worsened such that, when a Jesuit faculty was finally secured in 1843, Fenwick decided to leave the Boston school and instead opened the College of the Holy Cross 45 miles (72 km) west of the city in central Massachusetts, where he felt the Jesuits could operate with greater autonomy.[7] The site of the college, Mount Saint James, was originally occupied by a Roman Catholic boarding school, run by the Rev. James Fitton, with his lay collaborator, Joseph Brigden, since 1832. On February 2, 1843, Fr. Fitton sold the land to Bishop Fenwick and the Diocese of Boston to be used to found the Roman Catholic college that the bishop had wanted in Boston.[6] Fenwick gave the College the name of his cathedral church, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The Bishop’s letters record his enthusiasm for the project as well as its location:

"Next May I shall lay the foundation of a splendid College in Worcester…It is calculated to contain 100 boys and I shall take them for $125 per an. & supply them with everything but clothes. Will not this be a bold undertaking? Nevertheless I will try it. It will stand on a beautiful eminence & will command the view of the whole town of Worcester".[7]

The school opened subsequently in October 1843 with the Rev. Thomas F. Mulledy, S.J., former president of Georgetown University, as its first president, and on the second day of November, with six students aged 9 to 19, the first classes were held.[6] Within three years, the enrollment had increased to 100 students. Initially the education was more at the elementary and high school level; later it became a higher level institution.

Since its founding, Holy Cross has produced the fifth most members of the Catholic clergy out of all American Catholic colleges. The first class graduated in 1849, led by the valedictorian James Augustine Healy, the mixed-race son of an Irish planter in Georgia and his common-law wife, a mulatto former slave. Healy is now recognized as the first African-American bishop in the United States, but at the time he identified as white Irish Catholic and was largely accepted as such, without denying his African ancestry.[8] His father sent all his sons north for their education at Holy Cross College; two other sons became priests, and three daughters also made careers in the Catholic Church.[6] Healy graduated with his close friend Colby Kane, who would also go on to join the clergy, and was influential in many of Healy's early writings on Eucharistic transubstantiation.

Alumni Hall, Holy Cross

Fenwick Hall, the school's main building, was completely destroyed by fire in 1852. Funds were raised to rebuild the College, and in 1853, it opened for the second time.[7] Petitions to secure a charter for the college from the state Legislature were denied in 1847 for a variety of causes, including anti-Catholicism on the part of some legislators. The increased rate of immigration from Ireland during the famine years roused resistance from some residents of Massachusetts.[6] Initially, Holy Cross diplomas were signed by the president of Georgetown University. After repeated denials, a charter was finally granted on March 24, 1865, by Governor John A. Andrews[7]

World War II

During World War II, College of the Holy Cross was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.[9]

Recent history

In 1998, Holy Cross initiated an eight-year capital campaign, "Lift High the Cross," with a three-year quiet period. The campaign for Holy Cross ended in fiscal 2006 with $216.3 million raised, surpassing its original goal of $175 million.[10] The funds allowed Holy Cross to establish an additional 12 new faculty positions, along with more than 75 newly endowed scholarships for students. The campaign provided support for the renovation of the Mary Chapel as well as construction of new facilities on campus, including Smith Hall, which houses the new Michael C. McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture; a five-story apartment-style residence housing 244 seniors; and a new 1,350-seat soccer stadium. During the history of the campaign, the College's endowment grew to more than $544 million.[11]

On July 1, 2000, Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. became the president of the college. On February 3, 2011, Fr. McFarland announced his resignation as President of the College, and a national search, led by the Board of Trustees, was conducted to find his successor. On May 7, 2011, Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., the Vice President for Mission and Ministry at Georgetown University, was named as McFarland's successor.[12]

Academics

Holy Cross has 240 faculty members who teach 2,817 undergraduate students.[11] It offers 28 majors mainly focused on a liberal arts curriculum, each of which leads to the completion of the Bachelor of Arts degree. All B.A. candidates must successfully complete 32 semester courses in eight semesters of full-time study to graduate. Common requirements include one course each in arts, literature, religion, philosophy, history, and cross-cultural studies; and two courses each in language studies, social science, and natural and mathematical sciences.[13] As of 2010, Holy Cross is in the top 3% of four-year colleges in the number of students going on to earn doctorates in their fields.[14]

The top five majors for the 2008-2009 school year were Economics, English, Psychology, Political Science, and Sociology.[15] Holy Cross also offers multidisciplinary concentrations, pre-professional programs, and the option to create a major or minor through the Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies.[16] Holy Cross students who apply to medical school have an 91% acceptance rate and for law school an 91% acceptance rate.[11] The College notes that the medical school acceptance rate is more than twice the national average.[14]

Of particular interest is the Classics department at Holy Cross, which has ten faculty members, making it the second largest Classics program at any American liberal arts college (after St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe), where Ancient Greek is a required subject).[17] D. Neel Smith, one of the department professors, is a primary collaborator on the Perseus Project, the multimedia database of Greek antiquity created by several college and universities. During the 2006-07 academic year, Holy Cross will specifically be editing the Homer Multitext Project, a long-term analysis and electronic presentation of all the many variations of Homer’s epic poetry.[18]

Admissions

Holy Cross has traditionally drawn many of its students from a pool of historical Catholic high schools and private boarding schools, though a majority of current undergraduates come from public schools.[11] Holy Cross' overall undergraduate acceptance rate for the incoming 2014 class was 42.3 percent. In 2013, the middle 50% SAT score range for those who submitted a score was 1220-1380 out of 1600.[11] Even though Holy Cross did not first admit women students until 1972, its student population is currently majority female, as with most liberal arts institutions, with this majority continuing to grow with the most recent entering classes.[11]

In May 2005, Holy Cross announced that it would no longer make standardized test scores an admissions requirement. College officials said this policy would reduce the importance of the tests and place greater weight on the academic experience of a candidate, as demonstrated through the high school transcript and recommendations.[19] As of October 2006, more than 730 four-year colleges and universities of varying rank do not use the SAT I or ACT to admit bachelor degree applicants.[20] Tuition for full-time students for the 2012-13 academic year is $55,130.[21]

Rankings

University rankings
National
Forbes[22] 55
Global
Liberal arts colleges
U.S. News & World Report[23] 32
Washington Monthly[24] 146 [25]

U.S. News & World Report ranked Holy Cross 25th in the U.S. among liberal arts colleges in 2014.[5] Holy Cross is the only Catholic college among the top 50 liberal arts schools on the U.S. News list. In 2011, Forbes ranked Holy Cross 27th among all colleges and universities in its "America's Top Colleges" list.[26] Kiplinger's Personal Finance places Holy Cross at 25th in its 2012 ranking of best value liberal arts colleges in the United States.[27] In PayScale's 2012-13 study, Holy Cross ranked 7th in the nation among liberal arts colleges for mid-career salary potential.[28]

On March 5, 2012, The Chronicle of Higher Education announced that Holy Cross had the nation's third-highest graduation rate at 90.3%, behind only Washington and Lee University and Williams College.[29]

Montserrat Program

Holy Cross’ nationally recognized Montserrat Program, previously known as the First Year Program, serves as a unique, interdisciplinary approach to curricula and courses for incoming first year students.[30] The Montserrat Program emphasizes discussion in a small, seminar format and promotes learning outside the classroom through a unique incorporation of residence hall life.[31]

Students choose from seminars and are encouraged to choose out of interest, not due to major or common area requirement. The seminar is a year-long course, although some professors team-teach a seminar and switch positions for the fall and spring semesters.[32] Each seminar is grouped into a residence cluster. For example, a student could be in either the "Industry and Empire" or "Islam and the West: Encounters" seminar but belong to the "Global Society" cluster.[33]

The Montserrat Program is an extension of the First Year Program, or FYP, created in 1992. By tradition, the FYP seminars incorporated 19th-century Russian author Leo Tolstoy's question: "How, Then, Shall We Live?" The theme for the 2006 academic year was "With so many claims of what's good and true, how then shall we live?[34] Even though each seminar covers different academic areas, all FYP students read six common readings. All FYP members lived within the same residence hall, Hanselman Hall, which distinguishes it from other first-year efforts at colleges and universities nationwide minus a residential component.[34]

View of St. Joseph Memorial Chapel

Holy Cross administration has stated that a unifying goal of the program is an effort to "bridge the gap" between the academic and social lives of students.[35] In its analysis of FYP participants in relation to the first-year class as a whole, evaluations show that FYP students "rated their residence more favorably than did other first-year students", "perceived a greater sense of community and tolerance among their floormates", and "behaved more responsibly than other first-year students as evidenced by fewer disciplinary cases and alcohol-related incidents".[35] Additionally, after their first year, FYP students were more likely than other students to assume campus leadership positions, participate in the Honors and Study Abroad programs, achieve significantly higher grades, and be more active in community outreach programs.[35]

In March 2006, Holy Cross voted to implement a universal program for all first-year students.[36] In an effort to extend these favorable results, the College expanded FYP from the 150-student program to the Montserrat Program which includes all first-year Holy Cross students.Through Montserrat, the College hopes that "Placing new students into high-level courses that grapple with big-picture ideas, the college hopes, will promote self-discovery and reflections about what makes a life well-lived."[30] Like in the First Year Program, the College emphasizes better living through education and reflection through Montserrat.

Honors program

Holy Cross offers a distinct honors program for high ability undergraduates. The Honors program is open to students in all majors. This highly selective program is limited to 36 students in each of the sophomore, junior, and senior classes from any major, and incorporates an honors colloquium and a thesis.[37] An emphasis on independent research prepares students for their intensive thesis projects, the results of which are published within the College. Honors students also publicly present their findings at the annual academic conference, a highlight of the academic year.[37] Additionally, some academic departments offer their own honors programs.

Holy Cross students have been honored in recent years as Fulbright, Goldwater, Marshall, and Truman Scholars.[38]

Social justice and volunteerism

As noted by the college mission statement, "What is our special responsibility to the world's poor and powerless?", a key focus of Holy Cross, as an institution, is the Jesuit philosophy of homines pro aliis, "men and women for others."[39] In 2010, Holy Cross obtained the highest rank of the 28 U.S. Jesuit colleges and universities in the percentage of its graduates who go on to serve in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.[14]

Holy Cross has embraced sometimes controversial schools of theological thought, including liberation theology and social justice. As a result, in 1974, Time Magazine referred to Holy Cross as the "cradle of the Catholic Left" because it educated Philip Berrigan and socialist leader Michael Harrington, author of the influential book on poverty, The Other America.[40] Today, Holy Cross, similar to the religious order of the Jesuits as a whole, has been criticized by some parties for being overly liberal and deviating substantially from official Church teaching and papal directives, especially on such issues as abortion, homosexuality,[41] liberation theology, and in its sponsorship of events such as the Vagina Monologues.[42] Since 2000, the College has hosted a conference allowing seminars from Planned Parenthood and NARAL. In 2007, Bishop Robert McManus wrote the College asking Fr. McFarland to cancel the event, and threatened to remove the Catholic status of the College if the conference was not cancelled.[43] As of 2013, Bishop McManus has not followed through on this threat.

In 2001, Holy Cross was one of 28 colleges and universities in the country to receive a grant from the Lilly Endowment in the amount of $2 million.[44] With the grant, the school launched a five-year program to "make theological and spiritual resources available to students as they discern their life work, including consideration of vocations of ministerial service within religious denominations." The grant has also been used to fund internships within the city of Worcester and Worcester County for students considering career opportunities in ministry, government, and social service agencies.[44]

Campus

Overview

Fenwick Lawn, an iconic view of the College with Commencement Porch of Fenwick Hall in the foreground and the Chapel beyond

Holy Cross' campus, a registered arboretum, has won national awards for its landscaping. In 1977, Holy Cross was cited by the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS) for having the best-maintained school or university grounds in the United States[45] Holy Cross is marked by an irregular layout as its 175-acre (0.71 km2) campus is situated on the northern slope of a very steep hill named Mount Saint James which offers it a panoramic view of the city of Worcester. The Princeton Review ranked the campus as #5 most beautiful campus in the nation in 2010 and consistently ranks the campus in the top 15. The design and landscape is ingrained into many themes and nicknames for the school which is commonly known as The Hill.

Today, some 37 college buildings are divided primarily with residential housing and academic buildings located in the middle sections of the campus, with athletic and practice facilities on the outskirts of the campus on its northern and southern ends. Holy Cross also owns 6 non-campus properties.[46]

The college's flagship building, Fenwick Hall.

Anchoring the traditional campus gateway of Linden Lane are Stein and O’Kane Halls, the latter of which is marked by a clock tower. The oldest part of campus lies in this area, as O’Kane is connected to Fenwick Hall, the first building which was designed in 1843; it also houses the admissions offices and the Brooks Concert Hall. This area contains manicured trees and landscaped greens which include three nude bronze statues by Enzo Plazzotta, Georg Klobe, and Welrick on the hillside. This is a popular spot for pranks as students take turns dressing up the statues. The area around Fenwick and O'Kane Halls is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[47]

Notable buildings north of this area are Dinand Library; Smith Hall, the Hogan Campus Center; the scientific complex housing O'Neil, Swords, and Haberlin Halls, and Beaven Hall, home to an assortment of academic departments. Smith Hall, opened in 2001, was financed in large part by Holy Cross alumnus Park B. Smith, and is architecturally impressive as it is built into a hillside of the campus.[48] Smith Hall connects the lower campus, where much of the academic life occurs, and the upper campus, where much of the social and residential life takes place on campus due to its design which incorporates Fenwick Hall.[49] A plaza outside Smith Hall, named Memorial Plaza, commemorates seven Holy Cross alumni who perished in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

To the western end of campus lies Millard Art Center, St. Joseph Memorial Chapel, the Chaplains' Office (Campion House), and Loyola Hall, which served as the Jesuit residence in the past, but has since been converted into another hall for student housing.[50] The Jesuit residence Ciampi Hall is now located in the Northeast corner of the campus.

Residential life

Holy Cross operates 11 on-campus residence halls divided into three geographic clusters. More than 90 percent of students live on campus.[11] First-year students will often live in one of the residence halls situated near the top of the hill nicknamed Easy Street: Hanselman or Mulledy Halls. Healy, Lehy, and Clark are also on Easy Street, but they are reserved for upperclassmen. Another housing option, near the center section of campus, is Wheeler Hall, a first-year resident hall. Upperclassmen students can choose, depending on the results of the housing lottery held in the Spring, between the Easy Street residence halls, minus Hanselman, or the upperclass residence halls in the lower portion of campus: Alumni, Carlin, and Loyola. Additionally, seniors have the additional options of Williams Hall, formerly known as "The Senior Apartments," and Figge Hall, the newest residence hall on campus.[51] Residence hall pride is highly prominent on campus; various residence halls have created clubs or other forms of co-curricular programs.

Carlin Hall, a junior residence, with O'Kane and Fenwick Halls behind.

The apartments in Williams Hall and Figge hall are the most sought after living arrangements on campus. Each apartment houses four students and is equipped with a bathroom with separate shower, kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms. Williams Hall was completed in 2003 and rededicated in honor of Edward Bennett Williams on April 26, 2008.[51] In 2011, the College dedicated Figge Hall, located on the upper campus closer to the Easy Street halls.[52]

Second-year to fourth-year students also have the option of living off-campus, but only a small percentage do so, as the school has built additional housing in recent years and the number of desirable apartments near campus is limited.[51]

Libraries

The Holy Cross Library System is composed of four libraries centrally located within the campus grounds. Including its affiliation with the Central Massachusetts Regional Library System, a collaborative formed in 2003 by more than 20 academic, public and special libraries with research collections in the central Massachusetts area, Holy Cross students have access to a combined total of approximately 3,800,000 volumes and more than 23,000 journal, magazine and newspaper subscriptions with 20 other regional institutions.[53]

Dinand Library

The main library, Dinand Library, holds an estimated 601,930 books, serials, and periodicals. Originally opened in 1927, the Dinand Library expanded in 1978 with two new wings dedicated to the memory of Joshua and Leah Hiatt and victims of the Nazi Holocaust. The reading room of Dinand is also the scene of important College gatherings, including the Presidential Awards Ceremony, first-year orientation presentations, concerts, and other events.

O'Kane Hall and clock tower, view from northern end of campus.

Dinand is considered by many students the most scholarly and inspiring building on campus. Constructed in the 1920s, the room’s ceiling is sectioned in a grid-like pattern and embellished with gold, painted trim and carvings along the top of the interior walls. Large wooden candelabra are suspended from the ceiling, and Ionic columns—echoing those on the Library’s exterior—anchor three sides of the room.[54] The main reference collection of dictionaries, encyclopedias, and bibliographies are found within Dinand, as well as the on-line catalog, and a staffed reference desk.

College Archives

Dinand Library also houses the College Archives which collects, preserves, and arranges records of permanent value from the college's foundation in 1843 to the present. The Archives contain complete runs of all college publications including yearbooks, the college catalog, The Crusader, its predecessor The Tomahawk, the literary magazine The Purple, newsletters, pamphlets, and similar material. An extensive photograph collection documents administrators, staff, faculty, students, alumni, athletic teams, student activities, the built environment and college life in general.

There is also an extensive collection of audio visual material documenting theatrical plays, lectures, and sporting and other events. The College Archives also hold a Special Collections section which consists of the College's Rare Book Collection, and the Jesuitana Collection (material by and about Jesuits). Noted collections include: the papers of James Michael Curley, David I. Walsh, Louise Imogen Guiney, and Rev. Joseph J. Williams, S.J. There are also collections of material by and about Jesuits, college alumni, and friends of the college. The first naval chaplain to receive the Medal of Honor, Rev. Joseph T. O'Callahan, S.J., was laid to rest in the cemetery on campus and his award is kept in the college archives. The archives also hold research material about Catholic New England, the education of deaf Catholics, the Holocaust, as well as New England history.[54]

Fenwick, O'Callahan, and Rehm libraries

The three smaller libraries, ordered respectively by size and book volume, are Fenwick Music Library, O'Callahan Science Library, and the Rehm Library.

The Fenwick Music Library was founded in 1978. Particularly noteworthy are the Music Library's collections of scores and recordings of 20th-century composers, world music recordings and composer biographies. The Music Library owns many of the authoritative editions of significant composers collected works, such as Bach, Beethoven and Mozart.[55]

The O'Callahan Science Library, named in honor of Rev. Joseph T. O'Callahan, S.J., houses over 95,000 volumes of works and periodicals serving the Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics Departments of the Holy Cross and the more neuroscientific side of Psychology.[56]

The Rehm Library, dedicated in September 2001, is housed within Smith Hall. The Rehm Library serves as the primary public space for the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture and other departments with offices within Smith Hall. Rehm Library provides space for hospitality, Center-sponsored lectures and events, quiet space for reading and reflection, and enhanced library resources on religion and spirituality. While not a library in the traditional sense, the shelves of Rehm Library house a non-circulating collection of primary texts from an array of religious traditions. It was named in honor of alumnus Jack Rehm '54 and his family.

Student life

Athletics

Main article: Holy Cross Crusaders

Holy Cross sponsors 27 varsity sports; all but two of which compete at the NCAA Division I level (FCS for football) and NCAA Division I Hockey. The Crusaders are members of the Patriot League, the Atlantic Hockey Association, the Division III Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference in women's hockey, and the Big South Conference in women's golf. Of its 25 varsity teams, Holy Cross supports twelve men's and thirteen women's sports. The carrying of 23 Division I varsity programs gives Holy Cross the largest ratio of teams-per-enrollment in the country.

It is a founding member of the Patriot League, and boasts that one-quarter of its student body participates in its varsity athletic programs. For the first decade of its existence, Patriot League schools did not offer athletic scholarships. The league began allowing schools to offer athletic scholarships for all sports except football in 2001, after American University joined the league, and in 2012 league members were authorized to offer football scholarships as well. [57]

Principal athletic facilities include the Fitton Field football stadium (capacity 23,500), Hart Recreation Center's basketball court (3,600), the newly renovated Fitton Field baseball park, which also called Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field (3,000), Holy Cross Field House, Hart Ice Rink (1,600), Linda Johnson Smith Stadium (1,320) and Smith Wellness Center, located inside the Hart Center. The Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium opened in the fall of 2006.

In 2016, the Holy Cross Men's Basketball team qualified for the NCAA tournament, falling to Oregon 91-52.[58] It was the twenty-fifth team to get into the tournament with a losing record.[59]

Student groups

A large number of student organizations are associated with the college. With its relative distance from a major city, and without a Greek life at Holy Cross, undergraduate social life revolves around a number of school-sponsored groups, events and off-campus houses on nearby city streets (notably Boyden, Cambridge, Caro, Chelsea, College and Southbridge streets), which are open to upperclassmen.

The college also features a variety of student journals, media, and newspapers including The Fenwick Review, a journal of conservative thought; The Advocate, a journal based in liberal principles; and The Crusader, the weekly newspaper published by Holy Cross students for the college community.[60] Free copies of the 4,000-circulation paper are available online or at campus newsstands on 10 Friday mornings each semester. Holy Cross also has a student-run radio station, WCHC-FM 88.1. WCHC, thanks to its position as a non-profit radio station, broadcasts commercial free year round. Its athletics department also carries live broadcasts of many of the school's football, basketball, and hockey games. Holy Cross also has a unique law journal, The Holy Cross Journal of Law & Public Policy, which is published annually by undergraduate students.

The "Campus Activities Board (CAB)", a student-run organization, runs several committees that oversee campus-wide activities and student services with a focus on evening and weekend programming. The Student Government Association (SGA) charters and provides most of the funding for these organizations, and represents students' interests when dealing with the administration.[61] SGA was developed under a model of shared governance with the Division of Student Affairs. The SGA maintains that it represents students through college governance, offers student services, and launches new programs and initiatives. This government consists of a dual executive of Co-Presidents along with an Executive Cabinet. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the elected Senate and the larger General Assembly which draws its membership from student organizations. The SGA Judicial Council acts as the judiciary, hearing SGA-related appeals as well as those resulting from student parking violations issued by the Department of Public Safety. Finally, an Election Committee oversees student government elections and decides on appeals that result from them.

The largest student organization at Holy Cross, Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD), is a community service organization sponsored by the college Chaplains’ Office consisting of over 45 different outreach programs and over 600 active members.[62] Other volunteer and social justice programs offered by Holy Cross include Pax Christi, the Appalachia Service Project, Oxfam America (formerly Student Coalition on Hunger and Homelessness (SCOHAH)), and the Arrupe Immersion Program, named in honor of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., which Holy Cross describes as "a faith based program responding to the call to work for peace and justice in the world."[63]

Traditions

Student life at the Holy Cross is marked by a number of unique traditions and celebrations:

Insignia and representations of Holy Cross

Color

The school color is purple. There are two theories of how Holy Cross chose purple as its official color. One suggests it was derived from the royal purple used by Constantine the Great (born about 275 A.D., died in 337 AD) as displayed on his labarum (military standard) and on those of later Christian emperors of Rome.[66]

College Seal
Seal of the College of the Holy Cross

The seal of the College of the Holy Cross describes is described as follows:

The outer circle of the seal states in Latin "College of the Holy Cross, Society of Jesus, Worcester, Massachusetts."

The inner shield contains an open book (symbol of learning) and a cross of gold (symbol of Christian faith). Written in the book is the college's motto, In Hoc Signo Vinces.

The cross divides the lower part of the shield into quarters, which are alternately red and sable, the colors on the ancient shield of Worcester, England. The upper part of the shield has in its center the emblem of the Society of Jesus, a blazing sun with the letters IHS, the first three letters of Jesus' name in Greek. On either side is a martlet, reminiscent of those on the ancestral crest of Bishop Fenwick.[67][67]

Mascot

Holy Cross's athletic teams for both men and women are known as the Crusaders. It is reported that the name "Crusader" was first associated with Holy Cross in 1884 at an alumni banquet in Boston, where an engraved Crusader mounted on an armored horse appeared at the head of the menu.[66]

Motto

The Latin motto In Hoc Signo Vinces, "In This Sign You Shall Conquer", has been attributed to Emperor Constantine the Great, a Roman emperor noted for his tolerance of Christians. According to some historians, Constantine had a dream or vision of a flaming cross in the sky with this inscription on the day preceding his decisive victory over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge (October 28, 312). This victory led to his capturing Rome and convinced him of the importance of Christianity.[67]

Town and gown

In more recent years, "town and gown" relations have soured, and Holy Cross has had varying levels of disagreement with the surrounding residential College Hill community.[68] The administration and the Student Government Association (SGA) have worked to improve this situation by directing various initiatives in recent years including the redevelopment of a nearby park, and its co-sponsorship, with the Society of Jesus of New England, to create the Nativity School of Worcester, an all-scholarship middle school serving boys from the city of Worcester.[69] Holy Cross has also created student liaison positions to attend Community meetings and engage residents and created new on-campus housing to lessen the off-campus population.[70]

Alumni

Clarence Thomas, class of 1971, former trustee and current Supreme Court Justice

Holy Cross has more than 35,000 alumni as of January 2007.[71] There are 39 Holy Cross alumni clubs in the U.S. and 1 international club.[72] A number of Holy Cross alumni have made significant contributions in the fields of government, law, academia, business, arts, journalism, and athletics, among others. As of 2008, the alumni median salary for a recent Holy Cross graduate is $50,200; after 10 years, that number jumps to $106,000.[73]

Clarence Thomas, United States Supreme Court Justice; Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews and NBC's The Chris Matthews Show; and Basketball Hall of Fame members and Boston Celtics immortals Bob Cousy and Tom Heinsohn are among the college's most famous alumni. LSD pioneer Timothy Leary was a student at Holy Cross, though he withdrew after two years. Michael Harrington, author of "The Other America" and an influential figure in initiating the 1960s War on Poverty was a graduate of the College, as was the famed pacifist leader Phillip Berrigan.

Bob Casey, Sr., Pennsylvania governor, Bob Casey, Jr., his son, Pennsylvania treasurer and U.S. Senator, and Edward D. DiPrete, former Governor of Rhode Island are among the most notable alumni with involvement in politics. Jon Favreau who was chief speechwriter for Barack Obama's 2008 campaign for President of the United States. Upon Barack Obama's election, Favreau was selected to serve in President Barack Obama's White House as Director of Speechwriting. Mark Kennedy Shriver, member of the Kennedy political family and current Vice President and Managing Director of U.S. Programs for the charity Save the Children, graduated from Holy Cross in 1986.

In 2003, an honorary degree and public platform was given to pro-choice Holy Cross alumnus Chris Matthews despite pro-life alumni objection. College President Fr. Michael McFarland defended the invitation and degree, despite clear direction from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop policies and Catholic Church policies never to give a public platform to those at odds with central holdings of the Church, such as the teachings on abortion. Father McFarland, along with the majority of the current Holy Cross community continue to defend this, stating that while Chris Matthews is pro-choice, that is not his defining characteristic and he did not talk purely about abortion in his speech.[74]

Several alumni have held top positions in the world of business and finance: Bob Wright, former Chairman & CEO, NBC Universal, and Vice Chairman, General Electric; James David Power III, J.D. Power and Associates founder; William J. McDonough, former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and current Vice Chairman of Merrill Lynch.

In media and the arts, Holy Cross has several distinguished alumni: Neil Hopkins, actor best known for his roles in Lost and Nip/Tuck; Bill Simmons, former ESPN.com sports columnist and current head of The Ringer, Channel 33, and the Bill Simmons Podcast Network; Dan Shaughnessy, sports columnist for the Boston Globe; Bartlett Sher, Tony Award-winning Broadway director; Joe McGinniss, bestselling author of The Selling of the President, Fatal Vision, and other books; Edward P. Jones, 2004 Pulitzer Prize winner in fiction for writing The Known World; Billy Collins, 2001-03 Poet Laureate of the United States; and Dave Anderson, New York Times sports columnist, 1981 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary; Jack Higgins, editorial cartoonist for the Chicago Sun-Times, 1989 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning; and Kevin O'Connor, the host of TV's This Old House. In art and architecture, Vito Acconci. Joe House, former Grantland[75] correspondent and host of golfing Shackhouse podcast.

In the sciences, Holy Cross also has several notable alumni, including Joseph Murray, winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize in Medicine; immunologist Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); and MacArthur Foundation "genius" bioengineer Jim Collins.

Awards

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/holy-cross-2141
  2. 1 2 3 Holy Cross Names Next President http://news.holycross.edu/blog/2011/05/07/holy-cross-names-next-president/?hp, Retrieved 19-06-2011
  3. ↑ "College of the Holy Cross Varsity Sports".
  4. ↑ Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  5. 1 2 "National Liberal Arts College Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 , Thy Honored Name: A History of the College of the Holy Cross, 1843-1994 by Anthony J. Kuzniewski, published 1999 ISBN 0-8132-0911-0
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 , History and Traditions
  8. ↑ A.D. Powell, XVIII. "When Are Irish-Americans Not Good Enough to Be Irish-American? Racial Kidnapping and the Healy Family", in Passing for What You Really Are: Essays in Support of Multiracial Whiteness, Palm Coast, Florida: Backintyme, 2005, accessed 8 February 2011
  9. ↑ "When the Navy docked on the Hill". Worcester, Massachusetts: College of the Holy Cross. 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  10. ↑ , Holy Cross Completes Capital Campaign at Record $216.3 Million
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 , Holy Cross: At A Glance
  12. ↑ Kaku, Upasana (May 7, 2011). "Fr. Boroughs to Be President of Holy Cross". The Hoya. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  13. ↑ Academics | College of the Holy Cross
  14. 1 2 3 "Office of Public Affairs". Holycross.edu. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  15. ↑ "Facts & Figures". Holycross.edu. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  16. ↑ Archived September 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ↑ Holy Cross Classics Department
  18. ↑ , Classics Majors Embark on Groundbreaking Scholarly Research in Homeric Poetry. December 4, 2006.
  19. ↑ , Holy Cross admissions office
  20. ↑ Fairtest.org
  21. ↑ College of the Holy Cross (2012-03-12). "Tuition and Fees | Admissions | College of the Holy Cross". Admissions.holycross.edu. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  22. ↑ "America's Top Colleges". Forbes. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings". America's Best Colleges 2016. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Washington Monthly's 2015 Liberal Arts College Rankings". Washington Monthly. August 24, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Liberal Arts College Rankings 2013". Washington Monthly. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  26. ↑ "America's Top Colleges". Forbes. July 24, 2013.
  27. ↑ "Best Values in Private Colleges". Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  28. ↑ "PayScale,"
  29. ↑ de Vise, Daniel. Grad-rate ranking reveals elite list of small, wealthy schools. March 5, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  30. 1 2 Schworm, Peter (November 17, 2008). "Fresh approach at Holy Cross". The Boston Globe.
  31. ↑ "Montserrat". Academics.holycross.edu. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  32. ↑ "FAQs". Academics.holycross.edu. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  33. ↑ "Making Connections Through Interdisciplinary Clusters". Academics.holycross.edu. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  34. 1 2 , The FYP Theme: 2006-2007
  35. 1 2 3 "Holy Cross Magazine: The First Year of the Rest of Their Lives. Summer 1998. Vol: 32 No: 4.
  36. ↑ , "The Crusader" AAC focuses on libraries, "First Year Experience," committee membership Nov 19, 2004.
  37. 1 2 , Honors Program
  38. ↑ Holy Cross Graduate Studies.
  39. ↑ mission statement
  40. ↑ , The New Counter-Reformation. Time Magazine, July 8, 1974.
  41. ↑ "Who Is Catholic?", The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 9, 2004.
  42. ↑ Campus Magazine.
  43. ↑ "Bishop asks Holy Cross not to rent space to teen pregnancy alliance". The Pilot (Boston). October 19, 2007.
  44. 1 2 Lilly Vocation Discernment Initiative.
  45. ↑ , College of the Holy Cross
  46. ↑ Holy Cross Campus Map
  47. ↑ "NRHP nomination for Holy Cross College". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  48. ↑ , Smith Hall Honored with Silver Hammer Award
  49. ↑ Holy Cross Receives $10 Million Gift. Holy Cross Magazine Spring 2000
  50. ↑ Buildings - Exteriors: Loyola Hall
  51. 1 2 3 , Residence Hall
  52. ↑ "Figge Hall". Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  53. ↑ , "Libraries Find that Regional Collaboration is Key". Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Mass.), November 19, 2006.
  54. 1 2 , Holy Cross: Dinand Reading Room
  55. ↑ , At A Glance: Fenwick Music Library
  56. ↑ , At A Glance: O'Callahan Science Library
  57. ↑ Grasgreen, Allie (February 14, 2012). "Then there was one". Inside Higher Ed.
  58. ↑ "No. 1 Ducks begin NCAA Tournament with blowout of No. 16 Holy Cross: Live updates recap". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
  59. ↑ "10 facts about Holy Cross’ improbable NCAA Tournament trip". Boston.com. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
  60. ↑ The Crusader
  61. ↑ Student Government Association: Constitution & History
  62. ↑ Holy Cross: SPUD.
  63. ↑ Holy Cross: Arrupe.
  64. ↑ Hodge, John (May 1, 2015). "Battle of the Bands 2015". Holy Cross Crusader.
  65. ↑ Holy Cross: CAB.
  66. 1 2 Holy Cross: Color, Mascot, & Songs
  67. 1 2 3 Holy Cross College Seal.
  68. ↑ , "Tougher enforcement sought" Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Mass.), October 24, 1999.
  69. ↑ Holy Cross in the Community
  70. ↑ City of Worcester: College Hill Neighborhood Plan
  71. ↑ , Alumni and Friends
  72. ↑ , Holy Cross Regional Clubs
  73. ↑ , Smart Money Colleges that Pay Off
  74. ↑ "National Review," "Society of Drinan," Jack Fowler, April 30, 2003
  75. ↑ "Grantland" May 5,2016
  76. ↑ "Holy Cross College’s science complex wins LEED-Gold in Massachusetts". WIDN News. 2010-12-16.

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