Holy Cross Announces Appointment of Associate Dean

WORCESTER, Mass. – On August 1, Professor Mary E. Morton of the biology department will assume the role of associate dean at Holy Cross.  She brings a number of talents and a wealth of experience to the associate dean position.  A 1983 graduate of Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, Morton completed her Ph.D. in biochemistry at Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, N.H., in 1988.

Before coming to Holy Cross, she worked as a research associate at Dartmouth and held an NIH postdoctoral fellowship in molecular neurobiology at the University of Washington.  Morton, who joined the faculty at Holy Cross in 1991 as a Charles A. Dana Faculty Fellow in the department of biology, was promoted to associate professor in 1997.  A gifted teacher/scholar, Morton has taught a range of courses and worked with many students in directed research.  She has an impressive list of publications and has realized considerable success in earning grants for College programs.

A resident of Worcester, Morton has also served on a number of key College committees, including the Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty, Graduate Studies, the Committee on Faculty Affairs, the Curriculum Committee and the Committee on Tenure and Promotion.  Most recently, she has been serving as the College's science coordinator.  This work has brought her into close contact with the Worcester Public Schools, leading her to work closely with the grants office on a number of projects.

The Office of the Dean of the College at Holy Cross is responsible for all matters relating to the faculty, curriculum and academic affairs.  The office is involved in activities ranging from hiring and promotion to strategic planning.  The deans also sponsor a number of speakers, events and faculty development opportunities.

Morton takes over from the current associate dean, Mark Freeman, who is stepping down after five years in the position.  Freeman will take a year's sabbatical and return to teaching in the psychology department.

Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England.  Founded in 1843 by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the College is a highly selective, four-year, undergraduate liberal arts institution and ranks among the nation's leading liberal arts colleges.