Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., to be Inducted into the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame

Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., president emeritus of Holy Cross, will be inducted into the Institute for International Sport's Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame on Thursday, June 26 as part of the United States Scholar-Athlete Games, taking place this week at the University of Rhode Island. He is only the second educator to be honored with this distinction.

Fr. Brooks joined the Holy Cross faculty in 1963 and was appointed vice president and dean of the College in 1968. Just two years later, he was named the 25th president of Holy Cross. During his tenure as president, Fr. Brooks oversaw the College's transition to coeducation, an increase in the College's endowment, 23 years of balanced budgets, and the development of Holy Cross into a nationally recognized liberal arts institution of the highest reputation. He was also a leader in a movement towards non-grant-in-aid intercollegiate competition at the Division I AA level.

Fr. Brooks currently works in the Development Office planning and executing fundraising activities.

Daniel E. Doyle, Jr., founder and executive director of the Institute for International Sport said, "When we conceived the idea of the Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame, we always had in mind the concept of honoring an exemplary educator who took a courageous stand in principle to further the student-athlete ideal. Father Brooks has done that throughout his career."

Other inductees include Bob Mathias, former U.S. Olympic athlete; Jody Conradt, University of Texas women's basketball coach; and Val Ackerman, president of the WNBA.

The United States Scholar-Athlete Games are a program of the Institute for International Sport. Located in Kingston, R.I., on the campus of The University of Rhode Island, the Institute for International Sport administers more than 10 international programs that reach over 160 countries on six continents. Currently, National Sportsmanship Day, the Center for Sports Parenting, the World Leadership Summit and the Scholar-Athlete Games are the main projects the Institute has developed to help spread the message of using athletics and art as tools to promote goodwill among future world leaders. To learn more about all of the Institute's programs, visit their Website at www.internationalsport.com.