2012: Year in Review

Fr. Boroughs’ welcome, Fr. Brooks’ legacy, record Fulbright awards, national recognition and more



At Holy Cross, each year is marked by new achievements and accomplishments. Here are some of the most notable from 2012.

January

"Fraternity," by Bloomberg BusinessWeek's Diane Brady, was released. The book, which tells the story of the late Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., '49, and his work in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death to recruit and mentor African-American students, received national attention. more »
Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., assumed office as the 32nd president of Holy Cross. more »
Clarence Thomas '71, associate justice of the United States, accepted an honorary degree from Holy Cross during Academic Convocation. more »

February

The Holy Cross Chaplains' Office reported that 280 students — or one in 10 students at the College — spent their spring break doing community service. more »

March

More than 300 students, faculty, and staff from Holy Cross took part in a day of community service throughout the city of Worcester as part the 14th annual Holy Cross Cares Day. more »
Chris Matthews '67, host of MSNBC’s "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show," returned to his alma mater to talk about his new book "Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero." more »

April

Tracy W. Barlok was appointed vice president for development and alumni relations. more »
With financial support from Holy Cross, the Worcester Public Library Foundation unveiled a state-of-the-art, traveling library, "Libby." more »

May

Holy Cross received a $100,000 grant to help improve Chinese language instruction in America. more »
A total of 691 men and women were awarded bachelor of arts degrees at the College's 166th Commencement Exercises. more »
Figge Hall, the newest residence hall at Holy Cross, earned LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). more »

June

Seventeen Holy Cross varsity athletic teams received Division I Academic Progress Rate public recognition awards from the NCAA. more »
NBC's "Today" show devoted a segment to "Fraternity." Fr. Brooks and several of the alumni featured in the book shared their experiences on campus during a turbulent and racially-tense time in our nation's history. more »

July

Fr. Brooks, the longest serving president of Holy Cross, died at UMass Memorial Hospital — University Campus in Worcester, after complications from lymphoma. He was 88. more »
Hundreds filled St. Joseph Memorial Chapel for the funeral Mass of Fr. Brooks. Following the service, he was laid to rest at the Jesuit cemetery on the campus. more »
A 9-person delegation of students, faculty and administrators from Holy Cross attended a two-week global leadership summit at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. more »
Crews worked in many areas of the Holy Cross campus to renovate buildings, make repairs to stairways, and replace underground piping during the summer. more »

August

Holy Cross Dining received top honors in the national Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards contest, receiving Gold and the Grand Prize for the newly constructed Science Café. more »
The 767 members of the Class of 2016 moved in to Holy Cross. The first-year class was selected from among 7,228 applicants. more »

September

The Office of the Dean announced the hiring of 14 new faculty members — one endowed chair, 11 tenure-track positions and two postdoctoral teaching fellows — for the 2012-13 academic year. more »
Fr. Boroughs was installed as the 32nd president of Holy Cross. more »
With 14 members of the class of 2012 having recently joined the program, Holy Cross was again a top contributor to Teach For America, a nonprofit organization that sends graduating seniors into classrooms across the nation. more »
Holy Cross announced that the 40th anniversary of coeducation at the College will be the subject of a series of events throughout the 2012-13 academic year. more »
Holy Cross ranked second among liberal arts schools and fifth overall in The Alumni Factor, a new national ranking that examines how well colleges develop and shape their students, and what becomes of them after they graduate. more »

October

Holy Cross is among bachelor’s institutions with the highest number of Fulbrights awarded to its faculty, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. more »
Eleven members of the Class of 2012 received Fulbright grants, putting Holy Cross again among liberal arts colleges with the highest number of Fulbrights awarded to its graduating class, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. more »

November

Dr. Joseph E. Murray '40 P80, who ushered in a new era of medicine with the first successful organ transplant, died on Nov. 26 in Boston. He was 93. more »
With 14 former students participating in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Holy Cross is the third most-represented college nationwide for the second year in a row. An additional five graduates are serving in Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, which operates independently. more »

December

Diane Brady's "Fraternity" was selected by Amazon Books' editorial team as one of the top 100 best reads of the year. more »
Christmas came early for the Delilahs, an all-female a cappella group from Holy Cross, whose 12 members performed at the White House. more »
Related Information: