2013: Year in Review

$25 million gift, faculty scholarship, 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 2013.

January

About 40 students from Holy Cross traveled to Washington, D.C., to witness Barack Obama's second presidential inauguration on Jan. 21. more »
U.S. Sen. John Kerry visited Holy Cross on Jan. 31 as part of a farewell tour of Massachusetts before formally stepping down from the office to become secretary of state. more »

February

Holy Cross kicked off the second half of "Opening Doors," its 40th anniversary of coeducation celebration with lectures by women who have led the way in their fields and written about personal and professional choices — including former CNN journalist Soledad O'Brien and former White House director of policy planning Anne-Marie Slaughter. more »
David Cotrone '13, from Plymouth, Mass., was one of only 20 college students nationwide selected to receive a 2012 Beinecke scholarship. more »
After Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation due to health concerns on Feb. 11, many national — and international — media outlets called upon papacy experts from the Holy Cross community for perspective. more »
Cornelius B. Prior Jr. '56, chair of the board of the telecommunications services company Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc., headquartered in Beverly, Mass., donated $25 million to Holy Cross. Prior designated the gift, the largest single donation in the history of Holy Cross, to enhance the arts at Holy Cross with a new performance facility on campus. more »
The Black Student Union celebrated the 45th anniversary of its founding with a conversation about the BSU's beginnings which led to the book "Fraternity," written by Diane Brady, on Feb. 18. more »

March

Hundreds of Holy Cross students forwent the beach and opted for an "alternative" spring break by spending their vacation doing service work, learning how to start a business, and gaining a better understanding of themselves and others. more »
Rachelle Beaudoin '04, lecturer of visual arts at the College, received a Fulbright Grant to be an artist-in-residence at the quartier21, a center for contemporary art in Vienna, Austria. more »
Holy Cross was named to the 2013 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for its strong institutional commitment to service and partnerships that produce measurable results for the community. more »
Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, president of Holy Cross, issued a statement after the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church elected Jesuit Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina as the 266th pope on March 13. more »
During March and April more than 500 alumni from 20 different alumni clubs across the country participated in Holy Cross Cares Day through volunteer efforts in their local communities. Volunteers performed service-oriented activities, including raking leaves, cleaning up playgrounds, tutoring children and donating items and clothing. more »

April

On April 2, Holy Cross announced that the Teacher Education Program (TEP) will debut a new program that will allow students enrolled in the TEP to complete their student teaching requirement in a "Ninth Semester Option." more »
Kenneth V. Mills, associate professor and chair of the chemistry department, has been awarded a $567,000 three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to study the chemical mechanism of protein slicing. more »
Holy Cross received the Excellence in Career Related Undergraduate Education Award from the George I. Alden Trust. Selected from among more than 100 private colleges in the Northeast, Holy Cross was the recipient of a $500,000 award, which recognizes institutions that have best excelled in retaining, educating, graduating and placing students. more »
Jeffrey Reppucci '14, a Russian major and defenseman on the men's ice hockey team from Newburyport, Mass., was selected as a 2013 Harry S. Truman Scholar. The highly competitive scholarship, which provides $30,000 for graduate study, was awarded to 62 college juniors from across the country with exceptional leadership potential who are committed to a public service career. more »
Holy Cross freshmen are among the happiest in the nation, according to a CBS Moneywatch report. more »

May

A total of 701 men and women were awarded bachelor of arts degrees at the College's 167th Commencement Exercises. more »

June

More than 2,800 alumni and friends returned to campus for reunions during the weekends of May 31-June 2 and June 7-9 to celebrate and see old friends back on Mount St. James.
more »
Holy Cross was honored by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) with a 2013 Circle of Excellence Award in the media relations category for a campaign related to "The Holy Cross Fraternity." Holy Cross received the bronze award, making it one of only four institutions in the world — and one of just two in the U.S. — recognized in this category. more »
On June 27, Holy Cross was the question to an answer on "Jeopardy!," making it the 10th time that Holy Cross has been part of either the answer or question in the longtime running quiz show. more »

July

For the second year in a row, Holy Cross was awarded a $100,000 STARTALK grant to operate a Chinese teacher development program. more »
The financial support Holy Cross received over the last year from alumni, parents and friends set a new record, said Tracy Barlok, vice president for development and alumni relations. more »

August

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded Holy Cross a grant of $600,000 for a new initiative at the College designed to "re-center" the fine and performing arts in students' academic lives and create new opportunities to infuse the arts throughout the curriculum. more »
Forbes ranked Holy Cross 59th out of 900 private colleges and universities in an assessment of institutional financial soundness. more »
Under the auspices of the Physical Plant department, crews worked throughout the summer to renovate Brooks Concert Hall and renovate and expand the Millard Art Center, among other projects. more »
The Class of 2017 arrived at Holy Cross on Aug. 24 for move-in day with strong academic credentials. more »

September

At a press conference on Sept. 30 overlooking Fitton Baseball Field, Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president of Holy Cross, and Michael V. O'Brien, Worcester's city manager, announced a new partnership with the Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England (FCBL) and local team owner John W.S. Creedon Jr. more »

October

The Office of the Dean announced the hiring of 13 new faculty members— one endowed professor, 10 tenure-track positions and two postdoctoral teaching fellows—for the 2013-14 academic year. more »
After the passing of his wife, Missie, former Celtics player Bob Cousy '50 spoke with the Worcester Telegram & Gazette about his 63 years of marriage. National and international media outlets drew attention to the column, helping it go viral online. more »
On Oct. 3, Fox 25 broadcast their "Morning News" show live from Holy Cross. Faculty, staff and students highlighted the College's key attributes including academic, spiritual, and social aspects of life on the Hill. more »
Richard Schmidt, professor of psychology, is one of two principal investigators on a project titled "Modeling the Behavioral Dynamics of Social Action and Coordination," which was awarded a $1.4 million grant by the National Institutes of Health. more »

November

Fourteen recent alumni received Fulbright grants, putting Holy Cross again among liberal arts colleges with the highest number of Fulbrights awarded, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. more »
With 11 former students participating in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Holy Cross is the fourth most-represented college nationwide. An additional three graduates are serving in Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, which operates independently. more »
Susan Rodgers, the W. Arthur Garrity Sr. Professor in Human Nature, Ethics, and Society and professor of anthropology at Holy Cross, was named the 2013 Massachusetts Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). more »
For the first time in program history the Holy Cross varsity men's hockey team defeated No. 7 Boston College, 5-4, at the Kelley Rink at Conte Forum on Nov. 29 in non-conference action. more »

December

Nathan Pine, currently deputy athletic director at the University of Maryland, will become the next athletic director at Holy Cross. more »
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