Year after year, research shows that liberal arts majors are not only very employable — and even preferred by many employers because of their well-rounded education and critical thinking skills — but  graduates holding liberal arts degrees are also increasingly paid comparatively well.

Graduates of the College of the Holy Cross particularly fare well, both in terms of the level of their starting pay and in the variety of job opportunities available to them.

Consider research conducted recently by the Career Planning Center of Holy Cross, together with independent research conducted by the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE):

Starting pay above average
For 2012 graduates of the College of the Holy Cross, based on a response rate of 83 percent of the class, the average starting salary was $43,650. That’s higher than the average starting salary that NACE reported for liberal arts graduates nationally ($43,100). Holy Cross’ average starting pay is also above NACE’s findings for Math & Sciences ($42,471) and Humanities & Social Sciences ($36,988) graduates nationally.

Mid-career pay even more impressive
Holy Cross graduates fare even better over time. In a study of mid salaries of bachelor degree graduates, PayScale.com ranked Holy Cross No. 7 among all liberal arts schools, and No. 21 among all types of schools nationally. The mid-career median salary for Holy Cross graduates was $107,000.

Industrious grads
The industries in which recent Holy Cross graduates are employed are also wide and varied. Financial services, education and health care are far and away the top Holy Cross employers, followed by communications/media, government/law, accounting/professional services and technology. But 15 other industries also employ significant numbers of Holy Cross grads, spanning architecture to scientific fields.

Grad school cool, too
Graduate school is another path commonly pursued by Holy Cross graduates. Fifteen percent of the Class of 2012 is now pursuing their masters, law degrees or Ph.D.s. Notably, Holy Cross consistently has one of the highest acceptance rates of its graduates to medical/dental schools and law schools — 82 percent and 85 percent, respectively.

Others above all else
Of course, average starting pay and graduate school acceptance rates are only a few indicators of successful college outcomes. A substantial number of Holy Cross grads find fulfillment in serving others — not coincidentally a core value of Jesuit education. Nearly 7 percent of the Class of 2012, or 47 students, are now providing full-time service work, predominantly for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and AmeriCorps.  Which raises another point of distinction: Holy Cross consistently leads the nation in the number of its graduates entering the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.

College of the content
Whether entering the for-profit, non-profit or public service sectors, Holy Cross graduates tend to be happy. Just ask The Alumni Factor. In its recent national study, Holy Cross ranked No. 2 among all liberal arts schools and No. 5 among all types of schools based on its graduates’ career success, financial success, and overall happiness. “Holy Cross excels at developing graduates who are highly successful, happy and loyal,” reports The Alumni Factor. The College’s “powerful combination of graduate success, happiness, and broad development puts Holy Cross among the country’s elite schools.”

• Holy Cross Report on the Class of 2012 (PDF)

Related Information:

• National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Annual Salary Survey, Class of 2012

• Points of Distinction

“It was a wonderful evening,” said Fox-Kelly. “The audience shared how challenging the situation can be, as well as what workplaces can do to be supportive.” At the panel, topics that arose included access to affordable and dependable childcare, the necessity of connection between school and work, and supportive workplaces. Then, reflecting on her balancing of family and work, Fox-Kelly said, “I try to be flexible and creative on how and where my work is done. And workplaces need to be supportive of women having families.”

The panel was a part of the College’s 40^th anniversary of women celebration, a series of events throughout the 2012-13 academic year commemorating the moment in 1972 when the College opened its doors to women students for the first time.

“I feel hopeful,” Fox-Kelly said, remarking on the future of women at work. “The conversation has been started. There will be a lot of changes that need to take place, but I feel those changes will take place over time.”

• Read the full story in PULSE Magazine

This ‘Holy Cross in the News’ item by David Cotrone ’13.

Cipolla

In the most recent issue of the New England Baseball Journal, Brandon Cipolla ’14 and Michael Ahmed ’14 discussed their future ambitions on the diamond. Currently juniors at the College, the two players have become serious major league prospects, and have proved to be key in leading the Holy Cross Crusaders to victory.

Also in the story, Head Coach Greg DiCenzo, explained that originally, he did not recruit either player based on athletic ability or prowess, but rather on an all-around basis, including a commitment to academics. Cipolla, the team’s center fielder, demonstrated such a commitment, saying, “I feel like I’ve had to work to get where I’m at…I chose this school because of its academic reputation.”

Ahmed, the team’s third baseman and pitcher, echoed these remarks, saying of Holy Cross, “I was looking for a good mix of academics and athletics.”

Now on the cusp of being drafted in the Major League Baseball (MLB) amateur draft in June, DiCenzo explained his faith in his players. “Both guys are undoubtedly pro prospects,” he said. “They will get a chance to play at the next level,” he continued.

This summer, both Cipolla and Ahmed are heading to Cape Cod, where they will play ball in the prestigious Cape Cod League. Before that, however, they will play Bucknell University in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament the weekend of May 11-12. With a record of 15-5, the Crusaders are the No. 1 seed in the tournament after claiming the 2013 Patriot League regular season title for the first time since the league began in 1991.

• Read the full story in New England Baseball Journal

This ‘Holy Cross in the News’ item by David Cotrone ’13.

“[The Red Sox are a] pretty good corporate citizen,” commented Matheson, who went on to say that the team is, however, “punch[ing] above its weight” and using its mighty influence to outweigh other tax-paying businesses in the city.

“It’s not obvious why the Red Sox should get special consideration for doing what everyone else does, including mom-and-pop stores,” Matheson continued. “You shouldn’t get any great credit for doing your civic duty, right?”

• Read the full article in The Boston Globe

This ‘Holy Cross in the News’ item by David Cotrone ’13.

Nominated for Best Direction of a Play, Sher’s production of “Golden Boy” also received nods for Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role (actors Danny Burstein and Tony Shalhoub), Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design and Best Sound Design.

With Cox referencing “Golden Boy” as a “much-lauded revival,” Sher is no stranger to the Broadway stage, as he received a Tony Award for best direction for his revival of South Pacific in 2008.

CBS will broadcast this year’s Tony Awards on Sunday, June 9^th at 8 p.m.

• Read the full story at Variety

This ‘Holy Cross in the News’ item by David Cotrone ’13.

“We had a real lull from the beginning of the Great Recession,” said Matheson. “Just in the last year, however, we’ve seen the tide turn. … We have a little bit of a backlog, so you’re seeing a bunch of stadiums on the table now.”

• Read the article in The Miami Herald.

This “Holy Cross in the News” item is by Sara Bovat ’14.

Donny Murray

In an article in the Telegram & Gazette, Holy Cross senior Donny Murray recounted his experience of the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15. A pitcher on the school’s baseball team, Murray had called his father in order to update him on a minor injury. Donny’s father, Timothy Murray, serves as a captain for the Boston Police Department, and was stationed three blocks away from the marathon’s finish line, on the phone with this son when the bomb went off.

Four days later in Watertown, Mass., Timothy Murray was once again present, assisting in the search for suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. In acknowledgement of his courageous work, Holy Cross honored Murray by allowing him to throw out the ceremonial first pitch to his son before a game this past weekend.

“I’m so incredibly proud of my father,” Donny Murray said. “It’s an honor to have my father serve the city in such a tough situation… It’s truly incredible.”

• Read the full article at Telegram & Gazette

This ‘Holy Cross in the News’ item by David Cotrone ’13.

“The bombing is what everyone is focusing on, rightly so, but what I will remember are the heroes,” shared Cook.

Cook told the reporter “everyone will process the tragedy in their own way but he will continue to focus on the good of the day.” He says that’s what will carry him through to next year’s marathon. “I’m absolutely doing it again in the future… It was a great experience… it was unforgettable, even before everything that happened at the finish line, it was just a great, great day.”

Cook also opened up to Worcester Mag about his experience.

• Watch the story on NECN/Channel 3
• Read the Worcester Mag article
• Read Andrew Cook’s blog

This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Sara Bovat ’14.

“My conviction, given the chance to answer the call to give more of myself to the service of faith and promotion of justice, has never been stronger.” – Jacqueline Peterson, vice president for student affairs and dean of students

In an article for the Winter/Spring issue of Connections, a publication of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, Jacqueline Peterson, vice president for student affairs and dean of students at the College of the Holy Cross, reflected on her immersion experiences in Kenya, Spain, Italy and El Salvador—experiences she says had a profound impact on her personal and professional development.

“When Rev. Peter Hans Kolvenbach, SJ, delivered his famous speech, ‘The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice in American Jesuit Higher Education,’ at Santa Clara University in 2000, I was there,” she began. “I didn’t know it then, but it was a defining moment in my personal and professional development—a moment that set in motion a transformation in how I think about learning, faith, justice and my role in the world. Yet, I may never have realized how truly important a moment it was, if not for immersion experiences that came later and gave meaning to Fr. Kolvenbach’s words.”

Recalling poignant moments from her first immersion trip with a group of Holy Cross students and chaplains to Kenya, she explained how the experience—“life-altering” on its own—was made more meaningful after a pilgrimage years later to sites in Spain and Italy that were important in the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. The pilgrimage, she said, also served as a critical foundation for understanding and processing her other experiences, including a trip to El Salvador through the Ignatian Colleagues Program last year.

“Today, each of my immersion experiences continues to shape me,” she wrote. “Personally, they helped me overcome breast cancer in 2011… Professionally, I have become more reflective about my own faith and talents, and the connection with my roles as an educator and a leader in fostering the Jesuit mission of Holy Cross… My conviction, given the chance to answer the call to give more of myself to the service of faith and promotion of justice, has never been stronger.”

She continued, “My immersion experiences have made me even more committed to finding God in all situations and striving to bring about real change in the lives of others, for the common good, particularly in the face of injustice. That, I now know, is what Jesuit education is meant to do.”

• Read the article in Connections

This “Holy Cross in the News” item by Kristine Maloney.

Bandit Queen

In a recent article in The Hindu, an Indian daily newspaper, Shirish Korde, professor of music at the College of the Holy Cross, shared his insights regarding Phoolan Devi, an important historical figure in India and the subject of an opera, titled “Phoolan Devi: The Bandit Queen.”

Having premiered at the College in 2008 “Phoolan Devi” has gone on to great success, as it will be performed in New York’s Lynch Theatre in the spring of 2014. Devi, who in was shot dead in New Delhi in 2001, was a controversial figure who has been viewed as a victim of social injustice, an avenger and a savvy politician. Reflecting on the task of setting her life’s details to music, Korde said, “The themes in her life: violence, retribution, transformation, myth, class were all fascinating… in fact, ideal dramatic material for an opera.”

Even though Korde wrote the opera several years ago, the Bandit Queen’s life remains fresh in his imagination. “Phoolan Devi’s story raises difficult and universal questions about violence and women,” he explained. “Artistically speaking, it is a great challenge and very rewarding to bring this multi-discipline East/West collaboration to fruition,” he continued.

Still in its workshop phase, “Phoolan Devi” is co-sponsored by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) and Da Capo Chamber Players. Directed by Tom Diamond, choreographed by Nandini Sikand and with a libertoo by Anushree Roy, Korde’s music compositions remain prominent.

• Read the full story in The Hindu

This ‘Holy Cross in the News’ item by David Cotrone ’13.