Through her self-designed major at Holy Cross, titled A Study of European Modernism, Regan explored the philosophical, cultural and religious atmosphere that spurred the modernist movement in Europe, especially its relations to modernist art and poetry (namely the work of T.S. Eliot).

The Fulbright will help Regan continue studying the Sri Lankan culture that has long fascinated her. She studied abroad in Sri Lanka during her junior year, and focused her senior thesis on the complicated interconnectedness of Eastern and Western religious ideology in Eliot’s poetry.

“I love working with children — especially creating programs for at-risk youth — so it would be wonderful if I could get involved with an organization in Sri Lanka that works to care for and educate children that may otherwise slip through the cracks. I’ve also recently discovered yoga, so I’d really like the opportunity to learn more about the art of meditation,” she said.

Regan has always dreamed of becoming an English professor with a focus on comparative literature, and plans to continue her studies of Sri Lankan literature and philosophy to develop comparisons between Eastern and Western culture.

At Holy Cross, Regan was involved in Student Programs for Urban Development and the Spring Break Immersion Program. She also worked as a counselor at the South Worcester Neighborhood Center, and as a marketing intern at the YWCA of Central Massachusetts.

Each year approximately 1,000 college students are awarded grants through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program in international educational exchange. Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception in 1946, more than 300,000 participants — chosen for their leadership potential — have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions.

Related Information:

• Points of Distinction

Dining award

Holy Cross Dining has received top honors in this year’s national Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards contest, receiving a Gold Prize for the inauguration dinner they created in honor of the College’s 32nd president, Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., this past September.  This is the second consecutive year Holy Cross has earned the Gold Prize, having received the Gold and Grand Prize for the construction of the Science Café in 2012. Dining also received a Bronze award for its “Kimball Takeover program” which won in the Most Innovative Wellness and Nutrition Program category.

Sponsored by the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS), Holy Cross won in the category “Catering—Special Event,” which entries were judged on creativity, atmosphere, excitement, and success of the event. Holy Cross Dining competed against 24 different colleges and universities from across the country.

More than 360 guests attended the dinner including alumni, faculty, staff, delegates from colleges and universities across the U.S., members of the College’s Board of Trustees and Fr. Boroughs’ friends and family. “Planning for the inauguration dinner started more than a year in advance and was truly a team effort on campus,” says Linda Nardella, director of Holy Cross Dining. “We researched some of the top restaurants as well as regional cuisine from Seattle and Vancouver to plan a menu that would make Fr. Boroughs feel at home.”

To reflect his upbringing in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Seattle, Wash., the menu included regional favorites such as Dungeness crab and Pacific salmon. The meal started with a salad of twin colored baby oak and romaine layered with Pacific coast Dungeness crab, avocado, mango, and shaved red onion with a honey citrus vinaigrette.  The main course consisted of roasted sage brined Statler chicken and cedar plank-roasted Pacific salmon with a candied garlic butter sauce, accompanied by a haricot vert bundle with a scallion tie, Yukon golden mashed potatoes and roasted local root vegetable garni.  The meal concluded with a warm three berry cobbler topped with a vanilla bean whipped cream and raspberry coulis.

“The feedback we received from everyone was just amazing,” says Nardella. “I think we truly accomplished our goal of making Fr. Boroughs feel at home, here, on Mount St. James.”

On March 21, students at Holy Cross “took over” the Kimball Dining Hall for two hours during lunch, creating recipes and preparing meals for fellow students with the help of Dining staff. The Kimball Takeover program started with Paige Wesson ’13, who was interested in wholesome food and wanted to increase nutrition awareness on campus. Wesson turned to Holy Cross’ dietitian Kathy Egan to help execute the idea. “We put on the event together in honor of National Nutrition Month. The goal of the event was to raise awareness about real, nutritious food and why it is so important—especially for students,” says Wesson.

The program earned them a Bronze award from NACUFS. Thirty colleges and universities across the country submitted entries in two categories, including Most Innovative Wellness & Nutrition Program and Best Local Foods Recipe. Each entry was judged by a team of collegiate dining professionals.

“The success of Kimball Takeover exceeded my wildest expectations,” says Egan.  Kimball usually serves 750-800 lunches on a Thursday; during the Kimball Takeover they served nearly 1,000. “The dining room was filled with an electricity of people having fun and socializing over a bountiful, creative meal,” she shares.

Menu items included cheddar, corn and potato chowder, 4Leaf chili, artisan breads, fennel risotto, Panini sandwiches, a rice bowl station, rustic Italian squash flat bread pizza, roasted chicken, kale salad, and vegan cookies.

In response to the Kimball Takeover, Dining will be adding daily vegan and gluten-free recipes to Kimball Dining Hall’s menu this fall. Starting Friday, June 14, Dining will be hosting their annual summer barbeques every Friday in the Hogan Courtyard and will also be hosting an accompanying farmer’s market.

Holy Cross Dining will be honored at the NACUFS national conference in Minneapolis next month.

NACUFS was founded in 1958 to help encourage and support colleges and universities in their efforts to provide their communities with the best food service possible. Today NACUFS has members from more than 550 higher education institutions across the country.

In his College blog, College historian Rev. Anthony Kuzniewski, S.J., wrote that “the the saddest day of the year for me is Commencement Day, a day when another group of wonderful young women and men — young persons who have engaged my energy and affection for four years — leave campus as students for the last time. But the other side of that coin in human experience is when our graduates return to campus with life stories that vindicate our enterprise of intellectual challenge, human values, respect for religious faith.”

Springtime at Holy Cross is marked by bittersweet endings, exciting beginnings, and joyful re-connections with members of the Holy Cross family. 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.

For the Class of 2008, it was the first reunion back on campus as alumni; for the Class of 1963, 50 years had passed since graduation; for some Purple Knights, reunion has become an annual event. Alumni enjoyed a multitude of activities and programs, including elegant class dinners, family picnics, informative presentations, and trips to local museums. Despite the extreme weather, blazing hot one weekend and a soaker the next, the alumni spirit never dampened.

Reunion highlights included the return of two campus bands. The Class of 1988’s own TRM performed at the 25th Class dinner, and the Millard Fillmore Memorial Band provided post dinner entertainment for the Class of 1973’s 40th reunion.

“Millard Fillmore had the crowd rocking ’til the wee hours,” posted William Bagley Jr. ’73 on the Alumni Facebook page, “the boys have gotten only better with years.”

The annual Andy Kelly ’17 Memorial Fun Walk/Run had the more exercise-minded alumni up early to participate. To learn more about the race’s namesake, read this Holy Cross Magazine story . It is an inspiring read and indicative of the generosity of Holy Cross alumni.

Mass was celebrated by Fr. Boroughs for the 5th through 20th reunion classes. Alumni sang in the choir and served as greeters and Eucharistic ministers. Many in attendance expressed how moving it was to attend Mass again with their classmates.

The Purple Knights inducted alumni from the Class of 1963, an honor bestowed on all who reach the 50th reunion. That evening the class dedicated their class gift in the naming of the area outside of the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom as the Rev. Charles J. Dunn, S.J., Reception Room in Hogan Campus Center.

True to the spirit of generosity Holy Cross alumni are known for, the total financial commitment made by the 12 reunion classes by the end of the last reunion weekend was $13,421,000 to the College — $2,859,900 of which is for the Holy Cross Fund.

Related Information:

• Alumni and Friends

classroom

Three departments at the College of the Holy Cross—history, mathematics, and political science—are ranked among the best in the Princeton Review’s “Great Schools for 20 of the Most Popular Undergraduate Majors,” which ran in conjunction with the Princeton Review’s annual college guide, “The Best 377 Colleges.”  Holy Cross is listed in the 2013 edition of the guide, in which schools were selected according to several criteria including academics, cost, and financial aid. The list represents the top 15% of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges.

For the “Majors” section, the Princeton Review collects data from more than a thousand colleges on the subject of undergraduate academic offerings. The Princeton Review says, “We ask colleges not only to report which undergraduate majors they offer, but also which of their majors have the highest enrollment and the number of bachelor’s degrees each school awarded in these areas.”

With 18 history professors, Holy Cross boasts roughly twice as many as most schools its size. “History majors learn about every facet of human behavior, from wars and revolutions to cross-cultural encounter, family and social patterns, and changes in ideas and identity,” shares Noel Cary, professor and incoming chair of the history department. “Students have the opportunity to cluster their courses in their areas of interest and to compare diverse historical experiences. Outcomes include widened horizons, the ability to think aloud and to consider alternatives, skillful research and writing, and a heightened capacity for focused inquiry.”

In our increasingly technology-driven society, mathematics and computer science are part of our daily lives. The department works toward helping students become knowledgeable and sophisticated learners, able to think and work independently, and as part of a team. “Our major is very welcoming and our students enjoy multiple opportunities to interact closely with faculty,” says Catherine Roberts, associate professor and chair of the department.

At Holy Cross one-on-one interaction in and out of the classroom, academic advising, and mentoring take place on campus every day. “The political science major is one of the most popular at Holy Cross because the department offers courses by 15 teacher-scholars who have made distinguished contributions to the field of political science and won accolades for teaching excellence,” says Donald Brand, professor and chair of the political science department. “The department is committed to education for citizenship and prides itself on representing diverse views and encouraging students to think for themselves and to question any and all preconceived ideas.”

In addition to “The Best 377 Colleges,” and “Great Schools for 20 of the Most Popular Undergraduate Majors,” Holy Cross is included in The Princeton Review’s “Guide to 322 Green Colleges,” a separate guidebook released in the spring that features the “nation’s most environmentally responsible ‘green colleges.’”

• Read more in “Great Schools for 20 of the Most Popular Undergraduate Majors”
• Read more in “The Best 377 Colleges”
• Read more about the “Guide to 322 Green Colleges”
• Read more about what makes Holy Cross unique on our “Points of Distinction” page

First, Schneider debunked the theory that rigid curricular standards are necessary in order to grade a school’s ability to provide quality education. “Standardized test scores provide a very narrow picture of what happens inside schools,” he said, adding that untested subjects such as history and the arts are also of value, and yet forgotten. With a solution in mind, Schneider proposed that school systems be rated according to five distinct categories: the arts, family satisfaction and involvement, teacher satisfaction and support, diversity and students’ future trajectories.

Later in his post, Schneider admitted that standardized test scores would not disappear. However, he noted, “test scores are insidiously taking hold in policy discourse and among the public as perfectly acceptable measure of quality.” Then, he called the public to action, saying, “[I]t is our job not only to resist narrow and simplistic measures of educational quality, but to demand access to the data we really need—information that allows us to make thoughtful decisions about or schools.”

• Read the full blog post in The Washington Post

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

Julia McCarthy

In a one-on-one interview with Worcester Mag, College of the Holy Cross student Julia McCarthy ’15, talked about receiving the Francis Ouimet Scholarship which led to her giving the keynote speech at the organization’s recent gala, moving many in the audience to tears. Since the Ouimet Fund helps young men and women who have worked at golf courses in Massachusetts obtain a college education, McCarthy also discussed her time caddying at Green Hill golf course, the biggest tip she ever received, her favorite golfer, and seeing a player score a hole-in-one.

In the interview, McCarthy, an English and theatre major, who is currently studying in London, England, through a Holy Cross sponsored theatre program, explained that she has been playing golf since her varsity days in high school, and also spoke highly of her home course, saying, “Green Hill is my favorite [to] play and hang around at because of its level of professionalism, matched with its friendliness and welcoming spirit.”

Then, thinking ahead to what the future might have in store, McCarthy stated, “I am so young and have so many wonderful opportunities coming my way, especially of late.” McCarthy also spoke to the thrill of becoming an esteemed woman caddy and golfer in a male-dominated sport, and that she has worked hard to earn universal respect. “I am perfectly content focusing on myself and my family first and just taking things as they come,” she continued.

• Read the full article at Worcester Mag
• Watch Julia McCarthy give Ouimet keynote speech

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

A music major with an anthropology minor, Burke has always had a passion for travel and musical collaboration, which shaped his undergraduate career.

In the summer of 2011, Burke spent 10 weeks teaching English and mathematics in Uganda at the Ocer Campion Jesuit College through a teaching fellowship that he received through Holy Cross’ Chaplains’ Office. Last summer, Burke researched stambeli music in Tunisia through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. During his seven weeks in Tunisia, he took approximately four hours of private gumbri (Tunisian lute) lessons every day.

After returning from Turkey, he plans to enroll in a Ph.D. program in ethnomusicology to continue to explore music’s ability to express cultural identities and create possibilities for cross-cultural exchange. His ultimate goal is to become a professor of enthnomusicology. “Such a career would help me fulfill my life goals of experiencing many different cultures, collaborating with a variety of musicians, and helping others realize, develop, and capitalize on their passions,” he wrote in his personal statement.

At Holy Cross, Burke was involved in Student Programs for Urban Development and the WCHC radio station. He also worked in the music library and the Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center in downtown Worcester through community-based work study.

Each year approximately 1,000 college students are awarded grants through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program in international educational exchange. Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception in 1946, more than 300,000 participants — chosen for their leadership potential — have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions.

Related Information:

• Points of Distinction

In a recent blog post for Phi Delta Kappan, Jack Schneider, assistant professor of education at the College of the Holy Cross, spoke to the importance of quality and high-value schooling, and the fact that often, parents are the lynchpins to such success.

In his blog, Schneider insisted that parents are “quality-conscious” when it comes to their children’s education, and that relatively speaking, higher quality schools tend to be located in the suburbs. Therefore, there is a catch-22, as suburban schools “possess qualities that attract engaged adults” while “other schools, many of them in cities, lack the qualities that would draw those whose absence makes it virtually impossible to send the ‘good school’ signal.”

In order to help all schools thrive regardless of location, Schneider proposed that we should embrace technology, and explore popular crowdsourcing methods such as Kickstarter with the aim of financially backing under-resourced schools. With this in mind, Schneider assured that schools in need would reap benefits, saying, “infusing those schools with new resources promises far more upsides than downsides.” Then, still proposing his progressive plan, he said, “We can allocate what we have in a manner that is more fair, more just, and more efficient. We just have to think creatively.”

• Read the full blog post at Phi Delta Kappan

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

The biology major, Russian minor, with a premed concentration, plans to attend medical school. “I hope improving my knowledge of Russian will help me connect with traditionally underrepresented immigrant communities,” he said.

At Holy Cross, Cumming was a tour guide coordinator in Admissions, and a member of the biology department’s Student Advisory Committee, serving as cochair during his senior year.

Each year approximately 1,000 college students are awarded grants through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program in international educational exchange. Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception in 1946, more than 300,000 participants — chosen for their leadership potential — have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions.

Related Information:

• Points of Distinction

Grammenos was an economics and Spanish double major at Holy Cross. Since graduating in 2009, she has taught English in Mallorca, Spain, worked as a research analyst at an environmental consulting firm, coached track and field at Bedford High School, taught Greek to youth, taught English to refugee immigrants and worked at her parent’s restaurant business.

After returning from Greece, she plans to work within her community in various capacities by either teaching or starting her own business.

At Holy Cross, Grammenos was a member of the women’s track and field team, in which she was captain during her senior year, and tutored at Burncoat High School through Student Programs for Urban Development.

Each year approximately 1,000 college students are awarded grants through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program in international educational exchange. Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception in 1946, more than 300,000 participants — chosen for their leadership potential — have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions.

Related Information:

• Points of Distinction