College Establishes Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., Scholarship to Honor Departing President

The Holy Cross board of trustees has announced the establishment of the Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., Scholarship, which will provide financial aid support to Holy Cross students who exhibit significant financial need and who are graduates of Jesuit and Catholic high schools across the country.

The new scholarship is a tribute to Holy Cross' departing president, says Richard Patterson ’80, board chair. "Fr. Boroughs has been a magnificent leader over the past nine years. The trustees want to honor his service and his legacy, and the endowed scholarship seemed like the perfect tribute to this humble man, emphasizing Phil's deep concerns regarding student opportunity and accessibility."

The scholarship was established with gifts exceeding $4.34 million by 69 donors, though the total amount of the endowed fund will equal more than $8.69 million, thanks to the Hope + Access Campaign for Financial Aid’s Williams Match. The scholarship will support at least one Boroughs Scholar per enrolled class, in perpetuity, and awardees will also receive support to pursue experiential learning opportunities.

"This gift is in appreciation of Fr. Boroughs' devotion to Catholic and Jesuit education, and his ardent desire to make the Holy Cross experience available to deserving students, no matter their financial situation," Patterson says. "The scholarship will ensure that generations of students will benefit from Phil's love of the College and our love of Phil."

"The intensity of the experience of our students here on this residential college makes for a very engaged, talented and generous alumni, and our alumni are outside of any category in higher education I've ever experienced before," Fr. Boroughs says. "Holy Cross alumni are in a category of their own, and I am so grateful that you are. I can’t thank you enough for who you are and have been, both for me and for the College. God bless you all."

Donors interested in supporting the Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J. Scholarship may make a gift online, or by contacting Tom Flynn in the office of Advancement at tflynn@holycross.edu.