Holy Cross Chemistry Professor Named Distinguished O’Rorke Professor in the Liberal Arts

Richard S. Herrick, professor of chemistry at the College of the Holy Cross, has been named the College’s second Edward A. O’Rorke Professor in the Liberal Arts. The professorship is made possible by a generous gift from Edward A. O’Rorke, a member of the class of 1929.

As the O’Rorke Professor, Herrick will continue his research in the relatively new field of bioorganometallic chemistry, with a group of six students.  “The principal goal of our research is to create new inorganic compounds and test them for potential use in medicinal chemistry,” he said.  “For example, we are interested in finding compounds that could be used in diagnostic imaging.”

Herrick was selected for the position, which he will hold from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2014, by a faculty panel, including Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of Holy Cross and Timothy Austin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College.

A colleague recently commented that Herrick’s work “is at the forefront of a new, exciting field…that is already providing the scientific community with a better understanding of bioorganometallic chemistry useful to the preparation of new classes of medical imaging compounds. His steady stream of work is published in the top journals…and is recognized for its significance by leaders in the field from across the globe.”

The 2007-08 recipient of the Mary Louise Marfuggi Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Herrick continues to produce advanced work and regularly includes students as key members of his research team.  During his 26 years at Holy Cross, his projects have attracted $700,000 in external funding.  Furthermore, Herrick was instrumental in the College’s successful efforts to secure nearly $2 million in institutional grants.

Respected and admired as a teacher and a research mentor, Herrick has trained numerous Holy Cross students who have gone on to distinguished careers, whether in graduate or professional programs or outside the field of chemistry.

As both the Science Coordinator and as department chair, Herrick played a major role in conceiving and executing plans for the College’s new $64 million, state-of-the-art Integrated Science Complex.  During his many years on the faculty, he has served on the Committee on Research and Publications, the Committee on Academic Standing, the Committee on Tenure and Promotion (for two terms), the Athletic Council and the Academic Affairs Council.  From 1986-1988, he was President of the Holy Cross Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

A member of Holy Cross faculty since 1984, Herrick earned his B.A. from Union College and his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has been published in numerous leading journals including Dalton Transactions, Inorganic Chemistry Chemical Communications and the Journal of Organometallic Chemistry.

With a $586,500 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Herrick helped establish the College’s Clavius Scholar Program, which allows financially disadvantaged students interested in careers in science or mathematics to attend Holy Cross. Most recently, in December 2010, he was awarded a Jean Dreyfus Boissevain Lectureship grant, which provides funds to bring a leading researcher to a primarily undergraduate institution to give a series of lectures in the chemical sciences.  It also supports summer research opportunities for two undergraduate students.

Herrick succeeds the late Joanna (Jody) Ziegler, the inaugural O’Rorke Professor, who would have concluded her term in June 2011.