Holy Cross Faculty, Staff and Students Make Headlines in 2009

WORCESTER, Mass. – From The New York Times to USA Today to the cover of Worcester Mag, the College of the Holy Cross made headlines both locally and nationally in 2009. From January – December, nearly 2,000 newspaper, magazine, television and radio stories featured Holy Cross people and programs.  Here are just a few of them:

* Mathew Schmalz, associate professor of religious studies and director of the College Honors Program became a regular contributor to "On Faith," an online conversation on religion sponsored by The Washington Post and Newsweek. His topics ranged from Pope Benedict's public apologies to whether or not nuclear disarmament is a pro-life issue.  In April, ABC's Good Morning America came to campus to interview Schmalz about miracles and sainthood in the Catholic Church. * Victor Matheson, associate professor of economics at the College, talked about the state of the economy to numerous media outlets including CNN.com; as well as the economic impact of hosting the Olympics to the New York Times, Chicago Public Radio, Associated Press, and the Chicago Tribune. * Matthew Clemente '11, Mark Reeth '11, Maryalice Gill '11 and Jordan Jones '12 talked about "MANuary," a beard growing contest sponsored by the Class of 2011 that benefited Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. The month-long event raised more than $3,000 for charity. They were featured on FOX25 News and WTAG Morning News. * Ann McDermott, director of admissions, talked about the College's SAT optional policy to Readers Digest.  She was also a contributor and guest blogger for "The Choice," The New York Times' college blog, in which she provided insight into how admissions counselors evaluate applications.

The Choice (November 30, 2009) How One College Evaluates a Transcript

The Choice (December 4, 2009) Shedding Further Light on How One College Decides

* Lynne Myers, director of financial aid at the College, offered advice for families on paying for college and navigating the financial aid process on WCVB-TV. * Samuel Partyka ‘10, and Sarah Grunstein, renowned pianist and assistant professor of music, described the experience of performing on historic pianos — dating back to 1790 — during Grunstein's student's annual Historic Piano Festival to WBUR (Boston's NPR affiliate). * Seven students from Holy Cross ran the Boston Marathon to raise money for Dana-Farber. Together they contributed over $20,000 for cancer research.  The students shared their story with NECN/Channel 3. * In a feature story, Boston Globe reporter Tracy Jan wrote about Slow Food—one of the most successful dining programs and most popular 'green' initiatives—at the College. * In another Boston Globe feature story, students Yalda Faqeerzada '12 and Uzra Azizi '12, reflected on their first year of studies at Holy Cross, through the Initiative To Educate Afghan Women, before returning to their native Afghanistan for the summer. * WCVB’s Chronicle attended Commencement: Daryl Brown, Joseph Lopez and Edward Mullaney, all members of the class of 2009, shared their plans for the future and their thoughts about graduating in a recession. * In a FOX25 News Special Report and on WTAG, Holy Cross seniors Kevin Sullo and Tom Booth talked about taking a zero-gravity flight to study the physics of baseball.  Matthew Koss, associate professor of physics at the College, graced the cover of Worcester Mag, for his research on the physics of baseball. * In a national story on new trends in campus dining, Angelo Berti, sous chef at the College, talked about the cooking lessons he gives in the residence halls. The article ran in nearly 50 outlets including CBS News and The San Francisco Chronicle. * Charles Manyak, production manager in dining services at the College, was splashed across the pages of Worcester Living Magazine, for his popular Crusader Cuisine class, during which teaches employees at the College to cook. * The Redfeather Theatre Company at the College received rave reviews throughout the city for the Worcester Shakespeare Festival, with performances of Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing. Outlets included Worcester Mag, NECN/Channel 3, and the Telegram & Gazette. * “From new construction, to energy conservation to even eliminating dining trays, Holy Cross has made a comprehensive campus-wide effort to reduce its global footprint over the past few years,” according to the Worcester Business Journal.  For these efforts and much more the College was recognized with a Central Mass Green Award by the Worcester Business Journal.  The College was also featured in Inside Higher Ed, in a story about its goal to reduce carbon gas emissions 20 percent by 2015 and reach carbon neutrality by 2040 as part of American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. Of the 392 colleges and universities whose presidents signed the pledge in 2007, Holy Cross was among the 88 to submit a plan by the deadline. * Michael Lochhead, vice president for administration and finance at the College, provided insight into how the new GI Bill would work for veterans interested in attending Holy Cross to NPR’s All Things Considered. The show is heard by more than 13 million listeners weekly, on over 650 public radio stations nationwide. * Once overlooked, Holy Cross quarterback Dominic Randolph '10, is received interest from the NFL, and was praised for his efforts on and off the field by The New York Times, ESPN.com, The Boston Globe, Sports Illustrated, WBZ-TV, USA Today, and the Associated Press. * On a WBZ-TV feature, Chris Hayden ‘10, coxswain for the rowing team, shared his experiences as a varsity athlete born with only one arm.  Coach Todd Pearson and team captains Dan McGlinn '10 and D.J. Estes '10 talked about Chris' contributions to the team.

To see more Holy Cross stories featured by the media in 2009, visit Holy Cross in the News.