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The Gift of Diversity
By Maria Healy
In a statement to the Holy Cross community outlining the aspirations of the Lift High the Cross Campaign, Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., writes that a commitment to Holy Cross requires a "rethinking of what it means to be a Jesuit school in the 21st century." Addressing the issues of Catholicism, education and contemporary society, the question becomes: Where and how does a Catholic liberal arts college fit into the rich and overwhelming diversity of today's America?
There is the critical need, not only for respect, understanding and compassion among all people, but also for colleges to educate students in the broadest sense. To meet its responsibility to students, a successful college must effectively serve as a microcosm of the larger society, preparing young men and women not only intellectually and professionally for life in the world, but socially, culturally and spiritually as well. And in the case of Holy Cross, the challenge is even greater. How does the College do all of the above and stay true to the original intention and identity of the Jesuits? As Fr. McFarland goes on to ask, "How does Holy Cross "foster a common culture and set of values in a diverse world?"
The answer, it seems, is in giving.
Based on two gifts of one million dollars each from B.J. '55 and Bebe Cassin, and John '73 and Monica Murphy P'99, Holy Cross is riding a surge of momentum and credibility in terms of increasing the minority presence on campus. Through a growing network of outreach work in collaboration with on-campus programs, such as the Diversity Task Force, and the ALANA (African American, Latino, Asian, Native American) Recruitment Initiative, the College's goal not only to recruit and retain students of color, but also to cultivate a college where both majority and minority students become wholly educated people is becoming a reality.
"I had a great education," says B.J. Cassin, who majored in economics at Holy Cross and served in the Marine Corp for five years, making captain during that time. He has gone on to become a highly successful venture capitalist in California as well as a two-term chairman of the board of trustees of St. Mary's College in Moraga, California. Cassin is also a philanthropist with a vision for educational opportunity. His gifts are designed not only to provide education to underprivileged people of color but also to enhance the established academic communities of the majority.
According to foundation director, Jeff Thielman, the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation, created by Cassin and his wife in 2000, works with religious orders, dioceses, parishes and other groups to establish faith-based college-preparatory middle schools and high schools in economically challenged areas throughout the country. Cassin's gift, Thielman explains, was prompted by affection for his alma mater and "concerns about the lack of diversity at prestigious colleges like Holy Cross. Mr. Cassin feels that these schools need to catch up to become better schools."
Through his grants and efforts, Cassin is providing opportunities to the poor while creating minority links to colleges such as Holy Cross. "The mission (of the gift) is such that we want to make (education) available to those who qualify and show the potential to be successful at Holy Cross," says Thielman. At the same time, "Holy Cross students should be exposed to the real world, because in four years, they're going to be dealing with a business world that's almost completely color blind. For Holy Cross graduates to not have that exposure (to minorities) in their training is a void in the responsibility the school has to its students."
John Murphy '73, enjoys a successful career in the private equity business in New York, investing for years in radio stations, newspapers, and television production companies, as well as the for-profit education business. His firm is the largest shareholder of Mosaica Education, Inc., the nation's third largest charter school management company, operating 21 charter schools in six states and the District of Columbia. There are 12,000 students and 1,000 teachers and staff.
As Murphy tells it, Holy Cross has given generously to him and his wife, Monica. They met while he was a student at Holy Cross. The College is the source of many of their longstanding friendships. Their son, Dylan, is a graduate of the Class of 1999. Throughout the years, Holy Cross has supported the family's faith. During the trustees' retreat a year and a half ago, the Murphys decided that they wanted to give back to the College, not only to recognize "Holy Cross' preeminence and its uniqueness as a Catholic, Jesuit, liberal arts college," but also to support its roots, its mission, "to educate the children of immigrants."
Combining a desire to promote diversity with their involvement in Nativity Schools, most of which are influenced and supported by the Jesuits and focus on populations that have traditionally fallen behind, dropped out, or been left out of the educational system, the Murphys decided to endow a scholarship at Holy Cross to be awarded each year to students who attended any of the 36 Nativity-model schools in the United States. The original Nativity Mission Center is in Manhattan, where Murphy is chairman of the board. Murphy sees this as an "ideal way" to continue to support these students and enrich diversity at Holy Cross.
Alumni donations not only ensure the continuation of quality education, they allow the College "to be creative," as Fr. McFarland says. With tuition income and the annual fund going to pay salaries and ongoing costs, gifts from alumni help to establish new resources as well as expand and solidify established ones, giving them priority status, as is the case with The ALANA Recruitment Initiative. The concept and dedication behind the recruitment of students of color has been present at Holy Cross for years, but it wasn't until these recent gifts that the program attained the level of a formal initiative, elevating its overall scope and resources, allowing the program to come into its own.
Due to Cassin's gift, Ann Bowe McDermott '79, director of admissions, has been able to enhance her staff significantly, hiring three additional people to cover more ground at both the local and national levels more effectively, and getting Holy Cross on the radar as "a known option, a college of choice," among high schools with minority populations across the entire country.