|
Celebration
welcomes new president to campus
 Rev.
Michael C. McFarland,
S.J., was installed as the College's 31st president in inaugural ceremonies at
the Hart Recreation Center on Sept. 15. The inauguration was attended by students,
faculty, administrators, alumni, delegates from 140 other colleges, universities
and learned societies, representatives from the city of Worcester and friends
of the College.
Fr. McFarland assumed the office of the presidency in
July, succeeding Acting President Frank Vellaccio, who had served in that position
since the resignation
of Rev. Gerard Reedy, S.J., in July of 1998.
Born in Boston in 1948, Fr. McFarland completed his bachelor's degree in physics
at Cornell University in 1969 and earned a master's degree and Ph.D. in electrical
engineering (computer engineering) at Carnegie Mellon University. He joined the
Jesuits in 1975, studying at the Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass.,
and earning a master's in divinity and Th.M. in social ethics. He was ordained
in the St. Joseph Memorial Chapel at Holy Cross in 1984. Fr. McFarland taught
at Boston College from 1986 to 1996. Prior to becoming president of Holy Cross,
he served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Gonzaga University in
Spokane, Wash.
He also served as a professor of computer science at Gonzaga.
Inaugural activities began on Wed., Sept.
13, with a reception for Worcester community leaders and
diocesan priests who are alumni. The reception was held in
the Jesuit residence at Ciampi Hall. On Thurs., Sept. 14,
a Liturgical Celebration on the Feast of the Exaltation of
the Holy Cross took place in St. Joseph Memorial Chapel.
During the liturgy, Fr. McFarland delivered a homily that
meditated on the ironies and challenges in his own life and
in the life of the College. After the liturgy, students,
faculty, staff, alumni and trustees joined Fr. McFarland
at an "upscale barbecue" outside of Kimball
Hall.
A panel presentation about the Holy Cross Mission, featuring administrators,
faculty, students and alumni took place on Friday morning in the Hogan Campus
Center. The following addresses were presented: "Holy Cross: A Jesuit Liberal
Arts College By Tradition and Choice," by Stephen C. Ainlay, vice president of
academic affairs and dean of the College; "Asking Questions
Through Fiction," by Isabel Alvarez-Borland, professor of Spanish; "Three Years
Later: A Muslim Journey through a Jesuit Institution," by Jawad Ahsan '01, economics
major, international studies / Middle Eastern studies concentrator; "The Challenge
to Live Intentionally," by Renee Fay-LeBlanc '96, Watson Fellow, 1996-1997, who
is currently studying at the University of Vermont
Medical School; and "Mission and Creative Tensions," by Rev. Philip C. Rule,
S.J., associate professor of English and advisor, Alpha Sigma Nu.
Following the panel discussion, the installation ceremony began at 3:30 p.m.
Several speakers welcomed the new president including: Worcester City Manager
Thomas Hoover; Very Rev. Robert J. Levens, S.J. (from the Society of Jesus);
Professor Helen M. Whall (from the faculty of the College); James D. Long (from
the employees of the College); and Tarah M. Auguste '01 (from the students of
the College).
Rev. John W. O'Malley, S.J., professor of church history at the Weston
Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass., delivered the inauguration
address. It was followed by the presidential inaugural address given
by Fr. McFarland. In his remarks, Fr. McFarland spoke of the many ways
that transcendence
can be experienced at the College, and how we might use those glimpses
to gain a more meaningful understanding of the cross
of Christ in our daily existence.
After Fr. McFarland's address, Most Rev. Daniel P. Reilly, bishop of the Diocese
of Worcester, delivered a benediction. A reception for those in attendance was
held on the lawn of the Hart Center following the recessional.
A "Fun Run/Walk" with Fr. McFarland completed the celebration on Saturday, Sept.
16, at 9 a.m. The 2.5-mile course began at the Hart Center and continued around
the fieldhouse and the Hill residence halls. A Health and Wellness Fair was also
part of the festivities. More than 300 students, faculty, staff, alumni and Worcester
residents participated with Fr. McFarland.
"A
Glimpse of Transcendence” by Rev. Michael C. McFarland,
S.J. >
"Our Tradition: Common
Good, Common Ground" by Rev. John W. O’Malley,
S.J., Inauguration Speaker >
“The Glow of All that yet might be” by
Helen Whall, Speaker of the Faculty >
“The Gifts of Holy Cross” by Tarah
Auguste ’01 >
|
