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By Katharine B. McNamara '81 and Jack O'Connell '81
 In
November, Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., was elected the
31st president of the College of the Holy Cross. He will
assume his duties in July 2000. Fr. McFarland recently sat
down with the editors of Holy Cross Magazine to share his
views on teaching, technology, Ex Corde Ecclesiae and the
future of the College.
Q:
One of the nice synchronicities of you becoming president
of Holy Cross is that you were ordained right here on campus.
A: Yes, I actually have a nice photo on my desk of my father
and me standing on the steps of St. Joseph Memorial Chapel. Q: Do you remember that day?
A: I do. I remember how welcoming the Holy Cross community
was. We arrived a few days beforehand and I think I had
a bed in the old infirmary (laughs). The campus
was just beautiful, as it always is that time of year (June).
There was a big dinner afterwards for all our guests in
the grand setting of Kimball Hall.
Q: You grew up in Massachusetts. What
was your perception of Holy Cross?
A: I had known about Holy Cross since high school. A number
of classmates and friends had gone here. And as a Jesuit
in New England, of course, I would hear
a lot about the College. I recall that as a novice I came out for an afternoon
in October and Tony Kuzniewski (professor of history and rector of the Jesuit
community at Holy Cross), who was a scholastic at the time, gave us a tour
of the campus, and we attended a football game. I've since had friends who
have worked here. So I knew about Holy Cross from other Jesuits and from friends.
I knew about the academic quality. But I think what impressed me most of all
was the uniqueness of the community spirit people have here. People just have
a wonderful experience here. They feel cared for. There's a strong sense of
belonging and community along with that academic standing. And that sense of
belonging certainly does create a great loyalty. I've heard from a lot of alumni
since the announcement was made. I've received a lot of welcoming e-mail. It
took an hour or two every morning just to respond!
Q: The faculty at Gonzaga was very
saddened to see you move on. Was accepting the presidency
a difficult
decision?
A: Initially, I was sad about the prospect of leaving Gonzaga.
I had a great working relationship with the faculty and I
thought we had done some things
that were worthwhile, and that they really deserved some support and leadership.
I thought I would have another year or two. There were some things I wanted
to see through to completion. I have a wonderful staff and we're very close.
What I like about Gonzaga is that it has very few resources and yet it does
a wonderful job. So, I guess I feel some sympathy for that. But I certainly
love the idea of coming to Holy Cross. Really, the harder decision was leaving
Boston College in '96, because it meant I was leaving teaching and research.
Once I left there, I knew I was going to be in administration, so this was
the next logical step.
Q: Were you teaching a course this
past semester at Gonzaga?
A: I was.
Q: Is that something you hope to do
at Holy Cross?
A: It's something I'd like to do, but at this point I don't
know how realistic it is. I want to keep an open mind. It
would be good to have that kind of contact with students.
But my field is pretty labor intensive.
Q: It sounds like you have a passion
for teaching.
A: I do. I enjoy it. In fact, I had a great class, just before
I got on the plane to come here. We had a debate. We were
talking about computers in the workplace and how they distort
or change people's jobs. So I gave them a scenario: a school
system doesn't have any money and is failing. It gets a
sizable grant to install an experimental computer system
that does most of the teaching. So teachers have maybe
a quarter of the time in the classroom and the rest is
spent monitoring the computers. And I assigned people different
roles to have a debate about this. And it was just a great
debate! They were really into it and excited and thoughtful.
It's wonderful to see that.
Down deep, I really do love science and engineering. Since I was in elementary
school, I've loved those things. It's something I've always come back to.
In some ways, I am a "techie," though with a broader background and maybe
broader interests. But I still get excited about design issues or new discoveries.
I still enjoy the rigorous but creative scientific process or engineering
process.
Q: Your area really is at the cutting
edge of the culture these days. The last decade of technological
progress has taken
the general public by surprise.
A: Well, it's changed the way we do everything. Oddly enough, while I enjoy
working in this field, I don't have the same reverence for it that some people
have. I don't know if this is strange or not, but in some ways I'm more skeptical
about pouring money into information technology than somebody who didn't know
the field might be.
Q: Well, your perspective as a Jesuit
informs that. You're
bringing some philosophical depth to the subject.
A: Well, that's right. You want to always ask the questions: What are we
using this for? What will it do for us? And, what are the dangers? Not, how
fancy or how neat is it?
Q: You teach a course in computers
and ethics. Can you tell us a little bit about the course?
A: I started this at Boston College, probably around 1988 or
so. I had gotten interested in talking to other Jesuits about
bringing computers into the schools.
So I put together a course on that, and I've taught it every year or two since.
We start off with a block on basic ethics to make sure we have some language
and analysis techniques we can use. I have them read a book called Hackers:
Heroes of the Computer Revolution, which traces the computer subculture
or counterculture from its beginning in the 1950s at MIT, with the founding
of the AI Lab and the Tech Model Railroad Club and all that. Then it hops to
California where you have more of a populist revolution with computers. And
then it shows the eventual commercialization as people get into the game industry
and start making a lot of money at it, whereas they hadn't done that before.
So, from the author's point of view there's something of a moral decline as
the field becomes more a part of the commercial mainstream. The reason I use
that book, beside the fact that I think people who are going to work out in
this field should know some of the history, is that it brings up a lot of the
issues that we talk about now-intellectual property, hacking, privacy, computers
and work, computer reliability and failures. It puts these things in a context
so the students can understand why people take the positions they do. The students
get to see how these issues play out in a particular, concrete set of circumstances.
Then we go on to specific issues. We look at copying software or copying things
off the Internet. Another issue is liability for computer failure-what do you
do when you're putting a computer in a life-critical context but you know it's
going to fail? That's a very interesting question. We also talk about the use
of computers in the workplace and how it can lead to de-skilling; some jobs
become so routine that it can take responsibility away from people. But there
are ways you can design systems so that they really enhance people's jobs and
skills. These are issues that are going to affect us all.
Q: It sounds like a course that should
be required for young people heading out into that field.
A: Right. Actually, our professional organization recommends
a model curriculum that includes a course in ethics. The CSAB,
which accredits computer science,
also requires ethics as part of the program. So there is an awareness in the
profession that this is needed. But, of course, it's much more comfortable
talking about the technical issues.
Q: How do you envision enlivening the
Jesuit identity of Holy Cross?
A: Well, I think being part of the national conversation on
Jesuit education is part of it, because there are a lot of
interesting things going on. Everybody
has unique circumstances and Holy Cross shouldn't just take what everybody
else is doing and adopt it. But there are a lot of common issues, too. I think
there are a number of Jesuit schools that are well into the conversation and
I think that's worthwhile. Among the western Jesuit schools they have what
are called Western Conversations where groups of faculty from each school will
come together at one of the schools about once each semester. I think that's
one thing, just to get involved in the national conversation. I think there's
been a lot of work done in the last decade on Holy Cross and its mission and
I think a number of the initiatives that came out of that are worth following
up on. I think we have to talk about curriculum; that's a perpetual issue.
I think the student experience, student life, is another one. Issues of justice
are certainly important. So are issues of service-which Holy Cross does very
well-and connecting those to the mission. No surprises there, but those are
the areas that need to be pursued, I think.
Q: Are there any areas you think we need particular work on
at the moment? What are our biggest challenges?
A: Well, diversity is one, and it's a struggle; but there are things you can
do, and people are committed to working on it. Affordability, certainly-you
can't just keep the tuition escalating. And financial aid-how do you use it to
make a Holy Cross education available to people and also leverage financial aid
to bring together the kind of student body you want, both in terms of quality
and diversity? Marketing is important. It's not a place for amateurs anymore.
In the past it has been. I think it's a much more sophisticated business now
and Holy Cross certainly has to pay attention to that. Budget priorities are
always a crucial issue. Those are some of
the immediate things.
Q: What are your feelings on the Bishops' vote
on Ex Corde and what its impact will be on us in the future?
A: I think it's legitimate for the Bishops to expect that if a place calls
itself Catholic, it has some accountability, because the word Catholic should
have a certain meaning. But I think it can mean different things in different
contexts. It's somewhat elastic. I think every place has to work out its Catholicity
in its own way; and in the Jesuit tradition we've been focused on inquiry,
trying to keep Catholicism in dialogue with the contemporary world. I think
that's the mission we have as Jesuits, to be in dialogue with the wider society,
to be open to intellectual currents that are happening, to really have a genuine
search for the truth, in a way that's still reverent and looks to the ultimate
reality. I think we've been very Thomistic that way, in the sense that Thomas
always said that you don't have to fear the truth because the truth is not
inconsistent with God. We have to continue to follow our charism that way.
I think where we need to continue working is in seeing how the particular juridical
norms would fit into our context, because in some ways they don't. They envision
a situation that's different from ours. So in some ways the question is-how
can we adapt them to our context or make them fit? I hope we'd have the freedom
to pursue the goals of the statement, but pursue them in a way that makes sense
for us.
Q: It's obvious this debate is going
to go on for some time. Will there be more opportunities
for colleges
to provide reaction
to that or is it, at this point, with the Bishops and the Pope?
A: Well, the Bishops have voted. I think if the Vatican rejects
it, it will not be because it wants something more favorable
for the colleges. It goes
to Rome at some point. If it's approved there's a year to put it into operation.
I think the Bishops have to do more on implementation. It's not clear how much
of that is on a local level and how much is national. Partly it will depend
on the local Bishop, but there has been some talk about having certain national
norms, or even a board that oversees this. I don't think that's been settled.
Q: Another hot area is athletics.
A (laughing): I have nothing to say!
Q: This is always a hot topic among alumni. What is your take
on the state of Holy Cross Athletics?
A: At this stage, everybody knows more about this than I do.
I like college athletics. But I would hope Holy Cross can run
college athletics the way it
was meant to be-which is amateur, for the student, with honest competition
among student athletes-and maintain some of the idealism and integrity that
college athletics ought to have. I think it takes some restraint to do that.
I know people especially want to have a competitive basketball program. We'll
see how that works out.
Q: Gonzaga certainly had a great year last year.
A: They made the Elite Eight (in the NCAA Basketball Tournament).
It was a really wonderful experience for the campus. All
the three network television affiliates in Spokane had their
trucks parked permanently on campus for two full weeks. And
it was a lot of fun. We did get our name out that way, but
the nice thing was that they were a bunch of good kids. Almost
none of them had been recruited at the Division 1 level.
They just had an excellent coach that helped all of them
improve and got them playing together. It was a very attractive
group and they represented the University very well. That
was just as important as their success.
Q: What about student life issues. There is a discussion beginning
between the administration and the students about ways to improve
social life and to look at student life issues. Could you talk
about that?
A: I think students feel a bit left out of some of the decision-making
here,
and it's too bad that they feel that way. But that's a hard thing to solve. Long-term
strategic planning has to be done by people who are going to be here over the
long term, and students move in and out. But ultimately, the decisions made affect
them, so they need to have input. I am aware that there are issues about having
space on campus where students can feel at home, having more activities that
keep them on campus, and so on. I know the administration already does a lot
about that, and I think
we can do more.
But what distorts everything else in student
life is the alcohol problem. It's very hard to deal with. First of all we have
to observe state law, so we're not going to sanction underage drinking. But I
think the real problem is binge drinking, which is a problem everywhere and is
much worse than it used to be. I think it's symptomatic of a lot of other things
that are going on in people's lives; but in any event,
it creates a lot of problems-a lot of the relationship problems, date rape and
assault, personal injury and property destruction, and problems with academic
performance. All these things are tied to it. Of course, it causes some of the
off-campus problems with the neighborhood as well. It's an issue we have to keep
trying to get at. It's an attitudinal problem. It's
a cultural problem. It's partly a maturity problem. Most students outgrow it,
but there's a lot of damage done along the way. You cannot ignore it. You do
have to make people accountable.
Q: We've heard you're a runner? You
run marathons?
A: I'm getting ready to run the San Diego marathon. I got roped
into this. I have a group of students who are running it for
charity, and I'm their advisor, so I'm going to go down with
them and I'll run it with them. It's January 16th. January
in San Diego is not hard to take. I run about 50 miles a week.
I started exercising when I quit doing physical labor. When
I entered the novitiate there was a group that went out every
morning and ran, so I started with that, and it's something
I kept up. I find it very relaxing. I get out early in the
morning when the day is fresh. It's when I get a lot of my
thinking done, toss ideas around. When I lived at BC, I used
to run up Heartbreak Hill everyday. We had a group from the
School of Management faculty that used to run together. They'd
usually run at noon, and I would join them sometimes when I
could get free. It was fun. I've run around the Holy Cross
campus before. And I recently peaked in the window of your
Smith Wellness Center.
Q: Other interests?
A: I like to follow sports. I still read The Globe's sports
page every day on the Web. It's great that you can get it that
way. I enjoy following the business world. Comes from teaching
management, I guess. I also like to follow what is happening
in technology. I get to a movie every once in a while. I like
reading, but now I get most of it done on trips.
Q: You mentioned you have a sister.
I'm sure she's
happy to have you moving back to New England.
A: She's very excited. And I still have cousins around the
Boston area and friends
back at BC and elsewhere around Boston.
Q: Where did the interest in the Jesuits come from?
A: I went to a Jesuit high school. I actually thought about entering during
my senior year in high school. One member of my class did enter. My parents
talked me out of it, and now I think they were right. But it was always in
the back of my mind. I explored lots of other possibilities until I ran out
of places to hide (laughing). I guess the call was always there. It
eventually caught up with me. I had a brief fling with law school and that
convinced me that I wasn't going to be happy just trying to win secular battles;
that there was something deeper I was looking for. I had an interest in social
justice, and if you were interested in social justice in the late '60s you
thought about law school. But I didn't find what I was looking for there.
Q: You have a very interesting professional
background. I'm
curious to hear about the time you spent in New Mexico with
the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
A: I'd been in Colorado a year before that and I had met somebody
there who had been superintendent of the United Pueblos Agency.
I was looking for some
way to get involved in that kind of work, so I went back to New Mexico, where
she helped me find work. I started with a summer project doing legal research
on water rights, which was really interesting. Then they opened up a project
using computer-aided instruction in one of the schools. It did not pay much
at the start, so initially I also worked with a company that built solar heaters
and alternative-style housing. The computer-aided instruction project grew
and got better funded. I did the same job pretty much for four years, but we
had to go out and get money about every six months, so I worked for about four
or five different agencies and institutions during that time. Eventually, we
did get the Bureau of Indian Affairs to pick it up, and that regularized my
status. I did just about everything, which was a really nice job. I worked
with the kids; I supervised the project on-site and did some administrative
work; I fixed the equipment and did some tutoring. So I learned a lot of different
things and came to know a lot of the people. I was invited into their homes
and went to some of the dances and festivals. That was a great experience.
Q: Do you have a sense of how you'd
like to make your mark on Holy Cross?
A: I guess what I'd like to do most of all is have this be a place where everybody
really understood, and felt responsible for, the mission of Holy Cross. I'd
like this to be a place where everybody feels that they have a share in creating
and maintaining the Jesuit character of the College and its qualities as a
community of shared values. Now, I know there's a lot of that here. But in
any institution you tend to become segmented, and in academic institutions
probably more than most. So if, when I left Holy Cross, people didn't feel
it was so important to have a Jesuit president, I would see that as a really
good thing. I am not suggesting that it is not relevant that the president
be a Jesuit; but we shouldn't have to rely on the president to make this a
Jesuit institution. If we could feel comfortable with a non-Jesuit president
it would be a sign of the maturity of the community and that we had arrived
at a really strong common understanding of what it meant to be a Jesuit college
in the 21st century. This is something we have to create. There isn't a ready-made
answer out there. But I think if we could come to that sense as a community,
then that would be a fine thing.
Q: Thank you for speaking with us, Father McFarland.
(Note: Fr. McFarland finished the San Diego marathon in
under four hours.)
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