At Holy Cross, we believe that personal and academic exploration is the best way to find a calling and a path — both for those who already have a specific goal in mind and for those who still aren’t sure what they want to do. That sense of intellectual adventure is what inspires great works of art, fosters exciting scientific breakthroughs, reveals new perspectives on longstanding questions and prepares our students to become effective and principled leaders in all fields.
What Makes the Liberal Arts So Liberating?
As a liberal arts institution, Holy Cross provides an education that’s about much more than getting a job. Instead of focusing on a narrow career path, a liberal arts education provides an excellent foundation for the challenges and opportunities that students encounter in both personal and professional situations throughout their lives. The liberal arts emphasize academic breadth and depth supported by essential foundational skills — such as critical thinking, clear communication, and careful analysis and synthesis of information — that are relevant in every line of work and study.
By working purposefully and thinking creatively within and across diverse subjects, students receive the full benefits of a liberal arts education, which inspires curiosity, imagination and flexibility. It’s an education designed to develop a sense of wonder and to encourage active engagement in the world. It’s an education that prepares students to do good and do well in a rapidly changing and increasingly interdependent global marketplace. Our graduates are characterized by their ability to think morally, act compassionately and respond adeptly to the challenges they face. These are the same skills that make Holy Cross alumni remarkable leaders — no matter where their path takes them.
We believe that asking questions is an act of courageous exploration — one that takes our students from basic knowledge to deep understanding.
The Whole Person, and the Whole World
Much like the liberal arts, Jesuit education calls for education of the whole person: intellectual, spiritual and personal. We view these facets of our students’ growth as interconnected and complementary. In and out of the classroom, students embrace open inquiry and ethical values in ways that help them lead engaged and fulfilling lives.
The Jesuit tradition places great emphasis on living in dialogue and solidarity with others. We ask students the most difficult questions of faith and ethics, challenging them to expand their conceptions of truth and justice. We invite them to examine their place in the world, and to view their education — and their aspirations and goals — from a global perspective. We instill in them a deep respect for their fellow human beings, and prepare them to serve not only as skilled leaders, but as compassionate citizens. Holy Cross students seek to achieve great things — not only for themselves, but also for their communities and society as a whole.
An Intentionally Winding Path
At Holy Cross, open exploration and intellectual rigor combine to create academic journeys that rarely proceed directly from A to B. The twists and turns our students encounter during their four years on campus reveal new possibilities and unanticipated opportunities that result in an experience greater than the sum of its parts. As they pursue diverse threads of knowledge that intertwine and intersect, students find deeply meaningful insights and discoveries that transcend disciplinary lines.