Dialogues with the ExpertsThe Faculty Speakers Bureau brings Holy Cross to alumni doorstepsMaura Fredey ’94
Three years ago, Rev. Philip C. Rule, S.J., was preparing to retire after a rich teaching career spanning 40 years—25 of which were spent as an English professor at Holy Cross. However, after years of dedication and daily engagement with the College and its students, the idea of letting go of active daily involvement didn’t sit well with him.
The program allows alumni to tap into the wealth of expertise and knowledge of the Holy Cross faculty. Fr. Rule is delighted that, since the inception of the program, no faculty member has ever turned down his invitation to be part of the program and venture off campus to speak to alumni. To date, members of the Holy Cross faculty have visited several regional clubs, including: Albany; Boston; Cape Cod; Chicago; Fairfield, Conn.; Long Island; Los Angeles; San Diego; St. Louis; Springfield, Mass.; Milwaukee; Philadelphia; Rhode Island; and, of course, Worcester. “After I sent the list of faculty and possible topics to one regional club leader, he told me he felt like a kid in a candy store,” laughs Fr. Rule. “This program is first and foremost a service to our alumni. It really displays to alumni the quality of professors at Holy Cross.” Fr. Rule goes on to explain that the program certainly adds value to other College endeavors, such as recruiting. “If someone has a friend or colleague with a child interested in Holy Cross,” he says, “it is a great event where you can bring that student so he or she can witness the excellence of Holy Cross teaching.” The Faculty Speakers Bureau program is independent of the annual Classroom Revisited continuing education day—now in its 26th year—sponsored by the General Alumni Association. Whereas the GAA’s Classroom Revisited is a daylong event, which takes place on a Saturday every spring at Holy Cross, the Faculty Speakers Bureau is a resource for alumni who cannot get to Worcester. One alumnus’s note to Fr. Rule following a lecture read: “Between my family and work life, I have very little time to read beyond little snippets from my online WSJ and the mountain of flyers that come home from my kids’ three different schools. It was great to hear a lecture from someone who is immersed in subject areas that have such global impact.” The first set of speaking engagements was structured around the theme of “Preparing for the Chinese Century,” explains Fr. Rule. Professors with expertise in this area—Claudia Ross (modern languages), Karen Turner (history), and Thomas Gottschang (economics), visited the Boston, Cape Cod and Long Island regional clubs. Since then, the topics have varied widely—from Professor Matthew Koss teaching the physics behind “The Ted Williams Red Seat Home Run;” to David O’Brien’s lecture “Problems in the American Church;” to Donald Brand’s “The American Presidency and Presidential Elections.” Most often the events happen at a venue coordinated by the regional club, but Fr. Rule explains that they could, in fact, even be held at someone’s home. The Office of Alumni Relations covers travel and overnight accommodations, while the alumni group hosting the event typically covers local travel and meals. Because of the academic semester schedules, speaking engagements tend to work best when planned between Sept. 15 and Nov. 15 and between Jan. 15 and April 30. According to feedback from the local groups, when alumni gather at these lectures, it can be difficult to end the event because the chemistry of the Holy Cross classroom is re-ignited. Alumni are brought back for an evening to that invigorating dynamic of learning and discussing ideas together. It’s an experience that Fr. Rule hopes even more alumni will take advantage of as this program continues to grow.
How to Access the Faculty Speakers Bureau Maura Fredey ’94 is a member of the GAA Communications Committee and resides in Winchester, Mass.
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