Annual Dinner

Frank Vellaccio has worked at Holy Cross since 1974, when he was hired as an assistant professor of chemistry. That same year, he earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned a B.S. degree from Fordham University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. His doctoral thesis, “Synthesis and Study of New Reagents with Potential Use in Peptide Synthesis,” began his career as an academic chemist in the area of peptide synthesis. In addition to articles in scientific journals, Dr. Vellaccio published a textbook, Organic Chemistry, in 1980. Written with D.S. Kemp, the book became a standard text in many colleges and universities throughout the country, and has been translated into Japanese, Italian, and Spanish. After serving on a number of the College’s major faculty committees, he moved into an administrative position in 1986, becoming Dean of the College. From this office, he oversaw faculty, academic, and curricular policy. The following year, he became the College’s Academic Vice President. In January 1996, he was named the College’s first Provost, with dual responsibilities for both academic affairs and college development. From 1998 to 2000, he served as acting President of the College. From 2003 to 2016, he held the position of Senior Vice President and oversaw the areas of Admissions, Financial Aid, Athletics, Marketing and Communications, Assessment and Research and Government and Community Relations. After 45 years at the College and 30 years as a senior administrator, Dr. Vellaccio continues to advise senior members of the administration on special projects.