About the President

Vincent D. Rougeau is the 33rd president of Holy Cross. He is the first lay and first Black president in the College’s history. 

Vince Rougeau poses for a photo

Vincent D. Rougeau leads the nation’s only undergraduate Jesuit liberal arts college and is a passionate advocate for an inclusive, mission-driven education. Under his leadership and in collaboration with faculty, staff, alums and students, Holy Cross has advanced Aspire, its new strategic vision for the future. This comprehensive plan guides the institution’s efforts to build on its long-standing excellence and ensure that the College continues to serve and prepare all its students for the wider world. As president, his early focus includes investing in student, faculty and staff experience, strengthening shared governance with faculty, administration and the Board of Trustees, and deepening partnerships across the City of Worcester.

Rougeau, a nationally respected expert in legal education and Catholic social thought, became the 33rd president of the College of the Holy Cross in July 2021. Rougeau previously served as dean of the Boston College Law School and the inaugural director of the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America. Prior to his role at Boston College, Rougeau was a tenured professor of law at Notre Dame Law School, and served as their associate dean for Academic Affairs from 1999-2002.

Rougeau has written extensively on law and religion with a particular focus on Catholic social teaching and the law. His book “Christians in the American Empire: Faith and Citizenship in the New World Order” was released by Oxford University Press in 2008. His research considers the relationships among religious identity, citizenship and membership in highly mobile and increasingly multicultural democratic societies. He served as senior fellow at the Centre for Theology and Community in London, where he researched broad-based community organizing, immigration and citizenship in the United Kingdom as part of the Just Communities Project.

He is past president of the Association of American Law Schools, and previously served on the Council of the Boston Bar Association. He currently serves on the boards of Newton-Wellesley Hospital, GBH, Boston Lyric Opera and Commonweal Magazine. 

He received his A.B. magna cum laude from Brown University in 1985, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1988, where he served as articles editor of the Harvard Human Rights Journal. He and his wife, Robin Kornegay-Rougeau, M.D. are proud parents to Christian, Alexander and Vincent (V.J.).

 

President Rougeau in the News
Collages of expression-less faces
America Magazine: How do we prepare Catholic universities for success? Focus on the marginalized.

On Catholic higher education and students at the margins.

Students gather in the hoval
The Boston Globe: Clarence Thomas was a beneficiary of race-based admissions at my school

Reflections on the expected Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action. 

A person votes
Crux: Panel seeks to find ‘common ground’ in polarized nation

How can Catholic teachings guide us through deeply divided times?

An interview on a Zoom webinar
Inside Higher Ed: Weekly Wisdom | College of the Holy Cross President Vincent Rougeau

A webinar discussion on leadership in higher education. 

A photograph of the King family at Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral
Telegram & Gazette: Dr. King's legacy inspires us to move Worcester, and country, forward

The legacy of Dr. King can propel our city and country to a more just future. 

Podcast brand imagery
Diverse Magazine: Discussing DEI with College of the Holy Cross President Vincent Rougeau

How do we create a truly welcoming culture for all of our community members?