Worcester Business Journal

16 2016 Central Mass By The Numbers • Worcester Business Journal www.wbjournal.com Preferred Mutual Insurance Company One Preferred Way, New Berlin, NY 13411 It's more than a business. It's a labor of love. www.preferredmutual.com You love what you do. This is part of who you are. So, it helps to have a partner who works with you and knows how to protect what's most important to you. Work, Dream and Live Assured — each and every day. Open the Door 508-347-5056 • www.osv.org/inn Old Sturbridge Inn and Reeder Family Lodges A T O L D S T U R B R I D G E V I L L A G E Your stay helps to support our museum! • Large Rooms • Conference Room • On-site Spa Services • Quiet Country Setting • Free Parking • Exercise Room • Free Wireless Internet • Free Continental Breakfast Education M ore than 170 years after it was founded by the Society of Jesus in Worcester, the College of the Holy Cross is still very connected to its spiritual roots. The first physical manifes- tation of the private liberal arts college's $400 million capital campaign – its largest to date – is a new center that houses its retreat programs. Holy Cross' president, Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, said its Jesuit tradition and rig- orous academics are what sets the college apart from others. Boroughs spoke about development, college affordability and the college's recent foray into March Madness. You recently launched your largest capital campaign to date. What is the goal of the campaign? The goal of the campaign, "Become More: Campaign for the Future of Holy Cross," is to strengthen every aspect of the College of the Holy Cross experience to prepare our students academically, personally and spiritually to thrive and lead in our increasingly complex society. The Become More campaign targets spe- cific priorities, including inspiring and resourcing creative teaching and learn- ing; living our faith; enabling access, diversity and affordability; advancing leadership and citizenship; empowering athletics, health and wellness; and sus- taining our future, our mission and our vision. The Thomas P. Joyce '59 Contemplative Center, located in West Boylston, is the first capital initiative to come to fruition. How does Holy Cross distinguish itself in a competitive college environment? Holy Cross stands apart from other colleges through its Jesuit, Catholic and liberal arts traditions centered around a mission to live and work as men and women for others. While the college is recognized for its commitment to serve others, especially here in Worcester, we are also known for being academically rigorous while offering strong mentor- ship to our students. This is reflected in our 10:1 student to faculty ratio and our dedicated faculty's extraordinary accessi- bility. Our students are challenged and thrive in our rigorous academic pro- grams, earning impressive numbers of Fulbright scholarships, which are given to graduated seniors who plan to con- duct research around the world. Further, participating in internship and summer research opportunities enables our students to immerse them- selves in a field or area of study they are most passionate about. How did your involvement in the NCAA tournament affect interest in Holy Cross this year? The men's basketball team's Patriot League championship and participation in the NCAA Tournament were a great source of celebration and pride for the entire Holy Cross community, both here in Worcester and across the country. The excitement really brought to light the deep connection and passion that our campus community and alumni feel for the college. Our participation in the NCAA Tournament also allowed us to highlight the academic accomplishments of our student-athletes. Time.com published their own tour- nament bracket in which they showed how each of the 64 teams would have fared if the NCAA tournament were based on academic performance. Holy Cross was crowned national champions in this bracket, based on the strength of the team's graduation rate. Our vision for Holy Cross Athletics is to build a suc- cessful Division I program within the Patriot League while maintaining our high academic standards. What is the significance of the athlet- ic complex renovation? The renovation of The Hart Center, which is now called The Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex, demon- strates another of our strategic priorities. The new Luth Athletic Complex will give Holy Cross student-athletes the resources they need to maximize their potential and competitiveness and will continue to offer facilities for the entire student body, faculty and staff. In addi- tion, the college plans to completely revamp the aging field house to create a first-rate recreation, health and wellness facility. What is Holy Cross doing to address the issue of college affordability? Holy Cross adheres to a 'need-blind' admissions policy, which is something that is only seen in a small number of institutions. With this approach, a stu- dent's financial circumstances have no bearing on their admission decision, ensuring that all applicants are evaluated equally based on merit. In addition, the college meets 100 percent of accepted students' demonstrated financial need through individually tailored financial aid packages. These policies are core to our mission and identity and ensure that a Holy Cross education remains within reach to qualified students from a broad cultural, geographic and socioeconomic spectrum. This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by Laura Finaldi, WBJ staff writer. Holy Cross uses Jesuit tradition to distinguish itself W

• Cover