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Headliners
AXELSON HERRICK PIERCE
Holy Cross Says Farewell to Six Retiring Professors
The cohort leaves a long legacy, teaching on Mount St. James for a combined 203 years.
At the finish of the 2020-2021 academic year, Holy Cross saw six professors conclude their careers on Mount St. James, after decades of educating generations of Crusaders.
JOHN AXELSON joined the psychology department in 1982. Specializing in neuroendocrinology, hormones and behavior, neuroanatomy, and health and medicine, his research has been supported by several grants from a variety of sources, including the National Science Foundation (NSF). Axelson served as department chair, as well as director of the biological psychology concentration. Among his many roles at the College, he served on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee for two decades, and for 20 years provided leadership as the faculty athletics representative and the College’s representative to the Patriot League Policy Committee.
What was your favorite class to teach?
I enjoyed preparing students planning to major in psychology when teaching Introduction to Psychology. With enrollments ranging from 40 to well over 100, it was a challenge to hold their attention, but I did my best. One of my main goals when teaching Physiological Psychology was to capture the interest of those students who felt they wouldn’t enjoy studying the biological side of our discipline. I encouraged the students in my seminar Mind, Body Health and Medicine to consider the importance of taking an active role in their health and well-being. It has been gratifying to hear from students that are now working as health care professionals that the course helped shape their approach to caring for their patients. We’re not supposed to have a favorite child or course, but in the last decade, teaching Food, Nutrition and Health has been a highpoint. It has been very rewarding to hear from former students that the course had a positive impact on their personal health, as well as the health of family members.
What was your proudest scholarly
moment? When I arrived at Holy Cross, the psychology department lacked equipment necessary to conduct basic neuroscience research. I recall carrying jugs filled with distilled water across campus from the biology department and cleaning lab equipment with a hose outside the basement of O’Kane, in the area that is now Memorial Plaza. With the help and support of others, including Ken Prestwich in biology, I was happy to obtain grants from the National Science Foundation, the Whitehall Foundation and the Veterans Administration that provided the equipment and resources for our students to conduct first-rate science. The publications I am most proud of were the studies conducted with colleagues at the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research in the late 1980s and early 1990s that identified steroid receptors localized within various neuropeptide neurons in the hypothalamus.
What will you miss about Holy Cross?
The best part of my day was always in the classroom. I will miss feeling my heart beat faster and my hands feeling a bit sweaty as I walked to class to meet the students on the first day of each semester. I will miss my friends and colleagues, and the many wonderful people who support the faculty and make our jobs easier.
RICHARD HERRICK joined the chemistry department in 1984 and held the position of Edward A. O’Rorke Professor in the Liberal Arts from 2011-2014. A specialist in organometallic chemistry, his research has been published in numerous leading scientific journals and has been
PRESTWICH ROSS YANG
supported by grants from the NSF, the National Institutes of Health, Research Corporation, Pew Charitable Trust and other foundations. He was awarded the College’s Mary Louise Marfuggi Award for Outstanding Scholarship in 2008 and was named the 2012 Distinguished Chemist by the New England Institute of Chemists. In addition to teaching, Herrick supervised the research efforts of more than 100 Holy Cross students. He has also created or co-created a number of guided inquiry experiments and educational resources, such as webpages, podcasts and ToolBook modules. His extensive record includes service as department chair and science coordinator, as well as on many College-wide committees, including the Committee on Tenure and Promotion, the Curriculum Committee and the Academic Standing Committee.
What was your favorite class to teach?
Deciding on my favorite course is similar to deciding who is your favorite child; on balance, though, I would say that Atoms and Molecules (CHEM 181) is my favorite course. There are several reasons for this. This course is the entry point for our guided inquiry program that we call the Discovery Program. I was a codeveloper of the program, along with the other then-members of the department, and it gained much recognition at the time for the active learning aspects that we incorporated into it. Also, I had the privilege of being in charge of this course most of the years that it was offered, going back to its inception around 1990, giving me the opportunity to help the course evolve. Finally, and not least, I have always enjoyed interacting with students as they begin their college careers. They are so focused on learning the material that will eventually propel them to a career in science/medicine. It was a privilege to work with them at that stage and then to frequently interact with them a couple of years later in classes and in the research lab, and see how much they had matured and advanced.
What was your proudest scholarly
moment? My most memorable scholarly moment started late on a Sunday night 17 years ago. I sat down at the computer to check my email and had a request to review a manuscript for publication. I opened it up and was surprised to see my name in the abstract and throughout the article. A professor in Germany, whom I didn't know, had named a compound after me. It turned out that we (two other faculty members and five Holy Cross co-authors) had published a paper in 1996 on a new set of compounds we developed, which tested whether under certain geometric constraints amino acid movement was restricted by hydrogen bonding (it was). The geometry of that general class of iron compounds that modeled the hairpin turn of a protein Beta-sheet became much studied, which led to the name — the Herrick Conformation. That was a tremendous surprise and honor, but it couldn't have happened without the co-workers and the Holy Cross students who made the compounds and characterized them.
What will you miss about Holy Cross?
What I will miss most is the collegiality of the chemistry department at Holy Cross. The eight chemistry faculty members and the staff members present when I joined in 1984 acted as a wonderful, cohesive group whom I remember fondly. While they are all long-retired or moved on, the many people who have replaced them have been similarly wonderful to work with. I will always remember my co-workers and the institution of Holy Cross.
JOANNE PIERCE joined the Department of Religious Studies in 1992. A specialist in historical and sacramental/liturgical theology, she is the author of numerous articles and book chapters. She co-edited three volumes published by Liturgical Press, one of which, “A Commentary on the General Instruction of the Roman Missal,” received two awards from the Catholic Press Association in 2008. In 2003, she received an Arthur J. O’Leary Faculty Recognition Award and in 2010, the Holy Cross “Newsmaker” Award. Pierce directed the Divine Cluster for Montserrat and has served on the Academic Governance Council, the Committee on Tenure and Promotion, the Finance and Planning Council, the Curriculum Committee and the Center
AXELSON HERRICK PIERCE
for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies Committee. She was long involved with interdisciplinary programs in Catholic studies, medieval and Renaissance studies, and women’s studies. She also served as presiding officer of the Catholic Academy of Liturgy and convener of its Issues in Medieval Liturgy Seminar.
What was your favorite class to teach?
My favorite class to teach was my seminar, Theology and Science Fiction. Many works of speculative fiction, whether set in the distant future or in an alternate history, explore fundamental questions of human existence in a “safe” setting. Topics included: What is sin? What is “God”? What is salvation? What does it mean to be “human”? What is death?
What was your proudest scholarly
moment? Probably my proudest scholarly moment was when a book that I co-edited with two others (Edward Foley and Nathan D. Mitchell), “A Commentary on the General Instruction of the Roman Missal” (Liturgical Press, 2007) won a 2008 Catholic Press Association Book Award (first place in the Liturgy category). All three of us had been contributors to the volume, as well as editors.
What will you miss about Holy Cross?
Years ago, before I started my doctoral studies, I spent a few years teaching junior high and high school. As a result, I have always had a particular interest in first-year students here at Holy Cross. As an advisor or instructor, I think I had a special appreciation of the difficulties new students faced in making the transition from high school standards to college-level expectations, and I hope I have helped to make the process a little less frustrating. Over the years, I participated several times in the former First-Year Program and the present Montserrat program, and have valued the opportunity to work with these smaller groups in a yearlong seminar sequence. Not only does this structure give first-year students the chance to explore the seminar topic in great detail, but it also offers them the time and opportunity to engage ideas in creative ways beyond the classroom. Even after more than two decades, I am still in touch with some of these students.
After spending more than half of my adult life at Holy Cross, I know that I will miss the people. I have always enjoyed interacting with students in the classroom or during office hours; teaching has been my life. But even more, I will miss the people I have worked with day-by-day and month-by-month over the past 29 years, both faculty and staff. There are too many to list, but I would like to note especially my colleagues in religious studies, some who have been friends for decades, and others who have joined the department later, at different times, over the years. KENNETH N. PRESTWICH specialized in comparative physiology, animal behavior and conservation biology, and joined the biology department in 1984. His scholarly and teaching work was supported by grants from the NSF and the Howard Hughes Foundation. Much of this funding facilitated the introduction of computer technology into science labs and classrooms, and in developing alternative, interactive methods of instruction. He received the Holy Cross Distinguished Teaching Award and an Arthur J. O’Leary Faculty Recognition Award. He chaired the biology department for four years and facilitated a major curriculum revision and served on many College committees, including the Committee on Faculty Affairs, the Committee on Tenure and Promotion, and officially or as an adjunct to the Premedical Advising Committee for 15 years. The American Arachnological Society presented him with its Distinguished Service Award for creating the society's website and for making the society one of the first to make its journal widely available online. He also was honored for his work restoring and managing a demonstration ecosystem at the University of Florida.
What was your favorite class to teach?
I taught 18 different courses at all levels to diverse audiences and had no favorite. By the mid-1990s, I increasingly believed that the most important thing I could do was work to develop ways
PRESTWICH ROSS YANG
to teach biology that de-emphasized detail and instead centered on understanding common mechanisms and principles. Mastering these would, I hoped, illustrate the unity of science and give students tools they needed to rapidly learn the details of particular versions of biological processes. This required substantial reimagination of how I taught specific topics in all my courses. This led to the development of numerous handouts, exercises, problems and computer simulations that I also shared online and through professional societies. One major manifestation of this was an extensive website devoted to teaching applications of game theory toward understanding the evolution of animal behavior. I also enjoyed bringing a mathematical/biophysical perspective to biology students and in trying to personally model the usefulness of having a broad knowledge of biology. My students’ appraisals regarding how they were able to learn (or not) from these approaches and their reports of how the courses served them after graduation were invaluable for what became my overarching career project.
What was your proudest scholarly
moment? I am proud of the recognition I received as a founder and expert in measuring the costs that animals incur (especially in terms of energy) when they produce acoustic and other signals. This included the mechanisms insects use to produce loud sounds and how all of this relates to mate choice (sexual selection) in animals. I was very pleased at the quality of the work of my research students on these projects and would note that all of them are pursuing successful careers in health professions, along with a few in academia. My scholarship meant the most to me when it also provided intellectual growth to these fine young people.
What will you miss about Holy Cross?
The students and staff: the talks in my office, labs and in the field with present and returning students; the camaraderie with members of the office, physical plant and food services staffs; and the chance to engage regularly with faculty friends in different departments and, of course, with members of my department. Thanks to everyone who was so kind to me!
CLAUDIA ROSS joined the Holy Cross faculty in 1987 and essentially launched — and then shepherded — the development of what is today a vibrant Chinese program.
Widely recognized in her field for her expertise in linguistics and second language acquisition, Ross is the author of a prominent Chinese language textbook, “Modern Mandarin Chinese,” as well as several other monographs and many scholarly journal articles. She is an eight-time recipient of the federal STARTALK grant to support teachers of critical foreign languages, through which she has hosted annual 10-day summer pedagogical development workshops for teachers of Chinese. She served as chair of the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, and has been an active contributor to interdisciplinary programs, such as the Asian studies program. She has also served on many College committees, including the Committee on Study Abroad and the Curriculum Committee, and serves on the board of the New England Chinese Language Teachers Association. In 2018, she was awarded the College’s Donal J. Burns ’49 Career Teaching Medal.
What was your favorite class to teach?
I don't have a favorite; I have mostly taught language classes, and I love working with students as they proceed on their journey to communicate in a language and culture other than their own. I think my favorite classes are the ones where students have field-tested my co-authored Chinese language textbooks. Students in these classes always provide feedback and suggestions, so the classes feel like a partnership.
What was your proudest scholarly
moment? The completion of my coauthored Chinese reference grammar, “Modern Mandarin Chinese,” which I wrote with one of my former Chinese teachers. I learned so much while writing the book, and I continue to get feedback
(and suggestions) from strangers who are using the book to support their Chinese language learning.
What will you miss about Holy Cross?
That's easy: my wonderful colleagues and students, and the feeling of community that the College nurtures.
DE-PING YANG joined the physics department in 1994. Specializing in experimental condensed matter physics using spectroscopic methods, he is co-author of the monograph, “Mössbauer Effect in Lattice Dynamics,” and has published many chapters and journal articles. His research has been supported by a Cottrell College Science Award from Research Corporation and by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Raytheon Corporation. He is an avid supervisor of student research, and in his lab many Holy Cross students have had the opportunity to work with a Mössbauer spectrometer, a rare opportunity for undergraduates. Yang was a regular participant in the Faculty Mentor Program and served as department chair, as well as on a variety of College committees, including the Committee on Tenure and Promotion, the Committee on Faculty Affairs and the Student Life Council. He has also been a member of the Executive Committee of the New England Section of the American Physical Society.
What was your favorite class to teach?
My favorite course to teach is the sixhour-a-week combination of Electronics Theory and Electronics Laboratory. It is designed for upper-level physics majors to understand how to orchestrate electrons to perform various tasks at one’s command, and how to build functional circuits to make that happen. This course has been quite popular because students are highly interested in knowing the inner workings of electronic devices, since everyone has been using these devices so extensively.
The classes are taught in one of the labs in Haberlin, with state-of-the-art instruments (such as oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, semiconductor sensors, microcontrollers, etc.), and students work in groups of two to build electronic circuits from scratch. Many of the circuits produce fun results with light, sound, vibrations and logic decisions, which you might say is the beginnings of A.I. — artificial intelligence. We allow students to make their own mistakes, with occasional awful smell/ smoke coming out of overheated circuits, and to find ways to fix the problems. And since the science of electronics changed and advanced so rapidly, I enjoyed updating the course materials every time I taught it, and students enjoyed doing cool experiments. At the end of the semester, all students design a final project of their own choosing and implement it with a functional sophisticated circuit, to my satisfaction as well as to their own delight.
I think this course not only makes the students gain valuable hands-on and teamwork experience, but also promotes their critical and creative thinking. All in all, I like this course because it is theoretically rigorous, it is highly practical and it is naturally engaging.
What was your proudest scholarly
moment? That would be a book, “Mössbauer Effect in Lattice Dynamics,” published by Wiley, a well-known publisher of scientific research and educational materials. This book contains a comprehensive review of the theory and experimental techniques of using Mössbauer spectroscopy to study magnetic materials for electronic devices, scientific and medical instruments, etc.
What will you miss about Holy Cross?
I will miss seeing the students, especially those who come to my office hours for one-on-one lively discussions about solving physics problems, about challenges in pursuing a science major and about anything in college life. I will especially miss talking with students who had a less-than-adequate high school preparation in math and science, and encouraging them to make use of all available resources to help them catch up and excel in a STEM field. ■
Fr. Tim O’Brien ’06 Returns to Holy Cross to Spread the Mission He Loves
BY MEREDITH FIDROCKI
For Rev. Timothy (“Tim”) O’Brien, S.J., ’06, frequent zip code changes have become the norm as part of his Jesuit vocation and scholarly pursuits.
But his most recent move — one that brings him back to
Mount St. James to serve as the
College’s director of mission initiatives — feels different.
“It is like coming home, not just being back at the College but working to advance a mission that I love,” he says. “The mission of Holy Cross, as a Catholic, Jesuit, liberal arts college, changed my life — I say that as often as I can to whoever will listen. It really formed me as a person. Not only did it lead me to the Society of Jesus, but Holy Cross has shaped my intellectual and personal pursuits in the 15 years since I graduated.”
When he first arrived at the College as a student in 2002, Fr. O’Brien aspired to become a lawyer. A political science major, he was a member of the Honors Program, active in the Student Government Association and wrote an award-winning thesis on the Supreme Court. He also had a profound experience on
a Spiritual Exercises retreat through the Chaplains’ Office. “That was as significant as everything I did in the classroom,” he recalls.
He graduated class valedictorian and moved to Washington, D.C., where he was employed by the U.S. Department of Justice. But it was his work with a local Jesuit parish, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, that he found the most fulfilling. A conversation with one of his Holy Cross mentors — Alice Laffey, associate professor emerita of religious studies — helped him discern his calling. “She said, ‘From the sound of it, I think you’re meant to be a Jesuit, not a lawyer,’” he shares. “I knew she was right.”
In 2008, Fr. O’Brien entered the Society of Jesus. Over the past 13 years, he has earned master’s degrees in history, theology and philosophy. He also taught theology and worked in the office of mission integration at Loyola University Maryland. O’Brien studied the history of Ignatian spirituality in Paris while also volunteering with the Jesuit Refugee Service. He was ordained to the priesthood in 2018 and went on to serve as assistant pastor of Holy Trinity, where he had been a parishioner.
In his new role as director of mission initiatives, Fr. O’Brien will work closely with Holy Cross President Vincent D. Rougeau, as well as faculty, staff and alumni. “Part of my work relates to existing programs, like the well-known ‘Return to Me’ Lenten reflection series. I am also eager to help create new venues for members of the community to reflect on our mission as a Catholic, Jesuit, liberal arts college — and to find their place in it,” he says.
“The College is welcoming a new president and imagining life after COVID. It’s a moment to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going together,” says Fr. O’Brien as he reflects on the poignancy of the moment. May 2021 also marked the beginning of an Ignatian Year, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius, founder of the Society of Jesus. “Think about the story of St. Ignatius: He was wounded by a cannonball and then he had to figure out, ‘Well, now what do I do?’ It is thrilling for me to be at Holy Cross at a time when all of us are asking similar questions,” Fr. O’Brien says.
FIVE QUESTIONS with FR. O’BRIEN
What excites you the most about your new role?
Holy Cross is the premier Catholic, liberal arts college in the United States. We are living in a time when I think that mission is critical for the life of our country, the life of the world and for the Church and people of faith. The most exciting part about coming back is to be part of that mission and to help advance it and deepen it.
What are you reading at the
moment? I’m re-reading “Thy Honored Name,” the history of the College by Rev. Anthony J. Kuzniewski, S.J., and “Fraternity” [about Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., ’49, Holy Cross’ 25th president, and the 20 Black students he recruited in the late ’60s to better integrate Holy Cross.]
What are you watching? I love to cook, not bake, but I'm completely mesmerized by “The Great British Baking Show.” It’s striking how even in an intense, competitive environment, people can collaborate and form community with each other.
Do you have a favorite spot in
Worcester? The new Blackstone Gateway Park trail that starts at the base of College Hill. That is my happy place off campus to jog.
Favorite spot on campus?
Right where Fenwick Hall and O’Kane Hall come together. It’s the heart of campus for me, because it’s where everything comes together. You can see academic and residential buildings, Dinand Library and St. Joseph Memorial Chapel. In every season, that confluence of space is my favorite. ■
McDermott ’79 Has Brought More Than 20,000 Students to Holy Cross: Here’s What She’s Learned
As she prepares to depart the College following more than 30 years leading admissions, Ann McDermott shares her perspective on how the art of finding the right students for Holy Cross has changed — and what has remained the same.
After more than 30 years devoted to admissions at the College, Ann McDermott ’79 has announced her departure as director of admission, a position she’s held since 1994. During her tenure, McDermott has admitted more than 20,000 Crusaders and spearheaded pivotal developments in the Holy Cross admission process, including the College's decision in 2005 to become one of the first in the country to go test-optional, embracing a move to the Common Application and increasing student diversity at the College. Here, she reflects on her formative undergraduate years as a psychology major and shares insights from her decades leading admissions at Holy Cross.
How did your experience as a student at Holy Cross prepare you to succeed
in this role? I worked in the admission office as a tour guide and was a student host for overnight guests, but it wasn’t until I graduated that I realized I could make admissions my career. Whether through classes or extracurriculars or being an RA [resident assistant] in the dorm, there was so much opportunity at Holy Cross to learn about yourself and how to effectively communicate and work with others. Being adaptable is at the heart of the liberal arts experience, and that’s certainly something that I got from Holy Cross and that carried me through.
In what major ways have you seen the Holy Cross admission process change
during your time here? So many things have evolved as we’ve become a more sophisticated profession, including the amount of technology that is now used. We are entirely paperless and have been so for a number of years. My love of admissions is that you can never say you’ve learned it all. There’s always something different and exciting to learn about the technology or how students behave or how they communicate — it’s an evolution and a reflection of our society. We’ve been able to attract really talented people who’ve brought so many skills to the profession and to our office.
What’s something about admissions
that has remained the same since
you started? The importance of relationships – that piece is something that will never go away, and I'm really delighted about that, because it is at the heart of how we work with students. I think that the lasting legacy of the relationships we’ve developed will sustain me, probably for the rest of my life.
What aspect of admissions do you think is most misunderstood by prospective students and their
families? That there's always going to be an answer for the question, ‘Why didn’t I get in?’ Because when you’re dealing with highly selective processes, you’re turning away numbers of students who are totally qualified and totally deserving of admission. It’s more about the students who did get in than the students who didn't — it doesn’t diminish either population.
This past year, you led the admissions team in admitting a class in mid-pandemic circumstances. What did your team learn from
this experience? I am so proud of everyone in our office because people stepped up to the plate and learned how to do things in a completely different way. All our events became virtual, and for us the challenge was to make things authentic and feel as close as they could to being on campus. We learned that interviewing virtually actually works really well and is something we will probably keep in our arsenal of go-to options because you can more easily interview people across the world.
What are your favorite memories from your admissions work over the
years? I love the committee process (where we review each application) because it’s how the class comes together. I think our process is special and does really uniquely reflect Holy Cross and, ultimately, the character of the College and the students who are admitted. That piece — the magic that happens in committee — is my And, we still manage to call our early decision admitted students to give them the decision over the phone. We actually keep a list of the reactions because they’re priceless. It’s one of the highlights of what we do — it’s as joyful for us as it is for them.
What developments in admissions at Holy Cross are you most proud of
when you reflect back? Participating in the diversity of Holy Cross has been a really gratifying experience — to see from when I got there to where we are today, not just in numbers but also in the climate and how the College’s persona has changed.
And being one of the early adopters of test-optional admission — it was great that we were part of that. For us, it was an important and honest reflection of how we did our work. Testing doesn’t speak to fit, motivation or curiosity. So it’s been really wonderful to be freed from those constraints and feel like we can really continue to make a personalized, student-centered evaluation.
What lies at the core of a successful
Crusader? It’s an amazing group of students we see applying and coming in the door. Each group reflects the time — as it should. The students are hardworking, well-rounded and focused on the issues at hand. They’ve found passions that they’ve identified early on — not because a college counselor told them to, but out of natural interest and talent.
And an awareness of the ‘other’ is something that is part of the Holy Cross experience. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you graduated two years ago or 25 years ago, you still find there’s something that connects you to those grads. That’s what makes the alumni network so special and so strong — it is because of this shared humanity that they bring to the process and to the College. ■
Biology’s Vargas Appointed Dean of the Faculty M
2021. adeline Vargas, professor in the Department of Biology, has been appointed dean of the faculty effective June 1,
She joins fellow Dean of the Faculty Ann Marie Leshkowich, professor of anthropology, and succeeds Mary Ebbott, professor of classics, who served in the role since 2017. Vargas joined Holy Cross in 1995, received tenure in 2001 and was promoted to the rank of professor in 2015.
“This past year has been challenging for our Holy Cross community. In a short span of time, faculty had to extensively revise their teaching to remote learning, make difficult choices about their scholarship plans and increase service to the College to meet these unprecedented challenges,” she says. “I’m proud of the resilience exhibited by all facets of our community. I look forward to serving the College in my new role and assisting faculty in their endeavors to better
Vargas’ research in microbiology focuses on the physiology and ecology of microorganisms, specifically the biochemical mechanisms that enable bacteria to respire with iron and produce electricity, as well as bacteria that thrive in extreme habitats. Her work has been published in high-impact journals Lancet, Nature and Nature Nanotechnoloogy. She received the Arthur J. O’Leary Faculty Recognition Award in 2016.
Vargas teaches the microbiology curriculum within the biology department and has directed more than 50 students in summer research, independent research or Honors theses. She has collaborated with Holy Cross colleagues on inclusive and interdisciplinary teaching, and has presented the results of this shared work at such venues as the American Association of Colleges and Universities and the Center for Inclusive Teaching at the University of Puerto Rico, Humacao campus, and in the journal College Teaching.
Over her Holy Cross career, Vargas has served as a member of the Strategic Planning Working Group on the Liberal Arts and a faculty representative to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the board of trustees. She served on the Common Requirements Steering Committee from 2018–2020, and also chaired the Committee on Faculty Scholarship and the Committee on Nominations and Elections. Beyond Holy Cross, she serves, and is a member of, the Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition. ■ MILLS
Mills, Perry, Yuhl Appointed to Endowed Professorships
Kenneth Mills, of the Department of Chemistry, Ellen Perry, of the Department of Classics and Stephanie Yuhl, of the
Department of History, have been appointed to endowed positions at the
College, which they will hold through
June 2024.
KENNETH MILLS,
Anthony and Renee Marlon Professor in the Sciences Kenneth Mills succeeds Cristina Ballantine, of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, in the role of Anthony and Renee Marlon Professor in the Sciences.
Mills joined Holy Cross in 2001, was tenured in 2007 and promoted to the rank of professor in 2014. A specialist in protein splicing, mechanistic enzymology, protein chemistry and guided-inquiry undergraduate lab development, his work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award from the Dreyfus Foundation, the Undergraduate Outreach Award from the Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the College’s Mary Louise Marfuggi Award for Outstanding Scholarship. He was also named a Cottrell Scholar by Research Corporation in 2015.
“I greatly appreciate the support that the Marlon family has provided for the sciences at Holy Cross,” Mills says. “I look forward to continuing my work with talented Holy Cross undergraduate scientists and hope that their time in the Mills lab family will play a part in preparing them for their future success.”
He has authored work in more than 30 publications and awarded grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Research Corporation and the American Chemical Society, as well as over $2.5 million in grants from the National Science Foundation, including a CAREER grant.
Mills is a dedicated research mentor who has supervised 70 students in his lab and included student co-authors on 14 of his publications. In addition to teaching in the chemistry department, he has taught in Montserrat and is co-director of the biochemistry concentration. He co-founded the First Year Research Advancement Program, which provides supervised research experiences, mentoring and other support to increase
PERRY YUHL
persistence and success in STEM majors for underrepresented and firstgeneration students. He has served in numerous leadership roles at the College, including on the Finance and Planning Council, the Committee on Tenure and Promotion (CTP) and others, and served as chair of the chemistry department from 2010-2014 and as associate dean of the faculty 2016-2017. Currently, he is co-chairing the Collegewide strategic planning process.
ELLEN PERRY,
Monsignor Edward G. Murray Professor in the Arts and Humanities Ellen Perry succeeds Susan Elizabeth Sweeney, professor of English, as Monsignor Edward G. Murray Professor in the Arts and Humanities.
Perry joined the College in 1997, was tenured in 2004 and promoted to the rank of professor in 2017. Her scholarly expertise is in classical archeology, Roman art and architecture, ancient religious spaces and archeological ethics.
She is the author of “The Aesthetics of Emulation in the Visual Arts of Ancient Rome” and co-editor of “Roman Artists, Patrons and Public Consumption: Familiar Works Reconsidered.” She has also published numerous articles, chapters and reviews in scholarly journals and collections.
Perry has been a fellow of the American Academy in Rome as well as the American Schools of Classical Studies in Athens. She served as president of the Classical Association of New England and from 2014–2020 served as program chair for the annual meeting committee of the Archaeological Within the classics department, she teaches courses in classical languages and literature and classical art and archaeology, including those on archeological ethics and the modern use of archaeology in the construction of national and ethnic narratives. She has taught in the Rome Maymester program, and taught and served as a cluster director in Montserrat. She is currently director of the College Scholar Programs, overseeing the College Honors Program and the Fenwick Scholar Program. In addition to these leadership roles, she has served on the Curriculum Committee, CTP and other faculty committees, and as interim chair of the classics department. She has participated in Academic Services and Learning Resources’ Mentor Program for many years, and was awarded the College’s Mary Louise Marfuggi Award for Academic Advisement in 2012.
STEPHANIE YUHL,
W. Arthur Garrity, Sr. Professor in Human Nature, Ethics and Society Stephanie Yuhl succeeds Edward Isser, associate dean for performing arts, as W. Arthur Garrity, Sr. Professor in Human Nature, Ethics and Society.
Yuhl joined the College in 2000, was tenured in 2006 and promoted to the rank of professor in 2013. Since 2016, she has been associate faculty in the Critical Conservation Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Yuhl is the author of the award-winning book “A Golden Haze of Memory: The Making of Historic Charleston” and coauthor of the book “LGBTQ+ Worcester For The Record,” as well as numerous articles, chapters and reviews in scholarly journals and collections.
“Given the incredibly high caliber and dedication of my faculty colleagues at Holy Cross, I am truly humbled and honored to be named the next W. Arthur Garrity, Sr. Professor,” she says. “In the next few years, I am excited to explore the ways this position will shape my scholarship, community engagement and work with our terrific Holy Cross students. Thank you to the generous Garrity family for making this kind of opportunity possible for our faculty.”
In the history department, Yuhl teaches in the area of 20th-century United States history, including courses on social movements, gender and sexuality, public history and memory, and digital humanities. She has taught in the Paris Maymester program, the Passport Program and in Montserrat, for which she also served as a cluster director and, from 2014-19, as program director.
As a scholar, Yuhl has been deeply engaged in helping local communities tell their stories more fully. She is lead project scholar and author of “Revisiting Prop Master: A Digital Exhibition and Catalog at the College of Charleston.” Closer to home, she curated a 2017 exhibition, “Worcester in 50 Objects,” at the Worcester Historical Museum. She served as lead coordinator and co-curator for the museum’s “LBGTQ+ Worcester History Project,” a major community-based archive, oral history and exhibition building project (2018-present) funded by the Holy Cross Scholarship in Action grant with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. For her work on the LGBTQ+ Worcester History Project, Yuhl and her curation team received a mayoral citation and key to the city of Worcester, as well as the Safe Homes “People of Courage” Award. Yuhl was also co-curator and faculty adviser for a related exhibit, “I’m Not the Only One: LGBTQ+ Histories at Holy Cross,” in 2019. Her public history work extends to Holy Cross, where she has served on two committees related to the historical legacies of the College’s first president, Rev. Thomas F. Mulledy, S.J. and Patrick F. Healy, S.J., a Jesuit scholastic at Holy Cross, and racial justice at the College.
Yuhl’s work with students has been recognized with the College’s Mary Louise Marfuggi Award for Academic Advisement in 2011 and the Donal J. Burns ’49 Career Teaching Medal in 2017. ■
