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2019 Commencement Address: Jane Dammen Mcauliffe, Jane Dammen Mcauliffe

Commencement Addresses

Prominent American educator Jane McAuliffe, a world-renowned scholar of Islam and one of the senior leaders at the Library of Congress, will address this year’s graduates during the College of the Holy Cross Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 24, at 10:30 a.m. at the DCU Center in Worcester.

Jane McAuliffe is senior advisor to the librarian of Congress and formerly the inaugural director of national and international outreach. Her work at the Library has involved a broad range of its programs, including the National Book Festival, the Kluge research center for scholars, the Library’s exhibits, publishing office, visitors’ services, and …

Cover Photo: 1907 - College Of The Holy Cross Commencement Parade, Brett A. Cotter

Of Life and History

This essay provides context for a photograph of the College of the Holy Cross 1907 Commencement Parade, which features an image of James Cardinal Gibbons. Cardinal Gibbons, a prominent religious figure of the time, was the Commencement speaker that year.

The photograph was published as the cover art for Of History and Life, vol.2 by permission of the College of the Holy Cross Archives and Special Collections.

172nd Commencement Program (2018), College Of The Holy Cross

Commencement Documents

Order of execises for the 172nd Commencement of the College of the Holy Cross, held May 25, 2018.

2018 Commencement Address: Michele Norris, Michele Norris

Commencement Addresses

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist Michele Norris, longtime NPR host, founder of The Race Card Project and executive director of The Bridge, will address this year’s graduates during the College of the Holy Cross Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 25, at 10:30 a.m. at the DCU Center in Worcester. Norris is one of the nation's most recognized voices in radio, having served as NPR’s first African-American female host of its flagship program “All Things Considered.” From 2002 to 2015, she interviewed world leaders, American presidents, Nobel laureates, leading thinkers, groundbreaking artists, even astronauts traveling in outer space. While working at …

2018 Commencement Remarks By The President, Philip L. Boroughs S.J.

President's Remarks

Text of the remarks given by Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., President of the College of the Holy Cross during the 172nd Commencement Exercises held on Friday, May 25, 2018.

Father Boroughs is the 32nd president of Holy Cross.

171st Commencement Program (2017), College Of The Holy Cross

Commencement Documents

Order of execises for the 171st Commencement of the College of the Holy Cross, held May 26, 2017.

2017 Commencement Address: Dr. James J. O'Connell, James J. O'Connell M.D.

Commencement Addresses

Dr. James J. O’Connell, president and founding physician of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP) and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, will receive an honorary degree from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 26, at 10:30 a.m. at the DCU Center in Worcester. Dr. O’Connell has dedicated his medical career to caring for Boston’s homeless. His leadership has contributed to the growth of the BHCHP since its founding in 1985 to become the country’s largest and most comprehensive program of its …

2017 Baccalaureate Mass Homily, Michael J. Rogers S.J.

Baccalaureate Mass Homilies

Homily delivered at the 2017 Baccalaureate Mass as part of the 171st Commencement of the College of the Holy Cross.

The homilist, Rev. Michael Rogers, S.J., is a member of the College's Chaplain's Office and College Ministry Center. He is also an alumnus of the Holy Cross Class of 2002.

170th Commencement Program (2016), College Of The Holy Cross

Commencement Documents

Order of execises for the 170th Commencement of the College of the Holy Cross, held May 27, 2016.

2016 Commencement Address: The Honorable Harry K. Thomas, Jr. '78, Harry K. Thomas Jr.

Commencement Addresses

The Honorable Harry K. Thomas, Jr. ’78, the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Zimbabwe and recipient of many honors from the State Department during his 32-year diplomatic career, will receive an honorary degree from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 27 at 10:30 a.m. at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester. A witness to and participant in some of the most important global events of the past three decades, Thomas served as U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines (2010-2013) and to Bangladesh (2003-05) before his appointment …

2016 Baccalaureate Mass Homily, William R. Campbell S.J.

Baccalaureate Mass Homilies

Homily delivered at the 2016 Baccalaureate Mass as part of the 170th Commencement of the College of the Holy Cross.

The homilist, Rev. William R. Campbell, S.J., is the Vice President for Mission at the College of the Holy Cross. He is also an alumnus of the College, Class of 1987.

2015 Commencement Address: Bryan A. Stevenson, Bryan A. Stevenson

Commencement Addresses

Bryan A. Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) in Montgomery, Alabama, will receive an honorary degree from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 22 at 10:30 a.m. ET on the campus. Stevenson is the widely acclaimed public interest lawyer who has dedicated his career to helping the poor, the incarcerated, and the condemned. Under his leadership, EJI has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill, and …

2015 Baccalaureate Mass Homily, Paul Harman S.J.

Baccalaureate Mass Homilies

Homily delivered at the 2015 Baccalaureate Mass as part of the 169th Commencement of the College of the Holy Cross.

The homilist, Rev. Paul Harman, S.J., is the Vice President for Mission at the College of the Holy Cross.

169th Commencement Guide (2015), College Of The Holy Cross

Commencement Documents

Schedule of events celebrating the 169th Commencement Exercises at the College of the Holy Cross held from May 21-22, 2015.

168th Commencement Program (2014), College Of The Holy Cross

Commencement Documents

Order of execises for the 168th Commencement of the College of the Holy Cross, held May 23, 2014.

2014 Commencement Address: Jon Favreau '03, Jonathan Edward Favreau

Commencement Addresses

Jon Favreau '03, former director of speechwriting for President Barack Obama and co-founder of Fenway Strategies, will receive an honorary degree from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year's graduates during the College's Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 23 at 10:30 a.m. on the campus. Favreau will return to the Holy Cross Commencement stage, where he delivered the Valedictory Address for his class in 2003. The North Reading, Mass., native was director of speechwriting for President Obama from the beginning of his term as a United States Senator through early 2013. Prior to that, Favreau served as …

2014 Commencement Remarks By The President, Philip L. Boroughs S.J.

President's Remarks

Text of the remarks given by Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., President of the College of the Holy Cross during the 168th Commencement Exercises held on Friday, May 23, 2014.

Father Boroughs is the 32nd president of Holy Cross.

2013 Baccalaureate Mass Homily, John Savard S.J.

Baccalaureate Mass Homilies

Homily delivered at the 2013 Baccalaureate Mass as part of the 167th Commencement of the College of the Holy Cross.

The homilist, Rev. John Savard, S.J., is Rector of the Holy Cross Jesuit Community.

2011 Commencement Address: Marilynne Robinson, Marilynne Robinson

Commencement Addresses

Novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson will receive an honorary degree from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 27 at 10:30 a.m. on the campus.

The author of three highly acclaimed novels, Robinson has distinguished herself as one of the nation’s most important and influential writers. Interested in the search for meaning and value in life, her work explores themes of faith, forgiveness, hope, and relationships.

Since the publication of her first novel, Housekeeping, in 1980, which earned her the PEN/Ernest Hemingway Award for First Fiction, the …

2010 Commencement Address: Mark Shriver '86, Mark Shriver

Commencement Addresses

Mark Shriver ’86, vice president and managing director of Save the Children, will receive an honorary degree from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 28 at 10:30 a.m. on the campus.

Shriver manages U.S. programs for the international organization Save the Children. In the U.S., Save the Children works in rural communities in Appalachia, the Southeast, the Mississippi River Delta, the Gulf Coast, the Southwest and California’s Central Valley, providing early childhood development, literacy, physical activity, and nutrition programming as well as emergency relief.

A history …

2009 Commencement Address: Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr. '82 (D-Pennsylvania), Robert P. Casey Jr.

Commencement Addresses

Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. ’82 (D-Pennsylvania) will receive an honorary degree from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 22 at 10:30 a.m. on the campus.

Elected in 2006, Sen. Casey is the son of the late governor of Pennsylvania Robert Casey ’53, who received his honorary degree from Holy Cross in 1988. After graduating from Holy Cross, Sen. Casey taught fifth grade and coached eighth grade basketball in inner city Philadelphia for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. He received his law degree from Catholic University in 1988 …

2008 Commencement Address: Kevin M. Cahill, M.D., Kevin M. Cahill M.D.

Commencement Addresses

Kevin M. Cahill, M.D., a driving force in humanitarian assistance and relief efforts across the globe for more than 45 years and a leading specialist in tropical medicine, will receive an honorary degree from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 23 at 10:30 a.m. on the campus.

Physician, teacher, activist, diplomat, and advocate, Cahill is the director of the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs, president of the Center for International Health and Cooperation and a University Professor at Fordham University. He serves as the director of …

2007 Commencement Address: John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice Of The United States, John G. Roberts Jr.

Commencement Addresses

John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States, will receive an honorary degree from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 25 at 10:30 a.m. on the campus.

Nominated by President George W. Bush, Chief Justice Roberts took his seat on the Supreme Court on September 29, 2005. Prior to joining the Supreme Court as the 17th Chief Justice, he was a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Born in Buffalo, N.Y., he received an A.B. from Harvard College in …

2006 Commencement Address: Bob Wright '65, Bob Wright

Commencement Addresses

Bob Wright ’65, chairman and chief executive officer of NBC Universal and vice chairman and executive officer of the General Electric Company, delivered the principal address and received an honorary degree on May 26, during the 160th commencement ceremony of the College of the Holy Cross.

Wright has had one of the longest and most successful tenures of any media company chief executive. Under his leadership, NBC was transformed from a broadcast network into a global media powerhouse, with leadership in broadcast network television, cable programming, station ownership and television production. With the formation of NBC Universal, Wright heads one …

2005 Commencement Address: Tim Russert, Timothy John Russert

Commencement Addresses

Tim Russert, managing editor and moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press and political analyst for the network’s Nightly News and Today programs, will deliver the College’s Commencement address to the graduating class of 2005 on Friday morning, May 27.

A graduate of a Jesuit high school and college, Russert will receive an honorary degree from the College at the 159th graduation exercises.

Russert joined NBC News in 1984, and, the following year, supervised the live broadcasts of the Today program from Rome , negotiating and arranging an appearance by Pope John Paul II - a first for American television. In …

2000 Commencement Address: G. Timothy Johnson, M.D., G. Timothy Johnson M.D.

Commencement Addresses

Timothy Johnson, M.D., medical editor for ABC News will deliver the principal address and receive an honorary degree at the 154th commencement exercises at the College of the Holy Cross on Friday, May 26, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Fitton Field.

Johnson, one of the nation’s leading medical communicators of health care information, has provided commentary on medical problems and answers for viewers since 1975. In addition to commentary on Good Morning America, Johnson provides on-air analysis of medical news for World News Tonight, Nightline and 20/20. He consults with ABC News regarding
coverage of medical news. He is also …

1989 Commencement Address: Bryant Gumbel, Bryant Gumbel

Commencement Addresses

Bryant Gumbel, host of NBC's Today Show, will receive an honorary degree, Doctor of Public Service, from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 26, at 10:30 a.m. on the campus.

Gumbel, the Today program host since January 1982, has anchored NBC news, sports and entertainment broadcasts from around the globe and across the country, including NBC's coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea.

Gumbel has received numerous awards for broadcasting and journalism, including the Edward R. Murrow Award for Outstanding Foreign Affairs Work, the …

1987 Commencement Address: Sen. Bill Bradley (D-New Jersey), William Warren Bradley

Commencement Addresses

Sen. Bill Bradley, U.S. senator from New Jersey, a former star basketball player for the New York Knickerbockers and a Rhodes Scholar, will receive an honorary degree, Doctor of Laws, from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 29 at 10:30 a.m. on the campus.

Bradley earned his indergraduate degree in 1965 at Princeton University, where he was an All American basketball player. He was also a standout on the victorious U.S. Olympic basketball team in 1964.

Bradley turned down offers from professional teams to accept a Rhodes …

1984 Commencement Address: Mario Cuomo, Governor Of New York, Mario Matthew Cuomo

Commencement Addresses

Governor Mario Cuomo of New York, will receive an honorary degree, Doctor of Laws, from the College of the Holy Cross and address this year’s graduates during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 25 at 10:30 a.m. on the campus.

Gov. Cuomo was elected 52nd governor of New York in 1982, and has quickly earned a national reputation for his gifts of oratory, his long work hours and his keen sense of what the public wants.

He was born in 1932, the son of Italian immigrants, and was graduated, summa cum laude, from St. John's College in 1953. …

1977 Commencement Address: Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), Edward M. Kennedy

Commencement Addresses

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) received an honorary degree, Doctor of Laws, from the College of the Holy Cross and delivered the principal address during the College’s Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 27, 1977 at 10:30 a.m. on the campus. During his speech, he encouraged the graduates to become involved in the issues of the day and to strive to make a difference: “Often all it takes to turn the tide is one individual, acting alone and against the odds. A single voice of courage and understanding can change the flow of events and improve the community in which we …