The Spire

Ashwin Prabaharan ’26

Chief Opinions Editor

On Saturday, November 4, Professor Emeritus Judith Chubb of Holy Cross’ Department of Political Science sadly passed away. A force of change and innovation within the Department and the College, Professor Chubb had been a staple of campus academic culture throughout her nearly 45 years of teaching here. 

Professor Chubb attained her B.A. in French Language and Literature from Bucknell University, her M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and her Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1978, Professor Chubb joined the Political Science Department here on Mt. St. James and obtained tenure after several years. She is remembered as one of the founders of the modern Holy Cross Political Science Department, having acquired new faculty and overseen its functioning for decades. Professor Chubb’s research specialized on Italian politics, and she authored Patronage, Power and Poverty in Southern Italy: A Tale of Two Cities. Her courses, according to her biography, touched on “Russian and Chinese politics, political violence, art and revolution, and political power and participation viewed from the perspective of marginalized socio-economic and racial groups.”

In addition to her on-campus academic work, Professor Chubb led one of the first Maymester Program visits from Holy Cross, taking several groups of students to Kenya that placed a great emphasis on social justice and development. She organized academic and internship opportunities for students in Kibera. Her design and execution of the Kenya Maymester Program paved the way for future short-term abroad programs, aiding in the formation of the educational, experiential, and immersive aspects of the student experience that exist today. 

Professor Chubb was awarded the Holy Cross Distinguished Teaching Award in 2010 and held the Garrity Chair in Human Nature, Ethics, and Society from 2006 to 2010. In 2010, she was named the Distinguished Professor in Ethics and Society. Upon her retirement, she retained her position as an Emeritus Professor of Ethics and Society. Her retirement, however, failed to eclipse her monumental presence in the academic and cultural characteristics of the Political Science department and Holy Cross as a whole. 

Speaking with fellow comparativist, Professor Vickie Langohr, it was clear just how influential Professor Chubb’s tenure proved for the department. Professor Langohr remarked, “She was truly instrumental, with Professor Loren Cass, in establishing and developing the International Studies department.” Professor Langohr added that Professor Chubb immersed students into the domestic affairs of other nations, broadening their understanding of comparativist themes by deploying real-world case studies.

Speaking from a student’s perspective, Lindsay McPhail ’14 fondly remembers her Kenya Maymester. “What a gift to have been offered the academic rigor and experiential learning that allowed me to critically examine what social justice looks like — the good, the bad, and the ugly,” she says. “The critical thinking skills and questions I was taught to ask about notions of poverty, development, foreign aid, and non-profit work during this experience are ones that influenced the career path I chose.”

Professor Alex Hindman says, “To the benefit of many Holy Cross students, Judy coherently linked her formidable scholarship with accessible teaching.  Over her long career, she embodied all the hallmarks of a quintessential liberal arts professor.  But what will always stick with me is how remarkably kind and generous she was with her time whenever I sought her mentorship to make me a better teacher.  Smart yet unpretentious, she cared about people first. Today, without Prof. Chubb there is a hole in my heart but I am grateful I had the good fortune to know one of the great professors at the College.”

Professor Chubb’s tenure as chair of the Political Science Department for over 10 years cemented her as an academic giant who continually earned the respect and support of her students and colleagues across the board. Her footprint on the lives of many students and members of the faculty, not to mention the  overall academic culture of Holy Cross, will not be forgotten. Holy Cross will surely miss her here on the Hill.

Featured image courtesy of College of the Holy Cross.