Julianna Mariani ‘24 and Nathan Howard ‘25
Editors-in-Chief
On Friday, December 1st, The Spire spoke with President Rougeau for our monthly interview. As we get closer to Winter Break, we decided to ask him about the importance of our holiday traditions here on the Hill, especially during a time when students are swamped with a heavy academic workload.
President Rougeau began by saying that he recently attended the Tree Lighting Ceremony, adding that “I loved it! I think it’s a great way to launch our Christmas season. And it’s also a reminder of the importance of coming together for joyful moments. The other thing I really love here is Lessons and Carols. I think it’s just a beautiful tradition and a beautiful ceremony in another way, reminding us about who we are, and what our mission is. It also reminds us of our values and where they come from. So there’s that aspect, and then there’s also the broader aspect of the joy that the holiday season brings overall…what it brings to campus and to our community. It’s a bit of fun at a time that can be a little stressful and it keeps us sane.”
We then discussed how the workload of finals season can be overwhelming and asked whether he could recommend any particular study habits, curious as to what he might have implemented during his own years as a student. He responded by saying that “You need to work where you know that you really will be productive. I know, for me, I would listen to other people talk about how they studied and it wasn’t necessarily the way I studied, and I would always say, ‘Well, what am I not doing and why am I not doing that? And why are they doing that?’ And I had to remind myself, that’s just how they do it. It is important to understand where you do your best work and don’t let anyone try to convince you to do something different. The other important thing is to take breaks…I mean, serious breaks. It is really diminishing if you don’t rest and recharge. So you know, get some hot chocolate, take a hike outdoors, go to the gym, etc. Your body has a rhythm…you need to recharge and always think positively! Remind yourself that when it’s over, you get a nice long break and you get to go home and see your family and have some fun.”
The conversation then shifted to a reflection of the administration’s recent accomplishments and how President Rougeau believes this semester panned out in terms of the goals that he set for himself at the beginning of the year. He began by stating that “One of the big goals for me personally was getting the leadership team complete. In July, we brought our new Provost in. So having him on the team this fall has been awesome. Having that complete team has really allowed us to be a lot more focused and engaged on our priorities and our strategic plan, Aspire. And, as you know, we saw some great news on other things like our rankings, as evidenced by US News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal. I often say that I don’t see rankings as truly reflective of who we are and what we do, but it is one way of understanding how we’re being perceived externally. And when the news is good, that’s good!
President Rougeau then added that “I think the other really positive thing that we’re seeing is a lot of excitement from prospective students about Holy Cross, as you know, we’ve had busy campus tours and lots of applications. It’s looking like the numbers for applications are continuing to grow this year. We don’t have all of the data yet, but the early indications are really positive. So yes, I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot of great work with our leadership team. And with everyone here on campus, there’s more to do. We’re just getting started. But I feel pretty good about how this semester went.”
We then congratulated President Rougeau for being this year’s recipient of the Pierre Toussaint Medallion, which celebrates diversity in leadership. We asked President Rougeau about his thoughts on this honor as well as the importance of diversity and inclusion in academic leadership. He responded by explaining “That was a huge honor for me. And, you know, particularly because it highlights the role of African American Catholics in the history of the church in this country, which is often not seen as visibly as the role of other groups in the Church. So it was nice for me to have a moment where we could celebrate that tradition. But to the point about diversity, it’s a great way of also signaling to everyone that the leadership of our Catholic institutions are diverse. The Church is diverse. Our country is diverse. And that diversity has always been here, sometimes we don’t see it, or we forget about it. But celebrating it reminds us about how important this is. And for us here at Holy Cross, it reminds us to think about how we can be as welcoming as possible as a community, and as reflective as possible of the true beauty and diversity of our community, our country, and the world. So, in that way, we can really provide an education for our students and an experience for all of you that allows for you to learn from that diversity, engage with it, celebrate it, contribute to it, and take that with you when you move beyond the College and into your life.”
We concluded by touching on the holiday season one last time, asking President Rougeau about the traditions he is looking forward to over Winter Break. He explained that “I love music and the music of the holidays is always really special for me. So, you know, in our neighborhood here in Worcester, there’s a tradition of caroling with people that’s been going on for almost 100 years. People come around, and carol together and I remember doing that growing up…it was really something I enjoyed. So I’m looking forward to hopefully hearing the carolers…And then of course, there’s food! Food is an important part of celebration. But the biggest, most important thing is just the opportunity for the family to be together during this special time of year.”
Featured image courtesy of College of the Holy Cross.
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