Grateful, Goggins gives back

By Lynn Caputo

Students and their parents worry about paying for college. Many families cobble together a patchwork of aid, loans, and work-study to afford to pay for four years of higher education. William C. Goggins, M.D., ’88 remembers the difficulty he and his family had putting it all together to pay for him to attend Holy Cross. When he was starting college he had an older brother already in college and a sister who would be starting in a few years.  Money was tight in his middle class family from Auburn, Mass.

“I wouldn’t have been able to attend Holy Cross if I didn’t have financial aid,” Goggins says. The College was able to provide Goggins with enough financial aid to cover the remainder of the cost. By the time graduation approached, Goggins had accumulated $15,000 in student loans. The amount seemed daunting at the time, as Goggins planned on continuing his education and attending medical school.

And then something happened “that really surprised and amazed me,” Goggins remembers. Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., ’49, then-president of Holy Cross, made a judgment that no student should graduate with more than $12,500 in loans. Holy Cross paid off $2,500 of his total indebtedness, leaving him with a balance of $12,500. “That really made an impact on me financially. It solidified my feelings for the College, the people, and the administration,” Goggins says. 

After Holy Cross Goggins attended Saint Louis University’s School of Medicine and he credits Holy Cross with preparing him for the rigors of medical school. Goggins is currently an assistant professor of surgery and Director of Renal Transplant at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Goggins recognizes the importance of his Holy Cross education and is extremely appreciative of the assistance he received. “I was very fortunate to have the experience and to graduate from Holy Cross. It really helped me to get where I am today.  I think it is important to be thankful and give back, and the new science complex is a great way to give back, specifically for people interested in medicine and science.” This spring, Goggins made a gift of $25,000 to the College’s new Integrated Science Complex where an office will be named for this mother, a retired nurse, who Goggins says influenced him most to pursue a career in medicine.

Goggins urges other alumni in the medical field to reflect on the significance of their Holy Cross education and give back—allowing aspiring medical professionals to benefit from the same tradition of academic excellence.

For more information about the expansion and renovation of science facilities on campus, visit:  http://www.holycross.edu/science_complex/  

For more information on how you can contribute to this effort, please contact: Phil Gibson ’95, capital giving officer, at 508-793-2667 or pgibson@holycross.edu.