Dear Members of the Holy Cross Community,
On the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, I am thankful and extraordinarily proud to serve as president of the College of the Holy Cross.
I know that ours is a community that values trust, respect for others, accountability, collegiality and an openness to new people, perspectives and ideas. As we pursue strategic initiatives that will guide Holy Cross over the next decade, I am especially grateful for our shared commitment to our mission of remaining open to the sense of the whole that calls on us to transcend ourselves, embrace our common humanity and seek for all to know true belonging.
We are blessed with the gift of a Jesuit education that encourages us to embody hope and serve others. We believe strongly that our world can be better — more tolerant and just — and we recognize the role each of us plays in advancing this mission. As we approach the holiday season, we will remember the marginalized, crestfallen and forgotten, and actively seek to lessen their pain.
And we will rest. Rest is vital for our health. It allows us time to connect with ourselves and to be more present when we’re with those we love, and it is restorative physically, emotionally and spiritually. Toward these aims and many others, Holy Cross partnered with the JED Campus Initiative to focus on how to better support our students’ mental health. To our students: I want to express my gratitude to those of you who have completed the Healthy Minds survey; if you haven’t, I encourage you to do so before you leave campus. With all that is happening in our world — including the tragedies on other college campuses and in our country in recent days — the work to support and care for ourselves and one another is more important than ever.
My hope for you this Thanksgiving is to find time to pause, to idle frequently by setting down a heavy burden, tabling a thorny problem or casting aside hopelessness or regret. Let your hearts and minds find rest, ease and be at peace, knowing that the Holy Cross community is here to listen, to care and support you. For that, we are most thankful.
With gratitude for God’s blessing,
Vincent D. Rougeau
President