New president installed at Holy Cross College

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Bells rang out across the Holy Cross College campus on Saturday to welcome the new president.

Local city and religious leaders gathered in McKenna Arena at the Pfeil Center to welcome Dr. Marco Clark as the sixth president of Holy Cross College.

The college was founded in 1966, and up until this point, it has never been led by a layperson or a non-priest or brother of the Catholic church.

“I’ve been around the Brothers (of Holy Cross), I was taught by the Brothers, I’ve worked for the Brothers for 26 years, so nearly 30 years of my life, I’ve been formed by the Brothers,” Clark says.

During the ceremony and between some brief mentions of Holy Cross legend Rudy Ruettiger, speakers used their time to pledge continued support to Holy Cross and its leadership.

“In an era where there are heroes, where we can turn on the TV and watch sports and film, there are heroes that have walked on these hallowed grounds at Notre Dame and St. Mary’s and Holy Cross that I look to, and among those are the five men who came before me,” Dr. Clark added.

Surrounded by his family and colleagues, Dr. Clark informed the audience that he is committed to keeping class sizes small but also to the growth of the college.

“In order to reach our ideal sweet spot, we need to grow, and we’ve not put a number on that yet, but what that means is that we can offer more programs, we can offer more by way of extracurricular programs, academic majors, but it comes with growth,” Clark explained. “So, I envision us growing probably 30-40 percent in the next 2-5 years. We’re already off to a great start this year, and we’re looking at record enrollment for the fall. So, our commitment is really to provide the best opportunities possible for students, and part of that means growth.”

Dr. Clark tells 16 News Now that he looks forward to working closely to create connections between students and community partners.

“Well, of course, as scripture says, those without vision will perish,” Clark said. “I also believe those without partnerships will perish, and so it’s going to be key for us to is to identify who those community partners are that we can lock arms with and really be a force for good in society. Holy Cross College is uniquely posed for this because we were founded as a community college. Today, I think we should be the college for the community.”

Dr. Clark also told 16 News Now that he is dedicated to working with community partners to accelerate the growth of the college.

“This college has so much to be hopeful for,” Dr. Clark concluded.

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