J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World
Michelle Sterk Barrett, Ph.D., Director
Isabelle Jenkins, Ph.D., Director, Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning, Teaching, and Engaged Scholarship
Daniel Bitran, Ph.D., Science Coordinator, Weiss Summer Research in the Natural Sciences
Anthony Cashman, Ph.D., Director, Weiss Summer Research in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Fine Arts
Christopher Murray, Ph.D. cand., M.A., Director, Washington Semester Program
Advancing the mission of Holy Cross as a Jesuit, liberal arts college, and rooted in Ignatian pedagogy, the J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World offers experiential learning opportunities to prepare students for lives of impact and to support faculty seeking to engage students in high-impact educational practices. Through the Center’s wide variety of offerings, students connect disciplinary theory with practice, develop valuable expertise, engage their community and the broader world, build transformative relationships, and discern how they can use their unique talents to live a life of purpose and meaning.
The J.D. Power Center was established from a generous gift by the Power Family via their Kenrose Kitchen Table Foundation.
J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World coordinates the following programs:
Academic Internship Program
The Academic Internship Program (AIP) offers students in every discipline the opportunity to obtain practical field experience as part of their academic plan of study. While the main intent of the program is to provide students with an experiential learning opportunity in their chosen fields, additionally, it provides an opportunity for career exploration. Academic Internships are comprised of two components: fieldwork at an internship site in Worcester or the greater Boston area and academic work in an internship seminar. If a seminar topic is not appropriate to the internship, tutorial work with an individual faculty sponsor may be arranged. Arrangements for an internship by tutorial, outside of the AIP, can only be made in exceptional circumstances. Each student is expected to spend eight hours per week on the job and another three or four hours on the academic component. One unit of academic credit is granted for the Academic Internship. Admission to the Program is open to third- and fourth-year students by application. No more than two academic internship courses (Academic Internship, Washington Semester Internship) may be counted toward the 32 courses required for graduation.
Donelan Office of Community-Based Learning, Teaching, and Engaged Scholarship
The Donelan Office advances community engagement through partnerships with students, faculty, and community organizations. Through community-based learning (CBL) courses, students at Holy Cross have the opportunity to connect academic learning with civic engagement integrated into courses offered in a wide variety of disciplines. The Scholarship in Action program (SIA) supports faculty, students, and community organizations through resources, coordination, and short-term and long-term grants for community-engaged research. In CBL courses and SIA projects, academic learning is brought to life through a range of research opportunities, community-based projects, and direct service opportunities that meet community-identified needs.
Further information about the Donelan Office, such as upcoming CBL courses and SIA grant guidelines can be found on the Donelan Office's website.
Washington Semester Program
Through the Washington Semester Program, a third- or fourth-year student can spend a semester working, studying, and carrying out research in Washington, D.C., for a full semester’s academic credit. No more than two academic internship courses (Academic Internship, Washington Semester Internship) may be counted toward the 32 courses required for graduation. The Program is designed to provide a student, regardless of major, an opportunity to:
- bring together past and current academic study with practical experience;
- come to a better understanding of the political process and the formulation of public policy;
- develop critical and analytical skills; and
- pursue independent research under the guidance of a faculty advisor.
Washington students have worked in congressional offices, the White House, federal agencies, museums, media outlets, and public interest organizations.
Gives students an opportunity to examine the policy process in the United States. Explores the grounds on which specific policies are advocated and discusses the aims of public policy. Students read and discuss a number of appropriate texts. Includes discussion of current events and may incorporate perspectives on the students' internships and their research projects.
GPA units: 1
Common Area: Social Science
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
An internship (four days per week) with a Government office, news organization, public interest group, museum, federal agency, or other Washington-based organizations offering a well-supervised position requiring initiative and responsibility.
GPA units: 1.5
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
A research project culminating in a substantial research paper. Each intern, in consultation with an on-campus faculty sponsor, chooses a research topic early in the term. The research paper will be both closely related to the student's internship responsibilities and useful to the Washington agency which serves as the site for the internship. The intern is expected to make good use of the resources of his/her agency and of Washington contacts to produce a paper which reflects the Washington experience.
GPA units: 1.5
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring
The Weiss Summer Research Program
Undergraduate research experiences provide students with the opportunity to create new scholarship and engage in hands-on academic work; during the summer, student researchers can focus exclusively on their research, and so are able to undertake significant projects with outcomes worth reporting in academic journals and conferences. The College offers three summer research programs that collectively serve students across the campus, in all majors. The Science Summer Research Program connects students with ongoing faculty projects in the natural sciences. The Economics Summer Research Program recruits a team of students to support Economics faculty research. The Summer Research Program in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Fine Arts accepts student- and faculty-designed proposals. All three have a competitive application project, require a eight-week research period, and host a College-wide Summer Research Symposium in the fall, at which students report the results of their research.
The Ignite Fund
The Ignite Fund empowers students to accomplish independent goals by providing funds and administrative support. Students propose projects oriented toward a concrete problem or challenge on our campus, in our community, or around the world, and aspire to provide an actionable response. Funds are also available to support student research and presentations at academic or professional conferences.
Marshall Memorial Fund
Through a bequest of James J. Marshall and Ellen O’Connor Marshall, the College has established a fund to encourage the creative and intellectual involvement of students and faculty with the Worcester Community. Support is available for service projects or research projects on any aspect of the historical, economic, cultural, or religious life of the city of Worcester that will be of benefit to the community and of academic benefit to the student or faculty member. Grants are awarded each semester.
Research Associates
Research Associates are students hired by faculty to assist them at critical moments of their professional research projects. Students spend approximately five to ten hours a week making use of the distinctive research skills that they have developed in their own college careers to enrich publishable faculty research. Along the way, they earn valuable experience and learn deeply about subjects in their areas of interest.
Experiential Learning Partial Credit
Through the Experiential Learning Partial Credit (ELPC), students who participate in an extensive internship or research experience may have this experience noted on their academic transcript. The ELPC is offered twice annually: once for summer experiences and once for academic year experiences.
To be eligible for the ELPC, three steps must be completed by a student: 1) Submit an online application registering an intent to earn the ELPC; 2) Participate in an internship or research experience for at least 200 hours (Note: Students cannot accumulate more than 10 hours a week when classes are in session. This will necessitate that students engage with an internship over two semesters in most situations.); 3) Submit an essay responding to questions that prompt reflection upon what was learned through the internship/research experience. Additionally, an evaluation from the student’s internship and/or research supervisor will be collected to confirm satisfactory completion of the experience.
Because this is only a partial credit, it cannot count towards one of the 32 courses required for graduation, nor will it fulfill any curricular requirements. It also cannot be combined with any other partial credit (i.e., a lab course) to count as one full course credit. The ELPC will not be graded nor count towards a student’s GPA.
Other Experiential Learning Opportunities
The Center also partners with other experiential learning programs on campus, and encourages students to think of them all as a series of opportunities that together allow students to put their liberal arts education to work. These include:
- The Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society
- The Summer Internship Program
- Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD)
- The Chaplain’s Office
- The Office of Government and Community Relations