Holy Cross College is pleased, and blessed to announce the addition of several highly skilled individuals to our faculty and administrative staff.
Michael Hartmann, Ph.D.
Michael Hartmann, Ph.D., joins Holy Cross College as an associate professor of business, after teaching undergraduate and master’s level business courses for six years at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences in Augsburg, Germany. There, he developed and coordinated international exchange programs for professors and a summer school exchange program for students, along with leading the redesign of bachelor’s degree programs for the university. He has also taught business courses for Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill., and the University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Ind.
Michael completed his Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and his MBA at the University of Memphis, Tenn. His undergraduate studies took place at the University of Southern Indiana and included two year-long exchange program studies, the first at Fachhochschule and Universität Osnabrück, Germany, and the second at Unversität Eichstätt in Ingolstadt, Germany.
With teaching and research interests including everything from business ethics to strategic management to personality traits, Michael has submitted and published a number of articles, among them his dissertation, “Personality and Ethical Decision: An Empirical Investigation of Personality Traits and Moral Philosophy.” He has also been a featured presenter at the Second Conference on the European Labour Market for Academic Graduates, held in Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Altogether, Michael lived in Germany for a total of about 14 years, and was a seminarian and member of two institutes of religious life in both Germany and the U.S. for about six years in all. As a youth minister in Germany, he organized youth camps and activities and assisted with religious ceremonies. He has also been a scout leader for Boy Scouts of America and for a German scouting organization.
Diane Welihan
As executive assistant to Holy Cross College President Fr. David Tyson, C.S.C, Diane Welihan brings a wealth of experience and a clear commitment to Holy Cross, having previously served as the Moreau Seminary administrator for 20 years. Diane’s strengths are many and varied, including budget and financial management, event planning and production, and seamlessly integrating new processes to enhance both efficiency and collaboration. At Moreau, she achieved a near-perfect “Secret Diner” satisfaction rating over 40 events with up to 350 attendees. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from DePaul University (Chicago), Diane is expanding her knowledge and skill set even further, making her an invaluable asset to the office of the president. She will also be assisting Holy Cross College Provost Justin Watson, Ph.D., and HCC Senior Vice President Michael Griffin, Ph.D., as well as working closely with the Holy Cross College Board of Trustees.
Terron Phillips
Terron Phillips (’14) joins Holy Cross College as director of recruitment and retention. Terron will lead the College’s efforts to share the Holy Cross charism and story with prospective students and applicants, along with developing the avenues and resources for student support that will help students flourish once they have enrolled.
A graduate of Holy Cross College with a bachelor’s degree in history, Terron went on to earn his Master of Arts degree from Louisiana State University, focusing on higher education administration. Prior to his return to Holy Cross College, Terron served as the executive M.B.A. admissions coordinator for the University of Notre Dame. Contributing all that he can to the mission, development, and continued growth of the Holy Cross community, Terron is looking forward to inviting amazing students to join the Holy Cross community, building strong relationships with them, and supporting them in reaching their individual goals.
Emily David
As the new Gateway Program coordinator, Emily David is certain to relate well to the program’s participants: she was one herself. And her journey has been a significant one. Though she began it with a year at Holy Cross College and ultimately graduated with Bachelor of Arts degree from Notre Dame, her educational journey has also included a semester at John Cabot University in Rome, and most recently, a year-long Russell Berrie Fellowship in Rome, where she pursued a theology diploma in interreligious studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. Emily’s global educational and life experiences – along with skills acquired by serving in Rome as a pastoral leader, tour guide and event coordinator – make her the perfect point person for other young people during a season of their lives filled with explosive growth and transition.
Angelia Forrest
Angelia Forrest brings more than career experience to her role as the director of financial aid at Holy Cross College. She brings a dedication to providing students with not only the means to pursue higher education but also the tools to succeed in that endeavor. Previously the assistant director of financial aid at Goshen College, she helped students and parents navigate the options, policies and requirements of financial aid.
She also assisted the dean of students in planning and coordinating student programming and extracurricular activities. In addition, she developed an academic success program to provide students with the individual attention and resources to help them reach their goals, as well as a faith and vocation project to expose students to other religions with the goal of determining how and if their beliefs and vocations could intersect. On campus, she served as a racial misconduct investigator, reviewing racial harassment incidents and claims, and she developed the “barbershop initiative,” which brought together minority males to discuss their race-related concerns.
A member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Angelia is a graduate of Indiana University South Bend, and has also earned a master’s degree in management from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind. She is currently working toward her doctorate in higher education, and is the mother of two boys, Mark and Cambrin.
Karen Bautista
For Karen Bautista, the position of student services specialist is a natural fit. The recent Holy Cross graduate earned not only a Bachelor of Arts in business but also the respect of the colleagues she interned with in the business office and in data administration and scheduling. She also has aided the president’s office administrative support staff with event planning and setup clerical assistance. As a bilingual communicator, Karen served as a tutor for La Casa Amistad for her Service Learning Experience and has also worked as an interpreter for Indiana First Steps, a program that helps to ensure that all Indiana families with infants and toddlers experiencing developmental delays or disabilities have access to early intervention services. She remains dedicated to expanding her skills and serving the students of Holy Cross College to the best of her abilities.
Emily Leyes
Emily Leyes joins Holy Cross College as a budget director, bringing several years of experience and extensive analytical skills in municipal and nonprofit finance and budget management. Most recently, she was the director of financial services for the City of South Bend’s Division of Wastewater, where she managed the operational and capital budgets for both wastewater and solid waste departments. Prior to that, she served as director of billing and customer service for South Bend’s municipal utilities, managing the billing to some 40,000 accounts, resolving billing disputes, analyzing key metrics and performance indicators, and revising and implementing the rules and regulations governing the utilities. She was also a finance manager for the Department of Public Works for the City of Indianapolis, where she managed the capital budget for the engineering and construction division. While in Indianapolis, Emily volunteered and served on the advisory council of the St. Elizabeth/Coleman Pregnancy and Adoption Services, a Catholic Charities Indianapolis agency that provides life-long services to empower women and families of all faiths by offering support, compassion and professional guidance.
Majoring in economics and political science, Emily graduated from the University of Minnesota, Morris, Minn., with a bachelor’s degree. And, as the first to receive the John Ryan Fellowship, she earned a master’s degree from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, focusing on public financial management and policy analysis.
John Pajakowski
A Certified Public Accountant, John Pajakowski earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. Before joining Holy Cross College as a staff accountant, he was employed by the State of Indiana as an auditor for 29 years, auditing local units of government, investigating fraud and theft, and overseeing and reviewing multiple audits concurrently. He also continues to provide accounting services part-time for a local business. As an active member of Knights of Columbus #5570 in South Bend, John has held several officer positions within the organization. He is married, with two children, both of whom live in Chicago.
Ted Theisen
Born and raised in Benton Harbor, Mich., Ted Theisen graduated from Holy Cross College in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree focused on information technology systems. His return to Holy Cross as an IT user support specialist brings his career full circle. In the interim, Ted served the public library system in Bridgeman, Mich., providing technical and website support, teaching computer skills and assisting library patrons – a good fit for the former McKenna Library intern. Along with finding great joy in helping people learn about the technology they use, Ted enjoys volunteering, and he has served in various leadership positions for his local Boy Scout Troop. His hobbies include bicycle repair, working on antique tractors, sewing, knitting, and flying microdrones. He also holds a second degree black belt in Taekwondo.
When Bruno Souza, ’19, first learned he would travel to Peru, he wasn’t exactly surprised at the prospect of traveling to South America. Hailing from Brazil himself, Bruno had hoped to travel to Uganda and experience a new culture. In fact, it was the reason he decided to attend Holy Cross College in the first place. “I thought this trip wouldn’t be such an environment shock to me as for my other classmates,” he says. “I was wrong.”
As a Spanish minor, Bruno was required to travel to Peru to fulfill the Global Perspectives component of the program. Along with a group of other students, Bruno spent more than a month there, being initially immersed in the culture in one of the poorest parts of the country. He also spent time working in the Fe y Alegria school. It was as much of a learning experience for him as it was for the children educated there. “We got to hear what the kids’ dreams were for the future, play sports, hear their curiosities about America, and goof around with the little ones.”
Before each Global Perspectives trip, Holy Cross students take a course that prepares them for the responsibilities of being a global citizen in their host country. Students are not merely educated on respective differences, but how to recognize and build fraternity with people whose lives differentiate in geographical, cultural, and economical ways. “I was very humbled to actually see the conditions people were living in and still see how strong their communities were,” Bruno says. “They love, they suffer, they watch out for their loved ones, and they want to succeed.”
For Bruno, Holy Cross has nurtured his curiosity, compassion, and desire to affect change through the Global Perspectives program. “Anyone can have money, status, and big words,” he says. “What impresses me is generosity, humbleness, and kindness.” Having experienced the challenges and rewards of encountering another culture, he hopes to travel more in the future. “I am interested in what’s happening on the other side of the world because I could be there one day,” he says. “In fact, I really hope I will.”
For Kara Tarala, ’21, an education at Holy Cross College is a family affair. Her siblings are alumni, and during their time as students, Kara recalls hearing stories about their experiences and participation in various aspects of student life, including campus ministry. “Knowing that campus ministry would help me learn more about my faith and be more involved with it was an influence on my participation,” she says.
Ministry has been an integral part of the Holy Cross experience from the beginning. Originally founded as an educational institution for Brothers, the college has opened its faith-based tradition to students and disciples of all genders and religious traditions. Keeping with its Catholic precepts, students are welcomed to participate in the religious component of the Holy Cross experience to further enrich their education.
Kara explains, “In campus ministry, I attend meetings every Sunday after mass, go on retreats during the year, and just focus on helping my peers and being a positive influence to those around me.” To her, discipleship is more than profession to a particular tradition. Education is a doorway to diligence and compassion, ideals that pervade the spiritual and professional life long after a student earns their cap and gown. “Campus ministry has given me patience and understanding with my schoolwork,” says Kara, “which is important in the workforce and in the classroom.”
Campus ministry allows students to understand themselves through the Catholic lens, which in turn affects their relationship with the world. This is integral to Holy Cross’ mission to educate the student in mind, body, and spirit. “Holy Cross encourages its students to be disciples by the mission work we do, and the service opportunities we are given. Helping the marginalized is a big part of the knowledge in being a disciple,” Kara says.
Campus ministry provides Kara and students like her with the opportunity to commune with their faith on a deeper level, allowing them to go forth in the world with the “competency to see and the courage to act” – a vital mission at Holy Cross that, as Kara is testament to, persists as more than just a motto.
Class of 2022 by the Numbers
The college has worked hard over the last year to stabilize its finances. The commitment of our administration, faculty, and staff to secure our future is commendable. For the first time in many years, the college ended the 2017-2018 year with a surplus.
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