President, College of the Holy Cross
Vincent D. Rougeau, a nationally respected expert in legal education and Catholic social thought, became the 33rd president of the College of the Holy Cross in July 2021. Rougeau previously served as dean of the Boston College Law School and the inaugural director of the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America. Prior to his role at Boston College, Rougeau was a tenured professor of law at Notre Dame Law School, and served as their associate dean for Academic Affairs from 1999-2002.
Under his leadership and in collaboration with faculty, staff, alums, and students, Holy Cross has advanced Aspire, its new strategic vision for the future. This comprehensive plan guides the institution’s efforts to build on its long-standing excellence and ensure that the College continues to serve and prepare all its students for the wider world. As president, his early focus includes preparing for capital campus improvements, supporting the College’s workforce, strengthening shared governance with faculty and the Board of Trustees, and deepening partnerships across the City of Worcester.
Vince has written extensively on law and religion with a particular focus on Catholic social teaching and the law. His book Christians in the American Empire: Faith and Citizenship in the New World Order was released by Oxford University Press in 2008. His research considers the relationships among religious identity, citizenship, and membership in highly mobile and increasingly multicultural democratic societies. He served as senior fellow at the Centre for Theology and Community (CTC) in London, where he researched broad-based community organizing, immigration, and citizenship in the UK as part of the Just Communities Project.
He is past president of the Association of American Law Schools, and previously served on the Council of the Boston Bar Association. He currently serves on the boards of Newton-Wellesley Hospital, GBH, Boston Lyric Opera, and Commonweal Magazine.
He received his A.B. magna cum laude from Brown University in 1985, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1988, where he served as articles editor of the Harvard Human Rights Journal. He and his wife, Robin Kornegay-Rougeau, M.D. are proud parents to Christian, Alexander and Vincent (V.J.).