The Helen M. Whall Chair in Social Justice is an endowed professorship at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, established through a gift from Civis Foundation.
Helen Whall taught English at Holy Cross for 42 years, joining the faculty in 1976 and retiring in 2017. Whall shaped generations of students as a Shakespeare scholar and encouraging mentor, and her influence continues to shape classrooms years after her retirement.
We have so many dedicated and talented teachers whose scholarship addresses differences and whose teaching engages students fully. For me, what's important about [Civis’s] gift is its acknowledgment of the influence that teachers have.
Current Whall Chair, history professor Rosa Carrasquillo, was selected for demonstrating scholarly and teaching expertise in an area related to social justice, equity, and human flourishing. Carrasquillo’s appointment ensures a lasting institutional commitment to values Whall embodied throughout her career.
Alongside the endowed professorship, the gift establishes the Helen M. Whall Lecture Series, bringing distinguished scholars to Holy Cross to speak on issues of social justice and their relationship to literature, history, and the humanities.
Back to All Projects