Edward Augustus, College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross has just hired former Massachusetts state senator Edward Augustus to head up its new office of government and community relations. A Worcester native, Augustus will help strengthen the school's ties with city officials. He will represent Holy Cross in making connections - and hopefully, collaborations - with state and federal government agencies, legislators and other colleges and universities. In this Q & A, he says he's working hard to familiarize himself with the key players and the moving parts of the institution.
Vital Stats
Age: 45
Residence: Worcester
Education: Bachelor's in government and history from Suffolk University, Boston; master's in government from Johns Hopkins University, Maryland.
Previous job: Managed 2010 re-election of U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.
Start date at new job: Feb. 21.
Q: How are you settling in at your new office?
A: Settling into the job is going well. People have been very gracious, friendly and welcoming here at Holy Cross.
Q: What challenges do you see in your new position?
A: I think, first of all, getting my hands around all that's going on in the Holy Cross community. There's a huge array of things that are happening between Holy Cross and the Worcester community and I'm just trying to get up to speed on what all those things are, and the efforts they're making, as well as the opportunities to take that to the next level. I'm trying to absorb all of that information.
Q: What's your favorite thing about Central Massachusetts?
A: Certainly the ease of getting to the different places you might want to go. If you're going west, north, or east, you're centrally located so it's very convenient in that way. Also, the people here are very friendly and down-to-earth and they make it feel like home.
Q: How close is this to what you imagined in high school you'd end up doing?
A: Geez, I don't know if I ever imagined being a government relations person at a college. I've always been interested in government and politics and I've had a chance to work at the local, state and federal levels of government. I've worked in the executive branch, the legislative branch, in appointed office and in elected office. So this is an extension of my interest in public policy and government. I might not have specifically had this position in mind, but it is certainly within the universe of things that I thought I would be working on.
Q: How far is your commute to the office?
A: It's about seven minutes. You can't beat that.
Q: What could local and state governments do to make things better for your business?
A: Unfortunately, at a time when we probably should be doing more to make college more affordable and to support more research on college campuses, the federal and state governments are going in the opposite direction. It's really incumbent upon all of us who work in this field, care about education and quite frankly the future of this country, to make sure that policy makers understand the importance of the affordability of college, whether it be grants, students loans or other financial aid and work-study programs. These are critical components to ensuring college is accessible to people of every socio-economic background and not just the elite. For the middle class and the poor, if they're qualified and capable of going to college there ought to be a way for them to go.
Q: What's the best way to keep your energy and motivation up when you're having a long day?
A: Lots of coffee. I'm addicted to coffee.
Q: Where's the best place to get lunch near your new location?
A: I've only really gone to lunch on campus, but the sandwiches in the new Science Café are really good.
Q: Do you have any hobbies outside of work?
A: I like to travel. I've travelled all over the world and the United States. Any chance I get to go somewhere I haven't been before or see something I haven't seen before - I'm all about that.
Q: What's on your to-do list for the next couple of days?
A: Just to continue to meet with folks here on campus to get a sense of whom all the different players are and what they're doing in the community and with government relations. Then once I do that, I want to reintroduce myself to people in the city wearing my new hat, talk about ways that the college can make a difference in the community, and let people know that Holy Cross isn't separate and distinct from the city of Worcester, but rather an integral part of the city and that their fates are linked.
Q: Anything you would like to add?
A: I'm really excited about being here and I think this is an amazing institution that really makes a difference not only in the lives of the students, but really in the lives of a lot of people who live in this community. And I'm looking forward to working with folks and telling that story and taking it to the next level.
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