Frank Vellaccio (Acting President) Papers

Record Group

Identifier: RG12-26A

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains material relating to Frank Vellaccio during his time as acting president (1998-2000), including biographical information, speeches, correspondence and various subject files.

Dates

Creation: 1998-2000

Conditions Governing Access

Consult with Archivist

Conditions Governing Use

Materials believed to be under copyright or other restrictions are available for limited noncommercial, educational and personal use only, or for fair use as defined by United States copyright law and with proper citation. Please note that the College of the Holy Cross may not hold the rights to all items in this collection. Users assume responsibility for identifying all copyright holders and for determining whether permission is needed to make any use of the content. For permission under rights held by the College, please contact archives@holycross.edu.

Biographical Note

Frank Vellaccio has worked at Holy Cross since 1974, when he was hired as an assistant professor of chemistry. That same year, he earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A native of West Haven, Connecticut, he earned a bachelor of science degree from Fordham University where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. His doctoral thesis, "Synthesis and Study of New Reagents with Potential Use in Peptide Synthesis," began his career as an academic chemist in the area of peptide synthesis.

In addition to articles in scientific journals, Dr. Vellaccio published a textbook, “Organic Chemistry,” in 1980. Written with D.S. Kemp, the book became a standard text in many colleges and universities throughout the country, and has been translated into Japanese, Italian, and Spanish.

After serving on a number of the College’s major committees, Dr. Vellaccio moved into an administrative position in 1986, becoming dean of the College. From this office, he oversaw faculty, academic, and curricular policy. The following year, he became the College’s academic vice president. In January 1996, the College’s president at the time, Rev. Gerard Reedy, S.J., named him the College’s first provost, with dual responsibilities for both academic affairs and College development. He was appointed acting president during the summer of 1998 and served the College in that capacity until the summer of 2000, when he was named senior vice president. He served in this position until 2016 when he began his role as Special Advisor to the President and Advancement Offices.