Providence, RI -- Michael A. Ruane, chair of the Board of Trustees at Providence College and a member of the Providence College Corporation, received The Richard Cardinal Cushing Award from St. Mary's High School of Lynn, Mass., at the school's 10th annual Cardinal Cushing Reception. The reception was held on Wednesday, November 30, at the Boston College Club in downtown Boston.

The Cardinal Cushing Award was established in 1996 to underscore the importance of Catholic education. Named in memory of Richard Cardinal Cushing, leader of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1944-1970, it honors individuals whose professional and personal lives mirror St. Mary's guiding mission to educate the leaders of tomorrow.
 
Ruane, who graduated from St. Mary's in 1967, is the second member of the College community to receive this award. Rev. Philip A. Smith, O.P., PC president from 1994-2005, was accorded the award in 2000. Other past recipients include Rev. J. Donald Monan, S.J., former president of Boston College; Dr. John R. Silber, former chancellor of Boston University; and Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch of the Lynch Foundation, a non-profit organization that funds innovative programs in the areas of education, health care, religion, and arts and sciences.

As chair of the Board of Trustees-a post he has held since fall 2002-Ruane has used his multiple talents and leadership skills to advance Catholic education through his commitment to strengthening PC's Catholic and academic standings. He also is a longtime supporter of St. Mary's High School the Boston Catholic Schools Foundation's Innercity Scholarship Fund. He is a member of the foundation's Executive Council.

According to St. Mary's pastor, Rev. Msgr. Paul V. Garrity, it is Ruane's commitment to Catholic education, coupled with his longtime dedication to St. Mary's, that made him a natural choice for the Cardinal Cushing Award.

Ruane was joined at last month's reception by a contingent of administrators from the College, led by President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. Also in attendance were Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P., executive vice president and treasurer; Joseph P. Brum, special assistant to the president for development projects; Edward J. Caron, vice president for college relations and planning; Dr. Hugh F. Lena, vice president for academic administration; and Rev. Kevin D. Robb, O.P., associate vice president for mission and ministry and associate treasurer. 

Ruane is the founder and managing partner of TA Associates Realty, a real estate advisory firm based in Boston. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from PC in 1971 and a master's in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, where he was the Allied Chemical Foundation Fellow. 

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