Fairfield University Magazine - Spring 2024

Spring Glow

Basking in the warmth of spring sunlight, Fairfield students find solace and companionship studying together outdoors amid the plentiful cherry blossoms on campus.

On the cover:

Janelle Brown ’24, a spark plug guard for the Stags, celebrates with fellow teammates at a winning game against Stonehill.

Fairfield University Magazine

Fairfield University

Spring 2024 | Volume 46 | Number 4 a.m.d.g.

Editor, Alistair Highet

Assistant Editor, Tess (Brown) Long ’07, MFA’11

University News Editor, Susan Cipollaro

Copy Editor, Jeannine (Carolan) Graf ’87

Vice President for Marketing and Communications, Jennifer Anderson ’97, MBA ’02

Designer, Nancy (Gelston) Dobos ’91

Photography by:

Joe Adams: pages 4, 10, 21, 23, 26-29, 31

Owen Bonaventura: pages 8, 39

Olivia Frzop page: 9, 19

Andrew Henderson: pages 3, 14

Steve McLaughlin: page 19

Patrick James Miller: page 12

Carlisle Stockton page: 21

Manor Yearbook: 16, 18, 21

Media Center: pages 7, 8, 20

Contributed photos: pages 6-7, 9, 11, 19, 32-38

Fairfield University Magazine is published four times (November, March, June, September) during the year by Fairfield University. Editorial offices are located in: Bellarmine Hall, Fairfield University Fairfield, CT 06824-5195 (203) 254-4000, ext. 2526

Email: ahighet@fairfield.edu

Printed at Allied Printing Services Manchester, Connecticut

Photo by Joe Adams

Photo by Owen Bonaventura

Contents

16 Confident, Courageous, Competitive

by J ohn J ones

Celebrating a Half-Century of Women’s Athletics at Fairfield

The establishment of sports for women at Fairfield started with tennis and basketball during the 1973-74 academic year. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Fairfield University Women’s Athletics — a program that has seen great success over the past five decades.

The 1987-88 women’s basketball team earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid by winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship.

“We are proud of our athletes across the generations for the standards they have set, on and off the field.” —

University President

The Storm on the Horizon

Research by Physics Professor Robert Nazarian, PhD, and his students predicts significant climate changes in northern Mexico — with implications for everyone.

Using high-resolution climate models to investigate projected regional precipitation trends, a study by Dr. Nazarian and his undergraduate research team, dubbed “The Nazarian Group,” predicts an increased frequency of extreme precipitation events over the next 100 years will double.

Pictured above: The Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range in northern Mexico where Dr. Nazarian’s research is based

Fairfieldmagazine

26 Taking Care

by s ara c olabella ’08, M a’11

A $1.22 million grant will help Fairfield’s midwifery doctoral program in its mission to reduce postpartum mortality in the U.S.

The Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies is using funding from the Health Resources Services Administration to increase the number of trained practitioners from diverse backgrounds in the midwifery field and combat maternal healthcare disparities.

5

12

Three MFA in Creative Writing Grads at the Helm of Woodhall Press

14

33 Maureen Winkler Belger ’87

35

’16

Pictured above: Associate professor and Nurse Midwifery DNP program director Jenna LoGiudice ’06, PhD, CNM, RN, FACNM (on left), delivers a sim baby with the help of students

“Our athletics is yet another reflection of our University’s continued uplift in prominence. We are attracting ever greater interest from ever more students.”

Letter from the President

Dear Friends,

I write to you today on a glorious, sun-filled afternoon, with our campus humming along at the peak of winter activity.

Earlier this month, buses from a number of neighboring schools brought scores of children to our annual Kids Day at Leo D. Mahoney Arena to watch a women’s basketball game between our Stags and conference rivals, Marist. We continued the fine team play that has characterized our season and finished with a resounding win. Thus, at the moment of this writing I can report that our women’s basketball team’s 20-game winning streak is currently the second-longest in the country.

By the time you receive this edition of Fairfield University Magazine, of course, our women’s team will be further along — and not to jinx it — hopefully poised for post-season success. However, today, along with the study and dialogue animating our classrooms and communal spaces, and the formation of our students in our residence halls and Egan Chapel, the campus is enjoying the buzz of energy that arises from the exertions of our student athletes giving their all, for their teammates and for our school.

Send your letters to the editor of Fairfield University Magazine to Alistair Highet at ahighet@fairfield.edu.

Your

This spirit of celebration is an element of collegiate athletics that is so integral to our University. We celebrate this tradition by featuring the 50th anniversary of women’s athletics at Fairfield. Both our men’s and women’s athletics programs continue to excel, and we are proud of our athletes across the generations for the standards they have set, on and off the field.

Athletics is yet another reflection of our University’s continued uplift in prominence. We are attracting ever greater interest from ever more students. This year, we have had over 18,000 undergraduate applications for admission, up 20 percent from last year’s record, from 46 states and 76 countries. One of the most telling points of data is the increase in applications we see from beyond

our traditional northeastern populations, up 17 percent from Florida, 11 percent from California, 40 percent from Illinois, and 52 percent from the Washington, D.C., area. This is a strong indication that word of our quality continues to spread.

We are heartened by the success we are seeing for all our academic ventures, including our Fairfield Bellarmine associate’s degree program in Bridgeport, and our nursing programs in Austin, Texas. Bellarmine’s first year students are progressing through their studies with aplomb and have helped spread the word in the local community as we continue to find outsized interest from students and families. After a successful first year of our second-degree nursing program in Austin, we have scores of applications for next year, and have word that our Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia program has been accredited in Texas, with 168 applications for 16 slots in the first cohort. Our confidence that Texas would respond to our excellent Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies programs has been rewarded.

In the midst of all this good news, there has been difficult news as well. It was with sadness that we all learned of the passing of Rev. Charles “Charlie” Allen, S.J., who for so many years served our community, most recently as our alumni chaplain. He was a much-loved figure on our campus and a great friend and support to so many of you, and to me as well. Many of you were blessed over the years to have Fr. Allen at your side as he presided at over 400 alumni weddings, and countless other events. It came as no surprise that when Fr. Allen’s retirement was announced in the spring of 2020, thousands of well-wishers came to campus in a cavalcade of cars to wish him well.

Fr. Allen will be missed, but he will always be with us in spirit. I am honored to announce that our current Alumni House will henceforth be named Charles H. Allen, S.J., Alumni House – or Allen House, for short. A most fitting tribute for a most remarkable man.

With utmost gratitude and very best wishes,

Mark R. Nemec, PhD President

UniversitNEWS y

ALUMNI DIAMOND NAMED IN HONOR OF LEGENDARY BASEBALL COACH AND ATHLETICS DIRECTOR C. DONALD COOK ’63

Fairfield Dolan MBA Concentrations Gain STEM Designation

The conclusion of the fall 2023 semester marked a significant milestone for the Charles F. Dolan School of Business as the MBA program concentrations of finance, marketing, and analytics received official STEM designation. Having received University-wide approval, this designation ultimately diversifies the program itself to best prepare students for the evolving industry needs of business professionals.

STEM designation creates opportunities for international students at Fairfield Dolan to benefit from a three-year postgraduate U.S. residency window to experience optional practical training (OPT), which differs from the brief oneyear visa extension for OPT that is typically offered to students. As stated by associate professor and MBA program director Mousumi Bose Godbole, PhD, STEM designation makes Fairfield Dolan’s MBA program competitive and enriched with benefits for prospective students.

Fairfield Dolan offers an online MBA program with the ability to tailor the degree through concentrations. Prospective students can enroll in the program either fulltime or part-time. l F

Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, announced that baseball’s Alumni Diamond has been renamed the Don ’63 and Chris ’88 Cook Field in honor of C. Donald Cook ’63, alumnus and former Fairfield University athletics director and head baseball coach.

Don Cook was a standout with the Fairfield baseball team where he served as co-captain in 1963. He became head coach in 1966, and directed the Stags for 19 seasons, transforming the program into a respected Division I entity. Eleven Stags who played under Cook’s leadership went on to play professionally in the minor leagues, including Keefe Cato ’82, the only Fairfield

alumnus to appear in a Major League game.

In 1971, Cook was appointed director of athletics, a position he held until 1986. During his tenure, he supervised the building of the Recreation Complex, the expansion of Alumni Hall, and a renovation of Alumni Field. He was a co-founder and the first president of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and was inducted into the Fairfield Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984.

The field’s new name also honors the memory of Cook’s son, Christopher Lance Cook ’88, who died in 2014 after a long illness. A dedication ceremony to officially rename the field will take place this spring. l F

The newly renamed Don ’63 and Chris ’88 Cook Field.

UniversitNEWS y

PREMIER LACROSSE LEAGUE TO RETURN TO FAIRFIELD

The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) powered by Ticketmaster announced it will return to Fairfield for the league’s 2024 season, hosting all eight PLL teams at Rafferty Stadium July 19-21, 2024.

Fairfield is one of two cities set to host all eight PLL teams this summer. The league recently assigned its eight teams to home cities, marking PLL’s biggest investment since its inception in 2018. Eight of the league’s 10 regular season games will take place in the home cities, with two regular season weekends, an All-Star Game, and playoffs to be held at neutral sites.

To view the full 2024 PLL Schedule and join the presale for early access to purchase tickets, visit premierlacrosseleague.com. l F

CNN ANCHOR KAITLAN COLLINS HEADLINES OPEN VISIONS FORUM LECTURE

Kaitlan Collins, one of CNN’s youngest-ever White House correspondents, spoke at the University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Sunday, Nov. 12. The conversation was titled “This Just In — The Media’s Role in Shaping America’s Path Forward.” l F

Fairfield Student Research at Beardsley Zoo Earns Top Honors in Education Award

Fairfield University’s RIZE (Research, Internships, and Zoo Education) program was awarded top honors in education at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)’s annual national conference, held this past fall in Columbus, Ohio. The annual award was given to the University’s RIZE program, which is a partnership with Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, recognizing outstanding achievement and the ability to promote conservation knowledge, show innovation, and measure success.

The RIZE program was developed with Fairfield’s associate professor of biology Ashley Byun, PhD, and Fairfield University vertebrate zoology lab students, to conduct behavioral observation studies at the zoo. Each spring semester since 2013 (with a one-year interruption due to the pandemic), vertebrate biology lab students have gathered

at Beardsley Zoo weekly to conduct observation studies on a variety of species. Additional longterm studies are also conducted. This past year, lab students observed the white-naped crane pair’s courtship and mating rituals; a new female red wolf‘s introduction to the zoo’s male inhabitant; big cat vocalizations as indicators of estrus, part of a larger

Author Bettina Love Headlines 2024 MLK Jr. Convocation

New York Times best-selling author Bettina L. Love, PhD, was Fairfield University’s keynote speaker at the 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation. Entitled “Punished For Dreaming: The Case for Abolitionist Teacher & Educational Reparations,” her lecture took place on Feb. 6 at the Regina A. Quick Center

for the Arts. The theme for this year’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. campus observance was “Dreaming and Doing: Transforming Education.”

Dr. Love is the William F. Russell Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, and author of the New York Times bestseller Punished for

project focused on reconstructing the ancestral vocalizations of big cats; and identifying causes of trout aggression in fingerlings prior to their release in wild waterways. An ongoing study of the zoo’s spider monkey troop includes introducing an iPad to the animals as a source of cognitive enrichment — a first for New World monkeys. l F

Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal. A week of programming celebrating the life and influence of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was held Feb. 5-9. Events included: A Celebration of Activism, the Vision Awards Reception, a Youth Leadership Academy, and more. l F

RIZE students Josue De Los Santos ’23 and Chris Adornato ’25 (l-r) collecting observational data from a newly introduced pair of red wolves at the Beardsley Zoo.

CENTER FOR SOCIAL IMPACT PARTNERS ON AGE FRIENDLY INITIATIVE

The town of Fairfield was designated an AARP Age Friendly Community last March. Affiliated with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Program, this makes the town part of an international campaign to help communities prepare for their aging populations. It is projected by AARP that by 2030, one of every five people in the U.S. will be 65 or older, and that by 2035, the number of adults older than 65 will be greater than the number of children under 18.

To achieve its aim of making the town of Fairfield a great place to grow up and grow old, the

Age Friendly Fairfield initiative enlisted Fairfield University’s Center for Social Impact for help. Led by CSI’s Reinaldo González Rodriguez ’20, M’21, assistant director for communityengaged research, and Wen Zhao, PhD, assistant professor of communication and a CSI community-engaged research fellow, members of the University community worked with the town’s Fairfield Senior Advocates group to design and distribute a comprehensive town survey and engage in a listening session with residents to identify community age-friendly needs and opportunities. l F

Author Jared Cohen (left) discussed his new release, Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House (Simon & Schuster, Feb. 2024), with University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, and Special Assistant to the President for Arts and Culture Philip Eliasoph, PhD, in an Open VISIONS Forum book launch event on Feb. 8. A partner since 2022, Cohen is co-head of the Office of Applied Innovation and president of Global Affairs at Goldman Sachs.

Fairfield Mourns Passing of Rev. Charles H. Allen, S.J.

Fairfield University and Fairfield College Preparatory School (Fairfield Prep) mourn the loss of Rev. Charles H. Allen, S.J., who passed away on Jan. 10, 2024, at the Campion Center in Weston, Mass. He was 81.

Fr. Allen was a beloved figure on campus, integral to the life and spirit of the University and Fairfield Prep community for more than 40 years. Before retiring in 2020, Fr. Allen served our community most recently as the University’s Alumni chaplain, and as special assistant to President Mark R. Nemec, PhD.

Fr. Allen’s many roles at Fairfield University included moderating the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit honor society, and serving as a residence hall floor Jesuit, Campus Ministry trip chaperone, Alumni chaplain and Glee Club chaplain. He also served as executive assistant to former Fairfield University Presidents Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., and Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J.

“Fr. Charlie Allen was a muchloved figure on our campus, and in our broader community, and a great friend to so very many of us,” said President Nemec. “If there was anyone who could be said to have embodied the spirit of our University — who knew and loved the town of Fairfield and understood the role that our

University and Fairfield Prep play in the life of our region and beyond — it was Fr. Allen.”

A native of Boston, raised in Jamaica Plain, Mass., Fr. Allen’s Jesuit service began in 1959 at the age of 17. His ministry took him across five continents, to Mexico, Italy, Egypt, France, Spain, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, among many other countries. He was ordained in 1973.

In 2021, Fr. Allen was honored by Fairfield University’s Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality with the Rev. James M. Bowler, S.J., Award for his lifetime of service exemplifying the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola. On that special occasion, the Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, shared this reflection on Fr. Allen’s impact: “One of Fr. Allen’s greatest gifts is the ability to preach with clarity, simplicity, and conviction. His ability to break open the Word of God and apply it to the challenges of modern life has inspired and enriched countless people in many parishes throughout the Diocese. His humor is unsurpassed, allowing him the unique ability to find humor in life and connect that in a deeply meaningful way to the joy of the Gospel.” l F

AUTHOR JARED COHEN LAUNCHES LATEST BOOK

UniversitNEWS y

AWARDWINNING AUTHORS GATHER FOR 2024 WRITERS COLLOQUIUM

The Fairfield University MFA in Creative Writing program hosted award-winning authors at the 2024 Writers Colloquium: “Writing Soul Into a Broken World,” on Saturday, Feb. 10 at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Writers and aspiring writers of all genres and levels were welcomed to participate in the Colloquium, hosted by MFA faculty member and award-winning author Phil Klay.

Featuring poet Shane McCrae and Irish author Colum McCann, discussions focused on the role of the writer in today’s world: one that is shaped by vast, impersonal forces – from climate change to modern warfare – in a culture driven by partisanship and discord.

The 2024 Writers Colloquium was presented by the Inspired Writers Series of the Fairfield University MFA Program and College of Arts & Sciences, in collaboration with the Quick Center for the Arts and the Media Institute. l F

John E. Thiel, PhD, Named Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., Chair in Catholic Studies

John E. Thiel ’73, PhD, professor of religious studies in Fairfield University’s College of Arts and Sciences, has been named the new Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., Professor of Catholic Studies. Dr. Thiel succeeds recently retired professor of religious studies Paul Lakeland, PhD, the inaugural holder of this prestigious chair position.

Dr. Thiel received his BA in religious studies from Fairfield University in 1973, and his

MA and PhD from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. During his 47-year teaching career at Fairfield, he has served as chair of the Religious Studies Department for 12 years, and as the director of the University Honors Program for 18 years.

The Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., Chair in Catholic Studies position was established in 2004 to honor Fr. Kelley for his 25 years of service as President of Fairfield University, from 1979 to 2004. l F

John E. Thiel, PhD

Research and Scholarship Showcased at Robert E. Wall Award Event

The Office of the Provost hosted a unique Robert E. Wall Award event on Nov. 14 in the Kelley Center to celebrate the past and explore the future of research and scholarship at Fairfield University. In lieu of the traditional annual lecture given by the Wall Award recipient from the previous year, nine past awardees were invited to share insights about their research in a round-table discussion format, fostering a dynamic dialogue about the future of research at Fairfield.

The Wall Award is the pinnacle of faculty recognition; it celebrates and supports the exceptional research endeavors of tenured Fairfield University faculty members. Granted by the provost to one faculty member annually in concurrence with a selection committee, the award

offers recipients a semester–long sabbatical to focus on important research in their field.

The night kicked off with Provost Christine Siegel, PhD, welcoming nine awardees: Ronald Davidson, PhD (Religious Studies), Sonya Huber, PhD (English), Dennis Keenan, PhD (Philosophy), Stephen Sawin,

(Mathematics), Katherine Schwab, PhD (Visual and Performing Arts), Sriharsha Srinivas Sundarram, PhD (Mechanical Engineering), John Thiel, PhD (Religious Studies), William Vazquez Mazariegos, PhD (Economics), and Kathryn (Jo) Yarrington, PhD (Visual and Performing Arts). l F

PhD

(l-r) Provost Christine Siegel, PhD, Associate Vice Provost for Research & Scholarship Margaret M. McClure, PhD, and Vice Provost for Graduate, Professional & Continuing Studies Walter Rankin, PhD.

New Science Center Enhances Student Learning

Last semester, Fairfield University welcomed a new academic resource to its campus — the Science Center. Located within the Academic Commons on the main level of the DiMennaNyselius Library, the Science Center aims to become a vibrant hub of academic engagement and learning for students across all four undergraduate schools.

This center is poised to offer peer tutoring and collaborative study opportunities for a range of courses, including general biology, general chemistry, general physics, organic chemistry, anatomy and physiology, general chemistry for

health sciences, general physics for life sciences, behavioral neuroscience, and statistics for behavioral sciences.

The Science Center was made possible by the generous support it received from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) as part of its Inclusive Excellence 3 (IE3) initiative. This initiative challenges colleges and universities across the United States to substantially and sustainably enhance their capacity for student belonging, particularly for individuals who have historically been excluded from the sciences. l F

LUCIE VINCENT ’27 NAMED ALLAMERICAN BY NATIONAL FIELD HOCKEY COACHES ASSOCIATION

Lucie Vincent ’27 has been named a National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Third Team AllAmerican. Vincent was previously tabbed as the NEC Offensive Player and Rookie of the Year, after putting together one of the best debut seasons in the nation as a member of the Fairfield Field Hockey program.

Vincent averaged 1.67 points per game in her inaugural campaign, scoring 13 goals and adding four assists for 30 points in her 18 appearances. Her points per game average placed 21st in the nation and was the third-best mark among first-years in Division I. She

STORYTELLERS FOSTER CONNECTIONS THROUGH ANNUAL EVENT

The DiMenna-Nyselius Library and Office of Student Diversity & Multicultural Affairs held the second annual Stags

Share Stories: Conversations That Connect Us event on Nov. 8 at the library, with Zoom modality offered. Approximately 100 students, faculty, and staff members met with 13 different “storytellers.”

The event offered an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to connect

and promote a culture of understanding, empathy, and appreciation of the University’s diverse community. Stags

Share Stories is inspired by previous years’ Human Library events, and encourages engagement through conversations with storytellers who share their personal experiences, identities, and perspectives on topics ranging from race, class, religion, disability, and more. l F

also picked up 0.72 goals per game which set her up with the same rankings as she earned with her points per game numbers. Vincent led the NEC in both of those categories as well. l F

Fairfield Egan Faculty Inducted Into American Academy of Nursing

Two faculty members of the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies — associate professor of nursing and director of the DNP Midwifery program Jenna LoGiudice, PhD, CNM, RN, FACNM, and associate professor of nursing Linda Roney, EdD, RN-BC, CPEN, CNE — were formally inducted into the American Academy of Nursing as fellows at an October ceremony in Washington, D.C.

As American Academy of Nursing fellows, Dr. LoGiudice and Dr. Roney will work with other healthcare leaders across

the country to transform the U.S. health system by enhancing quality of care, promoting human development across the lifespan, reducing health disparities, integrating mental and physical health, and improving the health delivery system nationally and internationally.

Dr. LoGiudice serves as the director of the Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Midwifery program at Fairfield Egan. Dr. Roney is certified as a pediatric nurse, pediatric emergency nurse, and academic nurse educator. l F

Lucie Vincent ’27

Storytellers included faculty, librarians, staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, and alumni.

UniversitNEWS y

NAKIA LÉTANG HONORED AS 2024 LUCY KATZ PERSON OF THE YEAR

The Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Program at Fairfield University named Nakia Létang, director of admission for Fairfield Bellarmine, the 2024 Lucy Katz Person of the Year. An event on November 8 held at Alumni House honored Létang for her visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to social justice, and for her positive impact on the Fairfield University community and beyond.

Létang, a dedicated member of the Fairfield community for 17 years, has been instrumental in shaping the University’s multicultural affairs recruitment initiatives. Her selection for this esteemed award is a testament to her inspiring presence, both on campus and in the local community. Her visionary leadership in undergraduate admission has not only shaped the future of Fairfield University but has also opened doors for countless students l F

Corporate Breakfast and Career Fair: A Full Day of Networking

Fairfield University hosted two successful events on Wednesday, Sept. 27, each of which connected students to alumni in the corporate world: the inaugural Corporate Breakfast and Panel Discussion, and the 2023 Fall Career & Internship Fair.

Approximately 145 students, alumni, and corporate partners were in attendance at the breakfast, featuring a panel discussion with Katherine Bazinet ’83, principal, Data, AI and Automation, US National Market, IBM Technology; Nick Benaquista ’05, senior vice president, people and capability partner, Chief Administrative Office and Chief Risk Office, Mastercard; and Susan DavisGillis MBA’03, senior vice president, Customer Solutions, Synchrony Financial. The panel was moderated by College of Arts and Sciences Dean Richard Greenwald, PhD, and Mehmet Cansoy, PhD, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology.

More than 1,000 students attended the 2023 Fall Career & Internship Fair in the RecPlex, with approximately 250 representatives from 105 employers. Local, national, and international companies were represented, including Atlas Holdings, BIC Corporation, Cooper Surgical, Enterprise Holdings, FBI, Henkel, Jesuit

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS CLARIFICATION

Volunteer Corps, M&T Bank, Point72, Pratt & Whitney, RightClick, Vineyard Vines, as well as top accounting firms such as BDO USA, Ernst & Young, KPMG Global, and PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited. l F

The Financial Highlights presented in the winter President’s Report were accompanied with pie charts detailing the University’s operating revenues and expenses for 2022-23. See below for clarification of the dollar amounts displayed to the left of the two charts.

NET OPERATING REVENUE: $297.6 million (as displayed in Winter magazine)

ADD BACK FINANCIAL AID: $112.5 million

GROSS OPERATING REVENUE: $410.1 million (represented in pie charts)

OPERATING EXPENSES: $268.6 million (as displayed in Winter magazine)

PLUS FINANCIAL AID: $112.5 million

TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES: $381.1 million (represented in pie charts)

More than 1,000 students attended the 2023 Fall Career & Internship Fair at the RecPlex.

FAIRFIELD DOLAN WELCOMES 2023 CONLISK SCHOLAR CIAN O’DONNELL

Upon graduating from the University of Limerick last May, Cian O’Donnell sought to pursue his lifelong dream of furthering his education in the U.S. The Conlisk Scholarship presented him with the opportunity to do just that at the Charles F. Dolan School of Business. As a proud first-generation college student, O’Donnell has stepped into Dolan’s Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program

with confidence that it will equip him to make an impact within the modern business landscape.

The Rev. John M. Conlisk Scholarship was created more than 20 years ago to enhance job opportunities for business students from Ireland. It provides tuition, housing, books, and medical insurance for a year of study at the Dolan School of Business. l F

Shannen Dee Williams, PhD, Presents 2nd Annual “Faith Leaders for Racial Justice” Lecture

Shannen Dee Williams, PhD, presented “Celebrating America’s Real Sister Act: The Saintly Lives of Mary Lange, Henriette Delille, and Thea Bowman,” at Fairfield University’s second annual “Faith Leaders for Racial Justice” lecture, hosted by the Office of Mission & Ministry and the Center for Catholic Studies. The event took place in the Barone Campus Center’s Dogwood Room on Oct. 12.

In her presentation, Dr. Williams examined the lives and legacies of Venerable Mary Lange, Venerable Henriette Delille, and Servant of God Thea Bowman — three Black

Shannen Dee Williams, PhD

nuns from the U.S. who are currently on the road to sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church. Dr. Williams is an associate professor of history at the University of Dayton. l F

HOLY CITY – A PILGRIMAGE OF SIGHT; 9 x 12 ft.; Mixed media (acrylic, foil, varnish) on nine canvases, 2016. Brian Whelan, Wilton, Conn. Brianwhelanart.com.

FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY DISPLAYS INTERFAITH PAINTING “HOLY CITY,” BY ARTIST BRIAN WHELAN

Fairfield University displayed “Holy City,” an interfaith installation by international artist Brian Whelan, from December 2023 to February 2024, in the John A. Barone Campus Center. The work is comprised of nine paintings, each representing the three Abrahamic faiths — Christianity, Islam, and Judaism — coexisting with their houses of worship, supporting and uplifting one another. When displayed together, the nine panels create a 9-by-12-foot work of art championing the vision of unity.

2024 FAIRFIELD AWARDS DINNER HONOREES ANNOUNCED

On Wednesday, April 3, 2024, the Fairfield Awards Dinner will honor five individuals who have been exceptional in their commitment to Fairfield University and its students. The dinner will be held at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City, with proceeds directed to the University’s Alumni Multicultural Scholarship Fund and other endowed scholarships, helping students realize their full potential, regardless of economic or social barriers.

This year’s Fairfield Awards Dinner will honor: Nancy Clegg Altobello ’80, Alumni Professional Achievement Award; Timothy E. Lane ’85, P’24, ’16, Alumni Service Award; Janet A. Canepa ’82, Distinguished Faculty/Staff Administrator Award; and

Jason Beckwith and Alexis Dunbar Beckwith P’23, Parent Leadership Award.

Adrienne Johnson ’91 and Trish Comey Preston ’80 will co-chair the Fairfield Awards Dinner together. Johnson currently serves as head of internal audit and SOX at Apollo Global Management, and is serving her fourth term as an Awards Dinner co-chair. Preston is a former senior vice president, MasterCard. This will be Trish’s third year co-chairing the event.

For additional information about the Fairfield Awards Dinner, including ways to support student scholarships, please visit fairfield.edu/ awardsdinner, or contact Jennifer Kane at 203-2544000, ext. 2464. l F

Indie Press Success

Three MFA in Creative Writing Grads at the Helm of Woodhall Press

by J eannine ( c arolan ) g ra F ’87

OFF the coast o F M ystic , Connecticut, Enders Island is the site of the Fairfield University MFA in Creative Writing program’s in-person residency. For ten days each semester, graduate students and faculty members cross the causeway to the peaceful 11-acre retreat to take part in intensive workshops, readings, and mentorship

Residencies at Enders have launched many friendships and many literary careers. For three alumni — David LeGere MFA’14, Colin Hosten MFA’14, and Christopher Madden MFA’13 — fellowship forged on the island led to the establishment of Woodhall Press, an independent publishing venture that has helped hundreds of writers’ voices find a national audience over the past eight years.

LeGere, Hosten, and Madden were out to dinner in Mystic when the idea to start an indie press took hold. They were discussing a manuscript — part memoir, part how-to teen mentoring book — written by a member of their writing group, Matthew P. Winkler MFA’12. The book was getting “spectacular rejection letters” because it didn’t pigeonhole into a marketable genre. According to Madden, “One agent told Matt, ‘I don’t know where to put this; is it fish or is it dairy?’”

Mulling over the food analogy as they dined, the three friends discussed the idea of publishing Winkler’s book themselves. By the end of the meal, “Can we do this?” had turned into “We can do this!”

In 2016, Mentoring Teenage Heroes: The Hero’s Journey of Adolescence became Woodhall Press’s first publication. A few books followed in the next two years, and by 2019 the company was publishing 15 titles annually.

“We average between 15 and 20 books a year,” said LeGere, who serves as CEO of Woodhall. “All told, we’ve published about 125 books since we began.”

“ w hen we sat aro U nd the table in Mystic, convincing ourselves that we could do this, part of our chutzpah came from knowing the publishing industry and recognizing that we wouldn’t need a physical space,” said Madden, executive editor at Woodhall.

“To get to the point where things are kind of humming along — knock on wood — it’s exciting to be in that place of stability.”

c olin h osten MFa’14

Based out of Norwalk, Connecticut, Woodhall Press has no central office location; employees work from home and every book they publish is created using freelance professionals.

“I think we were ahead of the curve in that regard,” said Hosten, Woodhall’s editorial director, noting that publishers of all sizes have become more reliant on freelance designers, editors, and public relations agents. “Our freelancers also sell their services to the larger presses, so Woodhall’s quality is the same, if not better.”

Books published by Woodhall have been recognized with numerous awards. Last year alone, more than half of the 22 titles they published won industry prizes, including four Indie Awards – two gold, a silver, and a bronze.

“In the early years,” LeGere said, “we were very much a Fairfield University press, publishing mostly MFA graduates. Over time, we’ve expanded to become a national press, but we still publish quite a few MFA grads, including Fairfield Book Prize winners.”

The Fairfield Book Prize is a manuscript submission contest awarded every two years to a Fairfield MFA student or alumna/us. The winner receives a $1,000 prize from the University and a publishing contract from Woodhall Press. Recent recipients include Victoria Buitron MFA’20 for her memoir A Body Across Two Hemispheres, which also won an Indie Gold Award, and Michael Belanger MFA’18 for his novel Grimwell, due out this year.

Woodhall’s current list features mostly anthologies, mysteries, and memoirs, rounded out by a selection of fiction, sci fi, and young adult titles. With more than 400 manuscript submissions coming in each year, the editors are less interested in “fish” or “dairy” labels and more focused on discovering what Madden describes as “books that deserve to be published.”

The publishers also have a keen ear for literary voices that deserve to be heard. Through anthologies such as the flash nonfiction Fast Women series, the “micromemoir” collection Nonwhite and Woman, and the Connecticut Literary Anthology, the press has published more than 700 contributors, many of them diverse and emerging writers.

a ll three principals hold down full-time jobs outside of Woodhall Press –LeGere is an editorial director at Rowman & Littlefield publishers and he teaches collegelevel writing. Madden teaches in Fairfield’s MFA and undergraduate programs, and Hosten is an adjunct in Fairfield’s Core Writing program and works in the Writing Center at the DiMenna-Nyselius Library.

Almost a decade in, “we’re a mature press now,” LeGere noted. “We’ve accomplished a lot of what we set out to do: We wanted to grow Woodhall to at least 100 titles, and we did that. We wanted to get into audiobook subsidiary rights and a third of our 2023 list was published on audio. We wanted to be a full press, and we are.”

“When we started, we knew it was going to be a lot of learning, a lot of speed bumps along the way,” said Hosten. “To get to the point where things are kind of humming along — knock on wood — it’s exciting to be in that place of stability.” l F

BESTSELLER LIST

When Woodhall Press released the debut disability memoir of Margaret (Meg) Moore ’20, MFA’22 last fall, it became an instant Amazon bestseller on the Biographies of People with Disabilities list. Bold, Brave, and Breathless: Reveling in Childhood’s Splendiferous Glories While Facing Disability and Loss follows Moore from birth through her elementary school graduation as she navigates life with cerebral palsy and faces the loss of her father. Raised with her two brothers by their mother, Anne Mulville Moore ’80, Moore successfully pursued regular education, participated in athletics and activities, and attended Fairfield University as an undergrad and graduate student. She currently works for Woodhall Press, where she is an editor and marketing coordinator. l F

Left: Woodhall Press founders (l-r) Colin Hosten MFA’14, Christopher Madden MFA’13, and David LeGere MFA’14 visited campus recently to talk about their independent publishing venture.

To Elevate the Discourse

d r . g lenn d ynner Leads the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies

by a lan b isbort

When glenn dynner, PhD, arrived at Fairfield in September 2022 to succeed Ellen M. Umansky, PhD, as the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Professor of Judaic Studies and the director of the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies, he brought with him a high regard for the University.

Back in February 2016, while chair of the Religion Department at Sarah Lawrence College, he’d been invited by the Bennett Center to present a talk at Fairfield based on his acclaimed book, Yankel’s Tavern: Jews, Liquor & Life in the Kingdom of Poland.

“That was such a nice experience,” recalled Dr. Dynner, who kept Fairfield University on his radar and said that “when I saw the opportunity to be part of a unique situation where a Jesuit school — with a largely Catholic student body — serves as a bridge with the wider Fairfield County Jewish community, I was ready.”

Another dimension of the Fairfield academic experience that Dr. Dynner found attractive was the University’s commitment to the study of religion, and religious thought and traditions, as part of a broad liberal arts foundation.

Fairfield has a religious studies requirement for all undergraduates, regardless of major. “They must take two courses in religion, and that means some students with curiosity will take Judaic studies classes,” he said. “The ones who do that will be the ones who stand up in the future against antisemitism.”

While he also admires the Jesuit educational model for its emphasis on social activism, Dr. Dynner thinks the seriousness with which Fairfield takes religious studies is equally important.

“That is, the University takes religion seriously and without apology,” he said. “This is relevant today and is needed more than ever because of the lack of moral clarity on many campuses, which I see as a failing of the humanities.”

In the time he has been here, Dr. Dynner has taught “Modern Jewish Literature” and

“We need dialogue and scholarship to get beyond the trivialization and echo chamber of social media.”

glenn dynner, phd

“History of Jewish Mysticism,” and he plans to teach a course called “Zionism and its Critics” in the fall.

He has also discovered a way to connect his roles as a religion professor and Bennett Center director. “I bring my students to the events at the Bennett Center,” he said. “I look at it as just a different form of learning.”

t he t U r M oil o F world events this past year — in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine, and on American college campuses — is never far from Dr. Dynner’s mind as he contemplates the future direction of the Bennett Center. Founded in 1994, its stated mission is “to foster continued learning experiences and campus-wide awareness about Jewish history, ethical values, and religious observances,” as well as “to engage the Greater Fairfield communities.” Through the center, Fairfield University continues to be committed to building a bridge of understanding between the Jewish and Jesuit traditions.

“We can’t merely be reactive in our programming,” he said. “Our role is not to advocate for Israel but to elevate discourse. We do the harder work of challenging reigning interpretations, such as the false binary that has been set up of oppressor versus oppressed. That’s why I want to continue pushing the scholarly approach going forward.”

That said, Dr. Dynner has been pleased by the fortuitous timing of the Bennett Center’s fall and spring schedules. In the fall of 2023, the center presented lectures by Dara Horn, PhD, Susannah Heschel, PhD, Charles Dellheim, PhD, and Art Spiegelman.

“We’ve sought to bring these kinds of scholarly choices to campus,” he said. “We collaborated on events related to the Arthur Szyk exhibition, including the sold-out Art Spiegelman talk [on Oct. 17]. In November, we had [Dartmouth Judaic Studies professor] Susannah Heschel talk about a need for

dialogue in the wake of the October 7 attack on Israel.”

He also cited last year’s timely visit by Yale history professor Marci Shore, PhD, whose lecture was titled, “I Need Ammunition, Not a Lift: Jews and the Ukrainian Question.” Through such programming, Dr. Dynner hopes to encourage students to voice their concerns about issues and news events that trouble them.

“Israel is not above criticism, but we need more than just buzzwords,” he said. “We need dialogue and scholarship to get beyond the trivialization and echo chamber of social media.”

A highlight of this semester’s Bennett Center schedule was the Joan and Henry Katz Lecture in Judaic Studies on March 14, presented by the world-renowned Yale University history professor Timothy Snyder, PhD. The title of Dr. Snyder’s lecture was also the title of his bestselling book: On Tyranny: Propaganda, Politics, Persuasion, which has provided many Americans with an invaluable wake-up call in the current geopolitical climate.

On March 6, Dr. Dynner led a book launch for his own just-published book, The Light of Learning: The Hasidic Revival in Poland on the Eve of the Holocaust (Oxford University Press), at Stamford’s Congregation Agutath Sholom.

The Bennett Center will team up with Fairfield’s Center for Catholic Studies on March 20 to co-sponsor the 18th Annual Lecture in Jewish/Christian Engagement, “Ancient Judaism between Christian Memory and Jewish Forgetting,” presented by Annette Yoshiko Reed, PhD, of Harvard Divinity School.

The annual Holocaust Memorial Program is scheduled for April 18 in the Barone Campus Center, and on May 6 at Alumni House, Samuel Kassow, PhD, will deliver the evening lecture, “Journalists in Hell: Reportage in the Lodz and Warsaw Ghettos.”

Over the years, the Judaic Studies program has received requests from adult learners in the non-University community to audit classes. “As an alternative to that, we’ve implemented a Lunch and Learn program in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Fairfield County,” said Dr. Dynner. “This spring, our Lunch and Learn class will be titled ‘Jews and Modern Art’.” l F

Visit fairfield.edu/bennett for more information about Fairfield’s Bennett Center for Judaic Studies.

Left: Glenn Dynner, PhD, stands in front of “Holy City,” an interfaith painting by international artist Brian Whelan that was exhibited in recognition of the ongoing war in the Holy Land at the Barone Campus Center through this past February.

Confident, Courageous, Competitive

CELEBRATING A HALF-CENTURY OF WOMEN’S ATHLETICS AT FAIRFIELD

by J ohn J ones

It was a decade of change. It was a decade of opportunity. And, it was a decade of renewal.

The 1970s was a decade that brought about transformation across the country, which in turn seeped onto college campuses. That change found its way onto the Fairfield University campus right from the start when the school admitted its first class of female undergraduate students in 1970. With the arrival of women came the need to provide an experience that extended beyond the classroom.

“When we started to review the population of women coming on campus as students, we discovered that a number had a history of being athletes in high school,” said Don Cook, who served as director of athletics from 1971 to 1986. “Women wanted to continue playing their preferred sport on the college level.”

The establishment of sports for women at Fairfield started with tennis and basketball during the 1973-74 academic year. This year marks the 50th anniversary of women’s athletics at Fairfield University — a program that has seen great success over the past five decades.

Since their start, female student-athletes have earned their share of regional and national recognition. With more than 40 NCAA Tournament appearances, over 60 conference regular-season titles, and 50-plus tournament titles to their credit, Fairfield women’s teams have set standards that make many programs envious.

Perhaps the most telling of the program’s accomplishments comes in the form of 11 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Commissioner’s Cups, an accolade presented annually to a MAAC institution for overall excellence in athletic competition within the conference.

right: Fairfield University celebrates 50 years of women’s athletics this year, which began with basketball and tennis programs during the 1973-74 academic year.

“WHEN WE STARTED TO REVIEW THE POPULATION OF WOMEN COMING ON CAMPUS AS STUDENTS, WE DISCOVERED THAT A NUMBER HAD A HISTORY OF BEING ATHLETES IN HIGH SCHOOL. WOMEN WANTED TO CONTINUE PLAYING THEIR PREFERRED SPORT ON THE COLLEGE LEVEL.”

— d on c ook , Fairfield University Director of Athletics, 1971-86

But as one would expect, recent successes come from a foundation laid by a group of young women who wanted to compete and represent their school.

“I started playing basketball in high school and wanted to continue to have some athletic activity,” Diane Oakley ’75 said. “Playing intramurals was fun, but the ability to play on a team that represents your university was something that made you proud and that is still the case today.”

Oakley spearheaded the effort to bring about more opportunity, meeting with athletics administrators and serving as one of the voices for female athletes on campus. Together, student and administrative voices provided the impetus for women’s athletics at Fairfield University.

As one would expect, the beginnings were humble, starting from scratch, especially in the club years.

“That first year, we played basketball in t-shirts with taped numbers,” Oakley remembered. “When we made our jerseys, we realized that certain numbers were good — like 4, 14, 41, 7 — or any other number that was a block number. It was harder to make twos and sixes.”

Oakley and her teammates were eventually able to secure money to purchase uniforms with Fairfield emblazoned prominently on the front, making their t-shirts with masking tape no longer relevant.

“I remember we played Holy Cross after we received our uniforms,” Oakley said. “When we took the court, we looked across and saw the Holy Cross players in blue jean shorts and t-shirts. That’s something that I will always remember.”

After one year as a club team, the Women’s Basketball program was elevated to varsity status. In its first season as a varsity sport, the squad posted a perfect 16-0 record under the guidance of Head Coach Gary Dittrich ’74.

Coach Dittrich led the Stags for four seasons, ending his tenure with a 41-17 record and a .707 winning percentage that still stands as the best winning percentage for a women’s basketball coach in Fairfield history. Two years after his departure, Dianne Nolan MA’89 took over as women’s basketball head coach and led the Stags to their first 20-win season in 1983-84, and their first NCAA tournament appearance in 1987-88. Coach Nolan led the Fairfield women’s team for 28 years and earned more than 450 wins.

“Gary was a very good basketball coach and he proved that with the team’s success on the court,” Cook said. “After that, I hired Dianne as the first full-time women’s basketball coach and she brought the program to the next level.”

The same year women’s basketball gained varsity status, the tennis program also joined varsity ranks under Head Coach Tamma O’Mara. O’Mara coached the tennis team for 13 seasons while also championing other women’s sports at Fairfield.

“Tamma did a great job putting the tennis program together and then helped me develop the women’s basketball program,” Cook said. “I give her a lot of credit for the early development of women’s athletics at Fairfield.”

Following women’s basketball and tennis in the ‘70s, subsequent decades spurred women’s cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming

above : The 2019 field hockey team won a program-record 19 games including a victory over nationally ranked American University for the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win.

at left: Linda Mazzella ’91, Kim Zagajeski ’91, and Heidi Blade ’91 helped the softball program capture the 1991 MAAC Championship. Joanne Saunders ’02 is Fairfield volleyball’s all-time leader in kills with 1,799. She was lauded for her efforts as a First Team All-MAAC selection in three consecutive seasons from 1999-2001 and was named AVCA All-Region in 2000. Caroline Kelly ’24 was named a Scholar All-American, being selected to the United Soccer Coaches Third Team.

and diving, and volleyball, bringing the current roster of women’s programs to 11.

Each of these programs boasts exceptional athletes who have gone on to achieve greatness as Hall of Famers, All-Americans, and Players of the Year. More than 50 female student-athletes have earned induction into the Fairfield University Athletics Hall of Fame so far, including the 2021 class, which was notable for being comprised completely of female student-athlete inductees: Kristen Coleman ’11 (lacrosse), Ahna Johnson ’09 (soccer), Rachel Romansky ’14 (volleyball), and Michelle Yoshida ’12 (swimming).

From modest beginnings, the women’s athletics program at Fairfield University continues to evolve with modern-day enhancements that were not as prevalent through the first few decades. Catherine Bassi-Desmarais ‘93, a Hall of Fame diver, was MAAC Diver of the Year during her senior year and set University diving records during her tenure as a Stag. She has seen first-hand how the sport has developed, and the different challenges that current studentathletes face today.

“I took training very seriously when I was a student-athlete but I think today’s athletes have to do so much more,” Desmarais said. “They have lifting in the morning and have multiple practices, which were not part of our routine. I do think things are different today in regard to commitment and expectations in collegiate athletics.”

For Desmarais and so many male and female student-athletes, Fairfield University has provided — and continues to provide — a culture imbued with sportsmanship, scholarship, and Jesuit values that cultivate graduates who achieve success and commit to service within the community after graduation.

“I had a storybook college experience at Fairfield,” Desmarais said. “I competed in a sport that I loved, made great friends, had fun, received an education, and I met my husband. For me, it was more than just being a diver. I love everything that the Jesuit philosophy stands for; Fairfield prepares you to go out and serve.”

For women’s basketball pioneer Oakley, that service philosophy extends to supporting women’s athletics programs so that Fairfield not only sustains its current

FOR 50 YEARS, CONFIDENT FEMALE STUDENT-ATHLETES HAVE ENDEAVORED AND THEY HAVE SUCCEEDED. COURAGEOUS WOMEN HAVE CREATED AND CULTIVATED OPPORTUNITY NOT ONLY FOR THEMSELVES BUT FOR THOSE WHO FOLLOW.

level of achievement but goes beyond all expectations.

“It’s wonderful to see so many women engaged in sports on this campus,” Oakley said. “However, we need to work together and continue the advancement of women’s athletics so it can continue to grow and help women going forward.”

For 50 years, confident female studentathletes have endeavored and they have succeeded. Courageous women have created and cultivated opportunity not only for themselves but for those who follow. Even today, young girls attend campus events such as camps, clinics, and contests with the hope that they may one day don a Fairfield uniform. These young athletes are the future and will push the boundaries like so many before them. And if that is the case, the next 50 years will be full of opportunity for the next generation of competitive female student-athletes. l F

above: Katie Fitzpatrick ’18 in action at the MAAC Championship game at Canisius. In the fall of 1974, tennis became Fairfield’s first varsity women’s sport.

left: Cat Clough ’19 smiles while rowing a coxed four on the Norwalk River in Norwalk, Conn.

THE STORM ON THE HORIZON

RESEARCH BY PHYSICS PROFESSOR ROBERT NAZARIAN AND HIS STUDENTS PREDICTS

SIGNIFICANT CLIMATE CHANGES IN NORTHERN MEXICO — WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR EVERYONE.

GULF OF CALIFORNIA

by t ess ( b rown ) l ong ’07, MFa’11

When one considers the disastrous effects of climate change — rising oceans and other weather disasters — usually it is the prospect of these calamities happening close to home that we care most about.

But there are ripple effects to be considered too — how drought or flooding in one area has knock-on effects in neighboring regions — or so suggests the research of Robert H. Nazarian, PhD, associate professor in the Physics Department in the College of Arts and Sciences, in a study recently published in the preeminent Journal of Climate.

Dr. Nazarian is a specialist in the physics that governs the ocean, atmosphere, and climate. He and a team of Fairfield undergraduate research students, along with partners at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego, have focused their lens on northern Mexico, an area where — to date — little work has been done to project future trends in rainfall and drought.

According to this study, using publicly available data that was created as a sub-project by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Dr. Nazarian and his students, through deep analysis using the complex mathematics of thermodynamics, have shown that northern Mexico can expect to see extreme weather events increase over the next 100 years, which, the study implies, may contribute to the degradation of the economy in this farming region, and potentially increase migratory pressures on the population.

“STUDENTS WERE INVOLVED IN EVERY ASPECT OF THE PROJECT… I REALLY TREAT THEM AS TRUE COLLABORATORS, WHICH INCLUDES TAKING PART IN THE SCIENTIFIC DECISIONMAKING PROCESS.”

left: The Sierra Madre mountain range in northern Mexico has a climate characterized by cool temperatures, diverse microclimates, and significant precipitation.

The spiny peaks of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range are the backbone of northern Mexico and run along the Gulf of California, which yields to lush valleys with rich soil that has provided the agricultural bounty for which the territory is known.

Home to more than 32 million people, the region is of significant economic importance. The area includes three distinct hydroclimatic regions, all of which regularly experience severe heat stress and flooding and are highly susceptible to future changes in precipitation.

Using a suite of high-resolution climate models from the IPCC climate, Dr. Nazarian and his research group investigated projected precipitation trends over the region between 2081 and 2100 and found that the frequency of extreme precipitation events is expected to double throughout the region over the next 100 years, exacerbating the flood risk for northern Mexico with implications for the agricultural sector, economy, and infrastructure, as well as public health.

The region accounts for 27 percent of Mexico’s gross area dedicated to agriculture and 32 percent of its agricultural revenue (INEGI 2020). Without proper adaptation, substantial precipitation changes— as a result

of future warming — could lead to major social and economic disruptions.

Dr. Nazarian and his team compared model simulations of past climate with historical observations to show that the model can accurately capture the relevant physics to predict precipitation. The models themselves are based on many equations from physics that characterize the atmosphere, ocean, and climate.

“Students were involved in every aspect of the project,” Dr. Nazarian said. “I really treat them as true collaborators, which includes taking part in the scientific decision-making process.”

The study found that hydroclimate extremes are likely to be exacerbated as the climate warms. The drought period is predicted to extend much longer than previously thought (by two or three weeks), and the rainy season is predicted to receive significantly more precipitation, by as much as ten percent, by the end of the century.

Results also suggest that the frequency of extreme precipitation will increase, with the strongest storms becoming 20 percent more frequent per degree of warming.

“This research also highlights the issue of climate data equity,” said Dr. Nazarian, explaining that while these kinds of studies are

often done for regions in the United States and other developed countries, it isn’t as common in other areas. “There has been very little focus on regions and countries where there are relatively few climate modeling centers— regions where the impacts of climate change could be particularly acute.”

Study co-author, Nick Lutsko, PhD, assistant professor of climate science at Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UCSD added, “This work is exciting because we were able to produce some of the first projections of precipitation change over this region, and also provide some insight into what causes these changes.”

And what is, precisely, causing these changes? Dr. Nazarian points to the already extreme weather events in the area, which are influenced by high emissions of greenhouse gases that the study deems “anthropogenic,” referring to environmental change caused or influenced by people, either directly or indirectly.

“There is always going to be some natural variation in the climate,” Dr. Nazarian said. “We’ve seen it over millennia. But, the magnitude of what we’re seeing here really surpasses that, which does suggest that it’s human-induced.”

“[This study also] has a number of epidemiological implications, which is not something we that we address in our work, but is important nonetheless,” he continued. “For instance, Dengue is a disease that depends very much on temperature and humidity, and with changes in precipitation and prolonged heat stress there is risk for potential spread of such tropical diseases.”

Dr. Nazarian, on faculty at Fairfield since 2018, is at work developing plans for future climate exploration with undergraduates. Prior to joining Fairfield, he was a lecturer

above : Dr. Nazarian’s research indicates that hydroclimate extremes are poised to intensify with ongoing climate warming.

right from top: The study found that the frequency of extreme precipitation events is expected to double throughout the region over the next 100 years.

in the Geosciences Department at Princeton University, where he received his doctorate in atmospheric and oceanic sciences.

One of Dr. Nazarian’s key areas of focus in working with Fairfield undergraduates is mentorship. For this recent climate research study, he guided three students: Brody Matijevic ’25, James Vizzard ’23, and Carissa Agostino ’23. Co-authors of the project, he calls them “The Nazarian Group.”

“It’s important to remember that these are undergraduates,” said Dr. Nazarian, a 33-yearold himself, originally from Rhode Island, “not graduate students and post-docs doing this work, which is a culture that is unique to Fairfield. In the field of climate science, it’s incredibly rare for undergrads to give oral presentations at a national conference.”

Matijevic, a current junior from Marlborough, Massachusetts with majors in both mechanical engineering and physics, said he’s enjoyed his work with The Nazarian Group for the

past two years.

“There have been many great opportunities that have come from it,” he shared. “I’ve learned coding skills as well as earth climate dynamics and the importance they have in science.” Matijevic is planning to pursue a PhD in applied physics after graduation next year.

Carissa Agostino ’23, a recent graduate and physics major who now holds a position as a research scientist at BAE Systems, Inc., an aerospace and security solutions company, said “doing research with Dr. Nazarian prepared me for a career in science.”

Addressing the overall climate question in general, Dr. Nazarian offered, “I think it’s really important to think about it from an interdisciplinary perspective and the role that everyone has in using their own skills to address the climate. Everyone can play a role and use their diverse set of skills to make measurable progress.” l F

“THIS WORK IS EXCITING BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO PRODUCE SOME OF THE FIRST PROJECTIONS OF PRECIPITATION CHANGE OVER THIS REGION, AND ALSO PROVIDE SOME INSIGHT INTO WHAT CAUSES THESE CHANGES.”

— n ick l U tsko , p h d

Taking Care

A $1.22 MILLION GRANT WILL HELP FAIRFIELD’S MIDWIFERY DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN ITS

MISSION TO

REDUCE POSTPARTUM MORTALITY IN THE U.S.

by s ara c olabella ’08, M a’11

The maternal mortality rate in the United States is higher than that of any other developed country. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that more than 1,200 women die within a year of giving birth — due to infection, high blood pressure, or hemorrhage. Of these numbers, Black women experience mortality rates three times higher than white women.

“This disparity points to the question of why inequities in maternal healthcare exist and, of critical importance, what is being done to combat them,” wrote associate professor and Nurse Midwifery DNP program director Jenna LoGiudice ’06, PhD, CNM, RN, FACNM, FAAN in her article, “Reducing Racial Disparities in Maternal Healthcare: A Midwifery Focus.”

To address this disparity, the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) –Nurse Midwifery program and the federal Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) are working together to increase the number of midwives from diverse backgrounds in the field.

Fairfield recently received a major $1.22 million federal grant to train more midwives, and to increase diversity within the field.

The Egan School launched its doctor of midwifery program in the fall of 2017 and has since graduated nine nurse midwives who are all certified and working in the field to combat maternal health disparities.

On the importance of expanding the pipeline of midwife care, Dr. LoGiudice said, “How birthing persons are supported and cared for during the birth of their child sets forth a cascade of either positive or negative health outcomes for themselves and their child. Notably, midwifery care has a track record of positive outcomes, setting the stage for improved health.”

right: DNP-Nurse Midwifery student Susana Odoom participates in a simulation.

Midwives are trained to approach patient care from a holistic point of view, knowing that through shared decision-making and compassionate care they can improve health outcomes. They provide reproductive healthcare to persons across the lifespan, including primary care, prenatal care, care during labor and birth, postpartum care, and routine gynecological care.

At the center of Fairfield’s midwifery initiative is program director Dr. LoGiudice. In her writing, she highlights a distinct contrast between the U.S. and other developed nations like Germany, Sweden, and Canada, where midwives play a bigger role in the healthcare system.

While midwives attend 50 to 75 percent

below : Midwifery program students (l-r) Jeneice Collins, Rachel Demers, Susana Odoom, Brigid Forte, and Sarah Collins, with program director Dr. LoGiudice (2nd from right).

of births in other developed nations, only 10 percent of births in the U.S. are attended by midwives, as cited by researcher Steffi Goodman in a recent study. Research has shown that births attended by midwives correlate with higher rates of positive healthcare outcomes such as a higher rate of spontaneous vaginal births and lower rates of preterm birth.

This fall, Dr. LoGiudice was awarded the $1.22 million over four years from HRSA through the Maternity Care Nursing Workforce Expansion (MatCARE) Program. With this grant, she wrote “we are able to increase the number of midwives to support birthing people to confidently achieve their healthcare goals while working to eliminate maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, particularly for Black birthing persons.” The goals of the grant are to increase diversity within the midwifery community and to incorporate more trauma-informed care and

implicit bias education for all students in the program. The grant also provides tuition assistance to current students.

Rachel Demers ’19, a labor and delivery nurse at Stamford Hospital, is a current DNP midwifery student, balancing long shifts at work with her studies in the challenging program. “Having a grant that offers financial assistance for more students to come to the school and more opportunities to go to conferences will make the program grow,” said Demers. “Growing the midwifery workforce is going to make a difference and help the disparities that we have in healthcare.”

Fairfield graduate midwife Grace (Lessard) Hovey ’15, DNP’20, CNM, RN felt the call to become a midwife during her undergraduate clinical rotation. “I felt like it clicked, and I finally found my niche,” she said. “Having the opportunity to see midwives in action, supporting women in different clinical settings, really was what drove me to want to take the next steps in my education and

further my scope of practice.”

Dr. Hovey works as a midwife at a Yaleaffiliated private practice, Sound Obstetrics and Gynecology, in Shelton, Connecticut, and serves as a preceptor in Fairfield’s midwifery program. At work, she sees an average of 20 patients a day, ranging in age from 13 to early 80s. According to Dr. Hovey, it is a common misconception that midwives are just there for pregnancy, when in fact they treat patients across the lifespan.

“There are advantages to having a midwife versus a traditional OBGYN,” said Dr. Hovey. “It’s a different style of care; we pick up on a lot of things. Midwives have the ability to help women take a breath, take a step back, and find a solution to any difficulty they may have, while also making sure it fits in the context of their life as best as possible.”

Several miles away in New Haven, Emily Baldwin ’16, DNP’20 serves as a certified midwife at the Center for Women’s Health and Midwifery, providing prenatal care, education, lactation counseling, and postpartum care in an ambulatory setting. During a typical day, Dr. Baldwin conducts preventive annual exams, acute problem visits, prenatal and postpartum visits, and procedures. She notes that the most rewarding part of being a midwife is connecting with her patients and earning their trust.

“I see so many young women who have never seen an OBGYN professional before and are so scared during their first visit,” she said. “I take pride in calming their nerves, explaining every part of the visit, and reminding them they are in control and can say no to anything that makes them uncomfortable.”

An example of this that has stayed with Dr. Baldwin happened during a procedure to remove a Nexplanon, a contraceptive implant, from a patient’s arm; removal can cause patient anxiety, due to fear of pain.

“I started to remove the Nexplanon and [the patient] started to tear up and said she wasn’t ready,” shared Dr. Baldwin. “I immediately stopped and reminded her she was in control and we would wait until she was ready. She started to cry in relief and told me, ‘A doctor has never said that to me before, they always just keep going.’ The conversation really made me rethink the patient-provider relationship and how patients of all races, ethnicities, and genders can experience medical trauma. As providers we can so easily fix that narrative with kindness, empathy, and compassion.” l F

Learn more about the program at fairfield.edu/midwifery.

“How birthing persons are supported and cared for during the birth of their child sets forth a cascade of either positive or negative health outcomes for themselves and their child. Notably, midwifery care has a track record of positive outcomes, setting the stage for improved health.”

— Jenna logi U dice ’06, phd, cn M, rn, Facn

M, Faan Nurse Midwifery DNP program director

top: Students are prepared to recognize and co-manage high-risk obstetric and gynecologic cases within an interdisciplinary healthcare team.

above : The program prepares students for every stage and setting in which midwifery care is delivered to women.

Grants&Gifts

A Selection of Grants and Gifts Received From Private and Public Foundations, and Corporations

Marion Peckham

Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies

The Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies’ Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Midwifery program has been awarded a grant of $1.22 million over four years (2023-27) from the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) through the Maternity Care Nursing Workforce Expansion (MatCARE) Program. Jenna LoGiudice ’06, PhD, CNM, RN, FACNM, FAAN, associate professor of nursing and DNP, and Nurse Midwifery program director, is the project director of the grant, awarded for “Trauma-Informed Care for Midwifery Education & Diversity (TICMED).”

Jessica Planas, PhD, RN, MPH, CHES has received a grant of $12,870 from Southwestern CT Agency on Aging and Independent Living (SWCAA) for Matter of Balance - Fall Prevention (Older Americans Act, Title IIID) workshops throughout Fairfield County.

The CVS Health Foundation has given a grant of $4,000 towards Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies scholarships.

The Carlson Fund (Fairfield County’s Community Foundation) has provided a grant of $3,233 toward a scholarship for an Egan School student.

The Delaney Memorial Foundation has given funding of $2,000 towards student scholarship.

Fairfield Arts

The Fairfield University Art Museum is the proud recipient of a three-year grant totaling $56K from the Art Bridges Foundation, the national arts nonprofit founded by philanthropist Alice Walton. The initiative, entitled Access for

All, will provide $40 million in funding to 64 museums nationwide. Access for All aims to increase access to museums across the country and foster engagement with local communities by covering the costs of free admission days and expanded free hours as well as programming, outreach, and community partnerships designed to eliminate many common barriers to access.

A $55,000 grant to the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts awarded by the Bank of America Foundation will enable the Open VISIONS Forum’s Women and Leadership Series programming this year.

Programming at the Fairfield University Art Museum entitled, “Making an Impression: Driving Public Engagement With Old Master Prints” was made possible by a $10,000 grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation

Additionally, the Carlson Fund (Fairfield County’s Community Foundation) provided funds of $7,484 toward Quick Center programming.

A grant of $5,000 from the Herman Goldman Foundation will provide support for the Quick Center for the Arts’ and Bridgeport Public School’s (BPS) Arts for All initiative, designed to benefit Bridgeport Public School students and the greater communityat-large. The partnership is guided by the shared belief that arts educational experiences have significant impact on students’ academic, social, and emotional outcomes. With a joint commitment of providing BPS students with arts access, high quality arts instruction, and exposure to diverse arts experiences, the partnership will impact more than 3,000 students in grades K-12.

College of Arts & Sciences

A $30,000 grant awarded by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation has provided support to Joseph DeLuca, PhD, assistant professor of psychology, and Jeanne Peloso, PhD, assistant professor of the practice of psychology, to develop programming for

LGBTQIA+ youth as it pertains to their research in youth mental health (adolescents and young adults), serious mental illness, and stigma.

Michael Andreychik, PhD, professor of psychology has been granted $15,000 from the F.M. Kirby Foundation to support programming at Hall Neighborhood House, which provides comprehensive services that educate and enrich residents of all ages on the East Side of Bridgeport.

Janet Striuli, PhD, professor of mathematics and Paul Baginski, PhD, associate professor of mathematics, obtained a grant of $9,294 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the conference that they organized and hosted at Fairfield in December 2023: Fairfield Algebra Regional Meeting (FARM), a new annual conference series. This year’s theme was “group theory,” in honor of the late Fairfield Professor Ben Fine, PhD. The purpose of the conference is to be a regional research incubator for mathematicians in the Northeast, metro New York City, and nearby areas.

School of Engineering & Computing

Ms. Ellie Hawthorne and the Earl W. & Hildagunda A. Brinkman Family Foundation have continued to make mechanical engineering projects like the Baja SAE Design Competition possible with grant funding of $80,000. This past year, Sriharsha Srinivas Sundarram, PhD, the Brinkman Family Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, accompanied a team of Fairfield students to the Rochester Institute of Technology for the International Baja SAE Competition with one goal — to design, build, and race a single-seat, off-road vehicle that can operate in dirt, mud, and on rocky, rough terrain, within a strict set of design rules.

A $40,000 Tech Talent Accelerator grant was received from the New England Board of Higher Education, through

funding made available from the state of Connecticut’s Technology Talent Fund. Awarded to two School of Engineering and Computing professors — Mirco Speretta, PhD, and Chair of Computer Science Xiaoli (Lucy) Yang, PhD — in collaboration with Fairfield’s Chief Information Security Officer Henry Foss and Jason Pufahl of Vancord, a Connecticut-based cybersecurity protection company, the grant will be used to improve the cybersecurity pipeline to industries in Connecticut. The Tech Talent Accelerator is an initiative developed by The New England Board of Higher Education and the BusinessHigher Education Forum. It aims to close the technology skills gap in the state.

A $35,000 E2 Energy to Educate grant from Constellation Energy Foundation, was given in support of student STEM, energy, and sustainability projects. The grant will support SuSTEMability, an initiative that will engage Fairfield engineering students and faculty members in STEM education projects with educators from Cesar Batalla School and the Wakeman Boys and Girls Club.

Sidike Paheding, PhD, assistant professor of computer science, earned $25,000 in funding from U.S. Geological Survey (subaward from Michigan Technological University) to support the research project, “Enabling the Future of Great Lakes Biological Resource.”

Professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science Xiaoli (Lucy) Yang, PhD, has received a grant of $5,000 from the Verizon Foundation for cybersecurity summer camp programming.

An award of $1,147 from the William Hawkins Fund (Fairfield County’s Community Foundation) has been granted to the SEC for general support.

The NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium has awarded four research grants to fund research and design projects this year. In fall of 2023, assistant professor of computer science Sidike Paheding, PhD, assistant professor of mechanical engineering David Shekhtman, PhD, Seamus Dwyer ’24, and Dermot Warner ’24 received research grants. Lucas

Danburg ’27 was awarded an undergraduate scholarship, and Gabriel Grant ’25 received the Community College Transfer Scholarship.

Student Services

Martin Pino, assistant vice president of health and wellness, and Fairfield’s Counseling and Psychological Services Department have been awarded a grant of $65,310 from the Connecticut Higher Education Mental Health Services Initiative to help support the delivery of mental health services to all Fairfield students.

Charles F. Dolan

School of Business

The Bank of America Foundation has awarded $10,000 toward the Dolan School’s Professional Development Series. This comprehensive program complements Dolan students’ coursework to help them achieve success. A massive 99.67 percent of Dolan undergraduates are employed or accepted to graduate school within six months of graduation.

Center for Social Impact

Melissa Quan, EdD, director of the Center for Social Impact, has received $175,466 in funding from the Tow Foundation (subawarded

from RYASAP, the Regional Youth Adult Social Action Partnership) for the Amplifying the Resident Voice project. Established in 1985 and dedicated to serving the Greater Bridgeport region, RYASAP is committed to ensuring the safe and healthy development of youth, young adults, and families.

Andrea Canuel, associate director for community-engaged learning at the Center for Social Impact, has been granted $3,000 from the M&T Charitable Foundation for the Jones-Zimmermann Academic Mentoring Program (J-Z AMP) for this academic year. In partnership with Cesar Batalla School/ STEP and the Wakeman Boys and Girls Club, J-Z AMP is an afterschool enrichment opportunity for middle school students from underserved communities in Bridgeport, Conn., to receive individualized academic support from undergraduate students in a safe and structured environment.

Fairfield Bellarmine

The John and Ethel Kashulon Foundation has provided $25,000 in funding for scholarships for Fairfield Bellarmine computer science majors.

A REFORMA Noche de Cuentos mini-grant of $500 was awarded to Ivelisse Maldonado, Fairfield Bellarmine’s research and learning librarian, to support Victoria Buitron MFA’20’s author visit this fall.

REFORMA is a national association that promotes library and information services to Latinos and Spanish-speaking populations. l F

Engineering students test-drove their Baja off-road vehicle past Bellarmine Hall last June, prior to the SAE Design Competition.

AlumniNOTES

1960

’62 | Robert Allen Larson is a sculptor, acclaimed poet, and steward for the award-winning 115-acre Shoal Sanctuary Nature Preserve in Florida. His art is installed along the seven-mile Shoal Sanctuary Sculpture Trail (ShoalSanctuary.com) and displayed in museums, galleries, churches, and private collections across the world.

’64 | Franklin Debrot published Journey to Colonus: A Novel of Race, Espionage and Redemption (2016, SilverWood Books, UK). Kirkus Reviews: “Debrot plots the limitations of progressive activism in the twentieth century. An immersive, wide-ranging novel of impressive depth and candor.” Available on Amazon.

1970

’74 | James E. Carroll recently published an illustrated children’s Christmas story called A Pen on the Moon (Nightingale Press, an imprint of Pegasus MacKenzie Cambridge UK). The story reveals the magic in a pen lost by Santa, then found on the moon by an astronaut. Carroll has also just finished his debut novel, a legal thriller, available soon in bookstores.

1980

’84 | Susan (Joy) Minker wrote Nantucket Cheese for Lafayette, published in June 2023. Narrated by two adorable mice named Adrienne and James, the children’s book recounts the extraordinary tale of how the inhabitants of Nantucket thanked the Marquis de Lafayette for saving their

SHARE YOUR NEWS

StagMates nicole MU rphy ’17 and albert innarelli ’17 tied the knot on July 8, 2023, with many fellow Stags in attendance.

Share your news! Simply log on to the FREE Alumni Online Community and post your Class Note. Not a member? Registration is easy at fairfield.edu/alumnicommunity. Sign up and log on today.

island by sending him the gift of a 500-lb. cheese – made from the milk of their own cows.

Sandra (Sardelli) Rasmussen, her husband Bart, and their daughter Danika are excited to announce the opening of Sentimenti, an antique, consignment, and art gallery in the heart of their hometown, Newtown Conn. “Sentimenti” is an Italian word that means “feelings and emotions.”

The store offers unique antiques and vintage collectibles, features art and artisanal work created by local artists, and hosts art classes as well as paint and sip events.

’86 | Rich Johnston was appointed president of Peapack Capital, a subsidiary of PeapackGladstone Bank, which focuses on equipment finance and leasing.

Johnston oversees all originations and asset finance transactions from bank lessors, independent lessors, finance companies, and intermediaries, in addition to out-bound syndications.

Since joining Peapack Capital in 2017,

he has played a significant role in the growth of this important business segment.

’87 | Mary (Field) Fricke edited a vegan cookbook called Oh So Yum! She collaborated with author Lori Gibson to publish the book, which highlights plant-based recipes that everyone can enjoy. Available on Amazon.

Tom Quinn has been promoted to the position of president/COO at Nuovo Pasta Productions, Ltd. Quinn has been with the company since 2002, serving in multiple leadership roles including sales and operations. He also serves as the chairman of the National Pasta Association’s government affairs committee, membership committee, and its Billion Meal Challenge. Quinn is the chairman of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, an active member in the Connecticut Business Industry Association, and on the board of Meals on Main – a nonprofit organization to combat food insecurity.

’89 | Michael Ludwiczak has been the county attorney for Gwinnett County, Georgia, since 2019. Part of the metropolitan Atlanta region, Gwinnett is the second most populous county in Georgia, and the most diverse county in the southeastern United States.

1990

’91 | Mary Didiuk, PhD, cofounded Traveling Toys, Inc. in 2019. A 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to create toy-lending libraries within Connecticut book libraries, Traveling Toys provides children and teens with access to high-quality, age-appropriate toys. The organization’s goal is to promote play, development, creativity, and learning. In October 2021, Traveling Toys, Inc. opened its first toy lending library at the Westbrook Public Library. Since then, they have expanded their partnership with several other libraries in Connecticut, including New London, West Haven, Groton, Preston, Norwich, Willimantic, Old Saybrook, and Ansonia. Visit their website at travelingtoys.info.

Amie (Mastrangelo) Gallagher recently received the Tom Fangman Award from the New Jersey Science Convention. This award is given to a person who has contributed exemplary service to the Convention over a long period of time. Gallagher is the planetarium director at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, N.J.

’94 | Mark Resnick published his second book, The Greatest Burden, The Greatest Blessing: Caregiving Stories of Hope, Humility, and Love, in August 2023. The book explores the intricate tapestry of caregiving experiences. Available on Amazon and at caregivingguys.com.

M aU reen ( winkler) b elger ’87

Helping to Solve a Real-World Problem

by J eannine ( c arolan ) g ra F ’87

When M a U reen (Winkler) Belger ’87 was applying to colleges from her home in Wantagh, N.Y., she was drawn to Fairfield by its Ignatian emphasis on service to others. Of course, as generations of alumni have admitted in this magazine’s pages over the years, the prospect of enjoying salt air breezes on the coast of Long Island Sound didn’t hurt either.

Jogues One became Belger’s home away from home for her first two years in Stag country. “I feel very fortunate that I ended up there,” she said, recalling countless nights working on problem sets with fellow math majors in the residence hall lounge. “The people I was closest to all through Fairfield, I first met in Jogues.”

Fairfield’s emphasis on service to others, was immediately apparent to Belger within

“Period poverty, defined as lack of access to affordable menstrual care, is a big crisis in the United States and it’s not really talked about.”

the Math Department faculty, particularly her mentor Joseph Dennin, PhD, who helped her navigate holding down a part-time job as a full-time student, and statistics professor Ben Fine, PhD, who recruited Belger for an internship her senior year, working on a textbook he was writing. “It counted as a stats class,” she said, “and was an unbelievable experience.”

After graduation, Belger took her problem-solving and analytical skills to New York City where she worked in the

commercial insurance industry as a chartered property and casualty underwriter and taught business classes in insurance at both St. John’s University and Hofstra.

In 2005, she relocated to Hopkinton, Mass., with her husband John and daughters. There, in 2017, a friend first introduced her to the non-profit startup Dignity Matters.

Launched in the basement of founder Kate Sanetra-Butler’s home in 2016, Dignity Matters collects, purchases, and supplies menstrual hygiene products, bras, and underwear to women and girls in Massachusetts who are homeless or disadvantaged. As a mom to three girls, the organization’s mission to combat period poverty and help women live with dignity resonated with Belger.

“Period poverty, defined as lack of access to affordable menstrual care, is a big crisis in the United States and it’s not really talked about,” she said. “We think of it as a ‘thirdworld,’ not a ‘first-world’ problem.”

What began as a weekly volunteer gig – sorting, packing, and delivering donated supplies to local shelters and food pantries – evolved two years later into a part-time job researching, writing, and applying for grants as the foundation relations officer for Dignity Matters.

A member of the development team, Belger has helped propel the non-profit’s explosive growth. “In March 2020, we were serving 3,000 women and girls,” she said, “and by December of that year, our monthly numbers were up to 8,000 — we had more than doubled our outreach.”

To date, that number has again almost doubled and continues to climb: Dignity Matters currently supports 15,000 women and girls across Massachusetts each month. Menstrual supplies, bras, and underwear are distributed to 175 partner organizations serving the homeless and low-income families by a team of approximately 100 committed

volunteers working in regular shifts. “We really couldn’t do it without them,” said Belger.

b elger ’ s eldest da U ghter , b rigid Belger ’22, followed her mother’s footsteps to Fairfield and pursued a bachelor’s in social work at the Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies. During class one day, the topic turned to period poverty, and Brigid shared about her mother’s work with Dignity Matters. Classmate and fellow social work major Chloe Riven ’21 listened intently.

A year later, Riven, who is an avid runner, reached out to the Belgers with an idea to raise funds and awareness for the organization. “She told me that she’s always wanted to run the Boston Marathon,” said Maureen, “and that doing so on behalf of something she’s passionate about would be a dream come true.”

And that is how a conversation in class led Riven to the 126th Boston Marathon start line in Hopkinton — the Belgers’ hometown — with her fellow alumnae cheering for her along the route. After the race, Riven took to her fundraising webpage to thank her supporters for helping her raise more than $5,000 for Dignity Matters.

Maureen Belger was also grateful that day, “for Fairfield’s Jesuit focus on the whole person and on service to others, which continues to influence us for life.” l F To learn more about Dignity Matters, please visit dignity-matters.org.

Maureen (Winkler) Belger ’87 at work in the Framingham, Mass., warehouse of Dignity Matters.

AlumniNOTES

2000

’04 | Peter Antonopoulos was named senior managing director at Walker & Dunlop, Inc., as a part of its Affordable Equity team (formerly Alliant Capital). Antonopoulos brings almost 20 years of commercial real estate and asset management experience to Walker & Dunlop. Prior to Walker & Dunlop, Antonopoulos worked as an executive vice president of fund investment opportunities at The Richman Group.

2010

’10 | Meghan Schelzi started an education company, Next Step Education, with a team of 20 tutors during the pandemic. This past summer, she opened an in-person learning center in Wellesley, Mass., supporting K-3 children with literacy challenges, specifically dyslexia. Most recently, Schelzi was a contributing author to the book Live Your Optimal Life, in which she shares her story from classroom to business owner.

’13 | Briana Colantonio has been promoted to director of organizational development at Colantonio Inc. Colantonio joined the construction management firm as a marketing specialist in 2017. She has since earned an MBA from the F.W. Olin School of Business at Babson College. In her new role, Colantonio will develop, implement, and evaluate professional development programs.

’14 | Eric Salgado began his next U.S. State Department Foreign Service assignment in the Office of the Secretary of State in Washington,

D.C. He has served previously at the U.S. embassies in Yaounde, Cameroon (2018-20) and Lima, Peru (2021-23). In his current role, Salgado will support the secretary both in Washington and during international or domestic travel.

2020

’20 | Margaret Anne Mary Moore MFA’22 released her debut disability memoir Bold, Brave, and Breathless: Reveling in Childhood’s Splendiferous Glories While Facing Disability and Loss. Published by Woodhall Press, an independent book press owned and operated by Fairfield University faculty and MFA alumni, the book follows Moore from birth through her elementary school graduation as she navigates life with cerebral palsy. For information about ordering the book and attending Meg’s author events, visit margaretannemarymoore.com.

Christina Scarabino graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law in May of 2023. She was a member of the St. Robert Bellarmine Pre-Law Society while at Fairfield and will be practicing in New Jersey following her admittance to the New Jersey Bar Association.

’23 | Michael J. White joined the Coastal Bridge Advisors’ Investment team in August 2023 as an investment services analyst. His journey began with a dynamic internship, during which he took on various roles at the firm while pursuing his undergraduate degree in finance and economics.

Proud StagMate parents tara (McderMott ’14) and henry deMaso ’14 welcomed son, Ethan Nicholas, May 4, 2023.

genevieve (leclerc ’11) and Edward Ureña’s nuptials were celebrated on Feb. 23, 2023.

Share your news! Simply log on to the FREE Alumni Online Community and post your Class Note. Not a member? Registration is easy at fairfield.edu/alumnicommunity. Sign up and log on today.

a ni F Mc d onald ’16 Trailblazer and Community-Builder, at Fairfield and Beyond

by r obert p iazzaroli

Many talk abo U t giving back to one’s community, serving as a leader and an example, but Anif McDonald ’16 does more than just talk — he lives that philosophy every day. With a deep appreciation for his own Catholic and Jesuit education, McDonald strives to be a positive and trusting voice for the young men who attend Xaverian Brothers High School, his alma mater, in Westwood, Mass.

The Church has always been important in McDonald’s life — one of the reasons that he chose to attend Fairfield in 2012, where he went on to become president of the Fairfield University Student Association (FUSA) in his senior year.

“In my experience, Catholic education has helped me understand that while we may come from different places, we are there for the whole person and we can continue to learn from one another regardless of our backgrounds,” McDonald said. “We are made in the image and likeness of God and we should learn and accept differences because that is the beauty of our world.”

McDonald has excelled in his current role at Xaverian, a Catholic college-preparatory school for boys in grades seven through 12, where he serves as the school’s firstever director of Community, Culture, and Equity (CCE). In this position, he promotes the growth, diversity, and inclusion of all peoples, cultures, ideas, and traditions.

“What drew me into the world of education is the fact that every expert in their field was once a beginner,” said McDonald. “Students are in such a critical time in their lives in high school and college, and if school leaders can set an example of creating trust and care for one another, it will be contagious — making the world a better place for everyone.”

Many of the lessons he learned during his time as a sociology and psychology student at Fairfield continue to serve McDonald well. As the first Black president of FUSA, he broke down boundaries with faculty, staff, administration, and the student body. During his presidency, he learned valuable life lessons – such as, “collaboration is key, and in order to find success there has to be trust and transparency.”

Some of the reasons he chose to attend Fairfield were for its smaller, Catholic community, the scenic campus, and his appreciation of rugby. For similar reasons, he returned after college to his beloved Xaverian, a school established in the Ignatian tradition in 1963 by the Xaverian Brothers — a Catholic religious order, also known as the Congregation of St. Francis Xavier, founded by Theodore James Ryken in Belgium in 1839.

Since returning to the Boston area, McDonald has joined a men’s rugby club called the Boston Irish Wolfhounds, and has recently enrolled in a master’s program in educational leadership at fellow Jesuit institution, Boston College.

His role at Xaverian allows him to celebrate the different stories and experiences that his students share, ones that he believes should be celebrated and not used as a tool for division. He is currently working with the entire school’s faculty, staff, and administration on programming centered around anti-racism and identity-conscious education.

“One lesson we should learn is that unless we cast our nets wide, we’ll never know which gifts from people we could be missing out on,” said McDonald. “If we pull from different areas, we can build a stronger community.”

With teenage boys coming from all over Massachusetts, Xavarian, which boasts a student population of 23 percent who identify as a person of color, has recently

“In my experience, Catholic education has helped me understand that while we may come from different places, we are there for the whole person and we can continue to learn from one another regardless of our backgrounds.”

begun a campaign called “Redefining Strong.” Part of this new campaign’s mission is about embracing one another’s diversity and having compassion for each person’s individual journey.

“It’s about creating an environment where students in an all-boys Catholic school know that it is completely fine to be the lead in a play and the varsity football captain,” he said. “And to also know that some students have to catch two buses and walk the rest of the way to get to school every day — so if that student is tired, to have some compassion with him. Understanding another’s perspective allows students to better appreciate each other.”

“Fairfield taught me to do what I love,” McDonald added, “and I have not looked back ever since.” l F

AlumniNOTES

Marriages

Priscilla (Connors ’03) and Paul Segars — May 20, 2023.

Nicolas Buonagurio ’04 and Nancy Todaro — Oct. 21, 2023.

Jocelyn Collen ’06 and Allan Caldwell — Sept. 23, 2023.

Katherine Cincotta ’10 and Derek Corsino — Sept. 30, 2023.

Dana Postupack ’10 and Casey Hilpert ’05 — Sept. 30, 2023.

Jonas Stankovich ’10 and MD Khan — Sept. 15, 2023.

Genevieve (LeClerc ’11) and Edward Ureña – Feb. 23, 2023.

Courtney Monaghan ’12 and Eric Bernsen ’12 — Sept. 23, 2023.

Amanda Urena ’12 and Caitlin O’Sullivan ’12 — Oct. 8, 2023.

Chelsea Whittemore ’12 and Dan Bruno ’13 — July 15, 2023.

Courtney Euler ’13 and Christopher Gradel ’06 — Sept. 23, 2023.

Jenny Labbadia ’13 and Alex Barthelemy ’13 — June 23, 2023.

Julie Labbadia ‘13, MPA’17 and Jason Zacarelli — Aug. 12, 2023.

Chloe Mangan ’13 and Matt Girsh — Sept. 30, 2023.

Amanda Burns ’14 and Jeffrey Beauregard — July 28, 2023.

Kimberly Kurata ’14 and John Lobo ’14 — Sept. 15, 2023.

Angelika Zbikowski ’14 and Andrew Bromstedt ’13 — July 29, 2023.

Hannah Bowie ’15 and James Simpson ’15, MBA’22 — Sept. 20, 2023.

Kealy Gorman ’15 and Chase Temple ’18 — Oct. 20, 2023.

Lily Carbeck and Tom Siddall ’15 — Aug. 20, 2023.

Julia DeVico ’16 and Patrick Lawler ’18 — July 29, 2023.

Kaila Sabia ’16 and Paul Lopez ’16 — Sept. 23, 2023.

Adriana Fulchiero ’17 and Brendan Tracy ’16 — Aug. 11, 2023.

Alexandra Maravic ’17 and Alex Long ’14 — October 28, 2023.

Veronica Moore ’17 and Ryan McGovern ’18 — Nov. 4, 2023.

Nicole Murphy ’17 and Albert Innarelli ’17 — July 8, 2023.

Kathryn Regan ’17 and Michael McGee ’17, MS’18 — Sept. 30, 2023.

Kayla Roballey ’17, MS’19 and Michael Valvano ’16 — Oct. 14, 2023.

Samantha Vickers ’17 and Logan Williamson ’17 — Oct. 7, 2023.

Kathleen Barter ’18 and Raymond Sanchez ’19 — June 11, 2023.

Emily Eichorn ’18 and Paul Cunniffe ’18 — May 12, 2023.

Sydney Foltis ’18, MS’19 and Gabriel Tortora — Oct. 13, 2023.

Megan Schoenholz ’18 and John Barrasso ’18, MS’19 — Sept. 30, 2023.

Katrina Kirchgaesser ’19 and Matthew Mark ’18 - July 1, 2023.

Mikayla Boras ’20 and Brandon Thomas ’18, MS’19 — Oct. 14, 2023.

Zoe Haggerty and James Lipko ’20 — June 16, 2023.

Justine Spina ’20 and Ryan Lessman — June 10, 2023.

Births

Alison (Farrell ’09) and Geoff Brzuchalski ’09 — son, Jack Geoffrey, June 19, 2023.

Jena (Pellegrino ’10) and Joseph Mastrogiacomo — son, Michael Gennaro, Feb. 10, 2023.

MD Khan and Jonas stankovich ’10 wedded on Sept. 15, 2023.

When StagMates alexandra Maravic ’17 and alex long ’14 got hitched on Oct. 28, 2023, many fellow alumni helped them celebrate.

Share your news! Simply log on to the FREE Alumni Online Community and post your Class Note. Not a member? Registration is easy at fairfield.edu/alumnicommunity. Sign up and log on today.

Kristen (Bowen ’12) and Patrick Curtin ’12 — daughter, Maeve Bridget, Aug. 12, 2023.

Tara (McDermott ’14) and Henry DeMaso ’14 — son, Ethan Nicholas, May 4, 2023.

Rosie (Fodera ’16) and Gabe Carino ’14, MS’15 — son, Gabriel George, Dec. 6, 2023.

Juliana (Killip ’16) and Nick Chiodo — son, Luca Douglas, March 11, 2023.

In Memoriam

Robert H. Fitzpatrick ’51 — March 17, 2023

Joseph D. Gabriel Jr. ’52 —

Aug. 6, 2023

Lawrence J. Fagan ’53 —

Sept. 3, 2023

Edward S. Laskowski ’53 —

Aug. 11, 2023

Benjamin C. Mazzucco ’55 — Oct. 13, 2023

Alexander J. Fekete ’56 —

Nov. 9, 2023

George J. Grosner ’56 — Nov. 2, 2023

Robert J. Cooney ’57 —

Sept. 13, 2023

Thomas D. Giacchi Jr. ALND’58 — July 11, 2023

Robert N. Tomasko ’58 —

Sept. 27, 2023

Dino T. Genga ’60 — Oct. 27, 2023

Joseph T. Hines ’60 —

Dec. 7, 2023

Gregory V. Lynch Sr. ’60 —

Aug. 6, 2023

Michael J. Lacopo ’61 —

Nov. 12, 2023

Louis F. Parent Jr. ’61 — Dec. 1, 2023

James G. Floyd ’62 — Nov. 29, 2023

Michael B. Culhane ’63, MA’66 (GSEAP) — Aug. 24, 2023

Robert A. Hutter ’63 — Aug. 24, 2023

J. Michael Quinlan ’63 — Nov. 4, 2023

John S. Vitka Jr. ALND’63 — Oct. 5, 2023

B. Jeffrey Clairmont ’64 — Aug. 25, 2023

T. Gerald Magner Jr. ’64 — Oct. 6, 2023

Michael J. Maunsell ’64 — July 26, 2023

Alan J. Concilio ’66 — Sept. 30, 2023

Roger A. Fazzone ’66 — Oct. 10, 2023

Robert M. Fox ’66 — Dec. 9, 2023

John J. Timmel ’66 — Sept. 23, 2023

Dennis C. Hunt ’67 — Aug. 17, 2023

Louis A. Pontillo Jr. ’67 — Nov. 5, 2023

McClure E. Ellsworth II ’68 — July 30, 2023

Peter L. Holzmeister ’68 — Aug. 9, 2023

Robert J. Swansiger ’68 — July 26, 2023

John P. Aurelius ’69 (BEI) — Sept. 22, 2023

Robert R. Duguay Jr. ’69 —

July 20, 2023

Richard C. Sanabria Sr. ALND’69 — Aug. 1, 2023

Richard W. Heggie ’70, MA’82 (GSEAP) — Dec. 2, 2023

Russell I. Williams III ’70 (BEI) — Nov. 4, 2023

F. Jay Flynn Jr. ’71 — Sept. 28, 2023

Donald G. Kosa ’71 (BEI) — Dec. 14, 2023

William L. Franko Jr. ’72 — Sept. 6, 2023

James E. Sullivan ’73 — Oct. 26, 2023

Michael A. Yates ’73 — July 18, 2023

DID

BOSTON • PHILADELPHIA • CHICAGO • NYC NORTHERN NEW JERSEY • SAN FRANCISCO

FAIRFIELD-WESTCHESTER • LONG ISLAND HARTFORD • WASHINGTON, D.C.

Want to get involved? Join your Alumni Chapter Leadership Team and help plan events.

For more information contact Scott Hibson at shibson@fairfield.edu or 203-254-4000 ext. 2374

For a complete list of upcoming events go to: fairfield.edu/alumnievents

Stephen A. Topor ’74 — Oct. 21, 2023

Michael Saranich Jr. ’77 (BEI) — Oct. 2, 2023

Paul E. Sullivan Jr. ’77 — Oct. 19, 2023

John V. Wicelinski ’77 — Aug. 15, 2023

Gloria J. (Straborny)

Winter ’77 — June 24, 2023

Thomas J. Guarcello ’78, MA’80 (GSEAP) — July 24, 2023

David F. McCaffrey ’78, MA’88 (GSEAP) — Nov. 28, 2023

Patrick J. Carter ’79 — Nov. 28, 2023

Kevin A. Wholey ’82 — Oct. 24, 2023

John J. Jacocks ’84 (BEI), MS’08 (SOE) — Aug. 10, 2023

Deirdre M. Desmond ’86, MA’03 (GSEAP) — Oct. 13, 2023

Pierce Brendan Dunn ’90 — Sept. 19, 2023

Ralph Paolella, II ’96 — Dec. 20, 2023

Stella L. (DiBello) Smith ’96 — Sept. 15, 2023

Richard W. Gaylor ’97 — Dec. 15, 2023

Barbara L. (Sabanosh) Ahern ’99 — Nov. 13, 2023

David K. McGovern ALND’03 — June 13, 2023

Maura C. Murphy ’03 — Dec. 6, 2023

John F. Nestor ALND’12 — Nov. 14, 2023

Peter G. Leary ’19 — Oct. 7, 2023

Tiara Wheeler ’21 — Aug. 28, 2023

AlumniNOTES

GRADUATE SCHOOLS

Elizabeth Doyle DNP’16 was named director of the pediatric nurse practitioner specialty at the Primary Care Program of the Yale School of Nursing on July 1, 2023, where she is an associate professor. In October 2023, Doyle was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing.

Rebecca Dimyan MFA’13 has been an adjunct professor in the English Department at Fairfield since 2013. Her recently published health and wellness memoir, Chronic (Woodhall Press), and her debut novel, Waiting for Beirut (Running Wild Press), were both winners of 2023 Firebird Book Awards. Waiting for Beirut was a finalist for the 2021 Fairfield Book Prize.

Michael E. Shay MA’81 recently published In the Whites of Their Eyes: The Life of Revolutionary War Hero Israel Putnam from Rogers’ Rangers to Bunker Hill, which recounts the life and times of Isreal Putnam, a larger-thanlife general and Connecticut folk hero. Shay was appointed a judge of the Connecticut Superior Court in 2000, following a career as a lawyer. He currently serves as a judge trial referee. He earned his MA in American studies and is the author of seven previous books.

Richard D. Bailey MA’87 recently published Pirate Cove: An Insider’s Account of the Infamous Southport Lane Scandal, in which he provides an insider’s chronicle of a white-collar crime whose headline-grabbing elements first appeared on the front pages of The Wall Street Journal. It’s the true, unvarnished, previously untold story of how one honest man helped unravel the massive Southport Lane fraud perpetrated by the author’s former employer, Alexander Chatfield Burns, a 26-year-old self-proclaimed financial prodigy.

Marriages

Julie Labbadia ’13, MPA’17 and Jason Zacarelli — Aug. 12, 2023.

Hannah Bowie ’15 and James Simpson ’15, MBA’22 — Sept. 20, 2023.

Kathryn Regan ’17 and Michael McGee ’17, MS’18 — Sept. 30, 2023.

Sydney Foltis ’18, MS’19 and Gabriel Tortora — Oct. 13, 2023.

Mikayla Boras ’20 and Brandon Thomas ’18, MS’19 — Oct. 14, 2023.

Births

Rosie (Fodera ’16) and Gabriel Carino ’14, MS’15 — son, Gabriel George, Dec. 6, 2023.

In Memoriam

Rita A. (Creagan) Farnham MA’60 (GSEAP) — June 30, 2023

Josephine (Mone) Pugliese MA’61 (GSEAP) — Aug. 5, 2023

Rev. James F. Murphy, C.S.C. MA’62 (GSEAP) — Oct. 29, 2023

Richard J. Beatty MA’63 (GSEAP) — Dec. 20, 2023

Louis J. Esparo MA’64 (GSEAP) — July 23, 2023

Sr. Marie R. Hope MA’64 (GSEAP) — July 2, 2023

Michael B. Culhane ’63, MA’66 (GSEAP) — Aug. 24, 2023

Robert J. Sylvester Sr. MA’66, CT’74 (GSEAP) — Dec. 9, 2023

Mary C. Kenney MA’67 (GSEAP) — Sept. 23, 2023

William F. Morris CT’68 (GSEAP) — Nov. 24, 2023

StagMates Jenny labbadia ’13 and alex barthele My ’13 joined in marriage on June 23, 2023. Fellow alumni, including JU lie labbadia ’13 (the bride’s sister) and pat labbadia iii ’77 (the bride’s father), celebrated the newlyweds.

Barbara A. (Kacan) Romboni MA’68 (GSEAP) — Sept. 4, 2023

John F. Marchetti MA’70 (GSEAP) — Aug. 28, 2023

Rev. Michael C. Palmer MA’70 (GSEAP) — Aug. 14, 2023

Andrew L. Pellico CT’70 (GSEAP) — Aug. 22, 2023

Sr. Rita P. Polchin, C.M., MA’70 (GSEAP) — Sept. 7, 2023

Sr. Mary Robert Reilly, R.D.C., MA’70 (GSEAP) — July 12, 2023

Carlyn (Jones) Tiefenthaler MA’70 (GSEAP) — July 13, 2023

Joseph Juliano MA’72 (GSEAP) — July 21, 2023

Maryann (Quinn) Maguire MA’72 (GSEAP) — Oct. 16, 2023

Robert A. Caciopoli CT’74 (GSEAP) — July 23, 2023

Stephen W. Yusko CT’74 (GSEAP) — Oct. 22, 2023

Victoria A. (Madaras) Babyak MA’75 (GSEAP) — Aug. 29, 2023

Br. Henry J. Sawicki MA’75 (GSEAP) — Oct. 8, 2023

Margaret (Episcopio) Gallo MA’76 (GSEAP) — Oct. 26, 2023

Eugene M. Scoran CT’76 (GSEAP) — Oct. 14, 2023

Janet (Meyers) Mielcarz MA’77 (GSEAP) — Dec. 12, 2023

Susan L. Duffy MA’78 (GSEAP) — Sept. 11, 2023

Suzanne (Peterson) Hiatt MA’79 (GSEAP) — Aug. 30, 2023

Thomas J. Guarcello ’78, MA’80 (GSEAP) — July 24, 2023

Geraldine A. (Kazimer) Knapik MA’80 (GSEAP) — Aug. 3, 2023

Phyllis (Brooks) Smith MA’80 (GSC&PC) — Aug. 8, 2023

Richard W. Heggie ’70, MA’82 (GSEAP) — Dec. 2, 2023

Mary Jane (Ring) White MA’85 (GSEAP) — Nov. 24, 2023

William R. Townsend MA’86 (GSEAP) — Oct. 11, 2023

David F. McCaffrey ’78, MA’88 (GSEAP) — Nov. 28, 2023

Elizabeth A. Walsh MA’97 (GSEAP) — Nov. 29, 2023

Virginia (Perry) Worcester MA’98 (GSEAP) — Oct. 21, 2023

Susan Petho MA’99 (GSEAP) — Sept. 28, 2023

Dana L. (Dombek) DiGrandi MBA’01 (DSB) — Dec. 26, 2023

Deirdre M. Desmond ’86, MA’03 (GSEAP) — Oct. 13, 2023

Thomas D. Candido MS’06 (SOE) — Nov. 6, 2023

John J. Jacocks ’84 (BEI), MS’08 (SOE) — Aug. 10, 2023

SPRING 2024

Fairfield University

Alumni Association

fairfield.edu/alumni | 203-254-4280

Email us at alumni@fairfield.edu

Fairfield Awards Dinner

Cipriani 42nd Street

WED., APRIL 3 | 6 - 10 P.M.

Fairfield University

Glee Club

“Ticket to the World” Concert

QUICK CENTER:

SAT., APRIL 6 | 7:30 P.M. ST. JOSEPH’S CHURCH, SHELTON, CONN.:

SAT., APRIL 13 | 7 P.M.

74th Commencement

SAT., MAY 18 | 9:30 A.M.

GRADUATE EXERCISES

SUN., MAY 19 | 9:30 A.M. UNDERGRADUATE EXERCISES

Reunion 2024

Class years ending in 4 and 9

Including 50th:

Class of 1974

FRI., JUNE 7 – SUN., JUNE 9

Quick Center for the Arts

quickcenter.com | 203-254-4010

Follow us! @FairfieldQuick

Office of Mission & Ministry’s Faith Leaders for Racial Justice Series: Brother Guy J.

Consolmagno, S.J.

WED., APRIL 10 | 7:30 P.M.

Flip Fabrique Blizzard

SUN., APRIL 14 & MON. APRIL 15 | 7 P.M.

Duets: Chucho Valdez, Dianne Reeves, Joe Lovano FRI., MAY 3 | 8 P.M.

GLOBAL THEATRE: PERFORMANCE SERIES

Frontlines: Stories From the Edge

TUES., APRIL 9 | 7 P.M.

NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE

The Motive and the Cue TUES., APRIL 30 | 7 P.M.

A SELECTION OF UPCOMING CAMPUS EVENTS

INSPIRED WRITERS SERIES

Tom Sleigh

THURS., APRIL 11 | 7:30 P.M. FREE VIRTUAL EVENT

THE MET: LIVE IN HD

La Rondine (Puccini)

SAT., APRIL 20 | 1 P.M. (LIVE)

Madama Butterfly (Puccini) TUES., MAY 21 | 1 P.M. (ENCORE)

THEATRE FAIRFIELD

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical

TUES., APRIL 16 –SAT., APRIL 20

Center for Catholic Studies fairfield.edu/cs

The 17th Annual Commonweal Lecture

Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholars Program

M. Cathleen Kaveny

TUES., APRIL 9 | 7 P.M.

Commonweal in

Conversation:

A Virtual Seminar

Craig A. Ford Jr. WED., APRIL 3 | 5 P.M.

Fairfield University Art Museum

fairfield.edu/museum | 203-254-4046 Email us at museum@fairfield.edu

Streaming: Sculpture by Christy Rupp

WALSH GALLERY

NOW THROUGH APRIL 27

Suzanne Chamlin: Studies in Color

BELLARMINE HALL GALLERIES APRIL 5 – JULY 27

Peter Anton: Just Desserts WALSH GALLERY MAY 10 – JULY 27

Glee Club

Suzanne Chamlin

Donor PROFILE

wo M en o F the 50 th r e U nion co MM ittee

With efforts in time, talent, and treasure, the women of the 50th Reunion committee reflect on milestones that helped build Fairfield’s legacy.

We stand on the cusp of our 50th Reunion, just a few months away from commemorating a milestone in our Fairfield journey while representing the pioneering Class of 1974 on our Reunion Committee. We were — and are — proud to have been among the 234 women who joined the campus community as a part of the freshman class of 1970, making the Class of ’74 the first with full, four-year women graduates at Fairfield.

Spring 2024 marks a little more than a half-century of women at Fairfield University. We note this not just to mark the passage of time, but to celebrate the unstoppable spirit of those who blazed a trail for future generations.

The Class of 1974 left an indelible mark on the University. Despite navigating through the turbulent 1970s, we formed lasting bonds with our peers through academics, sports, and lively celebrations. After all, who could forget Orientation’s greased pole climb? Or the spirited “Take a Co-ed to Dinner” campaign? Or cheering on the men’s basketball team’s remarkable journey to the NIT. We proved our mettle by

changing the culture on campus, we joined clubs and activities, and we were taken seriously despite our small numbers. It has also been rumored that a few of us are still proudly holding on to our iconic red and white freshman beanies. Now, we eagerly await the celebration that honors the enduring laughter and friendships that have thrived for five decades.

Grateful for our Fairfield journey, we are proud to stay engaged and give back to the institution that has been integral to our lives. By volunteering our time on the Reunion Committee, we see Fairfield continuing to provide an exceptional education and experience for each student, fostering a unique blend

Grateful for our Fairfield journey, we are proud to stay engaged and give back to the institution that has been integral to our lives. By volunteering our time on the Reunion Committee, we see Fairfield continuing to provide an exceptional education and experience for each student, fostering a unique blend of mind, body, and spirit.

of mind, body, and spirit. It’s a legacy we carry into our lives as active alumni so we can honor Fairfield’s present while shaping its future.

In addition, each of us contributes our treasure and feels privileged to be able to mark this milestone by paying our good fortune forward with a gift to Fairfield. We hope that you feel the same. This year and every year, know that your support ensures that Fairfield can recruit and educate the next generation of trailblazing Stags. The University is passionate about cultivating forwardthinking, creative individuals who are prepared and motivated to better our world. It’s the gift that each of us received as

students and the gift we can continue to give as alumni.

As we approach this milestone Reunion, we ask you to remember the impact that Fairfield has made on your life and to consider ways you can pay it forward so the next generation of eager Stags can thrive.

Go Stags!

Joan (bender) Makara ’74

patricia hoar Moore ’74

denise MU lry ’74

rosellen (walsh) schn U rr ’74 Trustee

Margaret (conlisk) sh U kie ’74

sU san (toMas U lo) walker ’74

1974

Registration is now open! Save the date and register today to ensure you don’t miss out on a weekend full of fun, friends, and Fairfield spirit.

Classes of 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019: visit fairfield.edu/reunion

Classes of 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019: visit fairfield.edu/reunion

Class of 1974: visit fairfield.edu/classof1974

Class of 1974: visit fairfield.edu/classof1974

Please consider supporting Fairfield and celebrating this milestone occasion with a Reunion Class Gift.

Please consider supporting Fairfield and celebrating this milestone occasion with a Reunion Class Gift

Make your gift online at fairfield edu/givereunion or call 877-748-5123 Thank you! 1974

Registration is now open! Save the date and register today to ensure you don’t miss out on a weekend full of fun, friends, and Fairfield spirit.

Please consider supporting Fairfield and celebrating this milestone occasion with a Reunion Class Gift.

Make your gift online at fairfield.edu/givereunion or call 877-748-5123. Thank you!

Make your gift online at fairfield edu/givereunion or call 877-748-5123 Thank you!

MAKE SURE YOU AREN’T MISSING OUT!

IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD FROM US LATELY, CHANGES IN DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES MAY BE THE REASON. ENSURE YOU ARE RECEIVING IMPORTANT FAIRFIELD COMMUNICATIONS AND MANAGE YOUR DIGITAL PREFERENCES TODAY.

It only takes a moment to be sure you won’t miss out on:

• Networking with alumni and leadership

• Signature events like Reunion and Alumni & Family Weekend

• Seminars with today’s leaders and industry experts

• Culturally rich performances and exhibits

• News about Fairfield, students, alumni, and faculty

STAY CONNECTED. CHECK YOUR EMAIL PREFERENCES NOW AT: fairfield.edu/subscribe