Fairfield University Magazine - Fall 2021

Aquila’s Nest Vineyards

Provocative Teapots

New Name, New Vision

Two School of Engineering alumni apply their technical skills to explore a shared passion for winemaking.

Ceramicist, social activist, poet, and educator Roberto Lugo is featured this fall at the Fairfield University Art Museum.

The former Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions is now called the School of Education and Human Development.

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Living Tributes Stories of Courage, Generosity, and Resilience on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

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Vintner’s Walk Photo by Andrew Henderson

Ardian Llomi ’11, MS’14 and Neviana Zhgaba ’11, MS’13 stroll with their sons on their 41-acre Aquila’s Nest Vineyard in Newtown, Conn.

On the cover: As we commemorate the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, we remember stories of courage, generosity, and resilience that are testament to our power to heal and grow. Learn more at fairfield.edu/9-11anniversary.

Fairfield University Magazine Fairfield University Fall 2021 | Volume 44 | Number 2 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 Mike Budny pages 12-15 Dominic Episcopo pages 2, 24-27 Steven Freeman page 40 Andrew Henderson pages 2, 16, 18, 22-23 Cassidy Kristensen page 5 Nicolette Massaro pages 14-15 Peter McLean page 8 Stockton Photo page 8 Casey Timmeny page 6 Megan Tranauskas page 26 Neviana Zhgaba pages 21, 22 Fairfield University Media Center page 9 Contributed photos 6, 10-11, 32-41 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 e-mail: ahighet@fairfield.edu Printed at The Lane Press Burlington, Vermont ii fall 2021 | Fairfield Un i ve rs it y M aga z in e

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Contents

“ Art can say things we can’t say in words. It’s a form of wordless communication, like music.”

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24

by Tess (Brown) Long ’07, MFA’11

by Alan Bisbort

Two School of Engineering alumni apply their technical skills to explore a shared passion for winemaking.

Ceramicist, social activist, poet, and educator Roberto Lugo is one of three artists featured this fall at the Fairfield University Art Museum.

StagMates Ardian Llomi ’11, MS’14 and Neviana Zhgaba ’11, MS’13 run a 41-acre vineyard in Newtown, Conn. where they are making wine, hosting guests at their 75-seat wine bar and tasting room, and raising their sons the way they were brought up – amid the simple joys of an agrarian lifestyle.

Racial and social justice themes are uniquely explored in three autumn museum exhibitions featuring MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant recipient Carrie Mae Weems, Jesuit-educated photographer Robert Gerhardt, and self-described ‘ghetto potter’ Roberto Lugo.

Aquila’s Nest Vineyards

Pictured above: Neviana Zhgaba ’11, MS’13 and her six-year-old son, Eaven, at their Newtown, Conn. vineyard.

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— Roberto Lugo, ceramics artist

Provocative Teapots

Pictured above: Roberto Lugo, Gun Teapot: Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr, 2021 Glazed ceramic, steel, epoxy, enamel. Photography by Dominic Episcopo courtesy of Wexler Gallery.

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let ter from the presiden t universit y news campus ministry

Welcome Back, Fr. Mac

by Jeannine (Carolan) Graf ’87

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Living Tributes

by Jeannine (Carolan) Graf ’87

Stories of Courage, Generosity, and Resilience on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11.

Fairfield University lost 14 alumni on Sept. 11, 2001.

The lives of countless other University community members were changed forever on that day, including FDNY Battalion Chief James Costello ’85 and former NYPD Inspector and U.S. Marshal Charlie Dunne ’89. May their stories be an inspiration to us all.

In 2001, Keith A. Maczkiewicz ’04 began a work-study job in the campus mailroom. Two decades later, Rev. Keith A. Maczkiewicz, S.J., ’04 has returned to Fairfield to become director of Campus Ministry.

academics

New Name, New Vision

by Robby Piazzaroli

Under Dean Laurie L. Grupp, PhD, the former Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions has expanded its offerings and is now called the School of Education and Human Development.

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gr an ts & gif ts alumni notes

Profiles:

35 Joe Murtha, BEI ’92 2012 Technical Oscar Award-Winner

37 Loan Le ’14, MFA’17 The Double Life of an Editor-Author

40

donor profile John Thompson III and Monica Moore Thompson, P’23

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Letter from the President

“ We believe that by working together with the diocese we can have a significant impact and raise the level of educational access in our region.”

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

Your news could be featured in an upcoming issue of Fairfield University Magazine! Submit your updates through Class Notes within the Online Community and don’t forget to include a photo! Go to fairfield.edu/alumnicommunity.

Dear Friends, On June 28, a beautiful though hot morning, we officially broke ground on our new Arena and Convocation Center, and throughout the summer it has been remarkable to see how quickly progress has been made on the site, as is true of the progress we’ve made across the University during this period of uplifting expansion.

The new center will be more than just a home for our men’s and women’s basketball programs and other athletics; the facility will also give us a large space to provide hospitality to the broader community. In effect, it expresses one of our core values as a Jesuit and Catholic University — that of campagna, or companionship.

This month, we will welcome the largest incoming freshman class in our history. Fairfield University is growing. As we grow, we also commit ourselves to the core values of Jesuit education, and to our obligation to “help souls” as Ignatius would have said, supporting those who come to us for education, and in particular those who need us to extend our hospitality to them.

Also this month we reflect on the tragic events of September 11th, twenty years ago. Living in Washington, D.C. at the time, I witnessed the immediate dislocation of that day followed by the unified resilience of our nation. Fairfield was profoundly impacted with the loss of alumni, parents, and friends who will forever be remembered, and who will be honored this month in a series of events on campus.

On July 31, the feast of St. Ignatius, we announced a new strategic partnership with the Diocese of Bridgeport, titled “Pathways to Higher Learning,” to serve as a platform for access to the University’s resources for the diocese and the greater Bridgeport community.

We believe that by working together with the diocese we can have a significant impact and raise the level of educational access in our region, and

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thereby further fulfill our promise as a 21st century University.

We have many ongoing initiatives and many more works of engagement underway in the region, to enhance our ability to serve the men and women around us. Our vision is to leverage the diocese’s Catholic Center to serve as a hub for our outreach and programs. I will keep you abreast of developments in this exciting partnership.

We are also deepening our commitment to the entire network of Catholic education, and thus have developed new scholarship opportunities for students from Jesuit high schools and the Jesuitfounded Cristo Rey Schools — the largest network of high schools in the country, serving students with limited economic resources.

In a similar spirit of forming men and women of purpose to meet the world as it is, we have made a commitment to an internship stipend program for our students in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), that will give them some financial support when they undertake an unpaid internship, research project, or field work. This Arts & Sciences Guarantee Grant is an integrated effort across the campus to ensure that all our CAS students have access to the engaged experiences and real-world preparation that is integral to our educational model.

Our summer has been busy but rewarding, with much good work accomplished and now more to be done. For myself, I am looking forward to getting back into the classroom, as I will again be team-teaching an honors seminar on the societal role of higher education with CAS Dean Richard Greenwald. It will be great to once again engage our students in a classroom setting.

Thank you for all that you do, as companions in this work of ours. We anticipate an exciting year as we continue to forge ahead as the modern Jesuit and Catholic University that our community needs today.

With very best wishes,

Mark R. Nemec, PhD President

Universit y NEWS

We’re Back, We’re Building, And We’re Better Than Ever Fairfield University’s Class of 2025 is making history as the University’s largest, with more than 1,250 incoming first-year students expected in its ranks. This class is also the academically strongest in Fairfield’s modern history.

The newly minted Stags were selected from among 12,673 applicants — Fairfield’s biggest application pool ever — and come to Fairfield with an average high school GPA of 3.74 and average SAT/ACT scores of 1312.

“The entire enrollment team is excited to welcome the Class of 2025,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management Corry Unis. “This is a group that is equal part academically focused and community involved.”

Members of the Class of 2025 hail from 26 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and eight countries: New Zealand, Canada, Vietnam, China, Chile, the U.K., Argentina, and Denmark.

Stags greet one another in the BCC.

(left to right) Taj Benning ’21; Christopher C. Quick ’79; Stephen M. Lessing ’76; Claire M. Knopf, P’16; Shelagh Mahoney-McNamee ’87, P’25,’22,’18; Lisa M. Ferraro (Martino) ’85, P’22; Mary Ryan Cunningham ’76; Mark R. Nemec, PhD; Paul Schlickmann; Christine Siegel, PhD; Rev. Paul Rourke, S.J.; and Tyler Heffern ’22.

Fairfield’s continued high placement in national college rankings includes distinctions in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2021 as well as on research website Niche’s 2021 Best Colleges in America list. The Princeton Review’s annual college rankings in The Best 386 Colleges: 2021 Edition placed Fairfield on its list of Best Northeastern Colleges, among other distinctions.

Meanwhile, in June of this year, Fairfield became one of 300 “Vaccine Champion Colleges” by accepting the COVID-19 College Vaccine Challenge — an effort to end the pandemic, supported by the White House and the U.S. Department of Education.

Participating colleges committed to taking three key actions to help get their campus communities vaccinated: engage every student, faculty, and staff member; organize their college communities; and deliver vaccine access for all.

The University continues to move forward on strategic priorities, including the Arena and Convocation Center.

As part of its ongoing efforts, nearly 1,500 vaccines were administered at Fairfield University’s on-campus clinics with Griffin Health this spring semester.

The University also continues to move forward on strategic priorities, including the new Arena and Convocation Center (ACC), which will replace Fairfield’s long-standing landmark Alumni Hall. Construction officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday, June 28, 2021. The ceremony included remarks from President Mark R. Nemec, PhD. “Our rise has been predicated on a commitment to our core values and this building is no different,”

Dr. Nemec said during his speech.

“For while new, this building will carry forward our commitment of campagna — companionship, our commitment to cura personalis — the whole person, and finally the fact that we do all of this with magis — excellence in all things.”

The new venue will be an approximately 85,000-square foot, 3,500-seat multi-use space for basketball and volleyball games, University events, and concerts.

This project is 100 percent donorfunded and is estimated to cost $45 million. Construction of the ACC is currently scheduled for F completion in the fall of 2022. l

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Universit y NEWS 2021 STAGiving Day Raises Record of Nearly $1.8M Fairfield alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends came together for the 7th annual STAGiving Day on April 22, to support students’ most urgent needs in the areas of: financial aid, scholarship, health and wellness, academic resilience, and spiritual guidance, as well as to provide critical operational support for Fairfield Athletics’ 20 varsity teams.

This year, the Stag community — urged to “Be Inspired” by the resilience and strength of our students, faculty, and staff — far surpassed the 1,942-donor goal to unlock $1,000,000 in challenge funds, raising a record of nearly $1,800,000 from 2,400 donors.

For Fairfield Athletics alone, more than 1,050 donors raised upwards of $793,000: the most dollars raised for student-athletes on STAGiving Day in the history of this annual tradition.

In addition to funding student priorities, every alumni gift on STAGiving Day helped boost Fairfield’s alumni participation rate, an important measurement that is factored into the University’s national and regional rankings among higher education institutions.

STAGiving Day was launched in 2015 as an opportunity for the Fairfield community from all over the world to come together for just 24 hours to celebrate and uplift the University by wearing red or spirit wear; sharing stories about their favorite Fairfield memories, classmates, professors, and current students; and making gifts to areas that mean the most to them.

For more information about STAGiving Day or how to support Fairfield University, please call 877-748-5123 or email F stagsforstags@fairfield.edu. l

Students and Lucas the Stag celebrated at a STAGiving Day event on April 22.

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NURSING STUDENTS PUBLISH BOOK OF REFLECTIONS ON STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCE In mid-March of 2020, 28 Egan School nursing students had to quickly vacate their semester-long study abroad program in Galway, Ireland and return to the U.S. due to growing worries over the Covid-19 pandemic. The program’s academics were moved online for a seamless continuation of their coursework.

Rather than focus on the disappointment, the nursing students — all members of the Class of ’21 — turned their fond reflections into a self-published book, titled Our Journey Abroad: Through the Eyes of the Galway Girls.

The book is available for purchase at www.blurb.com/ bookstore. Proceeds from its sales will go to support students at the Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies.

FAIRFIELD AMONG TOP TEN 2021 BEST CATHOLIC COLLEGES IN U.S. Fairfield University has once again been ranked at the top of the 2021 College Consensus list of Best Catholic Colleges & Universities. At #6, Fairfield placed in the top ten alongside the University of Notre Dame, Georgetown, and Boston College.

Fairfield is one of only three New England colleges and universities to place atop the rankings, and is the only Connecticut school in the top ten.

To determine the list of Best Catholic Colleges & Universities,

rankings website College Consensus averaged the results of reputable national college ranking publishers including The Wall Street Journal, and U.S. News & World Report, to determine the “publisher rating.” Ratings were also gathered from reputable student review sites such as Cappex and Niche, to calculate an overall “student review rating.”

A combined average, or college consensus score, was calculated from the publisher and student F review scores. l

School of Engineering Receives $623K Gift Fairfield University and the School of Engineering announced that the estate of Bridgeport Engineering Institute alumnus Vincent Masi, BEI ’54 has gifted $623,000 to the School of Engineering.

The gift will honor the late alumnus’ legacy by ensuring the continued growth of the engineering program at Fairfield. It will be used to increase mission-driven engineering scholarships (aimed at increasing access to underserved populations), to fund an undergraduate summer research program, and to create and support student engagement initiatives, including a student ambassador program, and various engineering clubs and organizations.

After serving in the Navy during World War II, Masi attended Bridgeport Engineering Institute where he became a skilled tool and die maker. Following his time at BEI and his service in the Korean War, Masi worked

FAIRFIELD DOLAN CO-OP PROGRAMS CONNECT STUDENTS WITH TOP COMPANIES

The generosity of Vincent Masi, BEI ’54 will help support and strengthen student initiatives such as the SAE Baja Buggy team of engineers.

for more than 20 years at Pitney Bowes in Stamford, Connecticut.

Founded in 1924 with a mission to deliver quality engineering education to the citizens of southern Connecticut, the Bridgeport Engineering Institute (BEI) became the current School of Engineering after a merger in 1994.

Since its 1994 inception, the School of Engineering has grown from two original electrical and mechanical engineering programs to now include undergraduate programs in biomedical engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, and F mechanical engineering. l

Fairfield’s Alpha Sigma Nu Receives 2020-21 Chapter Innovation Award The international honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities recognized Fairfield’s chapter with the 2020-21 Alpha Sigma Nu Chapter Innovation Award, in May. Alpha Sigma Nu’s (ASN) annual awards honor student chapters whose programming reflects the principles of scholarship, loyalty, and service.

Winning chapters receive financial contributions to their chapter programming fund for

the next academic year.

Fairfield was recognized for its innovative use of Instagram to encourage members to take part in the University’s 21-Day Ignatian Solidarity Network’s Racial Equity Challenge, a series of online drop-in sessions to provide social justice education grounded in Catholic social teaching. During Black History Month, Fairfield’s ASN chapter took part in the Challenge

by inviting members to join discussions titled “A Culture of White Supremacy: Jesuit Institutions, Slavery, and Equity” and “Racism and the Environment.” Fairfield’s ASN executive board members Danielle Witty ’21, Dominique Trucchio ’21, Alaina Moger ’21, Peyton Olechna ’21, and Julie McGovern ’22 facilitated the F conversations. l

Fairfield Dolan Master of Business Analytics (MSBA) students now have the chance to apply to participate in two new exciting co-op programs with The Hartford and Synchrony. The co-op programs are designed for students to assist in projects that require analytical support for strategic initiatives.

Under the co-operative education model, students gain practical hands-on work experience that aligns with their coursework, and develop marketable skills while also networking for potential employment opportunities.

“The co-op programs are a win-win,” said MSBA Program Director Philip Maymin, PhD. “Students use what they are learning in class to analyze data and solve typical business problems. They are part of a team, and ideally can use the research they’re doing at The Hartford and Synchrony as their capstone projects.”

Co-op programs like this are just one example of what makes the Fairfield Dolan MSBA program unique, and the rankings reinforce this. Dolan’s MSBA program ranks #21 on U.S. News and World Report’s list of 2022 Best Graduate F Business Specialty Programs. l

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Universit y NEWS FAIRFIELD BASEBALL DUO DRAFTED BY THE NEW YORK METS Fairfield University Baseball standouts Trey McLoughlin ’21 and Justin Guerrera ’22 were both selected by the New York Mets in the 2021 MLB Collegiate Draft. The duo are the 19th and 20th Stags, respectively, ever to be chosen in an MLB draft.

The hard throwing righthanded pitcher McLoughlin was tabbed by the Mets in the 16th round. He missed most of the 2021 season due to injury, but returned to make a key start in the MAAC Championship, firing 6.1 innings of one-run ball with 11 strikeouts to win an elimination game over Canisius.

McLoughlin also took the ball in the Stags’ NCAA Championship opener against Arizona State, striking out three Sun Devils over 6.1 frames in a no-decision. He graduated from Fairfield this past May with a degree in management from the Charles F. Dolan School of Business.

Guerrera came off the board in the 20th round, as the Mets selected the power-hitting shortstop with their final pick of the draft. An All-MAAC First Team honoree, Guerrera tied Fairfield’s single-season record with 13 home runs this spring, capped off by a mammoth three-run blast against Arizona State in the NCAA Regionals that stood up as the winning runs for the Stags. Guerrera led the MAAC in homers as well as RBIs (45), runs scored (45), and slugging percentage (.685).

The 2021 Fairfield Stags won a program-record 39 games en route to the MAAC Regular Season Championship and the conference’s first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Championship. Fairfield went on to win two games at the Austin (Texas) Regional, upending Southern University and Arizona State University for the first two NCAA wins in F program history. l

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THREE MEN’S TEAM ROWERS PLACED ON IRCA SCHOLAR-ATHLETE TEAM Three Fairfield University student-athletes earned berths to the Intercollegiate Rowing Coaches Association (IRCA) ScholarAthlete Team, the organization announced in June. Brady Stergion ’23, Ryan Borsy ’22, and Michael Pagliaro ’22 collected the honors for their achievements in the classroom.

Student-athletes qualify for the award when they compete in at least their second year of eligibility, compete in the program’s top three boats during the season, or race in the 2021 IRA Championships, and achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or better through the fall semester. Stergion and Pagliaro both competed at the IRA Championship in the spring as members of the varsity 4, a crew which finished 13th in the nation. Borsy also competed with the varsity 4 during the spring season.

Scholarship Recognizes Students from Diverse Backgrounds In alignment with its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, the School of Education and Human Development relaunched its Opportunity Scholarship earlier this year. The scholarship serves to support a more diverse student population at Fairfield and provides financial support and recognition of academic success to prospective and current graduate students pursuing a master’s degree.

The scholarship is intended to support students’ progress toward their professional degrees to help ensure the future impact and contributions to their field, and to the populations they will serve. In an effort to make the scholarship more accessible, eligible students are now permitted to self-nominate and to apply to be considered, in addition to

students who may be nominated by a faculty member.

This past semester, ten students received the Opportunity Scholarship: Jason Blake, Alexa Chalas, Lyssete Cordova, Jacquella Forgey-Carpenter, Susana Olivo, Maritza Poindexter-Brown, Yuly Rios, Donna Rogers-Jones, Yolanda Russell, and Brianna Stewart.

The Opportunity Scholarship is one of several key initiatives led by the School of Education and Human Development’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. The goal of the committee is to create a more inclusive climate in all dimensions of diversity, with a specific focus on examining current policies and practices surrounding curricula, F hiring, programming, and tenure. l

The Value of Fairfield’s FifthYear Program in Education Stefania Vendrella ’20, MEd’21 has wanted to become a teacher ever since she was a fifth-grader growing up in West Haven, Conn. When it came time to choosing a college, the deciding factor for her was Fairfield’s fifthyear program in education, which allows students the opportunity to earn both an undergraduate and a master’s degree in just five years.

“I liked that the program allowed me to take so many graduate credits during my undergraduate years. It not only exposed me to teaching early on, it made the master’s workload more manageable,” said Vendrella, who did a field placement at Greens Farms Academy in Westport, Conn., and will work there as a fully certified teacher this year.

Through the Fifth-Year Accelerated Teacher Preparation Program, Fairfield offers seven

five-year program tracks in education: elementary ed, special ed, and an additional five secondary education subjects (science, math, English, social studies, and world languages). Those interested in a fifth-year education program may pursue an undergraduate minor in either regular or special education, which serves as a launchpad toward the various five-year teacher preparation tracks.

“The fifth year program empowers students to earn their master’s in education and initial teacher certification through a rigorous but efficient plan of study, and it prepares students to head into the field as educational leaders, following the Jesuit mission of becoming men and women for others,” said Ryan Colwell, PhD, associate professor of elementary education and chair of Educational Studies and F Teacher Preparation. l

“I liked that the program allowed me to take so many graduate credits during my undergraduate years. It not only exposed me to teaching early on, it made the master’s workload more manageable.”

Stefania Vendrella ’20, MEd’21

Torff’s composition is an almost five-minute track that swells with dreamy, electronic strings and smooth horns.

Prof. Brian Torff and Jazz Ensemble Students Record Original Song, “Truth” Brian Q. Torff, professor of music in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, and renowned bassist, composer, and author, is “constantly” at work on his craft — and this has been especially true in the wake of Covid-19, as he’s spent extra time in his recording studio.

“The pandemic forced me to look inward and try to create something I could share with my students,” Torff said about his new piece of music, aptly titled “Truth.”

While working on the song, an almost five-minute track that swells with dreamy, electronic strings and smooth horns, Torff

introduced the jazz ensemble students to new digital recording equipment and software, which he believes is important exposure for young musicians.

“Working with a composer firsthand brings a fresh experience,” said Torff, who is a featured bass soloist at jazz festivals throughout the U.S., and musical director of the Django Reinhardt New York Festival.

Fairfield University’s music program, housed within the College of Arts and Sciences, offers the intimacy of a tight-knit arts community embedded within F a broad liberal arts education. l

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Universit y NEWS Science Institute Faculty-Student Research Paves Career Paths The Science Institute at Fairfield University is an endowed program in the College of Arts and Sciences. It supports activities and programs in the areas of science and mathematics, including: innovative teaching, curriculum development, lectures, seed grants for research, and projects that promote the cultivation of an appreciation for scientific teaching and inquiry in the University, and the community at large.

This past summer, five faculty and student duos had their innovative research projects funded through the Science Institute.

From investigating potential environmental risks to animals and humans, to using worms to study gene function, students and faculty broke new ground as they engaged in fieldwork and collaborated in laboratories.

Biology major Gabriel Rodrigues ’22 and professor of biology Brian G. Walker, PhD worked on setting up the analysis protocols (i.e.,

technical lab activities) for analysis of microplastics in biological samples, initially focusing on penguin feces. Dr. Walker and Rodrigues conducted their research through partnerships with Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Conn. and the Central Park Zoo in New York City.

In another area of study, S. Ashley Byun, PhD, associate professor of biology, and undergraduate student Cristian Navarro-Martinez ’22 worked with Murray Patterson, PhD, of Georgia State University, on the ancestral reconstruction of “the first cat call,” or ancestral feline vocalizations.

Additional faculty-student research collaborations included: Chelsie Counsell, PhD, assistant professor of biology, and Rebecca Buonopane ’22 on reef habitats; Anita Fernandez, associate professor of biology, and Julia Stobierska ’23 on gene function in worms; and David Winn, professor of physics, and Andrew Maresca ’23 on highF speed photodetectors. l

The Howard Hughes award will advance science education and biomedical research for STEM students at Fairfield.

HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE COMMITS $30K TO FAIRFIELD FOR STEM INITIATIVES The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is a science philanthropy whose mission is to advance basic biomedical research and science education for the benefit of humanity. Their Inclusive Excellence initiative (IE3) grant program, challenges colleges and universities to work with faculty to examine and change campus cultures, so that a diverse group of students feels included in the sciences.

Fairfield’s $30,000 award is one of several stages in the overall competition, and will support the University’s participation in an HHMI Learning Community Cluster, a diverse grouping of approximately 15 institutions selected for the IE3 grant.

Spearheading this effort for the College of Arts and Sciences is a faculty group that comprises the HHMI Leadership Team at Fairfield: Shelley Phelan, PhD, (biology), Jillian Smith-Carpenter, PhD, (chemistry), Laura McSweeney, PhD, (mathematics) and Angela Biselli (physics).

Fairfield’s HHMI Leadership Team has already engaged in intensive workshops and plans to continue learning throughout this phase of the grant, focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as they consider the STEM experience of first-year students at Fairfield. The group will also be conducting focus groups with Fairfield students to obtain F “true student voices on DEI.” l

STAGS END SEASON AT #4 BOSTON COLLEGE IN NCAA LAX CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND

(l-r) Gabriel Rodrigues ’22 , professor of biology Brian G. Walker, PhD, and Mystic Aquarium employees work on microplastics research. Photo courtesy of Mystic Aquarium.

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Fairfield University Women’s Lacrosse closed out a historic 2021 season in the NCAA Championship First Round at #4 Boston College this past spring. The Stags got three points apiece from grad student Meaghan Graham and Diana DeVita ‘21, but the host Eagles, who have reached the National Championship game in each of the last three NCAA tournaments, ran away with a 19-6 decision.

The Stags completed their third consecutive MAAC Championship campaign with a record of 13-2. The first-round game against BC marked the fifth NCAA postseason appearance in program history.

Fairfield Dolan Launches New MBA/MSBA Dual Degree To prepare business professionals with both broad strategic perspectives and the analytical capacity to make decisions based on data, Fairfield University’s Charles F. Dolan School of Business has launched the new dual Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) degree program.

Depending on prior background and knowledge, students can complete the dual degree program with as few as 48 credits, up to a maximum of 60 credits.

The MBA/MSBA dual degree prepares professionals with data analytics and strategic management skills, so graduates

stand out in today’s highly demanding and competitive job market. The MBA degree develops students with skills in accounting, finance, economics, marketing, management, and operations, while the MSBA degree develops students with specialized knowledge and skills for data management and analytics.

“The MBA/MSBA Dual Degree program offers students the benefit of earning two degrees in one streamlined and efficient program,” said Fairfield Dolan Dean Zhan Li, DBA. “This dual degree provides students with the well-rounded business curriculum of an MBA paired with the robust, technical F curriculum of business analytics.” l

New Graduate Certificate in Health Communication According to Johns Hopkins Medicine (2016), “analyzing medical death rate data over an eight-year period, Johns Hopkins patient safety experts have calculated that more than 250,000 deaths per year are due to medical error in the U.S.” These tragedies are in large part due to dysfunctional or ineffective health communication.

Consequently, the College of Arts and Sciences developed a program to enhance healthcare professionals’ communication skills.

This fully online, asynchronous Health Communication for Healthcare Professionals Certificate program will use a variety of computer-mediated educational opportunities to create an interactive, discussion-based, virtual seminar for each of the courses.

Specifically, Zoom-based lectures posted online each week with assigned readings from health communicationrelated texts will serve as the foundation for the interaction-based questions in the F online discussion board. l

The project of Katharine Creamer ’23, featured an ancient and a current view of the site of a major volcanic eruption during the Permian era.

MEDIA STUDENTS CREATE WORK FOR VIRTUAL VOLCANO OBSERVATORY Throughout the “New Media Workshop” (FTMA 2235), taught last semester by assistant professor of visual and performing arts Patrick Brooks, students developed innovative projects “from the ground up” in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

To kick off the course, students utilized new technologies to create Instagram face filter “masks.” Next, they built interactive virtual rooms that users could enter using VR headsets, and used 360-degree and 3D cameras to create a number of liveaction VR films.

For their final projects, students had the option to

create a digital experience for inclusion in Brooks’ work, which was installed this summer as a part of the New York Virtual Volcano Observatory (NYVVO) in Nolan Park on New York City’s Governor’s Island. The NYVVO is open to visitors through October 2021.

The project is a collaboration that also includes NYU, Columbia, Queens College, and others. The virtual volcano observatory exhibition will feature interviews, talks, and content filmed by volcanologists across the world, as well as home-grown projects like the ones contributed by Brooks and his F Fairfield students. l

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Universit y NEWS 70th and 71st Commencements Celebrated at Fairfield More than 700 graduates from the Class of 2020 returned to campus on May 22 to make the traditional walk across Bellarmine Terrace at two separate in-person academic celebrations. College of Arts & Sciences and Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies graduates were honored in the morning, and the celebration for the Charles F. Dolan School of Business and the School of Engineering took place in the afternoon.

The class had been unable to hold in-person celebrations in May of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Student Commencement speaker Teresa Ann Sauer ’20 addressed her classmates about persevering through adversity.

Commencement speaker President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, acknowledged the resilience and fortitude of the Class of 2020, especially in the face of the pandemic, and officially congratulated them: “We have waited a year to say it, but allow me to formally announce that you are, now and forever, Stags.”

A graduate and professional studies ceremony for the Class of 2020 was held virtually on May 15 to honor advanced degree recipients. The exercises were led by Fairfield University

Persevering through adversity was a theme of Class of 2020 Student Commencement Speaker Teresa Ann Sauer’s speech.

CLASS of

20 20 Provost Christine Siegel, PhD. The Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, opened the ceremony with an invocation. Graduate student Nicole J. Phillips ’20 DNP, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, delivered the Commencement address. Commencement speaker President Mark R. Nemec, PhD encouraged the graduate Class of 2020 to “never stop asking questions. Never lose sight of the power of inquiry... and never forget, that no matter what profession or what further study you choose to pursue, you are called to be stewards. You are called to leave all you touch, F better than when you found it.” l

Lucas the Stag congratulated Class of 2020 graduates as they wound their way toward Bellarmine Hall.

One year later, classmates and families were finally able to celebrate graduation in person.

The academic celebration for students from the Charles F. Dolan School of Business and the School of Engineering took place in the afternoon.

Graduates from the College of Arts & Sciences and the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies were honored at a morning ceremony.

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“ Never lose sight of the power of inquiry... and never forget, that no matter what profession or what further study you choose to pursue, you are called to be stewards. You are called to leave all you touch, better than when you found it.”

Marc R. Nemec, PhD, University President

More than 700 graduates from the Class of 2020 returned to campus to make the traditional walk across Bellarmine Terrace on Saturday, May 22.

Dolan School graduates Michelle Izzo, Courtney Dye, and Kevin Johnson pose for cameras following the afternoon ceremony.

The sky is the limit for these Stags!

Fa i r f i e l d Un i v e r s i t y Mag a z i n e | fal l 2021 13

Universit y NEWS An in-person academic celebration for the Class of 2021 graduate and professional studies students, held Sunday, May 16 on Bellarmine Lawn, was presided over by School of Education and Human Development Dean Laurie Grupp, PhD, Provost Siegel, and the Reverend Paul Rourke, S.J., who led the opening prayer.

On Monday, May 17, Fairfield’s series of in-person academic celebrations kicked off with Class of 2021 undergraduates from the College of Arts and Sciences in two separate ceremonies. Dean Richard Greenwald, PhD, offered welcoming remarks and Fr. Rourke led the invocation prayer.

In-person academic celebrations for undergraduates in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business took place on Tuesday, May 18, in the morning and afternoon.

Dean Zhan Li, DBA welcomed the graduates and their families and Rev. Gregory Konz, S.J., assistant to the dean, offered the opening prayer. Following Provost Siegel’s address and the celebration of degrees, President Nemec offered concluding remarks.

Undergraduates in the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies were honored on Wednesday morning, May 19, and the School of Engineering’s academic celebration took place that afternoon. Egan School Dean Meredith Wallace Kazer, PhD, APRN, FAAN, and School of Engineering Dean Andres L. Carrano, PhD, presided at the

respective academic celebrations.

Rev. Michael Tunney, S.J., provided a prayer for both celebrations, inspiring graduates to use their skills and talents “...to heal and lift

CLASS of

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up our human community.”

Virtual Commencement ceremonies to confer all Class of 2021 undergraduate and graduate degrees took place on Sunday, May 23. Student Commencement speaker Michelle Jasko ’21 of the Dolan School of Business addressed her classmates at the undergraduate ceremony. This year’s Commencement speaker for both the undergraduate and graduate virtual ceremonies, Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour, received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Woodruff shared some practical wisdom with graduates on the “difference between those who succeed at their goals and those who don’t,” saying, “Those who keep going — who learn that lesson: that things won’t always go your way, but that can’t stop you — those are the ones who end up making a difference.”

The number of degrees conferred upon the Class of 2021 totaled: 952 bachelor’s, 414 master’s, 23 sixth-year certificates, F and 41 doctorates. l

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Provost Christine Siegel, PhD reflected upon the resiliency of the Class of 2021 amid the challenges of the pandemic, at the College of Arts & Sciences academic celebration.

Jessica Scanlon, Lauren Beaulieu, and Kelsey Kacsmar pose with Lucas the Stag prior to the Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies’ May 19 academic celebration.

An in-person academic celebration for 2021 undergraduates in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business took place on Tuesday, May 18.

Greeted by their favorite Stag, School of Engineering graduates (from left to right) Frantz Calixte, Morgan Connell, Ferris Makhlouf, Todd Richards, and Meghan Stevens were all smiles en route to their academic celebration on Wednesday, May 19.

“ Those who keep going — who learn that lesson: that things won’t always go your way, but that can’t stop you — those are the ones who end up making a difference.”

Judy Woodruff, Anchor and Managing Editor of PBS NewsHour

Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD offered concluding remarks at the Dolan School of Business Class of 2021 academic celebration.

An in-person academic celebration for Class of 2021 graduate and professional studies students was held on Bellarmine Lawn, Sunday, May 16.

The number of degrees conferred upon the Class of 2021 totaled: 952 bachelor’s, 414 master’s, 23 sixth-year certificates, and 41 doctorates.

Monday, May 17 kicked off Fairfield’s series of in-person academic celebrations for Class of 2021 undergraduates.

Fa i r f i e l d Un i v e r s i t y Mag a z i n e | fal l 2021 15

“Egan Chapel was really like a home for me.

Being at the Masses as a Eucharistic minister on Sundays was a big part of my life.”

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Welcome Back, Fr. Mac

In 2001, Keith A. Maczkiewicz ’04 began a work-study job in the campus mailroom. Two decades later, Rev. Keith A. Maczkiewicz, S.J., ’04 has returned to Fairfield to become director of Campus Ministry.

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by Jeannine (Carolan) Graf ’87

efore the official campus announcement that Rev. Keith Maczkiewicz, S.J., ’04 had been appointed Fairfield’s new director of Campus Ministry, Fr. Mac, as he likes to be called, made an important phone call to his former boss, mailroom coordinator Marge Fulop. “I wanted her to hear the news from me first,” he said.

Fulop, who for 29 years has supervised workstudy students assigned to Fairfield’s mailroom, immediately gave Fr. Mac’s Campus Ministry appointment her stamp of approval. “I almost hit the ceiling, I was so happy,” she said of the news that her “favorite and best work-study ever” would be coming back to Stag Country, “…he was a perfect fit here.”

Maczkiewicz found his “perfect fit” as a sophomore transfer student in the fall of 2001. He’d spent his first year of college at a school in Boston, routinely sneaking out of his dorm on Sunday mornings to go off-campus for Mass before finally realizing, “I think I should be at a Catholic college.”

So he googled Catholic universities closer to his family’s Long Island home in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., and Fairfield popped up on the listing. “It said it was a Jesuit school; I had no idea what that was,” he admitted. On-campus housing was tight for transfers, but he and a roommate lucked out when a room in Campion Hall — usually occupied by a Jesuit — became available.

He moved in on September 4, and felt a bit unmoored for the first few days. He didn’t know anybody, there was no transfer orientation at the time, and he’d missed out on the First-Year Experience (FYE) and

Left: Fr. Keith Maczkiewicz, S.J., is a Class of 2004 Fairfield alumnus.

convocation with his classmates. “Do I like it here?” he asked himself.

“And then came September 11, 2001” recalled Fr. Mac. “What I remember about that day, vividly, is going to lunch in the BCC and there were tent cards on the tables announcing that there would be Mass on the hill outside Egan Chapel that afternoon.”

That outdoor Mass, his first experience of “purposeful gathering” at Fairfield, had a profound effect on him. “It seemed as if everyone was there,” Fr. Mac said. “The skies were so quiet. To gather as a community, in response to a major event, was very moving. And that was the moment I knew I belonged here.”

A history major with minors in secondary education and American studies, Fr. Mac’s fondest undergraduate memories include singing with the Glee Club and his involvement in Campus Ministry. “Egan Chapel was really like a home for me,” he said. “Being at the Masses as a Eucharistic minister on Sundays was a big part of my life.” His senior year, a newly arrived campus minister, Rev. Terry Devino, S.J., asked Maczkiewicz if he’d ever considered becoming a Jesuit and invited him to a vocational day of prayer at the Jesuit residence. Mac had a girlfriend; he declined the invitation.

After graduating from Fairfield, Maczkiewicz worked for two years as a director of Campus Ministry at a Catholic high school while pursuing a master’s degree through Providence College’s PACT (Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers) program. From there he moved to Campus Ministry at University of Scranton, where he was greeted by a familiar Jesuit face. “Fr. Terry Devino was my new boss,” said Fr. Mac. “At Scranton, he stopped advising me to ‘think about’ becoming a Jesuit and started asking, ‘What are you waiting for?’

I worked for him for two years and then entered the Society.”

Ordained in 2018, Fr. Mac has most recently served as assistant chaplain at the College of the Holy Cross. “I’ve been working in Campus Ministry basically since I left Fairfield, except for the times I’ve been back at school — which have not been insignificant!” said Fr. Mac with a laugh.

Having settled into his new office in the Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Campus Ministry Center on the lower level of the Egan Chapel of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Fr. Mac said his first order of business is “just to kind of reacquaint myself with the place,” which he acknowledges has changed a lot over two decades. “For one thing,” he noted, “it’s very interreligious now, with a rabbi, an imam, and a protestant minister on staff. I think of it as: our mission is Jesuit Catholic, but our character here is interreligious.”

Fr. Mac carries within him a personal philosophy that he calls “impoverished definitions.” To illustrate, he said, ask a random student what the Church is, and they might tell you it’s “an old institution, run by old white men, that has codified many ways of saying ‘no’.”

“I think that’s an unfair characterization,” said Fr. Mac. With a penchant for expanding definitions and a ministerial mission to “figure out how to get to ‘yes’ with people,” he prefers to define the Church as “an institution designed to tell the greatest love story ever told.”

Back in the campus mailroom, Marge Fulop described how she and “another coworker who was just crazy about him when he was a student here” took Fr. Mac out to lunch upon his return to Fairfield this past July. She joked, “I told him, if you don’t have anything to do you can come work again with us... nothing’s changed in the mailroom; the mail still goes in the boxes.”

According to Fulop, Fr. Mac didn’t say no.

He just laughed and told them, “Well, I’m sure F I’m going to be very busy.” l

Fa i r f i e l d Un i v e r s i t y Mag a z i n e | fal l 2021 17

New Name, New Vision

Under Dean Laurie L. Grupp, PhD, the former Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions has expanded its offerings and is now called the School of Education and Human Development.

by Robby Piazzaroli

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fter nearly two decades at Providence College, Laurie Grupp, PhD, now the dean of Fairfield’s School of Education and Human Development (SEHD), celebrated her oneyear anniversary at the University in July with the announcement of a new school name for the former Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions.

According to Dr. Grupp, the name change had been in the works for some time. As the school expanded its offerings to include new courses and undergraduate majors and minors, the name needed to evolve as well.

Stressing an emphasis on human development seemed the best way to encompass SEHD’s programs in counselor education, school counseling, social work, marriage and family therapy, and school psychology.

The change comes as SEHD also launches its first doctoral program, a Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership. While the EdD had been under consideration for more than 10 years, current demand for advanced leadership in the field of education moved the program forward and made it viable. The three-year, hybrid, low residency program is designed for certified educators, and provides an opportunity for seasoned professionals to build on their years of experience.

EdD students will enroll as a cohort during the fall semester, and complete six credits each semester. Students will also complete two residencies with an in-depth focus on teambuilding, leadership, and communication. In their third year, EdD candidates will write and defend a dissertation.

Left: Dean Grupp is excited to welcome students to Canisius Hall for the 2021 fall semester.

“The EdD in Educational Leadership for teacher-leaders is a fantastic program with a social and racial justice focus, and the goal of preparing leaders in education who will create significant impacts for their schools and communities.”

Dr. Laurie Grupp, Dean of SEHD

“Some teachers aspire to serve as administrators, most commonly school principals, but many want to have an impact on what is happening in their building without having to leave the work that they love,” said Dr. Grupp. “The EdD in Educational Leadership for teacher-leaders is a fantastic program with a social and racial justice focus, and the goal of preparing leaders in education who will create significant impacts for their schools and communities. We look forward to enrolling the first cohort and growing that program, while considering additional EdD offerings — possibly in higher education administration, for example.”

The new dean had another notable success this summer, when under her leadership Fairfield was asked to lead the Connecticut College Corps: a program in collaboration with the Connecticut Office of Higher Education, and other public and private higher education institutions across the state. The $3 million government-funded program recruited and trained 500 college students to teach in K-12 educational programs over the summer, as part of Governor Ned Lamont’s plan to provide engaging educational experiences for elementary, middle school, and high school students who had their school years significantly disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Leading the College Corps’ Connecticut effort has been significant for SEHD and

Fairfield University,” said Dr. Grupp. “The children who [benefited] from summer enrichment, the Corps members who [built] relationships while receiving compensation, and the host site directors all see and appreciate Fairfield’s role in launching and leading the program. We look forward to being involved in ongoing partnerships with the state, schools, and community partners to provide the best preparation possible within our programs, and to respond to emerging needs in the field.”

Before joining Fairfield, Dr. Grupp served as director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Providence College, and as the provost’s advisor on faculty development initiatives.

She also served as associate provost for faculty affairs, and associate professor in the Elementary Special Education Department. Her prior professional experience includes teaching at Buffalo State College in the Exceptional Education Department. She earned her MA and PhD degrees in curriculum and instruction, with a concentration in multicultural bilingual special education, from New Mexico State University. She holds a BA in psychology and philosophy from Boston College.

Of her first year at Fairfield, Dr. Grupp said, “We accomplished a lot during the past academic year, even in the midst of the pandemic and related challenges, because of the passion, commitment, and hard work of SEHD faculty and staff. I am so impressed by all that we have done, given the unique circumstances of the past year, and I look forward to continuing this work in person F with SEHD faculty, staff, and students.” l

Fa i r f i e l d Un i v e r s i t y Mag a z i n e | fal l 2021 19

AQUILA’S NEST V I N E YA R D S

Two School of Engineering alumni apply their technical skills to explore a shared passion for winemaking.

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by Tess (Brown) Long ’07, MFA’11

fter years of living in New England, Ardian Llomi ’11, MS’14 booked a trip back home to his small village of Eçmenik, Albania.

That was in 2007, when Llomi was studying nights at Naugatuck Community College, his sights set on becoming a mechanical engineer. He took a long-awaited break to visit his family as he was about to transfer all his credits over and complete his studies at Fairfield University.

Albania, on Southeastern Europe’s Balkan Peninsula, is a country with a culture that blends Italian, Slavic, Turkish, and Greek traditions. In Llomi’s region, it is largely farms and houses with red clay tile roofs huddled around patches of land that seem overcome by the greenness of agriculture and forests.

Llomi said that he spent his boyhood climbing to the tops of cherry trees “as tall as two-story buildings,” filling his pockets and rolling cherries into the bottom of his shirt. He remembered kicking around along winding dirt roads with a pack of friends, their mouths and fingers fruit-stained.

He grew up in a farming family where they produced everything the family needed to survive, purchasing just a few items such as oil, sugar, and rice.

“Most vegetables came from our farm,” Llomi said in his quiet way.

“Potatoes, beans, grains, everything. It was pretty cool, actually, a nice experience. You don’t see it much nowadays.”

Grape vines at sunset on Aquila’s Nest Vineyards, a 41-acre, 200-year-old farm in Newtown,Conn.

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Fa i r f i e l d Un i v e r s i t y Mag a z i n e | fal l 2021 21

D

uring his 2007 visit home, as Llomi strolled along with his parents one day, he looked up and there she was, in a furniture store: the “beautiful, shiny eyes” of his one-day wife Neviana Zhgaba ’11, MS’13.

“We started chatting, and the conversation continued to flow,” Zhgaba said about meeting Llomi for the first time in the store her parents owned. “We talked about the United States, Connecticut, and Ardian’s plans to study at Fairfield.”

“What Ardian didn’t know was that I really liked him,” Zhgaba said. The pair spent that night talking and walking through the streets of Zhgaba’s native city, Korçë.

At the time, Zhgaba had been busy applying to study at various universities in Europe. So, in this case, the timing really was everything.

“The next day, I started researching Fairfield University and Connecticut,” Zhgaba said. “I applied early admission, was accepted, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

The couple was reunited on the Fairfield campus in 2008, where “an international love story blossomed.”

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fter graduating with bachelor’s and master’s degrees and tying the knot, Zhgaba embarked on a career as a software engineer with GE and Llomi pursued a career as a mechanical engineer with various firms in Connecticut. But, 22 fall 2021 | Fairfiel d Un i ve rs it y M aga z in e

above :

Ardian Llomi ’11, MS’14 and his son Alex search for beetles on their Baco Noir grape vines. left:

Zana e Malit Dry Riesling, named after an Albanian mythological fairy; a glass of Sibyl Dry Rosé against the vineyard’s outdoor seating terrace. right:

Zhgaba (left) and Llomi (right) with their two sons.

they both wanted to find a way to bring the simpler joys of the agrarian lifestyle of their youths into their future; they also both loved wine.

So in 2016, Zhgaba and Llomi purchased a 41-acre, 200-year-old farm in Newtown, Connecticut. With the support of their family, the couple spent weekends in a pitched tent and long hours planting grape vines to create Aquila’s (Latin for “Eagle’s”) Nest Vineyards.

In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, the couple with their two young children in tow (Alex, eight and Eaven, six) opened a tasting room and event venue. Today, the independent boutique winery offers five different varietals and blends including: Queen of Illyria Red Blend, Princess of Troy Merlot, Zana e Malit Dry Riesling, Siren Moscato, and Sybil Dry Rosé Wine. While some grapes that make it into their wine are brought in from California, the 10 acres of planted vines grown by the couple in Newtown include varietals such as Chambourcin, Marquette, Riesling, Cayuga White, Cabernet Franc, Baco Noir, Valvin

Muscat, and Traminette.

“Building the vineyard and winery has not only been an experience in new business ownership during a pandemic, but a lesson on keeping in touch with nature as well,” said Zhgaba, who is now also a full-time digital finance and analytics manager with BNY Mellon.

The Aquila’s Nest vineyard is a peaceful expanse of land on a hill, with a new brushedsteel, barn-like facility where the wine is made.

Llomi used his engineering smarts to build it himself.

The 4,000-square foot production facility shares space with a 75-seat wine bar and tasting room which opens to an outdoor seating terrace overlooking the vineyards.

Llomi, whose day job is with Sonitek in Milford, Conn. as a senior mechanical design engineer, handles the whole vitrification process at the winery. He carefully plots everything from the timing of harvest to the crushing and pressing, the fermentation, the clarification, and the aging and bottling procedures.

“I really did a lot of research to learn about how grapes grow and to find the best varieties that would resist the Northeastern climate,”

Llomi said, pointing to hardy Riesling and Cayuga vines that can withstand harsh winters and damp summers.

What makes their wine distinct? “I made it,” Llomi said with a laugh. “If I taste the wine and I like it and it feels special, then I know it’s going to be good. Believe it or not, each one is different and people react to each one in their own way.

That’s what’s great about wine, you know?”

One of their red wines, Queen of Illyria Red Blend, is described as having a flavor profile that is “bold and dense” and offers “that classic dry tongue-clicking sensation.” Their Sibyl Dry Rosé offers “an elegant finish of aromas, and flavors of freshly picked strawberries, cherries, and orange blossoms.”

“I get really passionate when talking about the wine here,” Zhgaba said as the couple walked Fairfield University Magazine through their vines one day this summer. “It was so hard to get going, especially with Covid, and we had to learn how to innovate during a pandemic.”

Since opening in October 2020, Aquila’s Nest has welcomed thousands of visitors and many Stags, including Newtown’s First Selectman Dan Rosenthal ’94; Janet Striuli,

PhD, associate professor of mathematics, who was Zhgaba’s calculus professor; and their close friend John Burke ’12. All visited in support of their friends and Fairfield connections, and just to enjoy some good wine.

As the couple builds their future together, their Fairfield experience holds a special place in their hearts. “Ultimately, Fairfield University brought us together and helped us grow closer to one another,” Zhgaba said. “[It] taught us who we are and helped shape us into the people we are today.”

Setting sun glowed through the leaves as the family walked through a row of Baco Noir grape vines. Llomi and Zhgaba’s little boys played up ahead, one plucking unripe green grapes and popping them into his mouth, wincing with their sourness, the other wading through tall grass to find Japanese beetles (plentiful because they love to eat grapes leaves, much to Llomi’s dismay).

“This place is like a giant playground for them,” Zhgaba said, looking around at her and Llomi’s realized dream. “This is our nest for F our family, and for our community.” l Learn more and plan your visit at aquilasnestvineyards.com

Fa i r f i e l d Un i v e r s i t y Mag a z i n e | fal l 2021 23

clockwise from top left:

Roberto Lugo, Gun Teapot: Ida B. Wells and Jean-Michel Basquiat, 2021; Gun Teapot: Zora Neale Hurston and Malcolm X, 2021; Gun Teapot: Maya Angelou, 2021; Gun Teapot: Mae Jemison (back view), 2021, glazed ceramic, steel, epoxy, enamel.

Photography by Dominic Episcopo, courtesy of the artist and Wexler Gallery.

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CERAMICIST, SOCIAL ACTIVIST, POET, AND EDUCATOR ROBERTO LUGO IS ONE OF THREE ARTISTS FEATURED THIS FALL AT THE FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM

PROVOCATIVE TEAPOTS

by Alan Bisbort

With racial and social justice issues at the forefront of the cultural conversation, the Fairfield University Art Museum offers three exhibitions this fall that explore these themes.

The largest exhibition, Carrie Mae Weems: The Usual Suspects, showcases the work of Weems, a leading figure in the African American art community and a MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ recipient. Installed at the Quick Center’s Walsh Gallery, The Usual Suspects contains Weems’ photographs and videos questioning racial stereotypes that associate Black bodies with criminality.

Augmenting this show, in the Bellarmine Hall Galleries, is Robert Gerhardt: Mic Check, an exhibition of photographs of Black Lives Matter gatherings that have taken place around the country since the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020.

A somewhat quieter but no less thought-provoking

exhibition, Roberto Lugo: New Ceramics, is also installed in the Bellarmine Hall Galleries.

Lugo, a self-professed “ghetto potter” from Philadelphia, has turned the ceramics-porcelainpottery world on its head in recent years, receiving, among other accolades, a 2019 Rome Prize and Pew Fellowship. His work juxtaposes the precision of world-class ceramics and the delicacy of fine porcelain with an activist’s sensibility and streetwise flair.

“We see these three shows as a cohesive suite of exhibitions around the themes of racial justice and inclusion,” said Carey Mack Weber, the Frank & Clara Meditz Executive Director of the Fairfield University Art Museum. “The thing we love about Roberto’s work is that even though it is seen through the lens of racial issues and history, he is using the medium as more of an homage. His work is joyful and lifts up the viewers.

It’s a great counterpoint to the other two exhibitions.”

Fa i r f i e l d Un i v e r s i t y Mag a z i n e | fal l 2021 25

found in stately porcelain of yore, Lugo’s teapots and earthenware carry portraits of Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Sojourner Truth, John Brown, Angela Davis, Colin Kaepernick and Tupac Shakur.

Nine of Lugo’s provocative teapots will be included in his New Ceramics exhibition at the Bellarmine Galleries, along with some cups and a large vase.

“Roberto started out as a graffiti artist and there is some of that same energy and vibrancy in his ceramics and earthenware,” said Weber.

“Graffiti is sort of a response by artistically inclined people who have no other outlet due to their circumstances,” Lugo explained.

“That same energy comes into my studio in the sense that I feel my work is an act of resistance. Yes, I am acknowledging racism in my work, but it is also a celebration of Black heroes.”

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ugo, now an assistant professor at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture in Philadelphia, may be one of America’s most resourceful artists. He can be seen, in one remarkable YouTube video, wandering the litter-strewn city streets — he grew up in Philadelphia’s tough Kensington neighborhood — assembling a makeshift potter’s wheel from pieces of abandoned cars, a rope, some duct tape and a kitchen bowl. After gathering shovelfuls of dirt from an abandoned lot, Lugo sifts out the cigarette butts, syringes, bottle caps and then, with water from a nearby spigot, he molds that dirt into a moist ball of clay which

he pounds, kneads, and spins into pots on his makeshift wheel.

“I made that video to function as a demonstration of resourcefulness, making the most out of what is at hand,” said the 40-year-old Lugo, speaking to Fairfield University Magazine from Manchester, N.H., where he conducted a summer residency at the Currier Museum.

Back in his studio, under more precise and stringent conditions, Lugo creates porcelain teapots and earthenware plates, cups, bowls, and vases that are beautiful and colorful but also serve a utilitarian purpose and carry a potent message. Instead of the dainty floral patterns, scenes at royal court and the like

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aking ceramics, Lugo told a National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) audience in 2015, is a metaphor for his life. Born in a devoutly religious Puerto Rican family — his father was a pastor — he nonetheless had to learn to navigate some mean streets.

“I grew up in an era with drugs and prostitution in my neighborhood,” he said. “This made me feel sheltered and afraid to go out.

We went to church every day. I never cursed, never talked back, and yet I was judged for being ‘brown’.”

His artistic inclinations found an outlet in graffiti as a teenager, but they only fully flowered once he left Philadelphia at age 22, after

working various factory jobs for four years in the city. He moved to South Florida to live with family and decided to enroll in a ceramics class at a community college. This is when he began infusing this artform — traditionally more of a utilitarian craft than a fine art — with echoes of his urban past. It felt both natural and profound to him.

On the strength of the work he created in Florida, Lugo was accepted into the ceramics arts program at the Kansas City Art Institute, where he graduated with a BFA in 2012. In addition to the artwork, he began deeply researching the history of ceramics, which led him to anthropological studies about the roles of pots and bowls in past cultures. This is when it occurred to him that he could bring his expertise in graffiti to the surfaces of the vessels he was creating in the studio.

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eturning to Pennsylvania, he enrolled in graduate school at Penn State University School of Visual Arts in 2012 and had something of an epiphany the following year when photographer Richard Ross came to campus to critique students in the photography department. Lugo waited outside the critique room for Ross, with a backpack full of his ceramics.

Not only did Ross, whose work primarily focuses on incarcerated youth, praise the work, he invited Lugo to collaborate on an exhibition about prison life. As Lugo’s brother had recently been incarcerated on a drug charge, the invitation was a turning point for him.

“This is the power of ceramics,” he said. “I felt that I was empowered to do anything, and that my voice was an important and needed component to the ceramics community.”

LUGO, A SELFPROFESSED “GHETTO POTTER” FROM PHILADELPHIA, HAS TURNED THE CERAMICSPORCELAIN-POTTERY WORLD ON ITS HEAD IN RECENT YEARS. HIS WORK JUXTAPOSES THE PRECISION OF WORLDCLASS CERAMICS AND THE DELICACY OF FINE PORCELAIN WITH AN ACTIVIST’S SENSIBILITY AND STREETWISE FLAIR.

FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM: FALL EVENTS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 | 5 P.M.

Virtual Gallery Talk: Roberto Lugo WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 | 5 P.M.

Virtual Lecture: “Radical Vessels: History and the Pottery of Roberto Lugo” Andrew Davenport, PhD candidate, Georgetown University MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 | 7 P.M.

Film Screening: Black Art: In the Absence of Light (HBO, 2021) Please note: this is an in-person only event. University policies related to campus access will apply.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7 | 5 P.M.

“In many ways, my work connects people from different perspectives,” Lugo said, about the Fairfield University exhibition. “Experts on porcelain will know the history of the tradition. But those who don’t will still be able to connect with the history of the people I’m celebrating in my work. My hope is that it is a physical representation of the beauty that happens when we come together as people from different backgrounds. That’s the magic of art, combining different things to create a work.”

In addition to the New Ceramics exhibition at Fairfield University, Lugo’s work will be featured in Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Room, a groundbreaking exhibition opening in November at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

“Art can say things we can’t say in words,” said Lugo. “It’s a form of wordless communication, like music. I am giving recognizable objects a newness and freshness. Can you reF ally argue that diversity is not beautiful?” l

Virtual Artist Talk: Robert Gerhardt THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19 | 5 P.M.

Virtual Tour: Carrie Mae Weems: The Usual Suspects THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14 | 11 A.M.

Virtual Artist in Focus: Roberto Lugo, Jackie Robinson, 2021, earthenware Michelle DiMarzo, PhD, Curator of Education and Academic Engagement THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28 | 7 P.M.

Virtual Workshop: “The Art of Perception: Look Closely to Save a Life” Co-sponsored by #UNLOAD Foundation For more information visit fairfield.edu/museum.

above from left:

Roberto Lugo in his Philadelphia studio; Peaceful Protesters: Nina Simone II, 2021; and Texture Study 1, 2021, glazed ceramic. Both courtesy of the artist and Wexler Gallery.

Fa i r f i e l d Un i v e r s i t y Mag a z i n e | fal l 2021 27

Living Tributes T

by Jeannine (Carolan) Graf ’87

Stories of Courage, Generosity, and Resilience on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

28 fall 2021 | Fairfiel d Un i ve rs it y M aga z in e

rees in the Northeast don’t sprout

new growth in autumn unless they are dying and grasping for one more chance at life. Which is why the burst of new leaves on a branch of an otherwise charred and broken Callery pear tree caught the attention of recovery workers sifting through the still smoldering wreckage at Ground Zero in October 2001.

The last living thing recovered from the site, the damaged 8-foot tall tree was transported to Van Courtland Park in the Bronx and placed in the care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.

There was little they could do for it, except clean its wounds and offer it a place to rest and revive.

The following spring, the tree burst forth with new growth and a dove nested in its branches. In 2010, The Survivor Tree was brought home to the 9/11 Memorial Plaza, where it now stands 30 feet tall.

In a 2013 YouTube video, Ronaldo Vega, then a senior project manager for the NYC Department of Design and Construction, points to the blackened, deeply burrowed bark of the lower tree. “This tells the story of 9/11 and before,” he says, then gestures to the smooth upper branches, “and this is all brand new growth after 9/11. The presentation of its very skin talks about the horror of that day and the healing and recovery of that day as well.”

During The Survivor Tree’s years of rehabilitation in the Bronx, seeds were collected to propagate saplings. Each year, through the 9/11 Memorial’s Survivor Tree Seedling Program, three of these saplings are shared with communities throughout the U.S. that have been affected by tragedy.

Like these symbols of hope, the following three stories of courage, generosity, and resilience are testament to our power to heal and grow.

James Costello ’85, Known to All as “Cos” Gary and Jane (Murphy) McGovern ’85 were grateful that they knew the whereabouts of their friend and classmate, FDNY Captain James Costello ’85, on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. “He was here with us,” said Jane, “so we knew he was okay.”

“Cos,” as everyone called him, had stayed overnight at the McGovern family home in Scituate, Mass. after participating in an annual charity golf outing with Gary on Sept. 10. Jane remembers walking Cos out to his car early the next morning, and feeling happy for their college pal, who had been facing some personal challenges. “I’m feeling really good about where things are now,” he’d reassured her as they hugged goodbye and Cos hit the road.

He was cruising down the highway listening to the radio when news of the terror attacks broke. The firefighter raced straight to lower Manhattan.

In the weeks that followed, Cos was part of the first Task Force Recovery Operation. The FDNY had lost 343 firefighters on 9/11, and stations across the city were severely short-staffed.

“He’d work his regular shift and then head straight to Ground Zero for another 8-hour shift, every day for a month straight,” recalled Gary. The strain of that toil, while also attending back-to-back funerals “was unimaginable.”

“I think he had a very strong case of survivor’s guilt,” said Jane, “after losing so many close friends and colleagues.” Coupled with witnessing the horror and being exposed to the toxic fumes at the World Trade Center recovery site, “Cos had a lot to manage emotionally, but he was incredibly strong and, all in all, he handled it well.”

Promoted quickly to Battalion Chief, Cos

was the highest ranking Fairfield alumnus in the FDNY when he was invited to represent 9/11 first-responders at the Nov. 2, 2002 dedication of Fairfield University’s on-campus 9/11 Alumni Memorial.

Over the years, the McGoverns, Cos, and their extended “Fairfield family” of tight Class of ’85 friends collected a lifetime of happy memories together – at parties, ski trips, and summer vacations at the Jersey shore.

Still, the weight of Cos’s post-9/11 work affected him deeply – in his late 40s, he retired from the FDNY and enrolled in law school “because he wanted to represent and help firefighters suffering from health issues,” said Gary.

Cos was living in Highlands, New Jersey when he became ill; Gary and Jane noticed he’d lost a lot of weight when they saw him in the summer of 2015. Months later at a party, looking even more gaunt, all he would share was that he was having “stomach issues.”

His friends only learned of his pancreatic and neuroendocrine cancers after Cos died, at the age of 52, on November 25, 2015.

“We were shocked,” said Jane, the words catching in her throat. “He was not alone at the time of his death, but alone in his suffering.”

The FDNY officially determined that Battalion Chief James Costello had died in the line of duty from illnesses directly related to toxic exposures at Ground Zero.

Today, the name James Costello scrolls across an electronic screen at the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan, part of a growing list of more than 200 firefighters who have died since 2001 of causes related to their rescue and recovery work at the site of the terrorist attacks.

As part of the University’s commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the name James Costello ’85 is also being added beside the 14 alumni names on Fairfield’s 9/11 Alumni Memorial – the stone and steel installation he helped dedicate in 2002.

“He definitely deserves that honor,” said Jane.

The Fairfield Alumni Community Responds In the days that followed the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Fairfield University’s Office of Alumni Relations received a barrage of emails

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Campus Events to Commemorate the 20th Anniversary A candlelight prayer vigil and Memorial Mass were scheduled to take place on the weekend of Sept. 11-12. A three-part lecture series is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 23. For full information, please visit fairfield.edu/9-11anniversary

and phone calls from concerned alumni. Some were desperate for information about classmates and friends. Others wished to share updates on behalf of the families of the missing.

A month after the attacks, then-President Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., sent a letter to the Fairfield University community confirming that one parent (Patrick J. Hoey, P’04, father of Sharon Hoey ’04) and 14 Fairfield alumni (see sidebar) had been identified as lost. He announced three ways that Fairfield planned “to memorialize these individuals and to perpetuate the goodness reflected in their lives.”

The first was a special Memorial Mass, held on Sunday, October 28, 2001. More than 1,700 family members, alumni, and friends gathered that day in Alumni Hall to find solace in one another’s company.

Fr. Kelley next shared plans to create a permanent on-campus 9/11 alumni memorial. On behalf of the planning committee, alumnus Ed Condon ’85, wrote to the commissioner in charge of cleanup at Ground Zero and received special permission to access the crime scene to retrieve a steel beam artifact.

Growing emotional as he recalled his visit to the site, Condon described watching firefighters with rakes, combing a ditch for remains while contractors in hardhats sawed off the 23.5” of bent, charred steel that would become Fairfield University’s alumni memorial.

A neighbor of Condon’s, Bill Stanley, worked for the construction company O&G Industries and arranged to have the stone base of the memorial donated and engraved, free of charge. The installation in front of Alumni House was dedicated on Nov. 2, 2002. Family and friends of the alumni victims placed flowers on the memorial, which is engraved with the names of their loved ones and the following inscription: “May this steel beam, once part of the New York World Trade Center destroyed by

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terrorists, lead us to reflect on the gift of life so tragically lost there by 14 Fairfield alumni on September 11, 2001. In their memory, may we renew our faith, live in hope and strive for peace.”

Fr. Kelley’s third announcement was that the University would be restricting $1 million of its own institutional endowment to create a September 11 Memorial Scholarship Fund. Directly benefiting qualified students with financial need, the fund was designated to underwrite full tuition for current students who had lost a parent on 9/11, as well as children of alumni and rescue workers killed on that day, should they become Fairfield University students in the future.

Of the 19 children of alumnus fathers who died on Sept. 11, two pairs of siblings have attended Fairfield University on this scholarship.

While the University has never actively solicited funds for the endowed Sept. 11 Memorial Scholarship, 157 donors have contributed to it over the years. Now that alumni children directly affected by the 2001 disaster are past the ages at which they’d have chosen a college if this was their path, funds generated by the scholarship exclusively benefit children of any Fairfield alumni.

Independently, an additional five memorial scholarships were created by the families and friends of University alumni killed in the attacks. To date, thanks to the generosity of alumni, families, classmates, and friends, a total 70 Fairfield students have been awarded scholarships cumulatively valued at more than $900,000 from the following funds: • The Christopher Slattery Fairfield Memorial Scholarship • The Michael Lunden ’86 Scholarship • The H. Joseph Heller and Michael P. Lunden Memorial Scholarship

• The Jonathan Neff Cappello ’00 Scholarship • The Michael R. Andrews ’89 Memorial Scholarship

Charlie Dunne ’89, Brother of Christopher Dunne ’95 Charlie Dunne ’89 always knew he wanted to be a cop, and within a year of graduating from Fairfield, he had joined the NYPD. “I went from Fairfield Beach Road to Times Square,” he said, “which was quite a culture shock.”

He doesn’t really remember how his younger brother Chris, whom he described as “definitely a musician at heart,” ended up at his alma mater. But with his guitar never far from reach, Christopher Dunne ’95 also earned his undergraduate degree at Fairfield.

By 2001, both Dunne brothers were working in New York City — Chris as a computer programmer for Marsh McLennan in the World Trade Center, and Charlie as a cop by day and a law school student at St. John’s University by night.

On Sept. 11 of that year, Charlie and his fellow midtown precinct officers learned from the news on TV that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. As the horror of the terror attacks unfolded, he was dispatched to the far west end of 42nd Street. With no cellphone reception, he remained out of contact with his family until he finished work around 11 that night.

There was no “in-between“ that day, no broken legs or arms — either you made it out of the towers or you were gone, said Charlie.

“I knew what floor my brother worked on and I did the calculation; he was gone.” He went straight to his parents’ home in Garden City, Long Island, and broke the news to them that Christopher had died.

Charlie spent the next eight or so weeks at Ground Zero, assigned to work he described as “nothing dramatic or heroic.” Looking back, he speculates that his relatively short stint downtown might have spared him from

the post-9/11 illnesses that have afflicted so many recovery workers.

He graduated from law school in 2002 and retired as an NYPD inspector in 2010, the same year he was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as the U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of New York. When his political appointment ended seven years later, Charlie returned once more to lower Manhattan, to accept the position of executive vice president of security, fire & life safety at the National September 11th Memorial & Museum.

“A lot of people who went through that day, when they heard about my job, they were shocked. They never wanted to go back. But I’m glad I worked there,” said Charlie, who left after three years and now works in the private sector, “it was a real special place.”

Respectful of their parents’ wishes, the Dunne family’s grief over losing Christopher has always been a private affair. “Chris had no wife, no children, so there was no constant daily reminder,” Charlie said. “But every family grieves differently.”

Chance encounters around town sometimes connect Charlie with living tributes to his brother. “It’s kind of jarring to run into my brother’s friends – they’ve grown up, they have families. A couple of them gave their sons the middle name ‘Christopher’ after my

brother. When I see them, I wonder what would have happened if he’d made it; would I have more nephews?”

A good friend of Charlie’s also named a son in honor of Christopher, and Charlie is the young man’s godfather: “My friend named him Matthew Christopher, after my brother, and my godson is now a freshman at F Fairfield – that’s kind of cool, isn’t it?” l

Fairfield University remembers all of those who died on 9/11, and especially our 14 alumni Michael R. Andrews ’89 Jonathan N. Cappello ’00 Christopher J. Dunne ’95 Steven M. Hagis ’91 H. Joseph Heller ’86 Michael G. Jacobs ’69 Michael P. Lunden ’86 Francis N. McGuinn ’74 Patrick J. McGuire ’82 William E. Micciulli ’93 Marc A. Murolo ’95 Christopher T. Orgielewicz ’87 Johanna L. Sigmund ’98 Christopher P. Slattery ’92

Dedicated on Nov. 2, 2002, Fairfield’s 9/11 Alumni Memorial is located in front of Alumni House on campus.

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Grants&Gifts

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

College of Arts & Sciences The National Science Foundation

has given Mark Demers, PhD, professor of mathematics, a grant of $214,088 to support his research in dynamical systems and ergodic theory, a branch of mathematics that studies the evolution of systems over time. In particular, he is interested in systems which exhibit chaotic behavior, as well as systems out of equilibrium and models from mathematical physics.

biochemical effects of living in confined conditions for prolonged periods that are typical of orbital and deep-space missions. This collaborative project will examine sex-specific effects of social isolation on locomotor, anxiety, social, and cognitive behaviors using rats. This interdisciplinary project will train undergraduate students in behavioral and biochemical techniques.

Assistant professor of physics Robert Nazarian, PhD, has also been given a NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium grant of $9,930 for his oceanographic research to study the magnitude, distribution, and impact of ocean mixing — specifically as it occurs deep in ocean canyons around the globe. This study supports NASA’s training and research missions by advancing the understanding of climate change and providing undergraduate students with a robust research experience.

School of Education and Human Development Mark Demers, PhD

The Environmental Law Institute

has approved a $55,000 grant in support of a research project titled “The Carbon Footprint of Airbnb: Do Lodging Platforms Raise Carbon Emissions?” Conducted by faculty from Fairfield University, Boston College, and Northeastern University, research findings will be used to inform municipal authorities’ actions as they work on regulating both greenhouse gas emissions and short-term rentals.

Shannon M. Harding, PhD, P’14, associate professor of psychology, and Aaron Van Dyke, PhD, associate professor of chemistry, have been awarded a grant of $9,988 from the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium, to study the psychological and

In collaboration with the Connecticut Office of Higher Education, Connecticut’s State Department of Education, and public and private higher education institutions across the state, Fairfield University’s School of Education and Human Development (SEHD), received $3M in funding ($1.5M from Connecticut’s Coronavirus Relief Funds and $1.5M from American Rescue Plan Act funding) for the Connecticut College Corps, a program developed to promote summer enrichment opportunities for students in grades K-12 who have had their school years significantly disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Julie Berrett-Abebe, PhD, LICSW, assistant professor of social work, in collaboration with faculty across the SEHD, the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, and community partners, was awarded

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a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant in the amount of $1.61M from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to focus on behavioral health workforce development.

Bryan Ripley Crandall, PhD, director of the Connecticut Writing Project and associate professor of educational studies and teacher preparation, has been awarded $3,500 from the National Writing Project for his literacy workshop project concerning National Park Service conservation, protection, outreach, and education at the Weir Farm Historical Society in Wilton, Conn.

Charles F. Dolan School of Business The Bank of America Charitable Foundation has renewed its support of the Charles F. Dolan School of Business with a generous $25,000 grant. This grant will enhance Fairfield Dolan’s Professional Development Series, an initiative designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills essential to successfully navigate their professional journeys. The funding will also provide scholarships for talented female students within the MS in Finance, MS in Business Analytics, and MBA programs at Fairfield Dolan. Finally, the grant will support career programming created within the University’s Academic Career and Development Center.

General University Support/ Scholarships The Maguire Foundation made a $75,000 gift as part of its multi-year pledge to the University, to enable students from

Pennsylvania who are academically qualified to become leaders in their fields and who demonstrate significant financial need, to benefit from the transformative impact of a Fairfield education.

The Ernest and Joan Trefz Foundation approved a $25,000 grant to

Fairfield University’s Community Partnership Scholarship Program. Funds will be used to enhance the financial aid available to students coming from underserved areas and empower them to “dream big” and work toward achieving their academic, personal, and professional goals.

The Lawrence I. & Blanche H. Rhodes Memorial Fund has given $6,000 to support

the Simon Harak and Fr. John Murray, S.J., Glee Club Scholarship Fund. This gift will provide scholarships and financial assistance to students participating in the University’s Glee Club, a mixed chorus of more than 100 undergraduate and graduate singers.

Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies The Paul L. Jones Fund approved a

$40,000 grant in support of the Paul L. Jones Scholarship program, providing scholarships to nursing students who demonstrate significant financial need and are academically qualified to become leaders in the health field, particularly in service of medically underresourced or underserved areas.

The Schechter Foundation gave $10,000 as part of a $50,000 multi-year pledge to support the purchase of new simulation equipment, ensuring that students gain patient experience in a state-of-the-art, faculty observed setting that facilitates feedback and best practices, to fully prepare them to serve others.

School of Engineering Three industry partners: Goodroot Inc., Maestro Health, and Pursuecare, have joined forces to underwrite the School of Engineering’s Healthcare Hackathon which will take place on October 23 and 24, 2021.

The Healthcare Hackathon will challenge high school students to fast-track innovative solutions to pressing marketplace challenges and societal health inequities. Alumni, faculty, student, and industry mentors will provide guidance throughout the weekend-long event.

The Arts at Fairfield The George J. and Jessica Harris Foundation continues to show its

commitment to the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts through a $15,000 grant to support the Quick Center’s general operations and diverse performing arts programming, including the new Arts for All initiative.

The Samuel H. Kress Foundation has granted a $25,000 award in support of the Fairfield University Art Museum (FUAM)’s Out of the Kress Vaults: Sacred Women in Italian Renaissance Paintings, an exhibition of Italian Renaissance paintings drawn from the storage vaults of Kress institutions across the Northeast.

This exciting new exhibition, curated in collaboration with Fairfield University students, is scheduled to open in September 2022.

The Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation has renewed its support of

FUAM with a $10,000 grant in support of general operations. The gift will primarily go toward the museum’s new Black Art Fund, a new initiative to support the acquisition of artwork by contemporary Black artists.

The Robert Lehman Foundation

approved a renewed $6,000 grant in support of the Edwin L. Weisl Jr. Lectureships in Art

Latosha Brown will present a free virtual lecture at the Quick Center on Nov. 9.

History for the 2021-22 academic year. The funds will be used to bring five distinguished scholars to offer engaging lectures related to FUAM exhibitions on view, with a goal of fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and promoting understanding of the arts in the context of both history and the contemporary world.

Aquarion Water Company, Inc. has made a $3,000 grant in support of FUAM’s fall 2021 socially engaged exhibition series featuring Carrie Mae Weems: The Usual Suspects in the museum’s Walsh Gallery, and Robert Gerhardt: Mic Check and Roberto Lugo: New Ceramics in the Bellarmine Hall Galleries.

The Carl & Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies The Adolph & Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation approved a $50,000 grant to

support the Carl & Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies and its many educational programs organized throughout the year to highlight the Jewish faith and history, and enrich culture and spiritual life on campus and F in the community. l

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Alumni NOTES 1970

S H A R E YO U R N E W S

’71 | E.J. Cooke MA ’12 published his second historical novel in a series, in May. Available on Amazon, Yankee Slaver is the sequel to Lili of The Valley. ’72 | William Rogers, a partner at Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP, in Chicago, has been elected 2021-22 president of the Illinois Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) which is dedicated to preservation of the right to jury, independence of the judiciary, and professionalism for trial lawyers.

There are approximately 1.3 million lawyers in the United States and only approximately 7,600 in ABOTA. ’73 | Michael McCarthy retired for the first time in January 2004 as a 30+ year USAF colonel and again in November 2014 as a program manager within the Intelligence Community.

McCarthy reentered the workforce in January 2020 when he wrote his first book, Memories of a Jane Street Boy. Published by the Dorrance Publishing Co., it’s posted on their pre-ordering website as well as on Amazon.com.

1990

’92 | Christine Looby received a promotion to national communications manager for Trinity Health Senior Communities in February 2021. Since 2018, Looby had served as regional executive director of sales, communications, and marketing for Trinity Health of

Iryna (Mohylnytska) ’13, MS’14 and Andriy Kokovskyy welcomed baby, Evelyn Zoe, on Nov. 10, 2020. Pictured here with proud sister Amelia Sophie, age 4.

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

New England Senior Communities based in West Hartford, Conn. ’96 | Judy Ann (Bongiovi) Riccio, on June 8, 2021, was named the interim athletic director of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, replacing former MLB Baseball manager Bobby Valentine.

Frank J. Riccio II is a practicing criminal defense attorney based in Bridgeport, Conn., and last year was elected president of the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. ’97 | Emmi Olsson has been appointed chief technology officer of the U.S. business of Kyndryl’s, the independent managed infrastructure

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services company. Olsson previously served as IBM’s Global Technology Services vice president and chief technology officer overseeing the company’s work with its financial services clients in North America.

In April 2020, Ms. Olsson was appointed as an IBM Fellow, given her transformational technical leadership and expertise in the financial services market.

2000 ’01 | Steve Winkel MA’03, founded and launched talent consultancy, Strength in Talent,

in January 2021. In its first year, Strength in Talent is catapulting clients’ people strategies forward through consulting, coaching, and contract engagements across various aspects of human resources and talent management.

Brent Nowicki was named FINA (Fédération Internationale De Natation) executive director in June 2021. FINA is the federation recognized by the Olympic committee for administering international competitions in water sports. Nowicki was an attorney with the law firm Hodgson Russ for seven years, then served as the head of the CAS Anti-Doping Division for the Olympic Games at both Rio 2016 and Pyeongchang 2018. He also played Stags lacrosse at Fairfield and was on the national team in Switzerland. ’09 | Andrea N. Richmond has been named associate director of Family Office Services at Hemenway & Barnes LLP.

2010

’13 | Mairead McConnell earned a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona.

She recently completed a one-year residency in behavioral medicine at the Yale School of Medicine.

McConnell specializes in psychooncology, helping individuals diagnosed with cancer to live meaningfully in the face of lifelimiting illness. She will be moving to Tucson, Ariz. to work as a clinical health psychologist.

Joe Murtha, BEI ’92 2012 Technical Oscar Award-Winner

A

by Meredith Guinness MA’16 s a seasoned engineer, Joe Murtha, BEI ’92 is used to being able to figure things out. So he and two of his colleagues were more than a little stumped in 2012 when they received mysterious letters from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“I said to my co-worker Jim, ‘Did you get a letter from the Academy of..’ and he said, ‘Wait, you got one, too?’” said Murtha, a 1992 graduate of Bridgeport Engineering Institute, the precursor of Fairfield’s School of Engineering.

It turned out that Murtha, William Frederick, and Jim Markland, colleagues at Shelton, Connecticut-based Anton Bauer Inc., were to be honored with a Science and Engineering Award — a technical Oscar — for

For Murtha, each patent is like a “gold ribbon” in an exciting field, based on “the idea of being able to do things that have not been done before.” their pioneering work on a long-lasting but lightweight battery system for film cameras with lighting rigs.

The CINE VCLX Portable Power System might not be as recognizable as this year’s Best Actor or Best Picture, but the award — presented by actors Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana — put the Fairfield native and his teammates in the same league as the creators of Technicolor and talkies, and the good folks at Disney animation.

“Not bad company,” said Murtha, now a senior electrical project engineer at Accutrol in Danbury.

Murtha’s passion for engineering began early, as he watched his father, who had also studied at BEI, fiddle with gadgets he’d bring home from his office at Jelliff Corp. in Southport. One day he came home with spools of wire and the spellbound six-year-old helped his dad rig some speakers to an old Joe Murtha, BEI ’92 phonograph, astounded that approach to instruction with fueling his thirst they’d made sound travel. for discovery.

“I was hooked on it,” said Murtha, who “There’s a fellow who actually changed still has his dad’s reliable slide rule. my life,” he said, referring to Dr. Hoffman’s At Andrew Warde High School in Fairfield, instruction of a microprocessors course. “It Murtha said he was lucky enough to have a really turned a lightbulb on for me.” teacher who created an electrical lab where Dr. Hoffman would be proud to know interested students could build ham radios Murtha has gone on to hold three patents — and learn the wonders of harnessing their one for a universal charge module, one for inventive spirit. an intelligent battery system, and one for a One of five children, he realized the best technique for detecting when a cell pack has way to earn himself a college education reached full charge based on sensing the would be to work during the day and enroll pack’s temperature. in BEI at night. While a respected educational For Murtha, each patent is like a “gold institution, BEI at the time had no physical ribbon” in an exciting field, based on “the buildings; when Murtha began, he took classes idea of being able to do things that have not on the Sacred Heart University campus, and been done before.” the year he graduated, the school was based at After 26 years at Anton Bauer, Murtha Roger Ludlowe High School. joined Accutrol, where he develops electro“When my dad went [to BEI] in the late mechanical microprocessor-based products 1940s, early ’50s,” remembered Murtha, “it for the critical environment airflow control was at Harding High School in Bridgeport. industry. Working locally has afforded him They were always searching for a home.” the opportunity to set down roots of his own Two years after Murtha graduated, BEI in the area, where he raised his son, Joe, with merged with Fairfield University in 1994.

Carole, his wife of 35 years, who passed away “Everybody I knew at BEI was absolutely two years ago due to breast cancer. thrilled,” he said of the announcement that Often the Monroe resident runs into the institute had a permanent home. “We friends and fellow alumni from BEI and felt immediately like part of the Fairfield Fairfield’s School of Engineering. “It’s a University team and alumni.” tight-knit group,” he said of his classmates.

Murtha found some familiar faces among “Engineering is a huge field, but you tend to the Fairfield University administration run into the same people. and faculty: both Associate Dean Harvey “And it’s always challenging,” he added, Hoffman, PhD, and the late Paul Botosani, “but rewarding. It’s still, frankly, as rewarding PhD, a longtime professor, taught him at F as it was 40 years ago.” l BEI. Murtha credits Dr. Hoffman’s practical

Fa i r f i e l d Un i v e r s i t y Mag a z i n e | fal l 2021 35

Alumni NOTES Marriages

In Memoriam

Tracy Mayer and Anthony Catino ’04 — May 15, 2021.

George F. Keane ’51 – May 20, 2021

Shardell Hamilton ’15 and Matthew Robinson ’15 — June 12, 2021.

Raymond P. Bouchard ’52 – June 6, 2021

Births Theresa (Boffa) ’03 and Christopher Daly — son, Carter Raymond, Dec. 1, 2020.

Colleen (Banks) ’11 and Stephen McManus ’11, MS’12 — daughter, Brynn Reagan, Nov. 7, 2020.

Iryna (Mohylnytska) ’13, MS’14 and Andriy Kokovskyy — daughter, Evelyn Zoe, Nov. 10, 2020.

John (Jack) Connell ’52 – June 1, 2021 Fernando (Fred) V. Frillici ’52 – April 18, 2021

S H A R E YO U R N E W S

Theresa (Boffa) ’03 and Christopher Daly welcomed son, Carter Raymond, on Dec. 1, 2020.

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

William F. Schlenk Sr. ’52 – May 16, 2021 John (Jack) D. Sullivan ’54 – July 11, 2021 Francis W. Carroll Jr. ’55 – May 27, 2021 John P. O’Byrne Jr. ’55 – May 27, 2021 Francis W. Garvin Jr. ’56 – May 20, 2021 Kenneth F. Catandella ’57 – June 21, 2021

Giving Made Easy

You can have a big impact on a Fairfield student’s experience with a monthly gift. Visit our secure online gift form at fairfield.edu/give and select the Monthly or the Perpetual Gift option.

Multiple installments add up to make a big difference!

Richard A. Preto-Rodas ’58 – April 19, 2021

John J. Krehel Jr. BEI ’73 – April 5, 2021

Robert M. Schumacher ’58 – Aug. 10, 2020

James W. Maher ’73 – June 18, 2021

Peter J. Grimes ’60 – June 23, 2021

Thomas C. Huff ’74 – March 24, 2021

John T. Bruzas ’61 – June 22, 2021

Mary J. (Trozzo) Drew ’75 – May 30, 2021

Robert J. Thomas Sr. ’62 – May 13, 2021

Anthony M. McDonald ’77, MA’83 (GSC&PC) – April 13, 2021

William J. Csontos Jr. ’63 – June 8, 2021 Thomas F. Quinn ’63 – April 26, 2021 George M. McGinn Jr. ’64 – June 19, 2021 Dale A. McNulty ’64 April 26, 2021 Joseph C. Callahan ’65 – March 28, 2021 Dennis W. Jontos ’65, MA’69, CT ’77 (GSEAP) – June 16, 2021 David E. Moley Sr. ’65 – June 17, 2021 Andrew J. Mollo ’69 – July 5, 2021 John G. Strich BEI ’69 – April 6, 2021 John Noce ’70 – June 12, 2021 Robert C. Frazer BEI ’72 – May 21, 2021

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Dennis Pukavich ’77 – April 9, 2021 Madonna A. Sacco ’77 – April 14, 2021 Gary J. Gunning ’78 – June 5, 2021 Joanne H. Choly ’80, MA’84, CT ’93 (GSEAP) – April 28, 2021 Edwin J. Rogalewski Jr. ’86 – July 8, 2021 Anthony C. Tucci ’87 – April 20, 2021 Cynthia (Gearin) Hilgartner ’88 – June 12, 2021 Neil S. Johnson ’98 – May 22, 2021 Michael B. Wray ’04 – July 17, 2020 Christopher C. Andrea ’12 – May 28, 2021

Loan Le ’14, MFA’17 The Double Life of an Editor-Author

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by Meredith Guinness MA’16 oan Le ’14, MFA’17 is living a double life.

After climbing the ranks to full editor at Simon & Schuster, she celebrated the February publication of her debut novel, A Pho Love Story, a sweet-and-savory take on teen romance that recently made Bon Appetit magazine’s list of “7 New Novels for People Who Love Eating.”

Written in 2018, the YA tome was set to hit bookstores in 2020, but the universe had other ideas. No matter, said Le, who spent the year focused on her other passion

“ I didn’t see much Vietnamese-American representation in books and films. I saw many American books and films about the Vietnam War — the trauma of it all. But people my age did not go through the war and our history isn’t all sadness.”

— shepherding authors along their own journeys to publication.

“They are side by side. My writing was always side by side with my editing career,” said Le, who lives in New York but stayed in Connecticut during the pandemic.

Born in California, Le grew up in Waterbury and Cheshire, where she first tried her hand at her future profession working on the Cheshire High School newspaper.

At Fairfield, classmates will remember she put her stamp on The Fairfield Mirror, helping to create the design-heavy features section, “The Vine,” before becoming the weekly newspaper’s editor-in-chief.

Under the tutelage of faculty mentor Tommy Xie, PhD, associate professor of journalism, Le credits The Fairfield Mirror with teaching her about design, time management, and the importance of communicating well with a team.

The lessons have served her well at Simon & Schuster, where she snagged a coveted internship after her sophomore year at Fairfield. After college, she applied for an entry-level spot at one of the publishing house’s many imprints and found herself rushing to the train for a job interview at Rockefeller Center right after dropping off her final creative writing portfolio.

The interview went well and she started a week later. Le, who majored in English with concentrations in journalism and creative writing, is well-matched for her current position, where she specializes in “dark, character-driven, literary fiction.” A self-described introvert, she said she’s learned how to trust her instincts. In the end, picking and working with an author is often a matter of letting others feel her enthusiasm, or “sounding the alarm.”

“I’m not loud, but I can be loud with my passion,” she said.

Editing requires Le to “live inside the lines” of authors’ works. Is a story’s secret revealed too soon? Does the main character do something out of character?

While she loves her job, the former Magis Scholar found herself wanting more a few years after graduation. “I was a little, sort of, lost. I realized I wasn’t writing anymore,” she said.

Enter Fairfield’s MFA in Creative Writing program. The low-residency model allowed her to work on her adult short stories while

Loan Le ’14, MFA’17

staying on top of her career.

“I wanted it to get me where I envisioned and, honestly, I think I got more,” Le said. “It was just the right program for me.”

When it came to her first book, she gained inspiration from her own family. Her parents were originally from Vietnam, and growing up, she and her brother and sister were surrounded by a loving extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Family traditions were passed down, and so was her desire to consider the Vietnamese-American experience.

“I didn’t see much Vietnamese-American representation in books and films. I saw many American books and films about the Vietnam War — the trauma of it all,” she said. “But people my age did not go through the war and our history isn’t all sadness.”

As a result, while A Pho Love Story touches on the concept of the inheritance of trauma — a lived experience that can be passed down through generations, and issues of racism and cultural dynamics, there is also plenty of joy and love. Perhaps this is why Le’s novel, set against the backdrop of rival Vietnamese restaurants, was selected an Amazon Editors’ “Best Young Adult” Book Pick.

Le said she loves being able to immerse herself in her stories. She continues the tale of two side characters from A Pho Love Story in Solving for the Unknown, her next novel due out in Summer 2023.

While some authors have a set-in-stone routine for writing as the sun comes up or in a particular chair with a beloved pen, Le said she’s learned to follow her inspiration wherever and whenever it takes her.

“I’m comfortable not having a routine anymore,” she said with a laugh. “I try my F best every day.” l

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Alumni NOTES

S H A R E YO U R N E W S

REUNION WEEKEND

Classes of 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017 Save the Date: June 10-12, 2022!

Visit fairfield.edu/reunion2022 for more information.

50TH REUNION WEEKENDS Class of 1972 save the date for the “reunion of a lifetime!”

May 20-22, 2022 Visit fairfield.edu/classof1972 for more information.

Class of 1970 & 1971: Save the date for your rescheduled 50th Reunions!

Colleen (Banks) ’11 and Stephen McManus ’11, MS’12 are the proud parents of daughter, Brynn Reagan, born on Nov. 7, 2020.

Classes of 1970 - November 6, 2021 Visit fairfield.edu/classof1970 for more information.

Classes of 1971 - November 13, 2021 Visit fairfield.edu/50threunion for more information.

Fairfield EVENTS STAY ON TOP OF CAMPUS HAPPE NINGS! Find lectures, livestreams, webinars, and more at: Fairfield.edu/museum Fairfield.edu/quick Fairfield.edu/alumnievents

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Shardell Hamilton ’15 and Matthew Robinson ’15 tied the knot on June 12, 2021 with many fellow Stags in attendance.

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

G R A D U AT E S C H O O L S MA’83 | Murray Farber and his wife have been honored by the Board of Education in Fresno, Calif. with the naming of a new three-structure school complex, “The Francine and Murray Farber Educational Campus,” in honor of their service to the school system, including a scholarship program, motivational events, support for live theater, and sponsorship of a play about the founding of the U.S. that was seen by 25,000 fifth graders. Farber served as director of public relations at Fairfield University from 1980 to 1998.

MA’03 | Steve Winkel ’01 founded and launched talent consultancy, Strength in Talent, in January 2021. In its first year, Strength in Talent is catapulting clients’ people strategies forward through consulting, coaching, and contract engagements across various aspects of human resources and talent management.

MA’12 | E.J. Cooke ’71 published his second historical novel in a series, in May. Available on Amazon, Yankee Slaver is the sequel to Lili of The Valley.

Births Colleen (Banks) ’11 and Stephen McManus ’11, MS’12 — daughter, Brynn Reagan, Nov. 7, 2020.

Iryna (Mohylnytska) ’13, MS’14 and Andriy Kokovskyy — daughter, Evelyn Zoe, Nov. 10, 2020.

In Memoriam John B. McDonnell MA’55 (GSEAP) – March 2, 2021 Adeline (Gallo) Dohan MA’56 (GSEAP) – May 21, 2021

Eugene D. Karpinski MA’59 (GSEAP) – April 27, 2021 Mauro J. Suraci MA’60, CT’67 (GSEAP) – April 16, 2021 John Stamos MA’62 (GSEAP) – April 5, 2021 Susan (Yarnold) Dilloway MA’65 (GSEAP) – May 15, 2021 Peter J. Iassogna MA’65, CT’67 (GSEAP) – July 6, 2021 Dennis W. Jontos ’65, MA’69, CT’77 (GSEAP) – June 16, 2021 Beverly (Weitzel) Damen Casey MA’71 (GSEAP) – April 13, 2021 Patrick J. Skruck MA’71 (GSEAP) – June 19, 2021 Juan S. Lopez MA’72, CT’76 (GSEAP) – July 2, 2021 Judith (Kleinhans) Holding MA’73 (GSEAP) – May 29, 2021

Alan Supersano ’64, P’88, Elise Sullivan ’19, and Carla (Supersano) Sullivan ’88, P’19 celebrate Elise becoming the third generation of the family to graduate from Fairfield.

“Music is the tie that binds three generations of proud Glee Club alumni to Fairfield University! From Loyola Chapel and Gonzaga Auditorium, to the Egan Chapel and Quick Center, we continue to love, appreciate, and support music and the arts on campus!”

Are you included in the 19 percent of Fairfield graduates who are members of a legacy family?

We want to hear from you! To submit your Fairfield family tree, visit fairfield.edu/legacystory

Robert J. Caren MA’75 (GSEAP) – March 4, 2021 Leonard J. Martini CT’75 (GSEAP) – June 6, 2021 Ruth C. (Tiagwad) Mohr MA’79 (GSEAP) – May 9, 2021 Charles Haigh CAS’80 (GSEAP) – May 3, 2021 Kenneth F. Lowman MA’80 (GSEAP) – November 24, 2020 Anthony M. McDonald ’77, MA’83 (GSC&PC) – April 13, 2021 Joanne H. Choly ’80, MA’84, CT’93 (GSEAP) – April 28, 2021 Richard M. Whitcomb CT’84 (GSEAP) – July 6, 2021 Alicia M. Butler CT’93 (GSEAP) – June 24, 2021

HELP CURRENT STAGS EXPLORE CAREERS You can help current students begin planning for life after Fairfield by spending time with them (in person or virtually) during winter break as part of Fairfield’s annual Job Shadow program.

Registration details will be sent to alumni and parents in early September. Visit fairfield.edu/ jobshadow for details.

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Donor

PROFILE John Thompson III and Monica Moore Thompson, P’23

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s parents of a Fairfield student, John Thompson III and Monica Moore Thompson, P’23 were attracted to Fairfield’s mission of cura personalis, educating and understanding the student as a complete person. “We believe learning does not take place only in the classrooms, but also on athletic fields, on performing arts stages, in science labs, and in the dorms,” Monica shared.

“Fairfield offers a supportive environment for young people to learn and develop.”

Their son, John Thompson ’23, set his sights on becoming a Stag while staying in Fairfield’s Gonzaga Hall — which coincidentally shares its name with the high school he was attending at the time — during a summer rugby camp in 2018.

“I grew up in Washington, D.C., and our son attended my alma mater there, Gonzaga College High School,” John III explained. “John felt immediately comfortable when he visited Fairfield’s campus as a prospective student, and he appreciated the kindness and support of the community.”

Meeting and listening to Fairfield President Mark R. Nemec, PhD further motivated the Thompsons’ endorsement of their son’s college choice.

“Pre-pandemic, we had the opportunity to visit the University and speak with Dr. Nemec, and

hear about his vision of the future for the institution,” said John III. “That really solidified our support for John attending Fairfield and our support for the University as a whole.”

The Thompsons were also very impressed with Fairfield’s leadership in handling the challenges presented by the pandemic. Prior to Covid-19, Monica and John III enjoyed attending Fairfield events, including watching their son during rugby games. While the pandemic halted their visits to campus, they still maintained a strong connection to the University. “Despite the difficulties presented by Covid-19, Fairfield was able to make appropriate adjustments to accommodate students on campus, and offer great programs to keep parents involved,” said Monica.

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“We encourage Fairfield parents to jump in and find a way to connect to the University. Reply ‘yes’ to those invitations. The options and the levels of involvement are limitless, so don’t hesitate.”

It is because of these positive experiences at Fairfield that the Thompsons remain engaged Fairfield parents, which includes co-chairing the Parents Leadership Council. “There are many ways to get involved with Fairfield while also allowing your child the space to feel that the campus is their own,” Monica said. “We encourage Fairfield parents to jump in and find a way to connect to the University.

Reply ‘yes’ to those invitations.

The options and the levels of involvement are limitless, so don’t hesitate.”

A family of five residing in McLean, Virginia, John III and Monica raised three children including John, a computer science major at Fairfield’s School of Engineering and a member of Fairfield Rugby; their oldest, Morgan, who will be moving to Los Angeles to work in finance; and their youngest, Matthew, who will be attending Harvard next year. During their free

time, the family likes to travel, cook, and escape to Martha’s Vineyard.

John Thompson III is the vice president of player development & engagement for the Washington Wizards NBA team and Monumental Sports.

Prior to his current job, he was Georgetown University’s head basketball coach for 13 years.

He also coached at Princeton University for a total of 13 years and was their head coach for four years.

Monica Moore Thompson worked in the Development Office of her alma mater, Princeton University, before retiring to raise the family.

She currently devotes her time to non-profit board service in the areas of education and healthcare, at organizations such as Teach for America, the Washington Jesuit Academy, and as the vice chair of the Alumni Council at Princeton.

Fairfield Parents Make a Difference WAYS FOR PARENTS TO PARTICIPATE: The Parents Fund allows parents to contribute a gift of any size to the University’s most urgent priorities in the areas of academic programming, student life, financial aid, and health & wellness services.

Sarah Marquis ’21 in between her parents Brian and Lynn Marquis, P’21.

Parent participation through the Parents Fund, the Parents Leadership Council, and The President’s Circle plays a critical role in elevating Fairfield experiences for all students.

Learn how you can join parents like John Thompson III and Monica Moore Thompson, P’23 in making a difference, at fairfield.edu/parents.

The Parents Leadership Council is a community of parents who give $5,000 or more annually, ensuring millions of dollars in support of scholarships, the Parents Fund, athletics, and capital projects; Council members enjoy benefits like signature events with senior leadership and mission-driven programs.

The President’s Circle invites parents to make a gift of $1,000 or more each fiscal year, to help shape all aspects of our University.

The Honor Your Graduate Program gives parents of seniors the opportunity to honor their students’ Fairfield experiences with a Senior Tribute gift of any size or a Capstone Scholarship gift of $10,000 or more.

Be on the lookout for more details about the upcoming Parent Leadership Challenge, October 4 – 20, 2021!

Fa i r f i e l d Un i v e r s i t y Mag a z i n e | fal l 2021 iii

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Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Burlington, VT 05401 Permit No. 229

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ALUMNI & FAMILY WEEKEND OCT. 15-17, 2021 Come see for yourself.

Reconnect. Enjoy. Network.

Fairfield.edu/AFW

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