Universit y NEWS FAIRFIELD RANKED AMONG TOP 1% FOR LONG-TERM ROI
Fairfield University Arena Coming Fall 2022 Construction of a new arena is clipping along and underway according to plan, in the same footprint that Alumni Hall once stood, and will revolutionize the Stags home game and campus event experience. The projected timeline for completion is this coming fall. The building will be approximately 85,000-square feet, featuring 3,500 seats, multi-use space for basketball games, volleyball games, University events, and concerts. The venue will boast a state-of-the-art broadcast and media center, a Stags Club lounge and premium seating area, as well as ample chair-back seating for season ticket holders and fans. A large, LED video board will be displayed from the ceiling of the arena and LED video boards will line the front of the second level of seating to enhance the game day experience for Stags fans. Throughout the venue, fans will have satellite concession stands and ample restrooms; a beer garden will line the east wall of the arena. A Stags Team Shop for fans to purchase game day apparel will be located on the concourse as well. For student-athletes, varsity locker rooms will reside on the first floor with a modern circular layout next to a training room for sports medicine staff. Additionally, a team room for pregame meals and a theatre-style film room are located on the first floor. lF Learn more and see live construction updates at Fairfieldstags.com/arena.
Using new data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, a recently published Georgetown study titled “Ranking 4,500 Colleges by ROI (2022)” determined that Fairfield University is a national leader once again for return on investment (ROI) 40 years after graduation. According to this year’s report, Fairfield University moved up to #54 (from #62 in 2019) among all institutions, placing in the top one percent for ROI. The University also ranked high up for its average alumni earning potential ten years after graduation ($141,000). In addition to ROI metrics that include students’ income potential after graduation, graduation rate, and average debt, Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce analyzed a new metric that “measures the share of students at an institution whose earnings 10 years after enrollment are higher
than those of workers with a high school diploma as their highest level of education.” Statewide, Fairfield placed second in Connecticut after Yale University (#37), and surpassed schools such as Wesleyan, Trinity, Connecticut College, University of Connecticut, Quinnipiac, and Sacred Heart University in the 40-year value ranking. Among Jesuit colleges nationwide, Fairfield was fourth, in the company of Georgetown, Santa Clara University, and Boston College. Notably, the most recent update of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, released in December 2021, elevated Fairfield University to the doctoral classification, as one of 73 new doctoral/ professional institutions to be added to this category. Fairfield was formerly classified among master’s F degree-granting institutions. l
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education now lists Fairfield nationally in the doctoral classification. Fa i r f i e l d Un i v e r s i t y Mag a z i n e | su mmer 2022 5
