Fairfield University Magazine - Winter 2023, President's Report

P R E S I D E NT’S R E P O RT

Fairfieldmagazine UNIVERSITY

WINTER 2023-24

Quad Star Photo by Joe Adams

The Quad is where many first-year and sophomore students live and enjoy community on campus. As a residential campus, life in the halls is an integral part of the Fairfield four-year experience.

On the cover: Iconic Bellarmine Hall at sunrise.

Photo by Joe Adams

Fairfield University Magazine Fairfield University Winter 2023-24 | Volume 46 | Number 3 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 5, 12, 15, 28-31, 34, 49 Owen Bonaventura: pages 2, 10, 20-26, 27, 33, 35, 43, 46 Brio Cooney: page 10 Cassidy Kristiansen: pages 11, 14 Blake Masi: pages 39, 42, 43 Peter McLean: page 12 Stockton Photo: pages 18 Casey Timmeny: pages 13, 15, 25 Jessica Zanca: page 19 Contributed photos: pages 2, 14-17, 32, 36, 38, 44-47 Fairfield University Magazine is published four times (November, March, June, September) during the year by Fairfield University. Editorial offices are located in: Bellarmine Hall, Fairfield University Fairfield, CT 06824-5195 (203) 254-4000, ext. 2526 Email: ahighet@fairfield.edu Printed at Allied Printing Services Manchester, Connecticut

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Contents

— Mark R. Ne m ec, PhD, President

20

28

by R ob by P iazzaroli

by S ara C olab e lla ’08, MA’11; A lan B i s bort ; an d J an et R eynolds

Meet five Class of 2026 recipients of a scholarship program that has yielded some of the most engaged, diverse, and academically successful students on Fairfield’s campus.

Research by students and faculty is breaking new ground across schools.

The Company Scholars

An expression of the University’s commitment to supporting access to a Fairfield education, The Company Scholars is a four-year, full-tuition grant program offered to college-bound students who attend Cristo Rey (a network of urban Catholic schools) and Jesuit high schools.

Pictured above: Company Scholar Lliana Joe ’26 is a public health major in the Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies.

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“ As students and families assess their commitment to further their education, we can assuredly say to them: ‘Your faith in us will be rewarded.’”

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Discovery & Innovation

Academic research at Fairfield furthers the University’s mission to empower individuals with knowledge, compassion, and a profound sense of purpose. Whether between faculties of different schools and disciplines or among students working alongside professors, these collaborations shape the minds of tomorrow’s leaders, fostering a legacy of transformative scholarship and societal impact.

Pictured above: Aldino Guadagnino ’25 is on a team of student engineers developing a groundbreaking drone navigation system.

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WINTER 2023-24

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l e t t e r f ro m t h e p r e s i d e n t

6

2022-23 f i na n c i a l r e p o rt

8

t h i s i s fa i r f i e l d

44

d o n o r p ro f i l e

46

a rt s & m i n d s ca l e n da r

48

t r u st e e s & a d m i n i st r at i o n

New & Noteworthy: 2022-23

Amy (Searles) and Bill Curley ’83

36 Arts & Minds

by T e s s (B rown ) L ong ’07, M FA’11

Fairfield has launched a new arts initiative to further the University’s mission to be a destination for arts and culture.

The University’s new Arts & Minds initiative unites all of Fairfield’s programming, resources, and academic pursuits pertaining to arts and culture within a single framework.

Pictured above: Arthur Szyk (1894-1951, Poland, France, UK, Canada, and the United States) My People. Samson in the Ghetto (The Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto), New York, 1945. Watercolor, gouache, ink, and graphite on board Taube Family Arthur Szyk Collection, The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, UC Berkeley, 2017.5.1.129.

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Letter from the President

“ We are determined that Fairfield will be a beacon in Jesuit, Catholic higher education, shining a light of hope for prospective students and their families, welcoming our neighbors and friends who come to us seeking assistance, and serving as a place for inquiry, dialogue, and artistic enrichment.”

4

Dear Friends,

I

am delighted to welcome you to this President’s Report edition of Fairfield University Magazine, an opportunity to share some of the dynamic initiatives we have undertaken this year as we continue our journey to be an exemplary Jesuit, Catholic university for our time.

We are determined that Fairfield will be a beacon in Jesuit, Catholic higher education, shining a light of hope for prospective students and their families, welcoming our neighbors and friends who come to us seeking assistance, and serving as a place for inquiry, dialogue, and artistic enrichment. At the heart of this work – naturally, and in keeping with our rootedness in the traditions of Jesuit education – is our focused attention to the specific needs of today’s students, both in the classroom, and as young persons who may need our financial and community support in order to grow.

Certainly, we know that with each new year we are encountering more and more young people who join the Fairfield community. We welcomed 1,436 new Stags to our campus this September, drawn selectively from the largest applicant pool in our history with an admit rate of 44.9 percent. This is the most geographically and culturally diverse group we have ever welcomed, and includes almost 100 students from Jesuit and Cristo Rey high schools.

Additionally, as we seek to reach broader student populations in ever more innovative ways, we are committed to providing access to students of all backgrounds and economic resources. You will read inside — in addition to features on our faculty research, and arts & minds

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initiative — about some of the work that we have been doing to provide access to a Fairfield education. These initiatives include our Company Scholars, some of whom you will meet inside, and of course our Fairfield Bellarmine program in Bridgeport, which opened its doors to its first cohort of students this September.

While we do not seek affirmation for such work, we are heartened to see our efforts acknowledged in a variety of university rankings of distinction. Recently, as you know, Fairfield moved into the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s Doctoral Professional University category – essentially, we are not a regional university anymore but a national one. And gratifyingly, this year US News & World Report ranked us 75th among the private universities in this group. That’s an indication that we are making strong headway as we grow in national prominence. We were also ranked 28th in the nation for undergraduate teaching — our primary raison d’etre — a recognition that our students are engaged and transformed by our faculty. We were also ranked 124th on The Wall Street Journal’s Best Colleges in the U.S. list, up 66 spots from the previous year. Finally as a values-based, student-centric, outcomesfocused institution, it is most significant that we are ranked among the top one percent of universities among the 4,500 postsecondary educational institutions examined for long-term return on investment by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

In the state of Connecticut, we are only surpassed by Yale in this measurement.

As students and families assess their commitment to further their education, we can assuredly say to them: “Your faith in us will be rewarded.”

With this as background, I want to also draw attention to how we financially support students and their families from a broad range of incomes and backgrounds.

We look at the needs of families from across the spectrum of incomes, and where there is high need, we make sure that we can provide those students, including Pelleligible students, with financial support so that they can graduate on time, and with minimal debt. For the majority of our Pell students, we meet their full financial needs after the Pell grant is applied — not every school does this — and that support is sustained through graduation. In addition, Fairfield historically enrolls and supports 35 to 40 students a year who, because of family circumstances, do not qualify for

federal aid. We commit $2 million a year to support this group of students. Through our Jesuit networks, we are also committed to fully funding a number of talented students from around the world who come from low-income backgrounds. Finally, we continue to significantly increase our need and merit-based aid. Since 2017, our aid has risen from $72 million to $101 million, an increase of 40 percent, and we certainly expect this level of aid to continue to rise.

Our whole portfolio of practices to support access — from Fairfield Bellarmine, to The Company Scholars, to our financial aid across the economic spectrum – is part of our strategic enrollment plan that extends our University’s founding mission.

The core of this mission, as it has always

been, is to provide the transformative gift of education to those who desire it. As we continue to grow, we remain confident that our commitment to form children of God as individuals of purpose in service of the greater good will be available to more and more students of promise. Now, perhaps more than ever in many of our lifetimes, the world needs confident and compassionate Fairfield graduates to set the world afire.

With my best wishes for you all,

M ark R. N e m ec , P h D President

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Fairfield

FINANCIAL & STATISTICAL HIGHLIGHTS

UNIVERSITY OPERATING REVENUES 2022-23

UNIVERSITY OPERATING EXPENSES 2022-23

$297.6M

$268.6M

74% Gross Tuition & Fees

26% Instruction & Research

14%

Housing & Dining

20% Academic & Institutional Support

5%

Endowment Distribution

11%

Student Services & Athletics

4%

Current Use Gifts & Grants

<1%

Public Services

3%

Other

13%

Auxiliary Services

30% Student Financial Aid

TOTAL NET ASSETS THROUGH FY 2022-23 $ in millions $800 $700 $600 $500 $400 $300 Fiscal Year:

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

TOTAL ENDOWMENT THROUGH FY 2022-23 $ in millions $450 $400 $350 $300 $250 Fiscal Year: 6

13

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UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL TRENDS 2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

4,052

4,208

4,272

4,525

4,689

4,925

680

645

774

786

825

857

4,732

4,853

5,046

5,311

5,514

5782

Headcount

1,091

1,176

1,118

1,256

1,328

1,436

Combined SAT Average

1266

1279

1264

1307

1310

1,313

High School GPA Average

3.65

3.64

3.64

3.67

3.75

3.75

FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT ENROLLMENT (FALL) Undergraduate Graduate University Total ENTERING FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS (FALL)

ADMIT RATE VS. FIRST-YEAR ENROLLMENT INTO FY 2023-24 60% 1400 58% 1200

Admit Rate First-Year Enrollment

56% 1000

Fairfield has been able to do what 54% 800 52% 600 50% 400 48% 200 46% 0 Fiscal Year:

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2018-19

few schools have been able to accomplish. The University has significantly grown enrollment while at the same time becoming much more selective. The quality of our admitted student and enrolled student body has never been stronger.

2023

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

338

365

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES (FALL) Faculty

283

295

315

323

Staff

542

542

538

546

573

615

University Total

825

837

853

869

909

980

Baccalaureates

947

1,015

952

1,064

1,157

Masters

389

404

391

491

511

DEGREES CONFERRED

Post-Master Certificates

27

33

22

22

20

Doctorates

31

47

38

39

48

1,394

1,499

1,403

1,616

1,736

University Total

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Fairfield Momentum #28

#1

MENTAL & SOCIAL HEALTH SERVICES SCHOOL IN THE NEW ENGLAND REGION College Factual named Fairfield #1 among Best Mental & Social Health Services Schools (Graduate Degree Programs) and Best Mental Health Counseling/ Counselor Schools (Overall) in the New England region for 2024.

TOP

50

OF COLLEGES FOR SALARY IMPACT The Wall Street Journal/ College Pulse Salary Impact ranking “lists schools in order of their impact on graduates’ salaries and how this relates to the cost of attending the college.”

Fairfield ranked No. 48 of 400 schools.

8

TOP

3

COLLEGES IN CT FOR BEST STUDENT LIFE & BEST COLLEGE LOCATION Fairfield University came in third on both Niche’s list of Best College Locations and their list of Colleges With the Best Student Life in Connecticut, and ranked fifth among Best College Dorms.

FOR BEST UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING Fairfield University ranked No. 28 for Best Undergraduate Teaching in the National Universities category of the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best College Rankings, moving up one spot from 2023.

TOP

BEST

IN THE NORTHEAST The Princeton Review featured Fairfield in The Best 389 Colleges, 2024 Edition, out of America’s 2,600 four-year colleges and universities.

91%

STUDENT RETENTION RATE

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OUR STUDENT BODY REPRESENTS

40 41 STATES

COUNTRIES

125

IN U.S. NEWS’ BEST NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES RANKING FOR 2024 U.S. News & World Report ranked Fairfield among the top 125 Best National Universities for 2024. The Charles F. Dolan School of Business jumped 46 spots to No. 118 for Best Undergraduate Business Programs, and was ranked No. 16 for Business Analytics, No. 17 for Marketing, No. 17 for Finance, and No. 28 for Accounting.

TOP

#6

20

IN U.S. FOR FINANCE, MARKETING & BUSINESS ANALYTICS, #1 IN CT Fairfield Dolan’s Finance, Marketing, and Business Analytics programs improved their standing in this year’s U.S. News & World Report rankings and are among the Top 20 in the U.S., and Fairfield Dolan’s Accounting program maintained a high ranking of #26 nationally.

In Connecticut, Dolan’s Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, and Marketing programs were ranked #1.

#7

MOST SELECTIVE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY IN THE NATION Fairfield is the 7th most selective Catholic University in the nation. Five short years ago, Fairfield was ranked #50.

BEST VALUE FOR MONEY

TOP

10%

Quacquarelli Symonds ranked the Dolan School’s online MS in Management program #6 in the 2024 QS Specialized Master’s Best Value for Money ranking.

OF BEST COLLEGES FOR ACCOUNTING/ FINANCE Out of 828 schools that were included in Niche’s Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance in America category, Fairfield was ranked at No. 59.

NICHE 2024 STATEWIDE: PROGRAM RECOGNITIONS AND RANKINGS Statewide, Fairfield was ranked No. 1 among Best Colleges for Business, Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance, and Best Colleges for Nursing; No. 2 among Best College Campuses and Best Colleges for Communications.

98.1%

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO SECURE FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT, ADMISSION TO GRADUATE PROGRAMS, OR PARTICIPATION IN VOLUNTEER SERVICE PROGRAMS SIX MONTHS AFTER GRADUATION

#124

WALL STREET JOURNAL’S 2024 BEST COLLEGES IN U.S. Fairfield rose 66 spots — from No. 190 in 2022 to No. 124 in 2024 — in The Wall Street Journal’s college rankings.

#73

RANK NATIONALLY FOR NURSING MASTER’S DEGREES Among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Nursing Schools that offer master’s degrees, the Egan School ranked #73 in a tie with four schools including Michigan State and Quinnipiac, and also tied with Quinnipiac for #2 in Connecticut, behind Yale.

4925

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

857 GRADUATE STUDENTS

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New & Noteworthy 2022-23

APPLICATION NUMBERS REACH ALL-TIME HIGH Fairfield University’s Office of Undergraduate Admission received an unprecedented number of applications for admittance into the Class of 2026, breaking the University’s application pool record for the 12th consecutive year. As of January 2022, the University reported 13,200 applications in total, an increase of 5.25 percent from the previous year.

FAIRFIELD DOLAN ACCOUNTING GRADS #2 AMONG TOP HIRES AT BIG FOUR FIRMS Fairfield Dolan alumni, along with Wake Forest grads, are the most likely to get hired by a Big Four accounting firm, according to higher ed research group, OnlineU, in a January 2022 report.

GLEE CLUB CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF MUSIC On Saturday, April 1, 2023, the Fairfield University Glee Club — the oldest and longest-running student organization on campus — celebrated 75 years of music with a special Diamond Jubilee Concert at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

Conductor Carole Ann Maxwell, DSM, P’02, leads alumni and student singers at the Diamond Jubilee anniversary concert.

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Pictured( l-r): Vice President of Facilities, Campus, and Auxiliary Services David Frassinelli; Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies Dean Meredith Kazer, PhD, APRN, FAAN; Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD; Alumni Chaplain and Special Assistant to the President Rev. Gerald Blaszczak, S.J.; Austin Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President of Economic Development Charisse Bodisch.

Grand Opening EVENT CELEBRATED THE COMPLETION OF THE NEW AUSTIN, TEXAS CAMPUS

A

grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of Fairfield University’s new Austin, Texas campus was held at the new facility located at 7951 Shoal Creek Blvd. The event introduced the new campus to the local community, including Texas-based Fairfield University alumni and community partners who toured the 21-bed simulation center and simulated rooms for ICU, obstetrics, pediatrics, med-surg, an operating room, home care suites, and skill labs.

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INTRODUCING THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTING The University announced a new name for the School of Engineering: the School of Engineering and Computing in July 2023. This renaming reflects the steady growth of the various disciplines within computer science.

RECORD NUMBER OF NASA CT SPACE CONSORTIUM GRANTS FOR SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING & COMPUTING The School of Engineering and Computing secured seven grants in the 2022-23 funding cycle, to advance research on topics ranging from autonomous drone swarm navigation to growing root vegetables in microgravity.

FACULTY MEMBERS EARN PRESTIGIOUS FULBRIGHTS Brian Walker, PhD, professor of biology and Tanika Eaves Simpson, PhD, MSW, assistant professor of social work, were both recipients of 2023-24 Fulbright Global Scholars grants.

Linda Roney, EdD, RN-BC, CPEN, CNE, associate professor and director of the undergraduate nursing program, instructs Egan students in a simulation.

Best in Class MARION PECKHAM EGAN SCHOOL OF NURSING AND HEALTH STUDIES AWARDED $2.45 MILLION

F

airfield University’s Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies was awarded $2.45 million from the Connecticut Health Horizons initiative, a three-year higher education program launched

by Governor Ned Lamont. The program is designed to address the shortage of nursing and behavioral health providers in the state of Connecticut. Nationally ranked Fairfield Egan is committed to addressing the statewide shortage of healthcare workers through the education of the next generation of nurses and behavioral health workers, to ensure high-quality healthcare for patients and families.

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CLIMATE RESEARCH In January 2023, associate professor of physics Robert Nazarian, PhD, led undergraduate students Jimmy Vizzard ’23, Carissa Agostino ’23, and Brody Matijevic ’25 to Denver, Colorado, for the 103rd Annual American Meteorological Society (AMS) Meeting, themed “Data: Driving Science. Informing Decisions.

Enriching Humanity.” The society’s annual meeting is the largest gathering in the world for weather, climate, meteorology, and atmospheric sciences.

Basketball Super-Star L

ou Lopez Sénéchal ’22 became the first-ever Fairfield Women’s Basketball alumna to be selected in the WNBA draft in April 2023 when she was tabbed as the fifth-overall pick by the Dallas Wings. The 2022 MAAC Player of the Year and the 2022 MAAC Championship Most Outstanding Player, Lopez Sénéchal scored 1,598 points in her four years with the Stags. She spent her graduate season at national powerhouse UConn, leading the Huskies to a Sweet 16 appearance as an AP All-America Honorable Mention.

Above: MAAC standout Lou Lopez Sénéchal ’22 in action on the court.

Left: Associate Professor of Physics Robert Nazarian, PhD, in the classroom.

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MAHONEY ARENA AMONG ENR NEW ENGLAND 2023 PROJECT WINNERS Fairfield University’s Leo D. Mahoney Arena was among 19 regional projects recognized in 14 categories by ENR New England. The Mahoney Arena project won an Award of Merit in the Sports/Entertainment category. Projects were located in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.

Tradition and Spirit

COMMUNITY GATHERS AT JUNETEENTH PRAYER SERVICE

CARDINAL ROBERT MCELROY SHARES MESSAGE OF ‘RADICAL INCLUSION’

P

resented by the Office for Mission & Ministry, Cardinal Robert McElroy of the Diocese of San Diego shared a lecture titled “America’s Synodal Journey: God’s People Point the Path Forward” with the Fairfield University community on Feb. 23, 2023. Cardinal McElroy is an outspoken advocate for the ‘radical inclusion’ of marginalized populations in the Catholic Church and a staunch promoter of the pope’s synodal process.

Fairfield University celebrated the African American community and the emancipation of enslaved people at a Juneteenth prayer service, titled “Remember. Celebrate. Commit,” held in commemoration of the day’s significance and the struggles, history, accomplishments, and progress of Black Americans.

NEW DOLAN IGNATIAN FELLOWS PROGRAM BRINGS FACULTY TOGETHER IN BUSINESS EDUCATION Dolan faculty and staff place social responsibility and justice at the core of a Dolan School education, with the goal of developing ethical leaders with a global mindset. As Fairfield Dolan continues to grow and welcome new faculty, Dean Zhan Li, DBA, felt there was an opportunity to engage new faculty in conversation about what it means to be a Jesuit business school. This idea led to the formation of the Dolan Ignatian Fellows Program. The program is co-led

by Accounting Professor Joan Lee, CPA, and Special Assistant to the Dean Rev. Gregory Konz, S.J.

Left: Cardinal Robert McElroy

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Diversity & Access

DIVERSITY LECTURE WITH ZEUS LEONARDO, PHD The School of Education and Human Development welcomed Professor Zeus Leonardo, PhD, University of California, Berkeley School of Education, on March 9, 2023, to deliver a keynote for the annual Diversity Lecture Series. Dr. Leonardo’s conversation was titled “Understanding Anti-Blackness in Education Through the Work of Frantz Fanon and W.E.B. Du Bois.”

TANZANIAN STUDENTS AND TEACHERS VISIT CAMPUS THROUGH BENINA FOUNDATION GRANT The Center for Social Impact received a $90,000 grant from the Switzerland-based Benina Foundation to strengthen its partnership with Loyola High School in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The grant enabled 10 students and four teachers from the Jesuit high school to visit Fairfield University’s campus in July 2023.

Loyola High School students received new laptops to improve communication between the Tanzanian school and Fairfield.

14

(l-r): Deacon Patrick Toole; John Thompson III, P’23; Monica Moore Thompson, P’23; Kwahmyre Barbour ’23; Mark R. Nemec, PhD; Shannon Siwinski ’92, P’16; Philip J. Lane, PhD, P’10; and Andrew J. McMahon ’89, P’19,’13.

RecordBreaking Support MORE THAN $1.35 MILLION RAISED FOR THE ALUMNI MULTICULTURAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND AND OTHER STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

O

n April 12, 2023, more than 600 Fairfield alumni, parents, friends, corporate partners, and student scholarship recipients gathered for the 34th annual Fairfield Awards Dinner, to celebrate six remarkable individuals for their professional achievements, outstanding leadership, and volunteer commitment to the University, and to raise funds for the Alumni Multicultural Scholarship Fund and other student scholarships. This generous community contributed more than $1.35 million in support of student scholarships, making the 2023 Fairfield Awards Dinner the most successful in the University’s history.

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Partnership BANK OF AMERICA SUPPORTS FAIRFIELD BELLARMINE WITH $1 MILLION GRANT

F

Don C. Sawyer III, PhD

airfield University has been awarded a $1 million grant from longtime partner Bank of America, to support its new Fairfield Bellarmine program. The program offers two-year associate’s degrees to students from the Greater Bridgeport region as a foundation for their pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, or as a pathway to enter the workforce. The investment is Bank of America’s largest grant to date in Southern Connecticut.

FAIRFIELD NAMES DON C. SAWYER III, PHD, VICE PRESIDENT OF DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING Following a national search, Don C. Sawyer III, PhD, a visionary academic leader with more than 20 years of higher education experience leading universitycommunity partnerships and diversity and inclusion programs, joined Fairfield University on July 1, 2023, as the new vice president of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Dr. Sawyer also joined the faculty as an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

NEW SCIENCE CENTER ENHANCES STUDENT LEARNING A generous grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) as part of its Inclusive Excellence 3 (IE3) initiative will fund Fairfield University’s new Science Center for the next five years. Located within the Academic Commons on the main level of the DiMenna-Nyselius Library Complex, the Science Center aims to become a vibrant hub of academic engagement and learning for students across all four undergraduate schools.

Designed with the students’ well-being in mind, the Science Center seeks to alleviate the anxiety and stress that often accompany the rigorous coursework of natural and behavioral science programs.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Pamela TolbertBynum Rivers, EdD, greets members of Fairfield Bellarmine’s Class of 2025.

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Arts & Minds

QUICK CENTER HOSTED FACEBOOK WHISTLEBLOWER FRANCES HAUGEN Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen headlined at the Quick Center for the Arts in an Open VISIONS Forum lecture titled “Ethics, the Public Good, and the Challenge of Social Media” on Nov. 1, 2022. The event was made possible through the generous support of Patrick J. Waide ’59 and the Waide Center for Applied Ethics.

JETBLUE CFO URSULA HURLEY ’04 LED FAIRFIELD DOLAN DEAN’S EXECUTIVE FORUM Dean Zhan Li, DBA, hosted JetBlue’s Chief Financial Officer Ursula Hurley ’04 on Nov. 16, 2022 for the Dean’s Executive Forum. The event was co-moderated by Helena Keefe, PhD, assistant professor of economics and director of Dolan’s international business program.

(l-r) Dean Zhan Li, DBA; Ursula Hurley ’04; and Helena Keefe, PhD.

16

Arthur Szyk, New York City, 1944. Courtesy Irvin Ungar, Curator emeritus, The Arthur Szyk Society.

Powerful Activism I

n Real Times. Arthur Szyk: Artist and Soldier for Human Rights opened to the public on September 29 and ran through December 16, 2023 at Fairfield University Art Museum’s (FUAM) Bellarmine Hall Galleries, with an adjunct exhibition entitled Szyk: The Interactive Experience in the Museum’s Walsh Gallery. Szyk’s compelling political cartoons placed Nazi genocide, tyranny, and antisemitism on the covers of America’s most popular magazines during World War II. Today, his pioneering examples of graphic storytelling have renewed relevance in a new exhibition at the FUAM. This is the largest exhibition of Szyk’s work in the Northeast in more than 50 years.

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“LIBERAL EDUCATION: WHY, HOW, AND FOR WHOM” KEYNOTE LECTURE

Pulitzer Prize-Winner GRAPHIC NOVELIST ART SPIEGELMAN PRESENTED AN OPEN VISIONS FORUM LECTURE AT THE QUICK CENTER

A

rt Spiegelman discussed his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus in a lecture titled “Surviving Maus: Visualizing the Unimaginable,” presented in conjunction with the Fairfield University Art Museum, the Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County.

Roosevelt Montás, PhD, of Columbia University gave a lecture entitled “Liberal Education: Why, How, and for Whom” on Feb. 2, 2023. Dr. Montás is the author of several works including Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation (Princeton, 2021).

LIVE AND IN-PERSON AT THE QUICK: LONDON’S THE KINGDOM CHOIR The Quick Center for the Arts was thrilled to welcome The Kingdom Choir on March 10, 2023. Best known for their show-stopping performance at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the group’s performance of “Stand

By Me” was seen by a global audience of over two billion people, instantly catapulting the choir’s worldwide fame.

HYBRID DANCE PERFORMANCE FEATURED STUDENTS AND FACULTY Internationally acclaimed choreographerdancers Emily Coates and Emmanuèle Phuon collaborated with members of the University community in We, a one-ofa-kind dance event performed at the Quick Center on April 13 and 14, 2023.

IMPACTFUL LECTURES Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist, spoke at the Sept.

2023 Open VISIONS Forum | Bank of America Women and Leadership Series.

Kaitlan Collins, journalist and CNN anchor gave the Open VISIONS Forum lecture “This Just In: The Media’s Role in Shaping America’s Path Forward” on Nov. 12, 2023.

FIRST STUDENT-CURATED MUSEUM EXHIBITION Fairfield University Art Museum presented In Their Element(s): Women Artists Across Media, curated by Phoebe Charpentier ’23, the first exhibition in the museum’s history to have been fully developed and curated by an undergraduate student. (l-r) Irvin Ungar, the world’s foremost expert on Arthur Szyk’s art, attended Art Spiegelman’s lecture with Philip Eliasoph, PhD. F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e | w i n t e r 2023-24 17

Athletics

STAGS LEAD EXCELLENCE IN THE CLASSROOM

3.44

2022-23 DEPARTMENT GPA

7

TEAMS WITH 1000 APR

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY FIELD HOCKEY MEN’S GOLF

Women’s Swimming and Diving has won four of the last five MAAC Championships.

MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING

Champions

WOMEN’S SOCCER WOMEN’S TENNIS

342

STUDENT-ATHLETES ON DEAN’S LIST IN ONE OR BOTH SEMESTERS

70

STUDENT-ATHLETES WITH 4.0 GPA IN ONE OR BOTH SEMESTERS

82%

OF STUDENT-ATHLETES WITH A CUMULATIVE GPA OF 3.0 OR BETTER

18

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING TEAM WIN MAAC CHAMPIONSHIP

T

he Fairfield University women’s swimming and diving team claimed the 2023 MAAC Championship, beating the field over four days in Buffalo, N.Y., to capture its fourth title in prior seasons. Erini Pappas ’25 was named Most Outstanding Swimmer, and Head Coach Jacy Dyer was selected Coach of the Year by her peers. Pappas won gold medals in the 200y backstroke, 200y individual medley, and the 400y individual medley – three of the Stags’ seven individual victories on the weekend. Erin Hoyland ’25 earned gold in the 500y freestyle and 1650y freestyle, Sydney Scalise ’25 won the 200y freestyle, and Alison Sposili ’25 won the 200y breaststroke.

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STAGS WIN SECOND STRAIGHT MAAC WOMEN’S COMMISSIONER’S CUP For the second straight season, Fairfield University Athletics has won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Women’s Commissioner’s Cup. This secondstraight Women’s Commissioner’s Cup is also the third in four years for the Stags. Fairfield has ranked in the top three in the women’s standings for seven consecutive seasons and has now tied Marist for an all-time MAAC-best 11 Women’s Commissioner’s Cup victories.

CHARLIE PAGLIARINI ’23 SIGNS WITH SEATTLE MARINERS AFTER HISTORIC SENIOR SEASON After recording the best offensive season in Fairfield University Baseball history, Charlie Pagliarini ’23 capped his historic campaign as the 19th-round pick of the Seattle Mariners in the MLB First-Year Player Draft. The All-America slugger signed with Seattle four days later to officially begin his professional baseball career in July 2023.

STAGS COMPETE 2022-23 TEAM RESULTS BASEBALL

MEN’S ROWING

37-18 MAAC Regular Season Champions MAAC Championship Finalist

V4 1st, LV4 2nd at Dad Vail Regatta, Both boats at IRA National Championship

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S ROWING

13-18 MAAC Championship First Round

2nd of 7, best finish since 2008

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

8-10-1 MAAC Championship Quarterfinals

15-15 MAAC Championship Quarterfinals

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

KILLIAN MCGINLEY ’23 WINS 2023 MAAC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP Killian McGinley ’23 topped a field of 45 golfers to win the 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Golf Championship in April 2023. McGinley’s 54-hole performance at Disney’s Palm Golf Course in Lake Buena Vista was fueled by a historic 65 (-7) in the second round — it is the lowest singleround score in MAAC Championship history and the best round by a Stag at any event since 2015.

8th of 11 at MAAC Championship

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY 8th of 11 at MAAC Championship

MEN’S SOCCER

WOMEN’S SOCCER 14-4 MAAC Regular Season Champions MAAC Championship Semifinals

SOFTBALL

FIELD HOCKEY

22-25 MAAC Championship Second Round

11-9 NEC Championship Finalist

MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING 5-1, 4th of 8 at MAAC Championship

MEN’S GOLF 2nd of 9 at MAAC Championship, Killian McGinley wins individual MAAC Championship

WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING 4-2, MAAC Champions (1st of 8)

MEN’S TENNIS

WOMEN’S GOLF 4th of 9 at MAAC Championship

MEN’S LACROSSE 5-9

8-10 MAAC Regular Season Champions MAAC Championship Finalist

WOMEN’S TENNIS

WOMEN’S LACROSSE 14-5 MAAC Champions MAAC Regular Season Champions NCAA First Round

10-9 MAAC Championship Finalist

VOLLEYBALL 25-7 MAAC Regular Season Champions MAAC Championship Finalist

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ACADEMIC ACCESS

The Company Scholars MEET FIVE CLASS OF 2026 RECIPIENTS OF A SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM THAT HAS YIELDED SOME OF THE MOST ENGAGED, DIVERSE, AND ACADEMICALLY SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS ON FAIRFIELD’S CAMPUS.

by R ob by P iazzaroli

T

he Company Scholars is Fairfield University’s four-year, full-tuition grant program offered to high school students who attend Cristo Rey (an network of urban Catholic schools) and Jesuit high schools. An expression of the University’s commitment to supporting access to a Fairfield education, students selected to participate in the program become part of an elite group, or company, engaged in the pursuit of academic excellence and equipped with a supportive network and a platform so that they will ultimately be prepared to make a difference in their communities.

Kevin Camy ’26 of Boston, Mass., is a Company Scholar majoring in theology and psychology, with minors in education and humanitarian action.

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“ THE COMPANY SCHOLARS PROGRAM FURTHER ENHANCES OUR COMMITMENT TO SERVING A DIVERSE POPULATION AND MAKING SURE THAT A FAIRFIELD EDUCATION IS AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE.” — Corry U n i s, Vice President of Enrollment

“The Company Scholars program further enhances our commitment to serving a diverse population and making sure that a Fairfield education is affordable and accessible,” said Corry Unis, vice president for enrollment management. “By building upon our preexisting relationships with Jesuit and Cristo Rey high schools, we are able to explore this new pathway of access and find ways to remove barriers so students can experience the amazing opportunities Fairfield offers, both in and out of the classroom.”

“Students who have been selected to receive the scholarship have a deep dedication to social justice and a desire to create a positive impact on the world around them,” said Karen Donoghue ’03, vice president for student life. “They are intelligent, engaged students impacting the community in various ways. They’re holding leadership positions, making a difference on campus, and making the most of the Fairfield experience.”

The first cohort of 16 Company Scholars arrived on campus as members of the Class 22

of 2026. Another 20 scholarship recipients began their studies this past fall, with plans to graduate in May of 2027.

There are five core elements of The Company Scholars program that students can benefit from over the course of their Fairfield experience: mentoring partnerships, spiritual development, community engagement and leadership development, academic excellence, and global experience.

“I love going to our partner Jesuit high schools and learning about a student who the school counselor thinks would make a great Company Scholar candidate,” Unis continued. “School counselors know who is a leader in and out of the classroom, and they can attest to the impact the student would make on the Fairfield University campus.

Named for St. Ignatius and his first Jesuit companions who were known as “The Company of Jesus,” students in the inaugural cohort of Company Scholars are now in their sophomore year. Five of them shared their experience at Fairfield thus far:

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KEVIN CAMY ’26

A

s the oldest of six kids, Kevin Camy ’26 of Boston, Mass., takes the position of role model seriously. Since arriving on campus, he has embraced everything Fairfield has to offer — joining the New Student Leader program, acting as an Admission tour ambassador, and participating in a variety of extracurriculars.

Camy said that the inclusive social scene on campus allows him to feel he can be himself without pressure to conform — something he hopes to pay forward.

“I think that having upperclassmen mentoring first-year students during their transition is something we do well,” he said. “Especially when I hear from my friends at other schools that they feel pretty much on their own. Mentorship has been very important to me and has been very fruitful in my formation; having such strong mentorship programs here serves the community in unseen ways.”

far left: Lliana Joe ’26 is from Brooklyn, N.Y., and is a pre-med student with a public health major and a biology minor. left: Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Julian Nazario Martir ’26 is doublemajoring in digital journalism and political science.

Camy credits The Company Scholars program with having “provided me with ways and a means to communicate better and advocate for myself as a student, helping me to produce even better academic results than I received in high school.”

Most of the universities Camy applied to were Jesuit and all were Catholic – things he connects with both spiritually and through his Jesuit high school education. “I wanted to be at a university where I could interact with students who live out their faith and who are willing to share their faith with others — this was one of the places where I felt that,” he said. “Theology and psychology are my majors, with minors in education and humanitarian action. I am a huge believer in paying kindness forward, in the way it was given to you.”

His selfless nature, inclusive attitude, and mind for mentoring makes Camy a perfect candidate for a career as a guidance counselor or teacher, perhaps even at his former high school, where he’d love to become an

inspiration to students just as his teachers and guidance counselors inspired him.

LLIANA JOE ’26

O

n the pre-med track, Lliana Joe ’26 declared her major in public health with a minor in biology when she first started at Fairfield last year. It was Stag Country’s focus on developing the “whole self,” that helped Joe make her decision as to where she would attend college.

Participating in The Company Scholars program has also helped her transition between high school and college, providing her with a support network of people.

“Something unique to Fairfield is the amount of support, be it academically or emotionally, that’s so readily offered,” she said. “This includes things like easy accessibility to mental health support, the vast amount of mentor programs offered, career support, and tutoring centers — all of which combine to really support the individual as a

whole in a very personal way.”

Having grown up going to the island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean to visit family and friends, cultural diversity is important to Joe. As a member of the Black Student Union (BSU), she appreciates the group’s dedication to making sure that diversity is represented on campus. The work done by groups like BSU has helped build bridges across race, culture, and religion, while providing a caring and encouraging environment for students of color.

“Our bi-weekly meetings give us a chance to connect and really foster a strong community on campus,” she said. “One of the greatest events was ‘Rep Your Flag’ Day, when we got to see where everyone’s family is from. It really showed how diverse our student population can be. St. Vincent is small and I was proud to represent the island where my family comes from.”

This fall semester, Joe started research on two interesting health topics: gestational diabetes and how children’s sleep habits reflect on their health. Next semester, she is excited be working with local hospitals and institutes around the country to create her own real-world research.

“I am currently doing research with one of my public health professors, helping with a variety of projects, many of which are centered around breastfeeding and diabetes,” said Joe. “I would love to become a doctor some day — likely with a specialty in neonatology or pediatrics.”

JULIAN NAZARIO MARTIR ’26

B

orn and raised in Puerto Rico, Julian Nazario Martir ’26 is the first of his family to attend college in the continental United States. As a Company Scholar in his second year of the program, he is excited to mentor this year’s new first-year scholars, and to continue to represent the program.

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left: Blessed Stephen ’26, from Chicago, Ill., is pursuing an individually designed major with classes in art history, studio art, communication, sociology/ anthropology, and history.

Mahoney Arena. He loves walking around campus with his friends and grabbing a coffee with them, especially at the Starbucks in the Dolan School of Business building. He said some of the best conversations he’s had at Fairfield were during walks to get coffee with friends.

“Our sense of community is fantastic here,” he said. “I’m a tour ambassador and I always joke with my tours that having lunch by yourself in The Tully is a bit difficult because friends are always going to ask to join you — something I really enjoy.”

Upon graduating from Fairfield, Nazario Martir would like to continue his journalism career as a reporter, helping to make a difference in the world and covering Latin American politics for a national-level newspaper.

BLESSED STEPHEN ’26 “Fairfield University caught my attention “COMING FROM A when one of the admission counselors FIRST-GENERATION, visited my high school and talked about an opportunity that Fairfield had opened that SINGLE PARENT year for a scholarship that covers the cost of attending college,” said Nazario Martir.

HOUSE, THE “Obtaining the scholarship was a major factor COMPANY SCHOLARS in my process of committing to Fairfield. I was looking for a university with a small PROGRAM WAS A campus, a close community, and a journalism RARE OPPORTUNITY program that would give me opportunities to be engaged outside the classroom.”

THAT DOESN’T His interests led Nazario Martir to the COME ALONG THAT role of copy and news editor with The Fairfield Mirror, the University’s student OFTEN. MY FAMILY newspaper. He takes great pride in his work IS ORIGINALLY FROM and in bringing new ideas for a fresh look Mirror’s layout. A digital journalism BELIZE IN CENTRAL toandThepolitics double-major, he hopes to take advantage of the Global Fairfield program AMERICA, AND I and study a semester abroad in Spain.

PLAN ON MAKING Nazario Martir already has a bunch of treasured memories from his first year at THEM PROUD.” — B le ss e d S te ph e n ’26

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Fairfield, like sledding down Bellarmine Hill with his roommate and friends, and going to the first basketball game in the new Leo D.

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C

hicago native Blessed Stephen is taking full advantage of the unique offerings at Fairfield, such as the individually designed major. She is currently in the process of creating her own major with classes in art history, studio art, communication, sociology/anthropology, and history. In addition to joining student clubs, Stephen also plans to study in Florence, Italy, before she graduates from Fairfield.

Having attended a Jesuit high school, Fairfield was a comfortable choice when Stephen was looking at colleges to attend.

The close proximity to New York City and the beach solidified her decision. First in her family to attend college, she is excited to work toward her degree and turn her passion for art into a career at an art history museum.

“Coming from a first-generation, single parent house, the Company Scholars program was a rare opportunity that doesn’t come along that often,” she said. “My family is originally from Belize in Central America, and I plan on making them proud.”

Being rather far from her Illinois home,

Stephen appreciates the family she has found here on campus. In particular, her membership in the Black Student Union has helped her feel connected on campus.

“I had the opportunity to start as a general club member, then made my way up to being event coordinator — something that I am very proud of,” she noted. “I’m able to have that sense of a close family, where we can just hang out with each other, connect, and have fun.”

Reflecting on her Fairfield Experience so far, Stephen was quick to point out that “I have always had people there to answer my many questions, supporting me, and teaching me to advocate for myself.”

She continued, “Thanks to the scholarship program, I had a set spot in Academic Immersion [an intensive college prep program], where I was able to get a head start on the core curriculum and finish (Continued on page 26)

President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, Anca Micu, PhD, and Dean Zhan Li, DBA, with senior leaders from Imarticus Learning.

FAIRFIELD DOLAN ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIA’S IMARTICUS LEARNING On April 11, 2023, the Charles F. Dolan School of Business signed a memorandum of understanding with professional training company Imarticus Learning. According to the terms of the agreement, this partnership establishes a two-part hybrid model to teach graduate students from India, offering courses both online and in-person at Fairfield’s North Benson campus.

Digital Textbooks Lead the Way Forward

by J ean n i n e (C arolan ) G raf ’87

L

eading Fairfield’s initiative to make higher education more accessible, faculty and students of Fairfield Bellarmine are pioneering an easier, less expensive, more advanced way to obtain textbooks and course materials.

The program, called First Day Complete, was introduced at Bellarmine Campus through Barnes & Noble College (BNC), Fairfield’s new provider of textbooks and course materials, and new manager of the University’s retail bookstore locations.

Through First Day Complete, Fairfield Bellarmine faculty members select digital textbooks for their classes and each student starts the semester with course materials appearing as automatic download links on their iPad. A set digital book fee is built into the Bellarmine program’s tuition structure, and has been generously waived for the first year by BNC. Going forward, the bookseller has committed to covering half of the cost to

the University for the Bellarmine course materials over the next four years.

According to David Frassinelli M’92, vice president for campus and auxiliary services, BNC’s First Day Complete program would be an improvement to the current book-buying model on the North Benson campus, where students typically visit the bookstore website, purchase course materials, and either pick items up at the Stag Spirit Shop or have them shipped to their homes.

Although First Day Complete offers both hard copy and digital books, “There are huge benefits to going digital,” Frassinelli said, “given current supply chain issues for hard copy textbooks. Digital materials are delivered instantly — there is no issue of backordered items, and no wait-time for the most updated textbook editions.

It is also environmentally beneficial.”

Most importantly, he continued, no matter which format faculty members choose for their students, “across the

spectrum of all course offerings, we anticipate this program significantly reducing the cost of course materials.”

The BNC website reports that as of fall 2023, First Day Complete has simplified the book-buying process for nearly 800,000 students across 157 campuses nationwide, including UConn and Providence College.

Digital textbooks offer ADA-compliant fonts and features such as text-to-voice software compatibility. The all-digital format on Bellarmine Campus allows students to use the digital notetaking software Notability — to share notes, recorded lectures, sketched illustrations, and more — which promotes team learning.

Based upon its successful rollout in the Bellarmine program, Frassinelli predicts “it could really be a game-changer across the University.” Fairfield administrators hope to roll out a version of the innovative new book-buying program to F all undergraduate students next year. l

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right: New Jersey native Jared Alicea is

a double major in finance and in film, television, and media arts.

two courses the summer before my first year here. We had workshops on study habits, navigating life, and more.”

Stephen hopes to soon declare her major in art history with a visual administration concentration and a minor in studio art. She envisions herself in a job as a curator at a museum, and maybe one day opening her own art center in Chicago.

JARED ALICEA ’26

I

t wasn’t until Jared Alicea ’26 spoke with the Admission Office that he realized Fairfield was the school for him — complete with programs and majors to help his dream of one day becoming an entrepreneur come true. “[Admission Vice President] Corry Unis helped me see what Fairfield had to offer,” said Alicea. “After my visits to campus, I truly saw Fairfield as a place where I could grow and reach my full potential.

The opportunity to experience a high-level education without the pressure of managing the finances of it was something I couldn’t pass up.”

Being a Company Scholar provided him a spot in the summer Academic Immersion Program, which means he took two classes and was able to meet other incoming first years while living on campus. According to Alicea, this was a vital experience to his transition from high school into college.

He described the program as “a sample of college life before diving into the real thing,” and said, “I know I would not have been as prepared as I was without it.”

The mix of lifestyles that Fairfield provides was another reason Alicea chose to attend. During warm days of each semester, he enjoys going to the beach, or taking the train to New York City, or heading downtown on the shuttle bus for an ice cream and a neighborhood stroll.

“I don’t know of any other university where all of these very different experiences are so accessible. I love the energy that comes with being a Stag,” he said. “Socially,

26

I believe that there is something for everyone to get involved.”

Growing up in New Jersey and attending school in Philadelphia, Alicea was raised in a proud Puerto Rican household. He’s happy to have found people with similar backgrounds at Fairfield. Being involved in the Latinx Student Union, the Black Student Union, and FUSA have all been integral parts of his Fairfield experience.

Not only does he enjoy attending events and the camaraderie that ensues, but these groups allow him to be a part of something meaningful and powerful on campus.

As a double major in finance and in film, television, and media arts, Alicea would like to study abroad his junior year, in a location that will expose him to new experiences and enhance his cultural education. Looking ahead to graduating in 2026, he is already thinking about furthering his education F beyond a bachelor’s degree. l

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“ AFTER MY VISITS TO CAMPUS, I TRULY SAW FAIRFIELD AS A PLACE WHERE I COULD GROW AND REACH MY FULL POTENTIAL.” — Jare d Alicea ’26

Ribbon Cutting Marks Official Opening of Bellarmine Campus

by J ean n i n e (C arolan ) G raf ’87

O

n the warm and windy autumn afternoon of Friday, Sept. 15, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the official opening of Fairfield University’s Bellarmine Campus at 460 Mill Hill Ave. in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Animated by the University’s Jesuit mission to expand access to higher education to ever broader audiences, Fairfield Bellarmine offers two-year associate’s degrees to students from the Greater Bridgeport region as a foundation for their pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, or as a pathway to enter the workforce.

The ribbon cutting ceremony took place beneath the landmark bell tower of the former St. Ambrose Church just as the first cohort of Fairfield Bellarmine students completed its second week of fall semester classes.

Forty four students are currently pursuing four different majors sponsored

by Fairfield’s undergraduate schools: business, computer science, health studies, and liberal studies. Rolling applications are now being accepted for the next cohort of up to 100 students.

At the Sept. 15 ceremony, Fairfield Bellarmine Vice Provost and Executive Director Rev. Kevin O’Brien, S.J., welcomed those assembled, “all of whom helped realize our dream.” He noted that “chief among our partners has been Bishop Frank Caggiano, of the Diocese of Bridgeport... who has long championed expanding access to Catholic higher education in this region.”

During his invocation, the Most Reverend Frank Caggiano gratefully acknowledged the leadership and vision of Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, and his role in leading the University’s partnership with the diocese.

“For those that say there are no miracles, they should come to Bellarmine Campus — this is a miracle of love… and we have a

lot to be thankful for.”

In his remarks, President Nemec recalled that for 500 years the Jesuit mission has encompassed “a commitment to the formation of young men and women to be children of God who will be formed as individuals of purpose to serve the greater good.” He offered gratitude to community partners for their support of the Fairfield Bellarmine project, including the city of Bridgeport’s Mill Hill and East End NRZs (Neighborhood Revitalization Zones), and Bank of America “for its commitment to this vision.”

As the lead philanthropic corporate partner, Bank of America’s $1 million grant will help advance the mission of Fairfield Bellarmine through career training and workforce pathways. In his remarks, Bank of America Southern Connecticut President Bill Tommins noted that the bank’s partnership with Fairfield University spans more than six decades. In that time, “we’ve learned how well aligned our missions are,” he said. “We’ve also learned how deeply we care about empowering and lifting up students and their families by providing

education, resources, opportunities, and connections — and how much farther we can advance that mission and impact when we work together.”

Ana Aguirre of Fairfield Bellarmine’s Class of 2025 addressed those gathered at the hilltop campus that she and her classmates now consider home.

“This campus is dear to me because it represents progress, education, and opportunity,” she said. “It shows how education can change lives.”

“This is a momentous day for first generation, minoritized learners, and for working class academics on so many levels... it is revelatory, and it is a day of manifestation,” said Pamela TolbertBynum Rivers, EdD, Fairfield Bellarmine’s associate dean for academic affairs.

“To our students,” she offered, “know this: we see and we esteem the Godgiven gift of who you are — and who you F are becoming — at Fairfield Bellarmine.” l

Members of the inaugural Fairfield Bellarmine Class of 2025 gathered for the Bellarmine Campus ribbon cutting ceremony in Bridgeport, Conn.

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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Discovery & Innovation RESEARCH BY STUDENTS AND FACULTY IS BREAKING NEW GROUND ACROSS SCHOOLS.

by S ara C olab e lla ’08, MA’11, with A lan B i s bort an d J an et R eynolds

A

s Fairfield continues to advance and expand as a national, doctoral degree-granting institution, so too does its commitment to research.

This past year, faculty published approximately 300 peer-reviewed works of research or scholarship, and gave more than 60 paper or poster presentations at academic conferences. The total number of new grants awarded to Fairfield exceeded $7M in federally and foundation-funded projects. The 2023 Innovative Research Symposium showcased 328 faculty-mentored student projects, 46 of which were presented at national and international conferences.

“Fairfield strives to ensure the transformative learning experiences necessary for students to meet the world as it is and will be,” said Provost Christine Siegel, PhD. “Faculty research — and student engagement in that research — is critical to that process.”

(l-r) Emily Alfonso-Olmos ’27, Gabriel Grant ’23, and Associate Professor of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering Djedjiga “Gigi” Belfadel, PhD, work on their drone design.

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THE FUTURE OF DRONES: SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTINGS’S DJEDJIGA BELFADEL, PHD

by S ara C olab e lla ’08, MA’11

O

ne morning last summer, engineering student Gabriel Grant ’23 demonstrated a first-person view of a drone flying across campus. Wearing goggles, his fellow researchers watched as the drone zipped around, over buildings, lawns, and walkways.

The flight over Stag Country was part of an ongoing drone navigation research study by the School of Engineering and Computing, in which student researchers Lorenzo Arabia ’25, Joseph Borges ’25, Luke Conte ’25, Aldino Guadagnino ’25, and Claudia Hepfer ’25, are working under the direction of associate professor of electrical and biomedical engineering Djedjiga “Gigi” Belfadel, PhD. Their research is focused on developing an alternative navigation system that allows

drones to execute autonomous missions, even in environments that lack reliable GPS (Global Positioning System) signals.

Dr. Belfadel, whose particular area of research is drone navigation, noted that the inspiration for this research stemmed from the potential to use unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), in disaster response, defense, and entertainment.

“Our research is groundbreaking,” she said, “because it directly tackles a significant limitation in drone navigation — that is, its dependency on the availability of GPS.” The team’s research has resulted in the development of a navigation system capable of operating in the absence of a GPS signal, an improvement in the reliability and effectiveness of drone performance, which, according to Dr. Belfadel, “becomes extremely important in disaster response

or defense, where GPS signals may be unreliable or unavailable.”

“Central to this project,” she explained, “is the design of an advanced sensor fusion algorithm, which operates exclusively on data obtained from onboard sensors.

This ensures continuous drone operations regardless of GPS availability. A critical aspect of our research involves testing these algorithms under real-world conditions.

However, such validation necessitates tests made with commercially available drones.”

With this in mind, Dr. Belfadel and the engineering students adopted an innovative, cost-effective strategy to design and build their own test drones, with the dual purpose of creating a critical platform

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for testing navigation algorithms while also addressing an existing gap in the availability of affordable, U.S.-made drones for research and educational pursuits.

During the program’s initial phase, students went through rigorous training to obtain their drone licenses. Under Dr. Belfadel’s instruction, they then wired, soldered, and assembled two fully operational drones, printing parts on the University’s 3D printers and equipping the devices with software to collect in-flight data.

Once assembled, the team took the drones outdoors to conduct maneuverability tests, following FAA guidelines. During flight sessions, they collected data that allowed them to evaluate each drone’s

performance and operational coordination.

At the conclusion of every flight, the team conducted a structured debrief to discuss accomplishments and areas for improvement.

This student-led research initiative is significant, said Dr. Belfadel, in that it offers students practical, hands-on experience in UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) technology. Poised to revolutionize the use of drone navigation, Dr. Belfadel described how their research “creates a system that allows drones to operate safely, dependably, and autonomously in areas that lack GPS signals. Moreover, the drones built by the students provide a platform for gathering meaningful data, which is crucial for testing F and refining our navigation algorithms.” l

left: Gabriel Grant ’23 wears goggles to track the drone’s test drive. above : Dr. Belfadel and her team

of student researchers perform maneuverability tests on the North Benson campus.

F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e | w i n t e r 2022-23 31

“THE FOSSILS WERE OF ANCIENT HUMANS AND THE ANIMALS THEY WERE EATING. THEY WERE VIRTUALLY UNTOUCHED. I GOT THE FEELING WE MIGHT BE THE FIRST HUMANS AT THAT SPOT FOR 1.8 MILLION YEARS.” — France s L. Forre st, PhD

STUDYING OUR STONE AGE ANCESTORS: COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES’ FRANCES L. FORREST, PHD

by A lan B i s bort

I

above : Dr. Forrest’s students hold a

tooth from an ancient human species called Homo erectus, dated to approximately 1.8 million years old. above right: Frances Forrest, PhD,

assistant professor of biological anthropology, on site at Koobi Fora in the Turkana region of Northern Kenya.

32

n the summer of 2019, Frances L. Forrest, PhD, assistant professor of sociology & anthropology at Fairfield, began leading a fieldwork project in the Koobi Fora region of Kenya with a group of college students.

A specialist in biological anthropology, Dr. Forrest, three years earlier as a CUNY graduate student, had been part of an international team that uncovered a trove of three-million-year-old stone tools, fossils, animal and hominin teeth at Nyayanga — another site in Kenya — which turned out to be the earliest evidence of a species using stone chopping, scraping, and cutting implements (known collectively as the Oldowan tool kit), nearly a million years earlier than previously documented.

“The hominin species is closely related to us but not in the Homo genus,” said Dr. Forrest, who joined the Fairfield faculty in 2022. “This is exciting because Oldowan

w i n t e r 2023-24 | F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e

tools were previously associated only with our genus (Homo). We didn’t think hominins were innovative enough to use Oldowan tools and here we had evidence they may have even been creating some of their own.”

Dr. Forrest’s more recent, ongoing research project at the so-called Koobi Fora site in Kenya uncovered an assemblage of fossilized bones from almost two millions years ago, which may, in fact, prove just as groundbreaking as that earlier discovery, as it involves the roots of our human ancestors’ dietary habits dating back to the early Stone Age. “The assemblage we discovered had an amazing combination of fossils and artifacts.

There has not been a site this rich at Koobi Fora. It wasn’t just super rare, it was older than other sites, which should give us more insights into the origins of how and when our species began eating meat.”

Research teams from all over the world have been digging in and exploring Koobi

THE FINTECH FRONTIER: FAIRFIELD DOLAN’S KATSIARYNA BARDOS, PHD

by J an et R eynolds

Fora for decades.

Coming upon a hoard like the one discovered by Dr. Forrest and her students in such a well-trodden area was near miraculous.

“One of my students was interested in studying animal teeth to determine their age, and we were looking for a good site to conduct that research,” explained Dr. Forrest. “My translator climbed a hill to get a good look at the surrounding area. While he was up there, he came upon all these fossils just sitting there. The fossils were of ancient humans and the animals they were eating. They were virtually untouched. I got the feeling we might be the first humans at that spot for 1.8 million years.”

The project Dr. Forrest began in 2019, entitled “Zooarchaelogy at a New Hominin Locality in Koobi Fora, Kenya,” resumed in 2022 after a hiatus due to Covid, and received a major boost when she was awarded a Leakey Foundation grant in May of this year. She hopes to take a couple of Fairfield students on her expedition next F summer. l

I

n 2024, the Charles F. Dolan School of Business — currently ranked 17th nationally for graduate finance programs by U.S. News and World Report — will add a new MS in Financial Technology program. The master of science program, one of very few in the country, is being spearheaded by associate professor of finance Katsiaryna Bardos, PhD, and will bring the number of graduate programs in the business school up to seven.

Fintech, as it’s often called, is a rapidly evolving sector in the business world as corporations learn how to incorporate blockchain, cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence, and other technologies into daily practice. In Dolan’s MS program, students will take classes offered by three different departments — finance, analytics and management — in order to better understand the scope of the fintech innovations happening almost daily. They will stay atop of trends, learning the latest in financial data modeling, algorithmic trading, and cloud-based, data-driven technologies.

“The curriculum is cutting-edge,”

said Dr. Bardos, who chairs the Finance Department. “The topics we designed for the program are very much what employers are looking for now in graduates.”

Noting that “fintech is the biggest change we’ve seen [in the business world] since the invention of the internet,” Dr. Bardos continued, “along with blockchain, it will transform the world of finance as we know it.”

Like other Dolan graduate programs, the new Financial Technology program can be accessed fully online or in a hybrid format on weekends. Completion of the master’s degree will take anywhere from 9 to 12 months, depending on the number of classes a student takes per semester.

The addition of the MS in Finance Technology program is part and parcel of Dolan’s overall mission, Dr. Bardos said, emphasizing that “we want our students to be as competitive as they can be, and we want them to develop skills that are relevant.”

It’s also another way to promote the University’s Jesuit mission, she noted. Fintech can help companies make products more available and less expensive, and providing people with easier access to finances beyond traditional banking makes it possible for budding non-traditional entrepreneurs to get financing.

Because fintech is changing so quickly, Dr. Bardos said the new master’s program will rely on the expert research already being conducted by Dolan faculty members and professors of Fairfield’s other schools.

For those who aren’t sure if they should get a Master in Business Administration or a Master in Financial Technology, Bardos noted that the school is currently looking into the option of an MBA with a specialty in fintech, and offered this advice: “An MBA education offers a little bit of everything, whereas MS programs really hone into one area. It’s more of an in-depth education F rather than one of breadth.” l

at left: Associate Professor of Finance

Katsiaryna Bardos, PhD F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e | w i n t e r 2023-24 33

ENGINEERING FOR NURSING RESEARCH: SUSAN FREUDZON, PHD & CHRISTINE ALOI ’12, DNP’19

by S ara C olab e lla ’08, M’11

B

iomedical engineering student Emma Crowley ’24 held up a red trachea prototype newly constructed using the 3D printers at the Innovation Annex. This prototype was the result of a semester-long design project collaboration between the School of Engineering and Computing and the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies.

It was also the solution to an interesting dilemma for the Egan School’s assistant professor of the practice and simulation coordinator Christine Aloi ’12, DNP’19.

As the Egan School continues to grow its highly competitive Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nurse Anesthesia program, explained Dr. Aloi, “One of the essential procedures a nurse anesthetist must master is a cricothyrotomy, which is an emergency surgical airway intervention used when the patient’s anatomy or medical condition makes it impossible to insert a breathing tube through the mouth.”

With an increase in the number of student nurse anesthetists in the program and only

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one trachea model on which to practice airway skills, it was becoming difficult for students to get the hands-on time they needed, she said, “so we began looking for an innovative solution.”

Enter the School of Engineering and Computing. Under the guidance of Biomedical Engineering program director Susan Freudzon, PhD, Biomedical Engineering Society student club copresidents Emma Crowley ’24 and Julia Kilroy ’24 (a biology major) were charged with creating an anatomically correct trachea model that could be used by Dr. Aloi’s DNP nursing students to practice their skills.

Together with biology major Sydney Rogers ’24, Crowley and Kilroy met with Dr. Aloi to examine the Egan School’s current task model. They took measurements from every angle and observed a student demonstration of the device.

A key part of the respiratory system, a human trachea is made of rings of cartilage giving it flexibility. Roughly, the trachea is four inches long and an inch wide, the size

w i n t e r 2023-24 | F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e

above : Sydney Rogers ’24 analyzes

trachea prototypes. below left: Nurse anesthesia students test

one of the newly engineered tracheas: (l-r): Raymond Li, Peta-Gaye Simms, Robert Schrag, and Jae Myung Lee.

of a finger.

During their first attempt at the design, the students 3D-printed a model using standard hard plastic, but the result did not mimic the flexibility of a trachea. “It was anatomically correct, but didn’t have the flexibility the nurses would need,” noted Crowley.

They switched to a more flexible, silicone-like material called thermoplastic polyurethane, and adjusted the printer’s settings. “We had to determine how much infill, or thickness, was needed, the speed of the printing, and what kind of support to provide as the material came out of the machine,” Crowley said.

In the end, the team designed and 3D-printed four durable model tracheas, which were fitted with standard commercial tubing and a bag to mimic a functioning trachea and lung.

Dr. Freudzon predicts that this will not be the last collaboration between the two schools. “We have a couple of ideas,” she said. “Our students don’t often get to witness the immediate impact of something they’ve created, so I’m especially excited F for them to see these models in use.” l

RE-IMAGINING MOTHERHOOD AND CAREERS: SEHD’S EVELYN BILIAS LOLIS, PHD

by J an et R eynolds

A

“WHAT COVID HAS DONE FOR US IS IT PULLED THE CURTAIN BACK ON MENTAL HEALTH. WE ALL REALIZED THAT WE SHARE THIS COMMON HUMANITY.” — Eve lyn Bi lias Loli s , PhD

s the interim dean of the School of Education and Human Development, Evelyn Bilias Lolis, PhD, is focused on reenvisioning the future of work in her field — both through continuing to expand the school’s culture of innovation and in her new book, Re-Imagining Mothering & Career: Insights from a Time of Crisis.

The book — co-authored by University colleagues Jenna LoGiuduce, PhD, and Kathryn Phillips, PhD, who both teach in the Egan School — is a mix of historical narrative, critical analysis and essays written by women, and as such is aimed at a broader audience. Published this past summer by Demeter Press, Re-Imagining Mothering & Career includes 33 essays contributed by women of varying ages, ethnicities, family compositions, and careers, who were asked to write about the ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic affected them.

“It is really multifaceted and multidimensional in its use,” said Dr. Bilias Lolis. “It’s not just academic. It’s meant for everyone.”

CEOs and managers, for instance, could benefit from the book’s insights, to rethink their corporate cultures, she noted. “It’s very validating and empowering for women.”

Dr. Bilias Lolis and her co-authors’ interest in this topic began during the pandemic itself.

“We wanted to preserve the insights of that time and use them as an impetus for change,” Dr. Bilias Lolis said. “We support a burn-out culture, especially in the U.S., but what Covid has done for us is it pulled the curtain back on mental health. We all realized that we share this common humanity.”

This awareness especially impacts working women, she said. “You have responsibilities in the home and at work and in your career, and society expects you to be in one setting and pretend like the other one

at left: Evelyn Bilias Lolis, PhD

RE-IMA

Motherin g & Career

GINING

INSIGH TS FRO M A TIME O F CRISI S

JENNA LOGIUD ICE, PH EVELYN D, CNM BILIAS LOLIS, KATHR PHD YN PHI LLIPS, PHD, R N

doesn’t exist temporarily, and that’s never the case. You’re always in two places at once. The expectation in each setting is that you perform as if the other compartment is not there at all.”

Rethinking how people simultaneously manage different, often competing, roles is a focus of the School of Education and Human Development’s always-evolving vision, said Dr. Bilias Lolis. Recognizing students’ complex lives — juggling work, self-care, and family — the school offers online and low-residency advanced degree programs as a way to grow professionally.

Additionally, the school is looking at other ways to prepare students that are both cost-effective and time efficient, without sacrificing Fairfield’s academic quality. “We know we produce high-caliber teachers and mental health professionals,” Dr. Bilias Lolis said, “but we want to be cognizant and sensitive to the time and money involved. We’re doing a deep dive into that area. Our school’s mission now is to help recover and reinvigorate the needs of the education and mental health fields as they recover and grow,” she added. “We’re innovating in our ability to meet students who want to serve in these fields and in F these national critical-shortage areas.” l

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FAIRFIELD HAS LAUNCHED AN ARTS INITIATIVE TO FURTHER THE UNIVERSITY’S MISSION TO BE A DESTINATION FOR ARTS AND CULTURE.

by T e s s (B rown ) L ong ’07, M FA’11

R

ecently, and with Philip Eliasoph, PhD, at the rudder, the University launched a newly focused Arts & Minds initiative — an innovative framework that will bring all of the University’s arts and culture programming, resources, and academics together in one place to enhance Fairfield’s engagement with the local community and to better educate and inspire the student community as well.

Fairfield Arts & Minds intends to define the University as the region’s destination for theater, music, dance, talks, fine art, and community programming — with a mission to deepen human connectedness at a time when the world needs it most.

The U.S. premiere performance of MÁM by Irish choreographer Michael KeeganDolan took place at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts this November. Featuring acclaimed concertina player Cormac Begley and the experimental European stargaze music collective, the performance was an integrative arts experience with immersive events for students and an open-to-the-public lecture on Irish history and storytelling, thanks to funding from Fairfield’s Humanities Institute. Keegan-Dolan’s visual spectacle explored life’s nuances — tenderness, violence, intimacy, passion, and softness — depicted onstage through the graceful movements of 12 international dancers from his Teaċ Damsa company.

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D

“I ALMOST THINK THAT THE GREAT PRIVILEGE OF BEING HERE ON THIS CAMPUS, AT THIS TIME, IS TO FIGURE OUT WHO IT IS THAT YOU ARE. NOTHING IS AS TRANSFORMATIVE IN THIS EXPLORATION OF SELF THAN ARTS AND CULTURE.” — Ph i li p E liasoph , PhD

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r. Eliasoph, a longtime professor of art history and visual culture, serves as special assistant to the President for arts and culture, a role that began at the start of this academic year. Working as a member of the University’s senior leadership team, Dr. Eliasoph is charged with spearheading the University’s efforts, working with partners across campus to enhance the quality of the overall Fairfield undergraduate experience, and more sharply defining the profile of the arts at Fairfield.

“The energies, the synergies, the excitement about our arts and minds initiative looking outward is a significant step forward in how we’re envisioning the potential and full promise of a Fairfield education,” Dr. Eliasoph said.

At the heart of the issue, according to Dr. Eliasoph, is a profound concern that today’s students are suffering in a culture that fuels distraction, anxiety, and unfulfilled life purpose. The arts, he said, and the

Since 1942, Fairfield University has included arts and culture, and the humanities, as integral to the curriculum. In addition, for decades, the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts has presented high-caliber artistic programs to the public; the Fairfield University Art Museum has inspired curiosity through its exhibitions, programs, and the collections in its care; and various academic centers, like the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies and the Center for Catholic Studies, have presented significant writers and thinkers to the campus community.

far left: The FLIP Fabrique circus troupe from Quebec will perform a show called Blizzard at the Quick on April 14 &15, 2024. left: Professor Philip Eliasoph, PhD, was recently appointed special assistant to the President for arts and culture. below: Art Spiegelman met with a group

of students prior to his Open VISIONS Forum on October 17, 2023.

transhistorical and transcultural values of empathy, understanding, and joy that they express, are an antidote to the isolation and fractured sense of self that typify this cultural moment. For this reason, students need the arts now more than ever. “The world is changing dramatically. What is going to happen to human beings in the next 10, 20 years?” he asked.

Referencing the explosion of the internet and the technologies that have accompanied it, Dr. Eliasoph continued, “No one understood in the 1980s this new culture... that what [Apple CEO] Steve Jobs was creating was the perfect combination of technology, capitalism, progress, the American way.

What we did is that we created a culture that has completely scrambled our lives without offering directional values.”

“I almost think that the great privilege of being here on this campus, at this time, is to figure out who it is that you are,” he noted. Nothing is as transformative in this exploration of self than arts and culture.”

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“ THE ENERGIES, THE SYNERGIES, THE EXCITEMENT ABOUT OUR ARTS AND MINDS INITIATIVE LOOKING OUTWARD IS A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD IN HOW WE’RE ENVISIONING THE POTENTIAL AND FULL PROMISE OF A FAIRFIELD EDUCATION.” — Ph i li p Eliasoph , PhD

But, there has not been, traditionally, one entity that has unified these programs in such a way that they express an intentional vision, nor has there been an institutionalized connective tissue to link the University’s arts programming to student life and academics.

“The enrichment of the life of the mind — the pursuit of intellectual curiosity — will become even more of a goal of attainment for every student who spends four years on our campus,” Dr. Eliasoph said.

The creation of a new Arts Institute within the College of Arts and Sciences will also shape the offerings and academic experiences available to Fairfield students.

“It’s going to be our integration with our academics that is going to set us apart. It’s not only to be entertained, but to have the conversations,” Dr. Eliasoph mused. “It’s sparking the life of the mind.”

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w i n t e r 2023-24 | F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e

THE ARTS INSTITUTE

U

nder the Fairfield Arts and Minds umbrella, the Arts Institute in the College of Arts and Sciences has recently been formed to support, promote, and elevate all aspects of artistic inquiry as a part of the academic experience.

A connected arts coalition across campus, the institute endeavors to knit all of these arts and culture experiences together and is led by founding director Katherine A. Schwab, PhD, professor of art history and visual culture in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts.

The Arts Institute, which commenced July 1 of this year, comprises the academic areas of the Visual, Performing, and Literary Arts of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Quick Center for the

above : Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-

Performing Arts, and the Fairfield University Art Museum. The Arts Institute, will seek to foster excellence in visual, performing, and literary arts programming, involving dialogue with the arts, and emphasizing student engagement with the arts in fulfillment of the University’s mission.

“The Arts Institute will give its focus to student engagement as the priority,” said Dr. Schwab, “and by doing that, deepen and broaden any experience so that all students — it doesn’t matter what major or school they are in — can embrace the arts as a good thing to experience on a regular basis, throughout their college career at Fairfield and after they graduate, so that this becomes a habit.”

Some of the primary initiatives underway include: a newly established steering

in-chief of The Economist, (center) in conversation with (l-r) Bank of America managing director Emily Dreas and GE vice president Kelly Lafnitzegger ’89 at the fall 2023 Open VISIONS Forum | Bank of America Women and Leadership Series. left: The Kingdom Choir energized campus with a lively gospel performance.

Learn more about Fairfield University’s arts initiative at fairfield. edu/arts-and-minds and fairfield.edu/artsinstitute.

F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e | w i n t e r 2023-24 41

above : Lowery Houston, associate

director at the Marianne Boesky Gallery points to a work by the artist Sanford Biggers. above right: Carmella Muresan ’27 views

paintings in the storage area of the Marianne Boesky Gallery, NYC. right: Students embarked on a fine arts

immersion adventure in N.Y.C. this fall. far right: Professor of art history Katherine A. Schwab, PhD, is the founding director of Fairfield’s new Arts Institute.

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committee of faculty, staff, and students, so that the work of the institute may always be guided by wide-ranging and fresh ideas; an interdisciplinary “Conversations in the Arts” series; and a pilot project of curated New York City ARTS excursions for small groups of students, which are totally free of charge to attend.

On a rainy afternoon earlier this fall, the first ARTS immersion trip took place. Dr. Schwab led a dozen Fairfield students into Manhattan for a day of contemporary art viewing at the Marianne Boesky Gallery and the Gagosian Gallery. Arrangements were made through alumni Matthew

w i n t e r 2023-24 | F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e

Waldemar ’20 and Diallo Simon-Ponte ’20 , each with respective connections at the galleries, and the group enjoyed an authentic homestyle Japanese lunch.

“It was remarkably successful,” Dr. Schwab said. “The students loved the experience. There have been inquiries of, ‘Can I go on another one?’ I think many schools organize trips into New York City and they take big groups, but this idea of getting together as a small group, covering the cost and lifting that burden, and to feel secure in an agenda, I think it is unusual.

F Word is getting out already.” l

“THE ARTS INSTITUTE WILL GIVE ITS FOCUS TO STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AS THE PRIORITY, AND BY DOING THAT, DEEPEN AND BROADEN ANY EXPERIENCE SO THAT ALL STUDENTS CAN EMBRACE THE ARTS AS A GOOD THING TO EXPERIENCE ON A REGULAR BASIS.” — Kath e ri n e A. Schwab, PhD

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Donor PROFILE Amy (Searle s) an d B i ll Cu rley ’83

F

or Amy (Searles) and Bill Curley ’83, Fairfield University has been at the center of a life of making connections, growing, and giving back.

“It’s easy to look back and say Fairfield changed our lives. And we know nobody gets anywhere by themselves; everybody needs a hand and we’ve been able to look back and realize that,” Bill Curley said.

Bill is now retired after spending 35 years in investment banking, and Amy volunteers to help run an organic farm that employs young adults with intellectual and physical disabilities.

“It’s my perfect fit,” said Amy, “because it combines farming and flowers with helping young people develop their potential.”

The Curleys have three adult children and now live in Chestnut Hill, Mass. After raising their children in Wilton, Conn., they returned to the Boston area five years ago, to help care for family.

Bill and Amy met as classmates at Fairfield and remain connected to friends and mentors. As undergraduates, they became close with Rev. Thomas Regan, S.J., who taught philosophy. He later married them, baptized their children, and was a celebrant at their parents’ funerals.

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Another mentor was Rev. Laurence O’Neil, S.J., director of Career Counseling when Bill, after working in Ohio for a few years after graduation, came back to campus for advice on getting a job on Wall Street. Fr. O’Neil connected him with several people, including Larry Rafferty ’64, who became Bill’s business partner and lifelong friend.

Bill paid that support forward.

A year after they met, he and Larry started their own investment banking firm, hiring a number of Stags over the years. Later in his career, he volunteered regularly to mentor Fairfield juniors and seniors, and helped them prepare for interviews for internships and jobs on Wall Street. In 2020, he was invited to join the Dolan School of Business Advisory Board, where he continues to serve.

Longtime annual supporters of Fairfield, the Curleys have always focused on creating opportunities for underserved students. “Our big thing for the yearly giving, if you will, is giving money to institutions where they can dedicate those funds to kids that are first-generation

w i n t e r 2023-24 | F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e

“I was looking at all the Orientation pictures from the inaugural class,” she said, “and everybody’s got big smiles.

These kids should be commended for taking this first step toward reaching their full potential.”

— Amy (Searle s) Cu rley ’83

or are in need. That’s been our mantra,” Bill said.

Which is why, as the Fairfield Bellarmine associate’s degree program took shape, Bill and Amy were all-in. Bill remembers talking with University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, five or six years ago, over lunch. The conversation quickly turned to how to get underrepresented kids into the higher education system. “We literally spent an hour and a half talking about that. We both had a passion for it.”

Then, a year ago, when President Nemec gave a presentation to the Dolan Advisory Board about the plans for Fairfield Bellarmine, Bill felt that shared passion again. “Right during the call,” he said, “I actually texted [Special Assistant to the President] George Diffley, and I said, I’m listening to Mark on the Zoom call, and we want

to be involved.”

For Amy, their gift to Fairfleld Bellarmine offers a chance to make a lasting difference in the lives of students and their families. “I was looking at all the Orientation pictures from the inaugural class,” she said, “and everybody’s got big smiles. These kids should be commended for taking this first step toward reaching their full potential. I think this is going to be multi-generational; it’s not just them — it’s their future kids, and nieces and nephews.

There’s a domino effect here that’s intangible.”

Bill added, “If you look back to high school and college, and to your career, you’ll see the people who helped you out along the way. And I think it’s important to point that out: that there’s a time to look back and be grateful, and to help out.”

ND

ND

Tahmina is just one of mo students in 2023-24 who the Alumni Multicultural which is supported by th Awards Dinner.

“I was born and raised in Bangladesh, and we moved to the U.S. for a better life Tahmina is just one of When our students recei in 2016. Education is 19 students in 2023-24 who everything and I am they need, it emboldens benefitted from the Alumni very proud to be the themselves in all Fairfield Multicultural Scholarship first in my family to Learn how you can impa graduate with a Fund, which is supported by “I was born and raised in Bangladesh, and at fairfield.edu/awardsdi college degree.

I am we moved to the U.S. for a better life in the Fairfield Awards Dinner. scanning the QR code.

2016.

Education is everything I ambelief in me. I honored and humbled byand your When our students receive the support very proud to be first in it myforward family someday, look forward tothe paying and they need, it emboldens them to immerse to graduate with a college degree. I am making a positive impact on someone’s life, just honored and humbled by your belief in themselves in all Fairfield has to offer. as you have on mine.” me. I look forward to paying it forward Learn how you can impact students’ lives someday, and making a positive impact on — Tahmina Emu ’25 at fairfield.edu/awardsdinner someone’s life, just as you have on mine.” or by scanning the QR code.

Major: Finance Tahmina Emu ’25 Major: Finance

Learn how

students’ liv

fairfield.ed

or by scann F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e | w i n t e r 2023-24 45

Fairfield University Glee Club

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w i n t e r 2023-24 | F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e

A SELECTION OF UPCOMING CAMPUS EVENTS

WINTER 2023-24

Carmen (Bizet)

Open VISIONS Forum

SAT., JAN. 27 | 1 P.M. (LIVE), 12 P.M. PRE-SCREENING TALK

Juju Chang & Masih Alinejad THURS., FEB. 15 | 7:30 P.M.

Annual Student Forum

La Forza del Destino (Verdi) SAT., MARCH 9 | 12 P.M. (LIVE), 11 A.M. PRE-SCREENING TALK

Dr. Timothy Snyder THURS., MARCH 14 | 7:30 P.M.

Joan & Henry Katz Lecture

Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) SAT., MARCH 23 | 1 P.M. (LIVE), 12 P.M. PRE-SCREENING TALK

Michael Pollan

Theatre Fairfield

Fredrickson Family Innovation Lab

THURS., MARCH 21 | 7:30 P.M.

Independent Play Project

Tom Boellstorff

FRI., JAN. 26 – SUN., JAN. 28 | 7:30 P.M.

Roméo et Juliette (Gounod)

Project X (screening)

Center for Catholic Studies

WED., FEB. 14 & THURS., FEB. 15

Fairfield University Alumni Association

OVF: Espresso

fairfield.edu/alumni | 203-254-4280 Email us at alumni@fairfield.edu

Wendell Wallach

Fairfield Awards Dinner Cipriani 42nd Street WED., APRIL 3 | 6 - 10 P.M.

Fairfield University Glee Club “Ticket to the World” Concert

WED., MARCH 27 | 7:30 P.M.

fairfield.edu/cs The 2024 Bellarmine Lecture Rev. Kevin O’Brien, S.J.

Patrick Bringley TUES., JAN. 30 | 7:30 P.M.

WED., JAN. 31

Bennett Center for Judaic Studies

WED., FEB. 7 | 7:30 P.M.

Gail Levin WED., FEB. 21 | 7:30 P.M.

fairfield.edu/bennett

Inspired Writers Series

SAT., APRIL 6 | 7:30 P.M.

Spring 2024 Writers Colloquium

Quick Center for the Arts

Nathan Englander

SAT., FEB. 10 | 10 A.M. – 5 P.M. THURS., FEB. 29 | 7:30 P.M.

quickcenter.com | 203-254-4010 Follow us! @FairfieldQuick

The 18th Annual Lecture in Jewish and Christian Engagement Annette Yoshiko Reed, PhD WED., MARCH 20 | 7:30 P.M.

Co-Sponsored with the Center for Catholic Studies

Fairfield University Art Museum

Kyle Abraham A.I.M FRI., JAN. 26 | 7:30 P.M.

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

Drum Tao SUN., FEB. 4 | 4 P.M.

Streaming: Sculpture by Christy Rupp Walsh Gallery

Orin Grossman & Giulia Contaldo SUN., MARCH 10 | 3 P.M.

JAN. 19 – APRIL 27

The Met: Live in HD

Helen Glazer: Walking in Antarctica Bellarmine Hall Galleries

Nabucco (Verdi)

FEB. 2 – MARCH 16

SAT., JAN. 6 | 1 P.M. (LIVE), 12 P.M. PRE-SCREENING TALK

Suzanne Chamlin: Studies in Color (detail)

Suzanne Chamlin: Studies in Color Bellarmine Hall Galleries APRIL 5 – JULY 27

F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e | w i n t e r 2023-24 47

Fairfield

TRUSTEES & ADMINISTRATION

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2023-2024 Nancy A. Altobello ’80 Global Vice Chair, Retired Ernst & Young Maureen Errity Bujno ’90 Managing Director Deloitte & Touche LLP Kevin P. Cannon ’80, P’20 CEO Zweig-DiMenna Associates LLC Jorge A. Chiluisa ’89, MBA’06, P’21,’20,’19 Retired Mary Ryan Cunningham ’76 Sheila Kearney Davidson ’83 Chair Chief Legal & Administrative Officer New York Life Insurance Company Hugh Davis ’95 Co-Founder & Managing Partner ACKWEST Group Christopher C. Desmarais ’93 Managing Director Gabelli Asset Management Inc. Rev. Christopher J. Devron, S.J. President Regis High School Thomas J. Fanning Sr. ’78, P’10,’06 Founder & Managing Partner Heritage Strategies, LLC Co-Founder and Co-Managing Member TriState Q.S.R. LLC. Lisa M. Ferraro (Martino) ’85, P’22 Attorney, Retired Patricia E. Glassford ’85 Vice President and CFO, Retired GE Rev. Gregory M. Goethals, S.J. President Loyola High School of Los Angeles Douglas W. Hammond ’86 Chairman and CEO NFP Brian P. Hull ’80, P’13 Vice Chair Executive Vice Chairman, Americas UBS

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Rev. Gregory A. Kalscheur, S.J. Dean, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Boston College Dagan T. Kasavana ’99 Founder & CEO Phoenix Tower International Stephen M. Lessing ’76 Managing Director & Chairman of Senior Relationship Management Barclays Clinton A. Lewis Jr. ’88 CEO AgroFresh Solutions Shelagh Mahoney-McNamee ’87, P’26,’25,’22,’18 President and CEO Eastern Salt Company Andrew J. McMahon ’89, P’19,’13 Chief Executive Officer and President The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America John C. Meditz ’70 Managing Director & Co-Founder Horizon-Kinetics, LLC Elner L. Morrell ’81, MFA’18, P’03 Director, Enterprise Clinical Architecture Optum Technology UnitedHealth Group Rev. John P. Mulreany, S.J. Superior Fairfield Jesuit Community Robert J. Murphy Jr. ’71 Vice President ABC News Mark R. Nemec, PhD President Fairfield University Phillip J. Neugebauer ’91 Executive Vice President PIMCO

Christopher C. Quick ’79 Vice Chairman, Retired Bank of America Rosellen Walsh Schnurr ’74 Educator, Retired Trustees Emeriti Charles F. Dolan, P’86,’85 Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. President Emeritus Roger M. Lynch ’63, P’95 Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J. President Emeritus

Meredith Wallace Kazer, PhD, MFA’15, P’17,’15 Dean, Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies Zhan Li, DBA Dean, Charles F. Dolan School of Business Mark Ligas, PhD, P’26,’24,’21 Vice Provost for Undergraduate Excellence Evelyn Bilias Lolis, PhD Interim Dean, School of Education and Human Development

Marianne Dolan Weber, P’16

Christina S. McGowan Dean of Library, and University Librarian

SENIOR LEADERSHIP 2023-2024

Mark R. Nemec, PhD President

Jenn Anderson ’97, MBA’02 Vice President, Marketing and Communications

Rev. Kevin O’Brien, S.J. Vice Provost & Executive Director, Fairfield Bellarmine

Andres Leonardo Carrano, PhD, P’24 Dean, School of Engineering and Computing

Walter P. Rankin, PhD Vice Provost for Graduate, Continuing and Professional Studies

Christian J. Cashman President, Fairfield College Preparatory School Karen A. Donoghue ’03 Vice President, Student Life Philip I. Eliasoph, PhD Special Assistant to the President for Arts and Culture Scott D. Esposito ’82, MS’87 Vice President, Human Resources David W. Frassinelli MS’92 Vice President of Facilities, Campus and Auxiliary Services Richard A. Greenwald, PhD Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Rev. Paul Rourke, S.J. Vice President, Mission and Ministry Don C. Sawyer III, PhD Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Paul Schlickmann Vice President for Athletics Rob Schnieders Vice President, Online Strategy and Innovation Rachel Schwartzman, JD University Counsel Christine Siegel, PhD Provost Michael Trafecante MBA’01, P’26,’25,’22,’21,’19 Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer

Gavin G. O’Connor ’88 Chief Operating Officer Point72, L.P.

Steven Gstalder, EdD Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Information Technology Services

Rev. Mario M. Powell, S.J. Provincial Assistant for Secondary and Pre-Secondary Education USA East Province of the Society of Jesus

Wally Halas Vice President, University Advancement

Corry D. Unis Vice President, Strategic Enrollment Management

William H. Johnson, PhD Associate Vice President & Dean of Students

JoAnne P. Williams, JD Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration

w i n t e r 2023-24 | F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e

Statue of St. Kevin of Glendalough

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