Founded in 1942, Fairfield University is a coeducational, comprehensive Jesuit institution that
prepares students for leadership and service in a constantly changing world. Since its inception,
the University has grown from an initial class of 303 undergraduate male students, admitted to
the College of Arts and Sciences, into a vibrant coeducational university with this year’s incoming class totaling more than 1,450 first-time, full-time undergrads.
Christine Siegel, PhD, is NECHE’s Vice Chair and my host for this long-overdue visit.
Siegel became Fairfield University’s provost in July 2018, after fifteen years of service to the
University in academic administration, and twenty years teaching in the School of Education and Human Development. She serves Fairfield alongside Mark R. Nemec, PhD, who became the first lay President in 2017. Under President Nemec’s leadership, Fairfield’s undergraduate enrollment has grown from 4,003 to 5,800 while selectivity has risen to 33%, ranking it sixth among all Catholic universities and colleges. When graduate students are included, Fairfield’s total enrollment has grown to nearly 7,000 with an ambitious goal to reach 9,000 within the next five years.
While its main campus is in Fairfield, Connecticut, the university recently opened Fairfield
Bellarmine in nearby Bridgeport. In the Jesuit tradition of serving urban communities and
opening access to education for all, Fairfield Bellarmine offers strong professional preparation
and enhanced academic support to low-income and first-generation students, grounded in a
rigorous liberal arts tradition. Bellarmine students pursue two-year associate
degrees in business, computer science, liberal studies, or health studies, then either pursue a
bachelor’s degree or embark on a professional career. The first graduating class from
FB will proudly walk this spring.
A second bold initiative is a new Fairfield campus in Austin, Texas offering nursing degrees as
well as professional certifications in the healthcare sector. Obviously, President Nemec has big
plans to move Fairfield into the national conversation.
Fairfield’s most popular major is business, and the impressive Dolan School of Business building
reflects that. Buzzing with students, the building is already slotted for a bit of expansion despite
the fact that it’s only a few years old.
Of course all students, including business majors, are required to take the Magis Core Curriculum, a discipline-based, tiered experience grounded in the humanistic tradition. This Fairfield tradition is designed to engage students in establishing their own values and developing an understanding of the world.
Another Fairfield “hallmark” is the annual, student-run celebration of Christmas known fondly as SantaCon. About 800 Fairfield seniors live off-campus in homes on the beach
of Long Island Sound and one afternoon in early December they throw a big party on the beach.
I’m not sure it’s a big favorite of the students’ neighbors, but still a beloved tradition for the Stag brigade. I might not make it back to Fairfield this year for SantaCon, but it’s definitely on my bucket list now!
