Global Leadership

Center for Faith and Public Policy

Across the globe from China to Europe, from the Middle East to the Americas, the role of religious faith in public life has seized the attention of policy makers. It is clear that to function effectively in public life in the 21st century, students will need a much stronger intellectual grounding in the dynamics of faith and civic engagement. As a young, dynamic, religiously-rooted institution, Fairfield considers itself well prepared to take on this challenge. Fairfield's Center for Faith and Public Life will act as a focal point for local, national, and international activities of the University that link faith and public life. Acting as an umbrella and coordinating entity, the Center is in need of funds to meet its goals of furthering research, enhancing curriculum, engaging the public through lectures and the publication of white papers, and pioneering a new institutionalized model for how a university can both practice its academic mission and contribute to the common good. For Fairfield University, we define the common good in alignment with the national and international priorities of the Society of Jesus.

Ignation Residential College

The Ignatian Residential College is an intentional living community for sophomores that opened at Fairfield in 2002 in Loyola Hall. The initial program was made possible by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment Religion Program Theological Exploration of Vocation. Over the past three years, the College has offered students a chance to connect their coursework with their dreams and goals in life. It has also served as a leaven for the rest of the University, infusing a true sense of Ignatian spirituality into the lives of faculty, staff, and the greater student body. The University seeks to strengthen the following components of the College: an annual public lecture, a mentoring program, academic coursework, an off campus retreat, a dinner series, a cultural program, and its Companions Program for graduates. These various components serve as beacons for the University and opportunities for everyone engaged in Fairfield to tap into its mission and process. To establish the Ignatian Residential College as a signature Fairfield program, the University seeks to fulfill its promise of the recent sustainability grant from the Lilly Endowment to establish a permanent endowment, which will be matched with institutional cost share commitments, so that the Ignatian Residential College can be funded into perpetuity.

Center for Catholic Studies

The University's work in mission has been full and deep throughout the history of Fairfield. A number of essential programs, rich in quality, exist within the University. Fairfield University is in a position to become, and perhaps is morally obligated to become, a center for Catholic, intellectual thought. It is incumbent upon Fairfield University to provide - to its students and to the greater community - a breadth of programming that enlivens and educates Catholics and others to the very rich, intellectual traditions of the Catholic world. What we do not have and what is so desperately needed is a focal point for the Catholic intellectual tradition. The Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. Chair in Catholic Studies was established in June 2004 in honor of retiring president, Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., and is currently held by Paul Lakeland, Professor of Religious Studies. The primary charge of this Chair is to establish a new minor at Fairfield in Catholic studies. A Center for Catholic Studies is now needed to serve as the central point for the new Catholic Studies minor, as well as a hub to initiate engagement on Catholic intellectual life for the University and the wider church community. Funds are needed for curricular development and faculty colloquia, to develop and enhance outreach programming, and to support a vibrant student program aligned with the minor.

Arrupe Volunteer Immersion Trips

As a Jesuit institution, Fairfield has an investment in maintaining an educational connection to all cultures that represent the world. For the past 16 years, Fairfield's Arrupe Volunteer Program has been "reaching out to embrace the world" by sending approximately 50 volunteers annually to various third world countries - including Haiti, Ecuador, Belize, Honduras,Mexico, Jamaica, and Nicaragua. The program draws its inspiration from the Ignatian vision that service to others enhances both those served and those serving. By living with the poor and immersing themselves in another culture, students come to see themselves, the world, and the people in it in a radically different way. The ripple effect of such an immersion experience is both personal, in terms of formation of character, and powerful, in terms of the number of lives that have been touched and changed through the process. This life-changing experience available to the entire University community has greatly enhanced Fairfield's reputation as an institution committed to its founding values. However, the popularity of this program has outgrown its current funding resources. Currently, more than 600 students have become "alumni" to this unique program; an endowed gift would secure this signature Fairfield experience for future generations.

Integration of Campus Ministry in Residential Halls

While the curriculum as a whole addresses the need to know the world, campus life activities also assist in the moral formation that the Jesuit tradition cherishes. To this end, Campus Ministry programs play an integral role in the formative education of Fairfield students. Christian Life Communities (CLC's) introduce these programs to students in residential halls. In small, student-led communities, participants explore the questions - who am I - where am I - and where am I going - through faith sharing, service, and companionship. CLC's, also called peer ministry programs, are a mainstay in Jesuit schools but are not yet present at Fairfield. With the goal of establishing two to three ministers per residential hall, funds are needed to staff a full-time chaplain to oversee this program so that it can grow under the presidential imperative of integrating living and learning experiences for students. Funds would also support training sessions and workshops, retreats, dinner receptions, lectures, and dorm masses. A strong CLC program at Fairfield will develop and promote leadership opportunities for students while clearly demonstrating the University's commitment to developing "men and women for others."

Campus Ministry Retreats

Jesuit education helps students to realize their talents and that these talents are not to be used simply for self-gain, but to promote the common good. Campus Ministry retreats are designed for reflection on this and other formative beliefs that strengthen self-awareness, commitment, character, and a sense of social justice. At the same time, they offer important opportunities for students to build a sense of community at Fairfield. Currently, the University offers: one Freshman Retreat - to integrate first-year students into the life of the University; four Kairos Retreats - a popular door through which many students first enter Campus Ministry; and one Senior Retreat - to follow through reflection on the full Fairfield experience. Funding is needed to increase the number of retreats available and support the ongoing communities that are formed through reunions and other post-retreat activities.

For further information on the above initiatives, please contact:

Michael Boyd
Associate Vice President for Individual Giving
Fairfield University
1073 North Benson Road
Fairfield, CT 06824
Phone: (203) 254-4000, ext. 2386

To support any of the above initiatives, checks can be made out to Fairfield University and designated to the selected funding priority in the memo line.