NEASC Self-Study

Committees
Areas of Special Emphasis
Self-Study Guide

Fairfield has chosen the areas of emphasis approach in presenting its self study. The University is in the early stages of its new ten year strategic plan. The plan outlines three broad initiatives: integration of the core, both horizontally, within the requirements and vertically, in relation to the major; integration of living and learning, especially among undergraduates; and the integration of Jesuit ideals in the graduate and professional schools. Fairfield's plan has allowed for organizational structures to be in place to support such integration and infusion of ideals around the common good, social justice and profession as vocation. What unites these goals is institutional effectiveness with mission and diversity at its core.

The body of the report concentrates on these broad areas which constantly intersect with the standards, while the summary narratives of the standards serve as an appendix to the report. Throughout Fairfield's Self-Study, especially in the summary chapter on Institutional Effectiveness, the University has laid out significant issues, examples of success, and future projections. As Fairfield University actualizes its strategic plan, the self study acts as a snap shot and raises important issues of institutional culture, assessment, resource allocation, governance structures and student culture.

Fairfield University's approach is relatively new for NEASC. The following are suggested team member assignments: Marty Krauss, Paul Spagnoli and Stan Weisler to concentrate on chapter 2: Integrating the Core (Goal 1); Jacqueline Peterson and Steve Weisler to concentrate on chapter 3: Integrating Living and Learning (Goal 2); Marty Krauss, Mike McGuire and Andrew Golub to concentrate on chapter 4: integrating Jesuit Values in Graduate and Professional Education (Goal 3); and Mike McGuire and Andrea Michaels to concentrate on chapter 5: Institutional Effectiveness.