Fairfield University is a comprehensive Jesuit institution that prepares students for leadership and service in a constantly changing world. Founded in 1942 after the purchase of the adjoining estates of Jennings and Lashar off North Benson Road in Fairfield, the University has grown from an initial class of 303 undergraduate male students admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences in 1947 into a coeducational university of more than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Along the way, the University has awarded more than 45,000 degrees since 1951, and has developed a reputation for educational excellence both regionally and nationally.
Mark R. Nemec, PhD, assumed the presidency of Fairfield University in July 2017, becoming the 9th President since the institution's founding in 1942. He succeeds John McEleney, S.J. (1941), James H. Dolan, S.J. (1944), Joseph Fitzgerald, S.J. (1951), James Fitzgerald, S.J. (1958), William McInnes, S.J. (1964), Thomas Fitzgerald, S.J. (1973), Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. (1979) and Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J. (2004).
Presidents of Fairfield University | Honorary Degrees Awarded
1942
Fairfield College of St. Robert Bellarmine, Inc. purchased two adjoining estates in Fairfield
Fairfield College-Preparatory School opened classes in a four-year program
1945
Fairfield University was chartered by the State of Connecticut to grant degrees
1947
First class of 303 male students was admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences
1949
College of Arts and Sciences was accredited by the State of Connecticut
1950
First graduate classes in education were held on a coeducation basis
Education Program for teacher certification was accredited by the State of Connecticut
1951
First Graduation Class
1953
Fairfield University was admitted to fully accredited membership in the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
1963
Graduate Department of Education became the Graduate School of Education
1966
Graduate School of Corporate and Political Communication opened
1970
Women were admitted to all undergraduate programs
Undergraduate School of Nursing admitted to its first class
1972
Center for Lifetime Learning offered its first courses
Graduated first class of women
1975
Connecticut Center for Continuing Education became part of the University
1978
School of Business was established
1979
School of Continuing Education was established
1981
School of Business offered its first Master of Science degree program in Financial Management
1982
Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions merged with School of Continuing Education to form the School of Graduate and Continuing Education
1987
The School of Graduate and Continuing Education was separated into two schools: The School of Continuing Education and the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions
1989
Acquired the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur property
1990
Graduate School of Communication closed
1994
Acquired Bridgeport Engineering Institute. Masters of Science in Nursing and Masters in Business Administration Program offered
1995
Accepted into Phi Beta Kappa
1997
Granted accreditation into the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)
Master of Arts offered in American Studies
1998
Master of Science offered in Management of Technology and Software Engineering
1999
School of Engineering becomes a separate undergraduate school
2000
Master of Science offered in Mathematics
School of Business named to honor Cablevision founder Charles F. Dolan
2002
School of Continuing Education renamed University College
2004
Fairfield University's eighth president was installed
2008
MFA in Creative Writing launched
2009
Master's in Communication offered
2010
Doctor of Nursing Practice offered
Bellarmine Museum opened
2012
University College closed
2013
Master of Public Administration launched
2015
School of Nursing named to honor Marion Peckham Egan
2017
Fairfield Celebrates its 75th Year of Jesuit Education
2018
The Robert J. and Elizabeth K. Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality named in memory of the parents of Fairfield alumnus and University Trustee Robert J. Murphy Jr. ’71
The Magis Core is Endowed with generous funding from a single family, a Core Curriculum endowment is established, ensuring an intensive liberal arts focus will always remain a staple of a Fairfield education
2019
Fairfield University rises to #1 in the Northern Region in the annual U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges 2019 ranking.
