There the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Rev. Arturo Sosa, S.J., remarked on the “profound transformations in humanity” that have transpired since our last general meeting in 2018.

He asked what Jesuit universities can do in this present moment, to “help pave the way to a more just society with fraternal relations among persons, their cultures, peoples and nations,” while working together to “promote not only the full life of all human persons,” but also “life itself on planet Earth.” And as a political scientist he spoke of the geopolitical stresses worldwide — the fragmentation, depersonalization, and inequities that seem to characterize our epoch. One may be inclined, he argued, to see our society today as “ground that is parched and broken after a persistent drought.”

“The truth is,” he continued, “that the soil is thirsty. It offers us an opportunity to cultivate a life full of meaning.”

This is indeed the Ignatian spirit. We are called upon to discern what the world and our neighbors thirst for today, and this discernment, Fr. Sosa said, requires “risk” – a willingness to stretch beyond what is comfortable and predictable and to allow ourselves to be “guided toward something new.”

For the last several years at Fairfield, we have been operating in this spirit — to do more — and are called to meet the world as it is, embracing opportunities to irrigate and cultivate new growth.

As you will read inside, we are establishing operations in Austin, Texas, to meet the need for healthcare professionals in that region, beginning with with our 15-month Accelerated Second Degree Nursing program. The Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies is one of the most highly regarded programs in the nation, and we are excited to bring our expertise and unique focus on the care of the whole person to the region.

We recently graduated our first cohort of MBA students from Shanghai, China, and have launched an agreement with a prominent business education program in India, to offer a Dolan graduate degree program in which students will come to Fairfield to study after a period of online instruction. We have much to learn and to share with students from around the world, and these partnerships can only strengthen our global reputation as a center of excellence.

Closer to home, our plans for Bellarmine Campus in Bridgeport remain on track to begin next September, offering a two-year associate’s degree program to students from underrepresented communities in our area, at no or very minimal cost to the students. I look forward to bringing you more details in the coming months.

These are only a handful of the developments currently underway. We have welcomed the largest first-year enrollment in our history and campus construction continues, as we begin building a new residence hall and we eagerly anticipate the official opening of our new Arena. Our women’s basketball team will host the Arena’s first game against Stonehill College on November 18, and on November 20 the women will play Big Ten-power the University of Michigan in a non-conference matchup. The men’s home opener will take place the first weekend in December.

As we begin another academic year, it is always important to be reminded that our University is first and foremost a mission — that we were founded to transform the world by educating children of God as individuals of promise and potential. It is thus appropriate then that we find ourselves at this time eager and ready to extend this mission to new territories, cultivating the soil that is thirsty for what we have to offer and called to do more.

With very best wishes,

Mark R. Nemec, PhD

President