“During my second year at Prep, I took a job in the kitchen of the old Jesuit residence to help pay for my books,” Morton recalled. While there, he befriended former University President Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., who encouraged him to continue his studies at Fairfield University. A generous scholarship helped Morton nail down that decision.

As a sophomore honors student, Morton had a serendipitous encounter with a certain first-year accounting major from Ohio, Shelby Mayor ’09, MS’10, while working on a group project in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business tutoring room. Both went on to earn master’s degrees in accounting, then joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as licensed CPAs. They’ve been together since 2010 and they married in 2015, with former University President Jeffrey von Arx, S.J., giving the blessing at their reception.

Morton’s trajectory in the accounting field and his curiosity in how the world works was ignited when he took economics with Philip Lane, PhD, former associate professor and chair of the Economics Department; both teacher and subject soon had him hooked. “Economics really put me on a path to understanding how the world turns, for good and for ill,” he said, “which aligns with the Jesuit focus on social justice.” The exposure to a breadth of disciplines is important, he added, “because we need to learn to operate in a world where we’ll be constantly challenged. It’s important to have the tools to know how to make difficult decisions that are beyond simple matters of debits and credits.”

The opportunities and experiences the Mortons had access to as students inspired them to give back to the University that gave them so much. Their support began with a Senior Class Gift in 2008, and since then, Rob and Shelby have contributed to multiple areas across the University — from campus spirituality to the Fairfield Fund. More recently, the Mortons stepped in to dedicate the Dolan School’s new accounting tutoring room in honor of a friend, Michael LaMare, a Vietnam veteran who worked with Rob back in the kitchen of the old Jesuit residence. “Mike and I kept in touch even after I graduated, but he passed in 2018, and I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye,” said Morton. “He worked on campus for two decades, and I learned so much from him. It was a way for me to say thank you.”

The Mortons also recently established an endowment scholarship fund that provides financial aid to students who need assistance with tuition and expenses. This fund is named in honor of beloved professor Dr. Lane, who recently retired after 40 years at Fairfield. It’s a commitment that is all the more appreciated and meaningful, as the Mortons faced an unexpected hardship in March 2022 when Shelby suffered a severe stroke. Her rehabilitation journey is ongoing, but they are grateful for the incredible amount of support from both Fairfield and PwC.

It’s the relationships built over the years that inspire them, said Morton, who peppers his conversation with acknowledgements to Drs. Dawn Massey, Joan Lee, Dina Franceschi, Milo Peck, and Mark LeClair, along with Rev. Charles Allen, S.J., former special assistant to the President and University chaplain.

While a person’s achievements are often attributable to hard work, Morton noted that it’s easy to forget that success is built on a foundation of the time, resources, and generosity of countless members of this University’s community. “We support Fairfield because we understand that we did not build our life together on our own,” he said. “I don’t know if I deserved that scholarship more than someone else, and it’s impossible to pay back all of the people here who helped us become who we are. Instead, we pay it forward. We were ready to be part of [the donor] community sooner rather than later, with the hope that we could impact more students.”