The University Seal
Fairfield's seal combines elements of its several traditions. The gold pine cones come from the coat of arms of the family of St. Robert Bellarmine, S.J. Superimposed on the cones is the badge of the Society of Jesus - the letters IHS surmounted by the cross and surrounded by the instruments of Christ's passion - to indicate that the University is in the care of members of the same religious family.
There are three compartments in the upper portion of the shield, because "the school is dedicated and exists in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The central compartment portrays a hart crossing a ford, a part of the coat of arms of the Diocese of Hartford, whose boundaries encompassed the Town of Fairfield when the University was founded.
Finally, the two outer compartments show clusters of grapes, charges taken from the town seal and symbolic of the fertility of the verdant fields of the Town and County of Fairfield.
When the University was founded in 1942, the official name of the University was "Fairfield University of St. Robert Bellarmine." Three of the original seals with this name still exist on campus - in the main lobby of Alumni Hall, on the exterior of the original Barone Campus Center, and on the glass front of Regis Hall facing the Quad.
The University seal will continue in use for official documents such as diplomas, commencement programs and transcripts.
Fairfield University's Motto "Per Fidem Ad Plenam Veritatem" translates to "Through faith to full Truth."
The University Logo
The logo, unveiled in April, 1997, provides a visual identity to unify the University. The key features of the logo are the name in New Baskerville type, with "Fairfield" in upper and lower case letters and "UNIVERSITY" in all caps. The graphic of a shield features a stag fording a stream and a flowing white banner with a cross, both extracted from a section of the University seal. That selection of the seal was created in tribute to the Archdiocese of Hartford which assisted in the founding of the University since the stag or hart, another name for a male deer, is crossing a ford stream.