A Message to the Students

Welcome to the College of Arts and Sciences, the oldest and largest of Fairfield's six schools. The College is host to 15 departments and 19 programs, led by roughly 150 full-time faculty and serving approximately 2,000 students. The College is also the home of the core curriculum that unifies the education of all Fairfield undergraduates.

Four years may seem like a long time. Graduating seniors, however, will attest that the years go by quickly. These years may be the only ones in your life during which you are free to direct your entire self to enriching, exploring, and broadening your intellect and interests.

With that in mind, I offer three pointers that will help you get the most out of your Fairfield experience.

Cut a wide and diverse path.
Whatever career or life path you choose, you will find that your future will depend increasingly on many disciplines. The College of Arts and Sciences offers numerous programs. No matter which one you select as a major, be sure to take advantage of our diverse offerings by immersing yourself beyond your chosen program. Our main goal is to prepare you with an intellectual foundation that will help you interpret, solve, question, process, discover, reflect, understand, love, learn, imagine, and contribute throughout the course of your life. We want to prepare you for lifetime learning in today's global community. Understand immediately that you will be called upon to adopt and appreciate vastly diverse perspectives from this point forward.

Have confidence in your abilities.
Your background has prepared you for a broad - and deep - educational experience. At times, you will face difficulty in the learning process. Rather than become frustrated or give up, understand that even the best of scholars can have the same experience at times. Have faith that, through perseverance and faculty help and peer guidance, you have the tools to move forward toward your goal. Combining this with the first pointer should encourage you to take on areas of knowledge that presently seem difficult or foreign; now is the time to explore new paths!

Learn interactively.
Some students diligently attend class and push themselves to understand what faculty show them, becoming filled with memorized knowledge. This is nowhere near enough. Go beyond simple understanding. Ask yourself, "Could I teach someone else what I learned today?" If your answer is yes, then ask yourself "What might I create that adds to this knowledge?" Invite your professors to engage you in deeper learning. Ask your peers what they are thinking and doing. Share your ideas with them and with communities beyond the University. This is an intensely interactive approach - one in which you demand the most from yourself, your peers, and those whose joy lies in sharing their knowledge with you.

Your experience at Fairfield should be the beginning challenge to your lifetime of learning. We hope that it will open vistas and opportunities for you so that you can realize your dreams. Enjoy!

Raymond P. Poincelot
Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences