Ignatian Residential College

Living and Learning on the Path of St. Ignatius

by Lisa Roberts

Ignatian Residential College particpants gather for an ice-breaker designed to build trust during the winter Retreat 2006.

After graduating from the Ignatian Residential College, I am a much more thoughtful person than I ever was. By living and learning as a community, I've been taught to think outside myself, staying open to different perspectives that enhance my own.

- Jared Mezzocchi '07

Since 2002, the Ignatian Residential College has been a vibrant and vital Fairfield experience, an ever-evolving "experiment" that continues to guide the University as it redefines and renews its mission. A bridge between self-awareness and the real world, the Ignatian College is designed to help sophomore students living in a unique residential and academic setting learn more about themselves and about their particular calling in life. As such it resonates deeply with the new strategic plan of the University to become a leader in the integration of living and learning in higher education today.

Thanks to the hard work of the College staff and mentors, as well as generous donor support, we were able to see the following enhancements during the 2005-06 academic year:

Mentor Groups - The mentor program has proven to be one of the most essential and successful elements of the program, providing students with "space" to explore their value systems and career journey in honest conversation with their peers. We have been blessed with a most caring group of mentors drawn from faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the University. For 2005-06, our mentor groups were composed in a new way, grouping students according to their Ignatian classes. This enabled a better connection between the themed conversations in the classroom and in the monthly mentor meetings. Students and mentors reported that the dialogue was enhanced, and professors noticed a more cohesive learning group within their classes as a result of this adjustment. As a whole, our mentor program was revised to include options for group service projects and worship experiences, some of which proved to be extraordinarily beneficial. One mentor group attended a Muslim worship service, which provoked wonderful discussions and deeper appreciation of belief systems mostly unfamiliar to our students.

Academic Program and Courses - In 2005-06, Dr. Nancy Dallavalle, associate professor of religious studies and the faculty chair of the program, completed a second and final tenure, significantly enhancing a sense of ownership and identity of the program among Fairfield's faculty. She initiated new instruments of communication, including a weekly e-mail newsletter to all faculty in which she informed them of events occurring within the College, opportunities for course development or enhancement, and more. We continued to offer approximately twelve course offerings for our students each semester. Results from our assessment team indicate that the courses more explicitly addressed the career path themes of our program, and that our students understood the intellectual connection inherent in the material therein presented.

Retreats - Our twice-yearly retreats continue to be essential in establishing career-path themes and building community. Now in its fifth year, the Ignatian College has graduated 727 students, some of whom form the Companions group. The Companions stay engaged with the community by planning and running these retreats, and speaking to enrolled students about their poignant experience in the program. From ice breakers to end-of-retreat bonfires that invite conversation late into the night, Ignatian College residents, alumni, mentors, and staff form strong and trusting bonds during these 24-hour off-campus experiences.

Dinners - In addition to our weekly dinner series, in which we continued to invite faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the University to share their career path stories, we added a weekly intimate dinner series with the director. Throughout the year every student was invited to an informal dinner hosted by the director of the College, with the intention of fostering greater community and sharing of personal stories on another level. Almost the entire student body of 205 students attended one of those dinners, which were a large success.

Committees - The Committee structure of past years was continued with some revisions, most notably with the addition of a joint 'session' or town hall of all committees to enable better coordination of programs and sharing of resources. The committees are a way to encourage our residents to take responsibility for their own continuing education and enhancement, and they are given guidelines to ensure that the programs they create and enact meet the program goals of the College.

Facilities - Loyola Hall was enhanced with the addition of two new mentor meeting rooms, vastly improving our ability to meet this essential need of our successful mentor program. In past years there were many scheduling difficulties regarding mentor meetings, but these new rooms virtually eliminated those problems.

Faculty/Administration - The Ignatian College is directed and represented by Reverend James Mayzik, S.J., who also resides with the students in the College. He is assisted by Joseph DeFeo, associate director, and Jodie Fitzpatrick, program coordinator, both of whom are responsible for the day-to-day logistical operations of the College. As associate director, Joseph DeFeo is engaged in the creation, planning and execution of Ignatian College events.Working with staff and students, he incorporates an Ignatian vision and methodology, known as Ignatian pedagogy, into the creation of programs.

Student Body - Ignatian Residential College students and graduates have proven to be leaders within the University community. In 2005-06, 48 percent of the University's Phi Beta Kappa inductees and 53 percent of the Alpha Sigma Nu inductees were present or past members of the Ignatian College. Fairfield's three most prestigious alumni association awards were given to Ignatian College graduates, and the University valedictorian was also an Ignatian College alumna. In fact, she cited the Ignatian College in her address as one of the most important elements of her college career at Fairfield.