University establishes a permanent diversity council

This month, 13 people from across campus will come together to explore new approaches to solving one of Fairfield University's most pressing problems: increasing diversity on campus. They are members of a new Institutional Diversity Council established by University President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., who has made increasing racial and socioeconomic diversity a priority of his strategic vision.

"This council will be our most important vehicle for addressing the challenging issue of diversity at Fairfield," Fr. von Arx says. "I am confident that it will uncover valuable initiatives to improve the diversity on our campus. Diversity, however, is an institutional responsibility, and our success will depend upon the participation and commitment of the entire University community."

Larri Mazon, director of the Center for Multicultural Relations (CMR), will chair the Council, formed upon the recommendation of the diversity committee last year, and whose work the Council will continue.

Not only will the Diversity Council recommend new programs, Mazon says, but it will also monitor its success. "Every year we will establish goals. We will evaluate what is working and what isn't working, so there will be an ongoing process that will allow us to think long term."

For now, the Council will focus on two priorities. The first is to develop a holistic and systematic admission process to ensure the recruitment, admission, and enrollment of a more diverse student body. The second is to develop a support service system that integrates the federally funded TRIO programs' services and personnel, with the work of the CMR, to meet the needs of all students and ensure high retention and graduation rates. The idea is to pool resources, Mazon says, to keep the University's diverse student body on track.

"The TRIO programs fit very well with the mission statement of the University, in terms of reaching out and being socially responsible," says Dr. Georgia Day, assistant academic vice president and director of the TRIO programs. TRIO programs assist low-income and/or first-generation college students. Upward Bound provides college preparation to 130 Bridgeport students. Academic Talent Search motivates 1,000 Bridgeport middle and high school students to aim for college. Project Excel provides academic assistance to 150 Fairfield University students. Of the 50 students from the Class of 2004 in Project Excel, all graduated on time and 12 received academic honors.

Students are often unaware of the services available to help them succeed academically, which is something the Council will likely review, Mazon says. In a 2004 survey of AHANA students, 16 percent said they were unaware of the CMR's resources and 62 percent said they had never visited the Center.

While Fairfield houses the TRIO programs and provides matching funding (more funding than is required by the government), the programs are not allowed to directly recruit students to the University. TRIO students are accepted at several universities, some with more financial resources than Fairfield, Dr. Day says. Working with the TRIO programs may help Fairfield reach parents and school officials who play a role in the college selection process.

Fairfield University has worked for years to increase diversity by establishing scholarships in the early 1990s and increasing the financial assistance available since then. In the past year, the University has made advances in increasing the diversity of students and faculty on campus. Today, Fairfield has the most diverse faculty Mazon has seen in recent history. The number of entering freshman AHANA students has jumped from 69 in fall 2004 to 87 in fall 2005. Still, there is much work to be done, he says.

"The institution values diversity for a good reason, that is, to provide a better education for all of the students," says Dr. Orin Grossman, academic vice president, who established the first diversity committee. "Studies show that everybody benefits from more diversity." Mazon says. "We have a talented group of people on this Council who understand what we are trying to achieve."

Diversity Council members

Dr. Debnam Chappell, dean of freshmen
Dr. Georgia Day, assistant academic vice president and director of TRIO Programs
Deirdre Eller, director of new student programs
Dr. Evangelos Hadjimichael, dean, School of Engineering
James Fitzpatrick, assistant vice president of student affairs, student operations
Dr. Elizabeth Gardner, professor of psychology, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)
Will Johnson, associate director of undergraduate admission for diversity
Larri Mazon, director of the Center for Multicultural Relations; Council chair
Karen Pellegrino, director of undergraduate admission
Dr. Thomas Pellegrino, dean of students
Cynthia Swift, coordinator for academic advantage programs, CMR
Dr. Renée White, associate professor of sociology and anthropology and co-director, Black Studies Program, CAS
Dr. Yohuru Williams, co-director of history and Black Studies Program, CAS

From: Campus Currents, February 2006
Author: Alejandra Navarro, Publications writer