The next "Strategic Conversation" concerning the ongoing evolution of the University Plan will be held on Nov. 11 at 2:30 p.m. in the dining room of the Charles F. Dolan School of Business. The conversation is open to everyone in the Fairfield University community, including all faculty, students, and staff.

The subject under discussion will be leadership and civic engagement, the third step in the four-step student developmental model that Fairfield has adopted for thinking about how undergraduate students should be best formed and educated during their time at Fairfield. Previous strategic conversations have discussed building community on campus, and how the Plan envisages the process of vocational exploration for students.

Serving on the panel, will be Dr. David P. Schmidt, Associate Professor of Business Ethics. His recent publications include "'The Challenge of Social Entrepreneurs" and 'The Moral Imagination of Entrepreneurs" published in Inc.com. Joining him will be Dana August '11, a senior biology major from Carlsbad, CA. August is Co-Director of Leaders for Environmental Action at Fairfield, an RA in the Environmental Residential College, and one of the initiators of the on-campus garden behind the Dolan school. Also on the panel is Eric Clayton'11, a major in International Studies and Creative Writing from North Wales, PA. Clayton is a Writing Center tutor, one of two student leaders in an upcoming service trip to Nicaragua, and an RA in the Ignatian Residential College. Executive Vice President Dr. William Weitzer will discuss how the strategic initiatives that have been identified in the University Plan are intended to promote leadership and civic engagement and how this ties into success for Fairfield's students, the strategic plan, and the entire University.

The "Strategic Conversations" were initiated in October 2008 by University President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S. J. to provide an ongoing forum for campus discussions about the University Plan, and so that faculty, staff, and students have an opportunity provide their insights and suggestions as the plan continues to be implemented.

The implementation of the University's Strategic Plan is designed to be an organic process, one that will be continually evaluated and adjusted in response to circumstances, new challenges, and fresh ideas.

The implementation of the University's Strategic Plan is designed to be an organic process, one that will be continually evaluated and adjusted in response to circumstances, new challenges, and fresh ideas.

To ensure that the Plan remains fluid and responsive, an ongoing series of Strategic Conversations continues at Fairfield, where faculty and staff are brought together to discuss various dimensions of the Plan and to provide their insights and suggestions.

In October of 2008, University President Jeffrey von Arx, S.J., initiated the first in the series of conversations with the campus community about the implementation of the Plan.

At that time, the University community participated in a conversation about the four-year developmental model that Fairfield has adopted for thinking about how undergraduate students should best be formed and educated during their time at Fairfield, as well as a set of 15 strategic initiatives to help realize the vision articulated in the Plan. The model and the initiatives had evolved out of many conversations within the Fairfield University community, as well as discussions held during the President's Retreat in September of 2008.

"As a community, we should continue with these ongoing conversations about the Plan so that we can continue to incorporate new ideas into our thinking and be sure the Plan is implemented in an organic and flexible manner, suited to the needs of our students and sensitive to the insights that faculty and staff bring to the process," said Fr. von Arx.

In 2009, a second strategic conversation is scheduled for Oct. 23. It will be focused specifically on efforts to enhance the experience of community involvement for students, and to examine the University's place in the broader community.

"We will discuss the conditions necessary for the formation of communities, presenting initiatives that are underway that are intended to generate deeper experiences of community engagement amongst our undergraduates, specifically during their freshman year, as well as the initiatives that we are taking as a University to engage more fully and effectively with the broader community as a locus for lifelong learning and cultural enrichment," noted Fr. von Arx in his invitation to the conversation.

A third in the series of Strategic Conversations is scheduled for the spring of 2010, and will focus on students' vocational exploration.