The President's Circle

Letter from the President

Dear Friend,

It’s fall, my favorite time of the year, and our campus has sprung back to vigorous, joyful young life as I’m sure you can imagine.

For me, this time of year is particularly special. We get to welcome a whole new class of Fairfield students – young men and women from all over the country and the world, excited to be part of the Fairfield experience, to embrace a level and intensity of study and growth that will change them forever. Our community of faculty and staff are more than eager and ready to aid in their transformation from young people of promise to young adults filled with a sense of purpose and prepared to engage creatively with our world and shape it for the better.

I am grateful to the alumni, parents, and friends like you who directly impact the Fairfield vision of creating a learning environment that prepares our students to make a meaningful difference in every area of their lives.

This year, we celebrate our reputation as an outstanding national, professional doctoral University as it continues to accelerate. Over the last 12 months, we saw an unprecedented number of applicants for the class of 2027 – the largest applicant pool in our history. This incoming class is the most selective, as well as the most geographically represented and culturally diverse. With the highest GPA and SAT scores in our history, this is our most selective class and we are in the top percentage of low admittance rates amongst our Jesuit peer institutions. We are overjoyed to welcome these new students to Stag country.

Last year, The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce ranked 4,500 colleges in the country based on the return on the investment after graduation, and Fairfield led the list, placing in the top 1% in the nation – an astonishing achievement. In addition to that, we have earned a reputation of being one of the best values in American higher education today, with 98% of our graduates securing full-time employment, graduate school placement at some of best universities in the world, or volunteer work of their choice within six months of graduation.

Consistent support from alumni, parents, and friends like you has helped our University reach this level of recognized national stature. Simultaneously, our generous community has allowed us to increase our financial aid significantly to provide students in need the ability to join our Stag family. This includes our first cohort of students who have joined our new Bellarmine initiative in Bridgeport, our Company Scholars from Jesuit and Cristo Rey network of Jesuit high schools, and scores of others who need our support. Your assistance allows us to remain faithful to our duty as a Jesuit institution to be a beacon of hope as well as an institution of learning.

This is Fairfield University today, and we have arrived at this point thanks to the many, like you, who believe in our student-centric mission. We owe these achievements — as well as our reputation for student research, NASA grants, Fulbright scholarships, faculty research and pedagogical innovation — to the unwavering encouragement of the entire University family. Our students can realize their potential thanks to our collective effort. Support from Fairfield alumni, parents, and friends continues to drive our University’s exceptional growth.

Your support directly impacts our development and excellence as a University, and is the key driver of our continued success. Thank you for supporting Fairfield during this exciting period of expansion and transformation in Fairfield University’s history. I look forward to sharing our University’s progress and news with you throughout the year and hope to see you on campus or at one of our regional events soon.

Be well and God bless,

Mark R. Nemec, PhD
President
Professor of Politics