From October 9 – 11, the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences welcomed deans from Jesuit colleges and universities across the country for the 2025 Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) Arts & Sciences Deans Network Conference.
The three-day gathering, themed “Mission Integration in the Arts and Sciences: Meeting This Moment,” brought academic leaders together to explore how Jesuit institutions can strengthen mission-centered liberal arts education amid rapid changes in higher education.
“It was an honor to host the conference on campus this October,” said Richard Greenwald, PhD, dean of the Meditz College of Arts and Science and professor of history. “Our theme and focus signified how we within Fairfield Meditz provide the mission-centered education that makes our universities Jesuit.”
The opening sessions featured concurrent discussions on faculty mentoring, led by Fairfield's Olivia Harriott, PhD, associate dean, and program review and assessment, Robert Hume, vice dean for faculty affairs at Fordham University and Erin Winterrowd, academic dean at Regis University. Attendees had the opportunity to immerse themselves within the Fairfield community, which included tours of the Fairfield University Art Museum, joining deans conversations, and learning about mentoring faculty and core reform followed by a reception at Bellarmine Hall.
The AJCU conference was attended by over forty educators from twenty Jesuit colleges and universities. Key themes discussed included budget leadership, integrating mission and culture into academics, and embracing the Jesuit commitment to equity and inclusion.
Highlights included general discussions on “Animating Amid Budget Challenges,” led by Richard Fox, PhD, dean of Loyola Marymount University’s Bellarmine College of liberal arts, and “Mission Integration, Culture, and Academics,” moderated by Rev. Gregory Kalscheur, SJ, dean of Boston College’s Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences. Fairfield’s own Rev. Kevin O’Brien, S.J., vice provost and executive director of the Bellarmine Campus, co-presented “Liberal Arts: The Jesuit Difference,” alongside Catherine Campbell, PhD, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at John Carroll University.
