For more than 50 years, professor Vincent J. Rosivach, PhD, dedicated his life to teaching the classics at Fairfield University while investing in the success of his students and respected colleagues. In honor of the late professor’s enduring legacy and innumerable contributions to the University’s humanities programs, the College of Arts and Sciences is excited to announce that a newly endowed fund is being founded in their departed colleague’s name.

Established by the Rosivach Family in his memory, the Vincent J. Rosivach Professorship will honor the late professor’s legacy by ensuring that a classics program continues at Fairfield for years to come. The significance of the fund is essential to keeping the cultural, historic, and academic value of the classics alive, especially during a time when liberal arts/humanities programs are being cut at an alarming rate at peer institutions across the country due to pandemic-related budget concerns. 

“Dr. Rosivach brought the classics to life and embodied the best of what a faculty member could and should be,” said Richard Greenwald, PhD, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “His knowledge of the University and quiet intellectual presence impressed me greatly, and his passing left a hole in our community. He understood that the classics still speak to us today and that so much of what we do in the College - literature, art, politics, and philosophy – is rooted in their history.”

In addition to helping fund the continuation of the College of Arts and Sciences’ classical studies and language programs, the Vincent J. Rosivach Professorship will also make it possible for the University to hire a new tenure-track classical studies professor in the Fall 2021 semester.

“Through his service, Dr. Rosivach ensured that classical education endured and remained at Fairfield,” Dr. Greenwald said, “and now, his family’s gift will ensure that both this and his legacy continue on.”

Dr. Rosivach joined the Fairfield community in 1965, earned tenure in 1970, and was promoted to professor of classics in 1976. For 53 years, he dedicated his life to fostering the minds of his students, inspiring fellow professors, and embracing what it means to teach at a Jesuit institution. Over the course of his professional career, he immersed himself in literature and education and inspired others to do the same. He authored two books in addition to more than 120 articles and reviews within the field of classics.

Dr. Rosivach contributed to the young minds of his students up until his final days, when he was still teaching courses. For his many years of service, he was awarded the Fairfield University Faculty Welfare Committee Lifetime Service Award. He passed away on April 13, 2018.