Fairfield’s Center for Social Impact (CSI) is grounded in the University's Jesuit, Catholic mission to share its intellectual resources for the betterment of the community. CSI programs educate students to be socially and morally responsible, connecting them with the community to create high-impact academic opportunities that address social challenges and develop individuals committed to creating a more just and equitable world.

“These partnerships and collaborations provide students with meaningful opportunities to build research skills, apply classroom knowledge, and make meaningful contributions to the public good," said Melissa Quan, EdD, director of the Center. "Community partners, in turn, expand our capacity for preparing students to succeed professionally and to make important contributions to society throughout their lifetimes. This is central to a Jesuit, Catholic education.”

Below are a few highlights of 2023 CSI initiatives that positively impacted both Fairfield’s campus and local Connecticut communities.

Age Friendly Fairfield
The town of Fairfield was designated an AARP Age Friendly Community last March. Affiliated with the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Network of Age ­Friendly Cities and Communities Program, this makes the town part of an international campaign to help communities prepare for their aging populations. It is projected by AARP that by 2030, one of every five people in the U.S. will be 65 or older, and that by 2035, the number of adults older than 65 will be greater than the number of children under 18.

To achieve its aim of making the town of Fairfield a great place to grow up and grow old, the Age Friendly Fairfield initiative enlisted Fairfield University’s Center for Social Impact for help. In a project led by CSI's Reinaldo González Rodriguez '20, M'21, assistant director for community-engaged research, and Wen Zhao, PhD, assistant professor of communication and a CSI community-engaged research fellow, members of the University community worked with the town’s Fairfield Senior Advocates group to design and distribute a comprehensive town survey and engage in a listening session with residents to identify community age-friendly needs and opportunities. The multi-year research project will continue to assess the challenges of Fairfield’s aging population and identify policies, programs, and new ideas to improve the quality of life for all ages in the community. 

Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Food Pantry Operations
In August 2023, the Center for Social Impact completed a follow-up report to their 2021 study, “Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Food Pantry Operations.” Faculty leads Mehmet Cansoy, PhD, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology, and Deborah List, PhD, a former visiting assistant professor of public health at Fairfield worked with three Class of 2023 biology majors/health studies minors to research and write the update: Allison Carignan, Cassandra Reilly, and Leah Sullivan.

Key findings of the new report, which focused mainly on policies and decision-making, revealed that no plan existed in 2020 to address a food crisis during a pandemic, and that emergency food agencies and stakeholders across Connecticut had to harness their resources, networks, and experiences to problem-solve on a “build-as-we-go” basis. Data did not exist to inform the Covid-19 response, and systems were not in place to make data available to those who needed it. Stakeholders expressed an interest in debriefing the experience to determine which systems and processes worked best, and what improvements are needed to ensure that a transparent and visible plan is in place for the future.

The follow-up report integrates the study's findings with public health literature to recommend a competency model for ensuring food security during a public health crisis. It was presented by Dr. Cansoy and Dr. List at the CT Public Health Association Conference in October 2023. Both the 2021 and 2023 reports are accessible at Fairfield's repository of University scholarship: digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/foodjusticeresearch/.

SuSTEMability Program
A $35,000 E2 Energy to Educate grant was recently awarded to the School of Engineering and Computing in partnership with the Center for Social Impact (CSI). Funded by Constellation, a leading competitive energy company that provides power, natural gas, renewable energy, and energy management products and services, the grant will be used to continue CSI’s educational STEM program, SuSTEMability, at Cesar Batalla School and the Wakeman Boys & Girls Club. SuSTEMability engages Fairfield engineering students and faculty members with Bridgeport educators and students to provide programming that inspires and prepares tomorrow’s scientists and engineers to seek systematic solutions to key energy, environmental, and sustainability-related problems at both secondary education and undergraduate levels. Read more about SuSTEMability and the E2 Energy to Educate grant here.