Dear friends of SEHD,

It is my humble honor to serve as the interim dean for the School of Education and Human Development. As an alumna of SEHD (formerly GSEAP) class of 2002, I also entrusted my professional studies to this very school. I can thus attest firsthand to the quality of professional preparation endowed here. I have personally witnessed the impact that SEHD training, steeped deeply in the Jesuit tradition, has had on the fields of education and mental health for decades. The Fairfield reputation is solidly this: a master’s and/or advanced degree from SEHD yields professionals with the highest level of competence, commitment to justice and equity, self-reflective practice, moral leadership, and lifelong service to others.  

This newsletter highlights the tapestry of expertise, creative synergies, academic excellence, and leadership the faculty and students of our school have had on campus, in the community, and in their professional agencies and organizations. Some points of pride for our school this year include:

• We graduated 51 students in May, 2023.  
• 100% of our students, who are eligible for employment, secured jobs, or are currently employed.
• Our faculty received ten different awards for their teaching, scholarship, service, and grants. 
• Six community partners have joined our efforts to help solve the national teacher and mental health provider shortage.
• Five of our courses are service-learning courses offered in partnership with Fairfield’s Center for Social Impact, and this number continues to grow. By design, these courses have field projects that provide a service to students and clients in underrepresented groups and high-need school districts.
• Our prestigious HRSA grant and Fairfield Scholars Programs continue to offer financial support and development opportunities to students in clinical or mental health training programs across SEHD.
• We just launched a new Master of Arts in Instructional Design, a cutting-edge offering that addresses the need for organizations to build and curate professional development suites/series for their teams with pedagogical soundness and best practices.
• Our Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (EdD) program continues to draw high-caliber professionals who choose to pursue leadership studies with us as part of the Teacher Leader Track or  Higher Education Administration Track.

Our graduate students continue to reinforce all that is best about our school. Ten of our students were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society, 24 of our students were inducted into Chi Sigma Iota (5 School Counseling and 19 Clinical Mental Health Counseling students), 12 of our students presented research at Fairfield’s Innovative Research Symposium, and two of our students earned honorable mentions for the University’s Library Research Prize. Likewise, our alumni continue to shine, receiving prestigious teaching and service awards including Teacher of the Year and equivalent accolades in the local area. We are grateful to our alumni who return to study with us for cross-educational endorsements, specialty certificates, and doctoral preparation, and for those who join as adjunct professors and clinical supervisors, and also those who contribute to STAGiving Day for our school.  

We look forward to continuing to refine the ways in which we interact with the needs of the world around us, particularly in the fields of education and mental health. Your support of our school continues to serve as a light and fuel for innovation. 

Thank you for making us #SEHDproud. I wish you a restorative and healthy summer.

Evelyn Bilias Lolis, PhD
Interim Dean