Fairfield University's new president invites business community to Fairfield Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event | Press Releases

Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., the eighth president of Fairfield University, will welcome members of the local business community to the Fairfield University campus for a Fairfield Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event on Wednesday, Nov. 3, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event will take place in the Great Hall in Bellarmine.

The Business After Hours is an informal, after-work gathering for Chamber members, prospective members and guests. It is an opportunity to network with other business representatives, exchange ideas, obtain business leads and make referrals.

"Fairfield University has always been very supportive of the Chamber of Commerce and we are pleased to be able to introduce our members to the University's new president," said Patricia Ritchie, President and CEO of the Chamber. "We look forward to working with Fairfield and Fr. von Arx in the coming years to build on our strengths and continue to develop Fairfield as a thriving and vibrant community."

Fr. von Arx, S.J., a former dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill of Fordham University, and a current member of the Fairfield Board of Trustees, succeeded Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J., as president of the University, this July.

Prior to coming to Fordham as Dean in 1998, Fr. von Arx began his academic career in 1982 at Georgetown University as a faculty member in the History Department where he served as chair from 1991 to 1997. At Fordham, Fr. von Arx had direct responsibility for the operation of the College at Rose Hill, the original undergraduate division of Fordham University that has a student population of 3,200.

Fr. von Arx has served or is currently on the boards of trustees of Boston College, Canisius College, Loyola Marymount University, and Xavier University. He joined Fairfield's board in 2002. He is also a member of the boards of Fordham Prep, Regis High School and St. Barnabas Hospital, all in the Bronx.

Fr. von Arx received his undergraduate degree in history from Princeton University in 1969, the year he entered the Society of Jesus. He received masters' degrees in history and philosophy and a Ph.D. in history from Yale University. A 1981 graduate of the Weston School of Theology, Fr. von Arx was ordained in 1981.

The cost to attend the Business After Hours is $10 prepaid, $15 at the door for members. Non-members and guests are $15. For more information on The Business After Hours, contact the Fairfield Chamber at (203) 255-1011.