Diversity can be defined as all the characteristics which differentiate us as individuals as well as all the characteristics which make us alike. There are many dimensions to diversity that go well beyond obvious differences such as race, gender, age, physical ability, and marital status. The less obvious dimensions of diversity include, but are not limited to: veteran status, education, sexual orientation, lifestyle, national origin, religious or political affiliation, departmental or organizational "culture", and employee status - unskilled, skilled, professional, etc.
Understanding the dynamics of diversity allows people to respect and value differences. When people feel valued, respected, and empowered, they are more motivated to work together for the common good of all.
The Office of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs seeks to develop and implement programs and services that will increase the engagement of students in activities that promote and foster an inclusive living and learning community.
Students will obtain a greater understanding and appreciation of diversity, multiculturalism, and social justice through participation and celebration in a variety of activities.
The office works with student organizations, faculty, and other University offices to further integrate diversity into developmental and social programs for students. As a result, the office establishes meaningful relationships with students in order to effectively address their needs, interests, and concerns.
The Office of Student Diversity Programs & Multicultural Affairs serves the University community by providing support and activities for students that enhance their overall experience and knowledge in respect to the rich diversity and culture that exists at Fairfield and in our global society. Students are partners in creating and implementing co-curricular programming at Fairfield University.
The Fairfield University Alumni of Color Network is an official affiliate group of the Office of Alumni Relations that serves to create a community and gateway to support Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Stags during and after their time at Fairfield.
The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration is a week-long series of events that seeks to engage students, staff, faculty, and our local communities in a dialogue about justice and the recognition of all human dignity.
As a community, we share a commitment to inquiry and discernment, and a determination to serve as global citizens — supporting the dignity and essential human rights of all persons.
Fairfield University Upward Bound is a federally funded program for college-bound high school students.
At Fairfield University, by encouraging dialogue, communication, community partnerships, and a culture of understanding around diversity and equity and inclusion, we foster in our students, faculty, and staff the capacity and desire to build a better world.
Embracing, supporting and celebrating the unique characteristics of diverse identities and culture: this is how Fairfield is committed to Diversity in Action.
The students are encouraged to learn and celebrate the wide-variety of cultural, ethnic, and identity diversity present at Fairfield. Enhancing the richness of cultural diversity through student clubs and organizations is the cornerstone of the multicultural college experience. There are several clubs and organizations that work closely with the Office of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs towards supporting this idea.
The Office of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs supports a wide variety of diverse and affinity clubs that allow students to be engaged outside of the classroom. Students who are involved in these co-curricular activities gain leadership skills and make the most out of their collegiate experience.
Members of the Fairfield University community are committed to respecting and valuing one another, finding the common good rooted in us all, and working collaboratively to achieve our potential as a modern Jesuit Catholic institution. We aspire to be an inclusive, welcoming community that is representative of an ever-changing and diverse global populace. The Jesuit tradition of cura personalis – care for the whole person – animates our mission. We educate men and women who serve for and with others within the rich tapestry of cultures that comprise our contemporary world.
By encouraging dialogue, communication, community partnerships, and a culture of understanding, we foster in our students, faculty, and staff the capacity and desire to build a better world through productive citizenship and societal stewardship.
At Fairfield University, we advance this mission through:
Inclusive Excellence
as a critical dimension of our academic mission. We strive to educate through engaging with the broadest possible range of dynamic ideas, perspectives, and identities in an ever-changing world. Embracing the challenges of competing viewpoints is integral to the rigor of our academic enterprise, pushing the horizons of what is known and possible as we pursue our commitment to excellence in teaching and learning.
Diverse Community
as a distinguishing hallmark of Jesuit education. We recognize the inherent value and dignity of each person, guided by our Jesuit heritage as informed by the contemporary context. Fairfield is committed to shaping a community of learners from diverse social, economic, racial, cultural, national, and religious backgrounds.
Global Engagement
as a defining outcome of a modern Fairfield education. We hope to develop men and women to serve as global citizens, at home in the world, able to engage in diverse cultural circumstances with an open mind and the capacity to empathize with the perspectives of others. We actively promote an awareness of and sensitivity toward the full range of differences within and well beyond our community of learners.
Radical Hospitality
as a way of relating with others, shaped by our Jesuit traditions. Fairfield recognizes the importance of learning about, and living in, an increasingly interconnected, intercultural world and reflects this by striving to become a microcosm of the global community, in which the other is unconditionally welcomed, respected, and valued.
Through radical hospitality, we welcome and invite all into our learning community. We are committed to pursuing shared standards of excellence. In these ways, Fairfield University strives for the magis (“the more”) in a way that defines modern Jesuit Catholic education.
Fairfield’s vibrant community welcomes all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability/disability status, religion, and tradition. Fostering inclusion and understanding across the many human differences that often divide and marginalize, the Fairfield community is united in its reverence for the human dignity of every person. We recognize that viable solutions to enduring problems emerge when people with diverse backgrounds and skills work together with mutual respect, toward common goals.
As a Jesuit institution, Fairfield University's adherence to Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy involves developing a vision of the world that unites us rather than divides us, is holistic and balances intellectual, emotional, and spiritual understandings and responses. Fairfield's mission is to produce students whose academic, cultural, and aesthetic acumen equips them to recognize the value of others — those both similar to and different from themselves — and the importance of community building.
Fairfield University Office of Student Engagement offers a number of programs and services to students including Safe Space Program, Ally Network, Veteran Support, Academic Immersion and Cura Personalis Mentoring Program.
Under the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, The Diversity Recruitment Team (DRT) works to foster a community of inclusive excellence through recruitment, increased visibility, and support of students from historically under-represented populations, which include, but are not limited to, students of color, first generation, low income, students with disability and LGBTQIA students, by bridging the gap of connection between current students and prospective students.
Director
Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
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Associate Director
Student Diversity & Multicultural Affairs
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Support Staff
Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
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Operations Assistant
Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
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Center for Social Impact