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We enjoyed a pleasant spring on campus, with the flowering trees — cherries, apples, dogwoods, and azaleas — in exuberant bloom against the blue of Long Island Sound.

Now, as the Class of 2024 has completed their studies and enjoyed a glorious Commencement, we can take a moment to appreciate all we have accomplished this year.

Certainly, our reputation as a nationally prominent University continues to rise. Over the last seven years, we have witnessed a surge in applications — rising to 18,502 this year, up from 11,218 in 2017. These applicants represent 73 countries and 46 states. Average SAT and GPA scores of applicants have also risen, while our overall acceptance rate, at the time of writing, now stands at 33 percent: a dramatic drop from last year’s already low acceptance rate of 44.9 percent.

As we have broadened our applicant pool nationally, we have also asked applicants to tell us why they applied, and the results are illuminating: Almost 60 percent said that our University’s academic reputation is the key driver of their interest. In particular, 42 percent noted “preparation for career and job opportunities” and 39 percent cited “internships and other applied and experiential learning” opportunities as key factors. In other words, our applicants think that Fairfield will prepare them for success and give them a sense of purpose.

This is testament to the efforts we have made to weave student research, internships, career mentoring, and personal development into the fabric of the Fairfield academic experience. As you will read inside, a group of our students traveled to Silicon Valley this spring to meet with leaders in finance and technology, making connections to enhance their future careers.

In April, our Student Research Symposium featured almost 500 students presenting their own and faculty-assisted research in fields such as nursing, science, the arts, the humanities, engineering, and business. That same month, at our annual Fairfield StartUp Showcase, teams of students pitched entrepreneurial business ideas to a panel of investors.

Prospective students and families hear of Fairfield students engaging in exciting projects like these and they want to be part of a University that will teach them how to make things happen in the world.

May marked academic milestones for our inaugural cohorts at Fairfield Bellarmine and Fairfield Austin, two new strategic initiatives to reach broader audiences in ever more innovative ways. In Austin, the first class of second degree nursing students will graduate this August, and at Bellarmine Campus, our first class of associate’s degree-seeking students is now halfway through the program.

We are thriving, growing, and evolving, as we must to meet the emerging needs of our society and to advance our mission as a Jesuit Catholic university into the 21st century. Thankfully, we are not alone in these endeavors; Board of Trustees Chair Sheila (Kearny) Davidson ’83 and I were blessed to gather recently with presidents and chairs of fellow AJCU institutions and Jesuit provincials to discuss how we carry our mission forward.

At the gathering, Superior General Arturo Sosa, S.J., acknowledged the numerous challenges faced by American Jesuit Catholic higher education but also noted that our universities are “…not afraid of these challenges, and…have not lost hope.”

At Fairfield, we are brimming with hope. Inspired by the discernment of St. Ignatius himself, we are dedicated to changing the world for the better through education, by equipping young men and women with skills and determination, and awakening within them a love of truth that will drive them to build a better world. This work of formation and education animates everything we do, and we are grateful that ever more students are taking notice and placing their faith in us.

With utmost gratitude and very best wishes to you all,

Mark R. Nemec, PhD
President