Fairfield faculty members took their expertise abroad—and left a lasting impression wherever they went.
America250:
The Promise and Paradox
Fairfield University Explores 250 Years of the American Experiment
Fashion Forward
J.McLaughlin and Marea are fashion brands with Fairfield roots.
FALL 2025
Philip Eliasoph, PhD, Celebrates a Half-Century at Fairfield
Autumn Mirror
Photo by Joe Adams
Bellarmine Pond captures a reflection of the Dolan School of Business surrounded by a tapestry of late fall color.
On the cover:
Philip Eliasoph, PhD, professor of art history and visual culture, is celebrating his 50th anniversary of teaching at Fairfield.
Photo by Joe Adams
University Magazine
Fairfield University
Fall 2025 | Volume 48 | Number 2 a.m.d.g.
Editor, Jeannine (Carolan) Graf ’87, MFA’25
Assistant Editor, Kiersten Bjork ’21
University News Editor, Susan Cipollaro
Vice President for Marketing and Communications,
Jennifer Anderson ’97, MBA’02
Designer, Nancy (Gelston) Dobos ’91
Magazine Photographer, Joe Adams
Photography by:
Joe Adams: 3, 4, 7, 9, 12, 24, 25, 27-29
Evan Barlow: 2
David Bazemore: 24
Priscilla Benedetti: 24
Owen Bonaventura: 10, 37
Joe Buglewicz: 5, 8, 12, 13
Giuliana Darcangelo: 13
Indi DelRocco: 14
Olivia Frzop: 11, 14, Graypeak Images: 17
Kristie Kirstner: 38, 39
Chad M. Lyons: 12
Courtesy of MAAC: 14
Nick McManus ’25: 14
Dru Martin: 26, 27
Media Center: 6, 17
Order of Malta, American Assoc.: 5
Chris Randall: 25
Patrick Sikes: 38, 39
Stockton: 10, 14
Contributed: 2, 7, 9, 16, 18-21, 31-35, 40
Fairfield University Magazine is published four times (November, March, June, September) during the year by Fairfield University. Editorial offices are located at: Fairfield University
1720 Post Rd., Fairfield, CT 06824
(203) 254-4000
email: magazine@fairfield.edu
Printed at Allied Printing Services Manchester, Connecticut
COVER STORY
by s ara C olabella ’08, M a’11
Over the summer, Fairfield faculty members took their expertise abroad—and left a lasting impression wherever they went.
From building engineering partnerships with technology companies and universities in Japan, to participating in an archaeological dig in Sicily, to engaging young Australians in hands-on, accessible STEM learning experiences, summer academic pursuits reflected the global reach of Fairfield’s mission.
“It’s not just entertainment; it’s a powerful experience that can change you.”
— l ori n j ones , Director of Programming and Operations, Quick Center for the Arts
by K iersten b jor K ’21
Through a yearlong suite of arts and cultural programs that celebrate the semiquincentennial, Fairfield University will engage the community in meaningful conversations and thoughtful reflection on the common good, the lessons of our shared history, and the enduring promise of the American experiment.
Pictured above: Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, a celebrated storyteller of the American experience, will be in conversation at the Quick Center on Feb. 3, 2026.
by j eannine (C arolan ) g ra F ’87, MFa’25
J.McLaughlin and Marea: Fashion Brands With Fairfield Roots
Decades apart, baby boomer Jay McLaughlin ’70 and millennial Liz Joy ’06 each found success in an industry they had never even considered before graduating from Fairfield: fashion. Both alumni credit Fairfield’s liberal arts education with sparking their creativity and shaping their entrepreneurial drive.
Pictured above: Liz Joy ’06 opened her flagship Marea store in downtown Fairfield, across the street from the Fairfield University Store.
athleti C s Peak Performance by d rew M. K ingsley ’07
Earning their second-in-a-row MAAC Commissioner’s Cup, 2024-25 was the Stags’ most successful all-around season.
arts & M inds
Golden Visionary by j eannine (C arolan ) g ra F ’87, MFa’25
Philip Eliasoph, PhD, Celebrates a Half-Century at Fairfield
& gi F ts
al UM ni notes p ro F iles :
Sara (Plowman) Uy ’19 Selling Sara
Manjot Singh ’23 Reaching New Heightss
donor pro F ile Chris Santomero and Francesca Santomero, DC, P’26
“A
university under the responsibility of the Society of Jesus is therefore called to create. A creative capacity that is demonstrated above all in the ability to be ahead of its time, several steps ahead of the present moment.”
t he v ery r everend a rt U ro s osa , s . j . Superior General of the Society of Jesus
Dear Friends,
As we begin the fall semester, we emerge energized by what has been a particularly busy summer. In the midst of an active session of summer courses and a number of campus improvement projects, we hosted guests ranging from the Missoula Children’s Theatre youth camp at the Quick Center to sold-out crowds for the Professional Lacrosse League at Rafferty Stadium. Beyond arts and athletics, we continued our mission to advance access to education, hosting students from Brooklyn Jesuit Prep for their 16th annual four-week Student Leadership Academy and launching our third cohort of Fairfield Bellarmine students.
Personally, I was grateful for opportunities to meet with alumni, parents, and students—both current and incoming—at wonderful locations up and down the Eastern Seaboard.
Send your letters to the editor of Fairfield University Magazine to Jeannine Graf at jeannine.graf@fairfield.edu.
Your news could be featured in an upcoming issue of Fairfield University Magazine! Submit your updates through Class Notes within the Online Community and don’t forget to include a photo! Go to fairfield.edu/alumnicommunity.
Additionally, at the end of June, Fairfield colleagues and I joined leaders and faculty from 200-plus Jesuit universities and higher education apostolates for the International Association of Jesuit Universities’ triennial meeting at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia. There, we discussed the global challenges for higher education that require our collective reflection and attention.
A highlight of the meeting was an address from the Very Reverend Arturo Sosa, S,J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, who reminded us: “A university under the responsibility of the Society of Jesus is therefore called to create. A creative capacity that is demonstrated above all in the ability to be ahead of its time, several steps ahead of the present moment.”
A Jesuit, Catholic university’s creative capacity stems not only from its ability to look forward, but also from its liberal arts tradition. Thus, we were particularly excited to affirm our commitment to this tradition and to celebrate the naming of the
John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences, officially unveiling new signage a few weeks ago.
In a similar spirit, we are also pleased to honor long-time fine arts faculty member Philip Eliasoph, PhD—in celebration of his 50th year of teaching at Fairfield—with the renaming of the lecture series he founded 29 years ago to the Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum.
Elsewhere on campus, we welcomed Patricia Simino Boyce, PhD, RN, as the new dean of our Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies. Dr. Boyce brings with her a distinguished record of experience in healthcare leadership and higher education.
While celebrating these milestones, we also recognize our current momentum and the responsibility to look ahead. Fairfield University was recently ranked #28 in the nation on LinkedIn’s inaugural Top Colleges list of the 50 U.S. schools that best prepare graduates for longterm career success—measured through outcomes like job placement, career advancement, internships, and entrepreneurship.
Building on that strength, during our annual leadership retreat we examined Fairfield’s role in preparing our students for a world greatly impacted by artificial intelligence and large language learning models, while ever mindful of our role in forming them as individuals exploring what it means to be authentically human.
As Fairfield discerns the implications of Artificial Intelligence—in teaching and research innovations, in contributions to academic disciplines and professional fields, and in AI’s potential to improve our organizational operations and shape the future of the workplace—we embrace the opportunity to elevate the conversation by focusing on human flourishing, purpose, and fulfillment.
It is with this spirit and with gratitude for our responsibility as stewards of our Jesuit Catholic mission that we look forward to the academic year ahead.
With utmost gratitude and very best wishes,
Mar K r ne M e C, phd President
Fairfield University alumni and students joined the Order of Malta’s 67th International Lourdes Pilgrimage, which took place from April 29 to May 7, 2025. The annual event brings together members of the Order and volunteers to accompany individuals seeking healing at the Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes, France, where the Virgin Mary appeared before a young Saint Bernadette 167 years ago. l F
above : (l-r) Former Trustee Joseph Berardino ’72; Trustee Maureen Errity Bujno ’90; StagMates Jeremiah Jefferson ’02 and Michele (Scimenes) Jefferson ’03; Brittany Lane ’13; nursing students Grace McCormack ’26 and Jane Matthews ’26; Egan School Advisory Board Member Gail Berardino; Kelly Anne (Conlisk) Murphy ’91; Nicolle (Calandro) McGowan ’92; and (front, center) Fairfield Bellarmine student Adrianna Acevedo AA’27.
The School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) hosted the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) education deans for an immersive experience at Fairfield University in April. The gathering brought together educators from Jesuit colleges and universities across the country.
Participants visited both Fairfield University’s Main Campus and Bellarmine Campus for a day of reflection and collaboration.
The Fairfield University chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit honor society, recognized four faculty members for excellence in teaching and commitment to student success.
Elizabeth Stone, PhD, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, was named the 2025 Undergraduate Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year. Danielle Conklin, PhD, assistant professor of nursing, received the 2025 Graduate Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year Award.
Also honored were adjunct faculty members Patrick Kennedy and Mary Kelly ’02, MBA’25, who received Excellence in Teaching awards. Kennedy, an adjunct professor of interior design, was recognized with the Graduate Excellence in Teaching Award. Kelly, adjunct professor of advertising, received the Undergraduate Excellence in Teaching Award.
Fairfield University’s Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies launched an online Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program, the first of its kind in Connecticut. The lowresidency program’s first cohort began classes this semester.
The part-time DrPH program is intended for those who hold a master’s degree or higher in any academic field and is designed to be completed in 33 to 44 months. Students complete coursework asynchronously and participate in three distinct residencies, held in Washington, D.C., and at Fairfield’s two campuses in Austin, Texas, and Fairfield, Conn.
After more than a decade of service leading Fairfield University’s Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, Meredith Kazer, PhD, APRN, FAAN, concluded her role as dean, leaving a legacy of academic innovation, programmatic expansion, and national recognition.
Starting in 2014, Dr. Kazer led the Egan School through a period of remarkable growth and innovation. Highlights of her tenure include securing a $10 million naming gift, opening a state-of-the-art nursing facility, launching Connecticut’s first online Doctor of Public Health program, and expanding the Egan School’s national footprint with a new Austin, Texas, campus.
“Her leadership has been transformational,” said University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD.
Dr. Kazer will remain at Fairfield as a professor in the Egan School.
Following a national search, Patricia Simino Boyce, PhD, RN, was appointed dean of the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, effective July 1, 2025.
Dr. Boyce brings extensive experience in healthcare leadership and higher education. Most recently, she served as university dean for Health and Human Services at the City University of New York (CUNY), overseeing more than 350 undergraduate and graduate health and human services programs across 25 campuses. Under her leadership, CUNY expanded clinical training opportunities, built strong industry partnerships, and advanced innovative academic offerings.
Dr. Boyce has served as an adjunct assistant professor at Pace University, teaching graduate courses in healthcare leadership and nursing education.
At New York University’s College of Nursing, she was the program director for the Nursing Administration and Health Management joint degree programs, overseeing curriculum design, academic advisement, and practicum assignments for graduate students. l F
Rev. John Savard, S.J.,’78, brings a prayerful presence, an artist’s eye, and a pastoral sensibility rooted in the Jesuit tradition to his role as director of Campus Ministry.
For Fr. Savard, painting and prayer are deeply intertwined—both rooted in attentiveness and interiority. “Even though paintings can be still, there can be a narrative,” he said. “There’s more than just the subject matter—it’s the activity of painting itself. I find painting prayerful… I’m transported someplace else.”
Whether he’s guiding students on retreat, leading Sunday Mass in a packed Egan Chapel, or standing quietly before a canvas, Fr. Savard practices a spirituality of presence—one brushstroke, one story, one encounter at a time.
That attentiveness is at the core of his approach to ministry, especially postpandemic, as students seek both spiritual connection and a renewed sense of communal worship. “We started out last year with standing room only at Egan Chapel, and then we added another Mass. They come in groups, with their friends. It reminds me that spirituality
and worship aren’t just individual processes, they’re communal.”
“It’s not just Catholics,” he continued. “Our Protestant communities are coming together with Reverend Jay Glover. Our Jewish students are finding a home with Rabbi Prosnit. Our Muslim community is finding a home with our Imam Cecunjanin.”
Campus Ministry’s reach extends beyond traditional spaces like the chapel. In the Ignatian Residential College, Fr. Savard and fellow mentors accompany students through shared reflection and spiritual formation. “They really become discerners; I often hear students saying they got comfortable here at Fairfield when they found their people,” he said. “So, let’s find our people. And let’s expand who our people can be.”
That sense of inclusivity is rooted in his own experience as a student at Fairfield. “When I was here in the midseventies, there were 40 Jesuits on campus,” he recalled. “You didn’t have to explain Jesuit education—it was in the water, in the air. Now we have to talk about it more, but I think people
This summer, Rev. John Savard, S.J.,’78, director of Campus Ministry, and Katie Byrnes, EdD, campus minister for community engagement, led a group of 10 students to Rome for the Jubilee of Young People, one of several international gatherings called by Pope Francis and hosted by Pope Leo XIV during this Jubilee Year.
The jubilee’s theme, Pilgrims of Hope, invited more than 1.5 million participants to recover a spirit of universality and to raise awareness of the ongoing tragedy of poverty.
In addition to joining the global celebration, the Fairfield group gathered with delegations from seven other American Jesuit universities.
understand what Jesuit is. It’s about creating community, building a better world, and using our gifts to elevate rather than tear down. I think the Jesuit Ignatian ethos is as strong as when I graduated in ’78.
“I feel that’s my job now—to place myself so students can get to know a Jesuit, to be out there, to show up, and to be present.”
As he walks with students who are learning to let go and trust God’s direction, Fr. Savard is filled with hope for the future. “I stand in Egan Chapel on Sunday nights, and it’s packed with tremendous energy. If you think that the world has fallen apart, go find a place where it hasn’t. Stand there for a little bit—learn from that light and bring it elsewhere.” l F
left: Rev. John Savard, S.J.,’78 accompanies students in their search for connection, community, and spiritual meaning.
The Magis course in digital publishing, “Digital Publishing in the Humanities,” is an all-hands-on-deck immersive experience in the publication of the Apollon Journal, a research journal for the humanities written by undergraduates from all over the world. Students in the class do it all, from combing through submissions and triaging essays, to conducting peer reviews with authors, ensuring that the author’s thesis was clear and fully developed, choosing illustrations, and promoting the finished product on social media.
Now in its 14th year, Apollon is a vehicle for the hands-on, real-world skills that students don’t often get to experience outside of an internship.
This past April, John Drazan, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical engineering in Fairfield’s School of Engineering and Computing, was named the inaugural 2025 BMRC/ORS Mentorship and Outreach Fellow by the Orland Bethel Family Musculoskeletal Research Center (BMRC) and the Orthopaedic Research Society.
A former collegiate basketball player, Dr. Drazan merges his passion for sports and science to create STEM outreach programs; to date, he has reached more than 40,000 youth across the nation through his community-engaged research at Fairfield and through 4th Family Inc., a nonprofit outreach organization for which he has served as STEM director since 2012.
His sports-themed STEM initiatives have been highlighted at major events including the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the WNBA and NBA All-Star Weekends, and the NBA Rookie Combine.
Class of 2025 biomedical engineering students Matthew Manduca, Maeve O’Connell, Jacob Bornstein, and Breanna Lowe earned top honors at the Annual Northeast Bioengineering Conference (NEBEC), hosted this year at NYU Tandon School of Engineering in New York City.
Representing Fairfield University’s School of Engineering and Computing, the team presented its innovative senior design project under the guidance of faculty mentor Susan Freudzon, PhD. They partnered with Avitus Orthopaedics, a division of Zimmer Biomet, to redesign their DragonWing bone graft delivery device, which is used by surgeons to deliver high volumes of bone graft to a patient’s injury site.
The original DragonWing device required two hands to operate: one to hold the device and another to manually push the graft material, while a second person was required to handle the arthroscope for visibility.
The Fairfield team designed an innovative solution featuring a motorized rack-and-pinion system that allows surgeons to control bone graft delivery with one hand, improving both precision and efficiency. Using SolidWorks, the team successfully produced and tested a 3D-printed prototype compatible with existing DragonWing components, demonstrating its potential to reduce procedure times and improve surgical outcomes.
The students’ research was supported by the Student Research & Travel Grant: Hardiman Scholars Fund. l F
above : (l-r) Biomedical engineering majors Maeve O’Connell ’25, Matthew Manduca ’25, and Jacob Bornstein ’25, with faculty advisor Susan Freudzon, PhD, assistant professor of electrical and bioengineering. Missing from photo is team member Breanna Lowe ’25.
Professor Michael Pagano, PhD, became a physician assistant after serving his country as an Army medic in Vietnam. The Oklahoma native so enjoyed the patient education aspect of the job that he eventually returned to school to earn a master’s degree in English and a doctorate in communication. A professor in the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Pagano has for two decades combined his passions for education and healthcare by teaching courses in health communication.
One of Dr. Pagano’s most popular courses is “End-of-Life Communication.” The curriculum for the communityengaged learning course includes 20 volunteer hours at Mosaic Hospice in Bridgeport, Conn., where students interact with dying patients and their families. The service component encourages students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios and to analyze communication theories and behaviors in an end-of-life context.
Dean Hartl ’25, who earned his degree in social work, planned his schedule around the course. “Death is a very
human thing that we will all face, and I wanted to learn more about it from a personal and professional perspective,” he said.
The course taught him a lot about relationships. “Even though those patients will die, and even though my time at the hospice came to an end, that doesn’t mean the relationships were meaningless,” he said. “Those interactions are like waves in the ocean of care. They dissipate but are still a part of us.”
Inspired by Dr. Pagano’s course, Hartl and his classmates organized a Death Café on campus to talk about death and dying. Now an annual event, the gathering is co-sponsored by the Department of Communication and the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies’ Kanarek Center for Palliative Care.
Dr. Pagano collaborates often with faculty members in the Egan School. One frequent collaborator with whom he co-teaches a study abroad course is Eileen O’Shea, DNP, APRN, PCNS-BC, CHPPN, professor of nursing and director of the Kanarek Center.
Initially offered in Galway, Ireland,
On April 28, the Charles F. Dolan School of Business launched its Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Technology Institute, a groundbreaking new initiative at the intersection of technology, creativity, and innovation. Speakers at the launch event included economist and Nobel laureate Myron Scholes, PhD, who joined via Zoom. The new institute’s annual programming will include hosting experts and will offer training on AI and emerging technologies.
Visit fairfield.edu/dolanai to learn more.
but now taught in Florence, Italy, “Palliative Care Communication” is a four-week course for undergraduate and graduate students in select programs— including nursing, public administration, communication, and health professions— who wish to explore palliative care communication from intercultural and interdisciplinary perspectives.
Dr. O’Shea admits that she was apprehensive at first about teaching the course, largely because interdisciplinary audiences have such varied interests, but her concerns were assuaged by Dr. Pagano’s conviction that every student, regardless of major or intended profession, needs the information and skills taught in the course.
“He helped me realize that the ability to have open and compassionate discussions with various student groups, about serious illness and end-of-life care, is an essential skill that everyone can benefit from,” said Dr. O’Shea.
Students have praised the course for nurturing their intellectual and emotional growth, inviting a deeper understanding of the role of communication in providing compassionate care. l F
left: Dr. Pagano helps students explore the human side of healthcare in his popular course on end-of-life communication.
TICKETS for Fairfield Basketball and Soccer are on sale now at FairfieldStags.com/TIX.
Visit FairfieldStags.com for complete schedules, gameday promotions, and more.
STAGS WIN MAAC WOMEN’S ROWING CHAMPIONSHIP IN DRAMATIC FASHION
In a regatta that came down to the final race of the afternoon, the Fairfield Varsity 8 crossed the finish line first to win the 2025 MAAC Championship on May 19 on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, N.J. The championship is the first since 2000 for Fairfield Women’s Rowing.
The Stags tied with perennial MAAC leader Jacksonville for first place in the team standings with 47 points; Fairfield’s victory in the Varsity 8 served as the tiebreaker.
Rowing Director David Patterson, PhD, was named the MAAC Coach of the Year for the second time in his 18-year career with the Stags. With its MAAC title victory, Fairfield competed in the NCAA National Championship for the first time in program history.
below : Fairfield Women’s Rowing won the MAAC Championship for the first time in 25 years.
Fairfield University Athletics ranked among the top 10 I-AAA programs in the nation in the final Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings for the 2024-25 academic year. The Stags were also the top MAAC program on the final ledger.
The Learfield Cup measures success across all NCAA programs with points earned for participation and advancement in NCAA Tournament play. Fairfield finished 10th in the I-AAA class, which includes the more than 100 Division I athletic programs that do not sponsor football. The Stags garnered 185 points in the standings after winning a school-record eight conference championships in 2024-25.
In addition to breaking into the top-10 in I-AAA, Fairfield’s 185 points placed them atop the MAAC significantly in front of second-place Quinnipiac’s 80 total points. The Stags also ranked fifth of the 21 Division I Jesuit institutions in the final Learfield Cup standings.
Fairfield was joined in the top 10 in I-AAA by Denver, Boston University, Pepperdine, UC Santa Barbara, Providence, Vermont, Loyola Marymount, Creighton, and Cal Baptist. l F
Fairfield’s baseball team went 3-0 on Memorial Day Weekend at Clover Stadium in Pomona, N.Y., to sweep the competition and win the 2025 MAAC Championship. The Stags claimed their second tournament title—the first since 2016—and earned the third NCAA postseason berth in program history.
Matthew Bucciero ’26 was named the MAAC Championship MVP, batting .500 with six runs batted in over the three-game span. All three of Fairfield’s NCAA Tournament appearances and both MAAC Championship crowns in program history have come under the direction of 14-year head coach Bill Currier.
above : This year’s team earned the Fairfield University Baseball program’s third trip to the NCAA postseason.
The Fairfield Women’s Basketball program returned to the national stage this past May, sending a team of four Stags to the USA Basketball 3x Nationals in Mesa, Arizona. The Fairfield team was comprised of graduate students Emina Selimovic ’24, MBA’25 and Raiana Brown, as well as returning Stag standouts Meghan Andersen ’27 and Kaety L’Amoreaux ’27.
The Stags delivered one of the viral highlights of the tournament as L’Amoreaux drained a buzzer beater from beyond the arc in Fairfield’s 18-16 win over Valley Heat, a team comprised of student-athletes from Arizona State and Grand Canyon University.
Overall, Fairfield averaged the thirdmost points among the 16 teams in the tournament with a 17.7 scoring average. The format of the tournament featured 3 vs. 3 half-court games to 21 points (or 10 minutes) with a 12-second shot clock.
The Commencement address was delivered by Timothy Shriver, PhD, chairman of the Special Olympics International Board of Directors, who received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in recognition of his leadership in promoting dignity, inclusion, and global education.
Joining Shriver on stage was Rev. John F. Baldovin, S.J., a distinguished professor of liturgical theology at Boston College’s Clough School of Theology and Ministry, and a former longtime member of Fairfield’s Board of Trustees. Fr. Baldovin was also honored with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in recognition of his leadership and contributions to theological education and the Church.
University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, closed his remarks with a reflection on Fairfield’s mission and its enduring significance for the graduates.
Undergraduate speaker Zachary Christian Maloy ’25 captured the spirit of the day and the lasting impact of the Fairfield experience.
Fairfield University’s 75th Commencement Exercises honored nearly 2,000 graduates who earned associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from all five academic schools. Three ceremonies included the first Commencement Ceremony for Fairfield Bellarmine, which recognized the two-year associate’s degree program’s inaugural Class of 2025. l F
below from left: Timothy Shriver, PhD, chairman of the Special Olympics International Board of Directors, addressed the undergraduate Class of 2025; undergraduates processed on Bellarmine Lawn; and Student Achievement Award honoree Blessed Stephen ’25 proudly accepted her diploma.
GRADUATE CEREMONY: MAY 17 IN THE LEO D. MAHONEY ARENA
Graduate Commencement Exercises at the Mahoney Arena recognized advanced degree recipients from the University’s five schools—including the first-ever doctoral candidates in the Doctorate in Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership program in the School of Education and Human Development.
The graduate Commencement address was delivered by Cathy E. Minehan, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and a respected leader in finance, higher education, and
public service. Minehan received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
An additional honorary degree was awarded during the graduate ceremony to Robin Bennett Kanarek ’96, Fairfield alumna, philanthropist, and former Trustee, honored for her contributions to healthcare and education.
Five Fairfield Dolan MBA graduates traveled from Shanghai for the Graduate Commencement Exercises.
above from left: A Doctor of Laws honorary degree was awarded to alumna, philanthropist, and former University Trustee Robin Bennett Kanarek ’96; and the School of Education and Human Development celebrated its first Doctor of Education (EdD) students to complete the Educational Leadership program.
Fairfield Bellarmine
Romero Award
Ana Aguirre and Jaheim Mckie
Bellarmine Medal
Catherine Erol and Trinity Santiago
Kay Pierce Award
Francisco Martinez
St. Ignatius Loyola Medal
Undergraduate: Angelo Corsini
Graduate: Kyung Ingargiola
William J. Kramer Class of 1960
Humanitarian Award
Alexander White
Graduate Service Award
Marra Burroughs
Student Achievement Awards
Eric Dillner
Jennifer Fajardo
Mekaylia Ingram
Katherine Robertson
Blessed Stephen
CEREMONY: MAY 15 AT THE REGINA A. QUICK CENTER FOR THE ARTS
In a historic milestone on May 15, Fairfield Bellarmine celebrated Commencement Exercises for its inaugural Class of 2025. Thirty-five students were recognized for completion of the University’s two-year associate’s degree program during exercises held at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. The event marked a significant step forward in Fairfield’s mission to expand access to Jesuit Catholic higher education.
Fairfield Bellarmine’s innovative model is already yielding exceptional outcomes, with an 80 percent twoyear graduation rate—far exceeding Connecticut’s community college threeyear graduation rate, which remains below 20 percent. Approximately 90 percent of the graduates plan to continue their studies toward a bachelor’s degree at Fairfield University.
left: Graduates of Fairfield Bellarmine proudly celebrated their accomplishments as part of Fairfield University’s mission to expand access to higher education.
Earning their second-in-a-row MAAC Commissioner’s Cup, 2024-25 was the Stags’ most successful all-around season.
by d rew M. K ingsley ’07
One - q Uarter o F a point . Three years ago, Fairfield Athletics came up just that shy of winning its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Commissioner’s Cup since 2011-12.
Put simply, that’s the equivalent of just one more league win in any of the Stags’ 17 MAAC sports.
But since that narrow setback, the response from the Stags has been resounding. In 202324, Fairfield won the MAAC Commissioner’s Cup—the symbol of overall competitive excellence among all conference institutions— for the first time in 12 years. And this past academic year, the Stags defended their crown in emphatic fashion, recording the most successful all-around season in the history of Fairfield Athletics.
“Our high level of consistent competitive success is a byproduct of our institutional belief that intercollegiate athletics is integral to the campus ethos and is an effective vehicle for achieving our strategic priorities,” said Vice President for Athletics Paul Schlickmann. “The Commissioner’s Cup is a team award indicative of a shared vision and
top row : The MAAC Baseball Championship Stags went 3-0 on the weekend; Izabela Nicoletti Leite MBA’25 with MAAC Championship trophy; Women’s Lacrosse celebrated MAAC Championship. middle row : Abby Jandro ’26, Mamie Krubally ’27, Allie Elliott ’26 and Maya Walker ’26 clinched second-straight MAAC Volleyball Championship; VP for Athletics Paul Schlickmann has led the Stags since 2017; MAAC Champions Men’s Golf made its firstever NCAA Regional appearance.
bottom row : First MAAC Championship for Women’s Rowing since 2000; Women’s Soccer dominated Regular Season and MAAC Championship in 2024; Field Hockey’s legendary head coach Jackie Kane ’87 ended her career as a 2024 NEC Champion.
“The depth and breadth of what our studentathletes accomplish on a daily, seasonal, and annual continuum is extraordinary.”
paU l sC hli CKMann, Vice President for Athletics
commitment to comprehensive competitive excellence. We are grateful to all our campus partners who provide unwavering support throughout the year, and we are enormously proud of our entire staff for their tireless, positive approach in the development of an inspiring group of student-athletes.”
The numbers from 2024-25 speak for themselves. The Stags set new program records with eight conference championships and eight NCAA postseason appearances. Fairfield also won five MAAC Regular Season Championships and produced 10 individual MAAC Champions. In total, the Stags won more than 59 percent of their head-to-head contests, including better than 73 percent of MAAC games and 72 percent of home games.
The exceptional achievements of Stag athletes were not just measured in the win column. The nearly 500 student-athletes who represent our 20 intercollegiate programs posted an aggregate 3.57 department GPA while also making it a priority to engage in more than 4,000 hours of community service.
“The competitive accolades of our programs and student-athletes are commensurate with our mission to provide our studentathletes with a holistic, championship-caliber experience in every aspect of their Fairfield education,” said Schlickmann. “The depth and breadth of what our student-athletes accomplish on a daily, seasonal, and annual continuum is extraordinary.”
While the Commissioner’s Cup may have evaded North Benson Road for a dozen years, the rebuilding process has been defined by continued progress and consistent high-level success. The Stags are the only MAAC program to finish in the top three in the Cup standings for six consecutive years, and Fairfield has won the MAAC Commissioner’s Cup for Women’s Sports in each of the last four academic years. This
level of sustained, comprehensive excellence is now the hallmark of Fairfield Athletics. While teams such as volleyball, women’s lacrosse, women’s basketball, and baseball have become perennial favorites in their respective sports, the Stags have established a contagious, competitive growth mindset across all programs. Among the newly graduated Class of 2025, senior studentathletes from 13 of Fairfield’s 20 varsity sports depart the University with their program having won either a conference tournament championship, regular season championship, or individual championship during their tenure.
“The all-around success is very important,” said Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach Laura Field, who has won six MAAC Championships as leader of the Stags. “It’s a message to our student-athletes and our recruits that winning isn’t about one player or one coach or one program. It’s a part of the Fairfield culture to compete for championships, and it’s a priority of the department and the institution.”
With the 2025-26 academic year underway, two new Commissioner’s Cup trophies are on display in the Stags’ awards case as symbols of collective achievement that Fairfield has established itself as the premier program in the conference. “While it is important to celebrate the Commissioner’s Cup, it is a step in an ongoing journey,” said Schlickmann. “All 20 of our programs have adopted a mantra dedicated to continuous improvement. Our coaches and studentathletes display a remarkable ability to focus on the task at hand—the next practice, the next game—all with a relentless dedication to personal and collective best and a desire to become the best versions of themselves at any given point in time. That’s the secret sauce that results in championship-caliber performances and outcomes.” l F
p hilip e liasoph , p h d ,
by j eannine (C arolan ) g ra F ’87, MFa’25
Spe C ial a ssistant to the President for Arts and Culture Philip Eliasoph, PhD, is a professor of art history and visual culture who began his teaching career at Fairfield University in 1975. Dr. Eliasoph recently riffed with Fairfield University Magazine about his 50-year career and the naming of the Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum in his honor.
On His First Teaching Job at Fairfield…
“I was 25 years old when I arrived on campus in March 1975 for my interview with Fr. Coughlin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences—he was the first Catholic priest I’d ever spoken to in my life. I told him that my great grandfather had been a rabbi in Montreal and Quebec City; he was fascinated that this young Jewish New York art historian was interviewing to join the faculty. ‘Eliasoph,’ he said, ‘we need some culture here.’
“In the ’70s and ’80s and early ’90s at Fairfield, the magic took place in a dark classroom in Canisius Hall. I showed slides on an old Kodak Carousel 35mm projector: click click click… the detail of Vermeer’s The Girl With the Pearl Earring… Monet’s paintings of his gardens at Giverney… these things lifted us out of ordinary life.”
On the Benefits of a Liberal Arts Education…
“That, I think, is the payoff of this Jesuit education—requiring an 18- or 19-year-old to taste this smorgasbord. We understand you
left: Celebrating 50 years at Fairfield, Dr. Philip Eliasoph’s vision has shaped the University’s vibrant arts and cultural landscape.
may not be thirsting to learn about Baroque architecture or Renaissance literature or philosophy, but we think you should taste this and that, and then you will discover who you are.”
On the Origins of Open VISIONS Forum…
“Being part of the public conversation was always something I felt a natural proclivity toward—shaping informed opinions about current events, whether related to art, culture, politics, society, the whole gamut.
“We were culture vultures in pre-internet times—going to the theatre and the ballet, staying up to date on the latest trends and styles, knowing the hot young artists of the ’80s and ’90s…now they’re the old masters!
“In the early 1990s, my wife Yael and I attended lectures at the 92nd Street Y in New York City for a sampling of their incredibly enriching ‘life of the mind’ programs. It was the intellectual hothouse of Manhattan. There were celebrities and public intellectuals on stage—Tom Wolfe in conversation with Barbara Walters. And in the audience, we’d see Nancy Kissinger, Jacqueline Kennedy, Anna Wintour from Vogue magazine. The crème de la crème of New York society wanted to be part of the conversation. I told Yael, I’m going to start a public affairs program.”
On Celebrity Speakers and Public Intellectuals…
“For the inaugural event of Fairfield’s Open VISIONS Forum in April of 1997, we had a packed house for the eminent director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Philippe de Montebello.
“We’ve had the food critic Gael Greene, the theatre critic Ben Brantley, the Australian art critic Robert Hughes. We’ve had political
“The Open VISIONS Forum plays a vital role within the University as a neutral zone where all points of view have an airing.”
p hilip e liasoph , p h d
leaders, we’ve had media stars. And obviously, because I swim around in the art world, we’ve had many leading art figures of our time.
“Every fox hunt is a different chase. You’re buying a celebrity speaker, a public intellectual and taking basically six hours out of their life—or 24 hours if they have to fly here. We’ve been fortunate to welcome such renowned people as Stephen Sondheim, Judy Woodruff, Harry Belafonte, David McCullough, William F. Buckley, Leslie Stahl, and documentarian Ken Burns—who is coming back next semester.
“The Open VISIONS Forum plays a vital role within the University as a neutral zone where all points of view have an airing. At our sold-out events, there’s electricity in the air, there’s anticipation. People wonder, ‘What is Samantha Power going to talk about? What is David Brooks going to talk about?’ You saw her on television, you’re reading his column that morning, and then they’re here.
“To have our 740 seats filled, representing different economic levels, different educational levels, different religions—it’s one of our University’s finest examples of how we respond to the Connecticut public.”
above : Over decades, Dr. Eliasoph has engaged in lively conversations with famous Open VISIONS Forum headliners such as (l-r) Jane Fonda, Bari Weiss, and Spike Lee.
On the Naming of the Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum…
“When Dr. Nemec said, ‘Philip, we’re going to rename the series to the Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum,’ I was floored, I was flabbergasted. I have felt my life work is never completed, but I feel great satisfaction that this Jesuit school in Fairfield, Connecticut, has emerged into a national presence and that I’ve had the privilege to play a part in that scaffolding.
“One thing leads to the next…last semester, we had Stuart Weitzman to campus. Backstage, I met his daughter, film critic Elizabeth Weitzman. She’s written a book called Renegade Women: Great Women Pioneers of Film and Television in America, and she’ll be our guest in March.
“You cannot predict how one speaker in an event will open the door to the next. You have to trust your judgment, be aware of what’s going on—you have to be a culture vulture.” l F
For a full list of fall semester lectures in the Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum series, see the Arts & Minds Calendar on pages 36-7.
Visit Fairfield University’s thought leadership blog, ThinkSpace, at thinkspace.fairfield.edu for an expanded version of this interview with Philip Eliasoph, PhD.
by s ara C olabella ’08, M a’11
Over the summer, Fairfield faculty members took their expertise abroad—and left a lasting impression wherever they went. From building engineering partnerships in Japan, to participating in an archaeological dig in Italy, to introducing a mobile biomechanics lab in Australia, their scholarly work reflected the global reach of Fairfield’s mission.
b e F ore the s UMM er heat blan K eted the ruins of Selinunte—an ancient Greek archaeological site located on the southwest coast of Sicily, Italy—Andrew Ward, PhD, and Maya Jackman ’27 were already in the trenches. With the sound of tools scraping against ancient stone, the assistant professor of art history and visual culture and the art history major worked layer by layer with their team, uncovering the stories buried beneath the surface.
“Our dig moves carefully and meticulously,” said Dr. Ward. “Even ancient trash, sacred or otherwise, can tell us a great deal about how people lived and worshipped in antiquity.”
Since 2013, Dr. Ward, a John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences faculty member, has guided students annually at this archaeological site in a long-term exploration of the city’s sacred heart, a sanctuary home
below from left: School of Engineering and Computing faculty and administrators pursued partnerships in Japan; Field Director Andrew Ward, PhD, used survey equipment on an archaeological site in Sicily; John Drazan, PhD, visited six Australian cities, including Sydney.
right: Dr. Ward and Maya Jackman ’27 excavated at the Selinunte ruins in Sicily, Italy.
“STUDENTS RESONATE WITH THE IDEA THAT THESE BUILDINGS WERE BUILT BY SOMEONE, WERE USED BY SOMEONE, AND WERE DESTROYED BY SOMEONE. UNDERSTANDING THAT IS ALWAYS POWERFUL.”
— a ndrew w ard , p h d , Assistant Professor of Art History and Visual Culture
“WHAT STRUCK ME MOST ABOUT THIS TRIP IS THAT KIDS ARE KIDS. WHETHER IN BRIDGEPORT OR BRISBANE, THEY WANT TO MOVE, THEY WANT TO PLAY, AND THEY LIGHT UP WHEN THEY REALIZE THAT STEM CAN BE APPLIED TO THE ACTIVITIES THEY ALREADY LOVE.”
— j ohn d razan , p h d Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
to at least five temples. Over the years, the project has catalogued thousands of offerings, hundreds still in their original positions.
“Finds this year included dozens of iron weapons ritually ‘killed’ by bending and snapping, loom weights gifted to the goddesses from family looms, jewelry including a silver ring covered in gold gilding, and a glass-glazed pot likely imported from far-away Egypt,” said Dr. Ward.
Each morning of the dig, Dr. Ward and Jackman made their way from the surrounding town of Marinella di Selinunte to the archaeological park. From 8 a.m. to noon, they rotated through a series of tasks in the trenches, digging, collecting soil buckets, and documenting their findings. The soil was sifted to ensure even the smallest artifacts like pottery shards, coins, and bones were recovered—each offering clues to the daily rhythms of the sanctuary and how it evolved through time.
“It’s really hard not to feel this sense of sacredness and importance within every object you find, whether it’s a fragment of a Greek vase or a piece of architecture,” said Jackman.
During the afternoons in the lab, the archaeological team cleaned and documented the mornings’ finds under the supervision of conservators and specialists. “We are recovering the shared past of humanity one day at a time,” said Dr. Ward. “Students resonate with the idea that these buildings
above : Dr. Drazan shared his innovative “Sports2STEM Combine” program with more than 550 Australian students and researchers.
were built by someone, were used by someone, and were destroyed by someone. Understanding that is always powerful.”
M ore than 8,000 M iles away , j ohn Drazan, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, was in Australia to lead a science diplomacy tour. At the invitation of the U.S. Embassies and Consulates Australia, his goal was to engage young Australians across the country in hands-on, accessible STEM learning experiences.
Based on the simple but powerful idea— rooted in the teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola—to “meet people where they are,” Dr. Drazan’s unique approach to STEM education and outreach involves engaging students through the sport of basketball. “Basically, we are meeting kids—who don’t even know what STEM means—on the court,” he said.
Funded by a grant through the U.S. Department of State titled “Promoting STEM Pathways and EducationUSA Through Sport,” Dr. Drazan’s itinerary included Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Launceston, and Hobart. In each location, he worked with high school students, coaches,
and researchers to run his “Sports2STEM Combine,” consisting of mini basketball clinics in which students measure their own vertical jump height, test agility, and analyze their performance using low-cost, Arduinobased tools and 3D-printed devices developed with his senior design students in Fairfield’s School of Engineering and Computing.
Participating student-athletes calculated their own shooting efficiency using fractions, explored muscle activation during push-ups, and discovered the ways in which STEM analysis can be applied in real-time to sports.
Addressing broader implications of the trip relating to STEM workforce development in Australia, Dr. Drazan also met with more than 30 faculty members and trainees from University of Sydney, University of Queensland, and University of Tasmania. In these discussions, he shared how his community-situated biomechanics lab and research program embodies the “meet them where they are” ethos through the development and deployment of low-cost devices to measure musculoskeletal structure and function within a community setting.
Over the course of his visit Down Under, Dr. Drazan engaged with more than 550 Australian
students and researchers. “What struck me most about this trip is that kids are kids,” he said. “Whether in Bridgeport or Brisbane, they want to move, they want to play, and they light up when they realize that STEM can be applied to the activities they already love.”
e lsewhere in the p a C i F i C region , Fairfield faculty members of the School of Engineering and Computing were in Japan, building (educational) bridges. Vice President of Mission and Ministry Rev. Paul Rourke, S.J., accompanied Dean Andres Leonardo Carrano, PhD; Associate Dean Mirco Speretta, PhD; and Director of Industry Relations Ilhan Akbil on a weeklong mission to build partnerships with engineering and technology companies and universities.
From Tokyo to Nagasaki, wide-ranging discussions focused on student and faculty research exchanges, joint projects, and global curriculum development.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization served as the anchor host of the Japan trip and facilitated several partnerships for senior design projects with Japanese startups this semester. One group of seniors will work with IOS & Co. on
a design project involving the use of drones to detect and excavate landmines in Cambodia. Several groups will partner with Recursive AI for humanitarian engineering projects focused on water distribution systems, automated carbon credit applications, and wildlife tracking and management.
A significant outcome of the trip was the opening of discussions about Fairfield University applying to become a U.S.-based hub for the advancement of U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, which include addressing global challenges like clean water, zero hunger, and quality education—projects that align with the School’s mission to provide an engineering and computing education with a “higher purpose.”
“This is exactly the kind of work we want our students doing: technically rigorous and with societal impact,” said Dr. Carrano. l F
below : While in Japan, engineering school representatives met with tech companies and universities. The group also explored Nagasaki’s Jesuit history, visiting historic churches and meeting with Fr. Antonio Ucerler, S.J., a Jesuit historian from Boston College.
by K iersten b jor K ’21
On July 4, 2026, the United States will commemorate and celebrate its semiquincentennial: the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
At Fairfield University, a yearlong suite of arts and cultural programming, titled America250: The Promise and Paradox, will celebrate and examine the rich history of the United States. In alignment with national, state, and town celebration themes, the University’s upcoming events and programs invite all to engage in meaningful conversations and thoughtful reflection on the common good, the lessons of our shared history, and the enduring promise of the American experiment.
“As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, we at Fairfield University are proud to present a year of programming that commemorates the American story and invites us to reflect more deeply on its complexity and promise,” said President Mark R. Nemec, PhD. “Through the work of artists, performers, scholars, and storytellers representing a wide array of experiences and perspectives, we are invited to consider not only where we have been, but who we are—and who we aspire to become. In doing so, Fairfield University advances its mission to promote critical inquiry, civic engagement, and education for the common good.”
Coincidentally, two of Fairfield’s core arts institutions, the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts and the Fairfield University Art Museum, are also celebrating milestone anniversaries in the coming year: the Quick is launching its 35th season and the museum is turning 15. Both venues have curated a slate of programming designed to spark conversation and engage with America250 celebration themes.
For the past 35 years, the qU i CK Center has been a home to spectacular performances and cultural experiences that make you think, laugh, reflect, connect, and dream—all without leaving Connecticut. The goal for the next 35 years and beyond remains to do what they do best: showcase world-class talent while broadening experiences and exploring new ways to engage students and the wider community.
“It’s incredible that the University chose to make this commitment 35 years ago,” said Lori N. Jones, director of programming and operations at the Quick. “In a town this size, you don’t typically see an arts center on this scale with such a commitment to service and education. Thanks to the generosity of the Quick family, the University has created a space to both celebrate and to challenge one another to see things differently.”
With its America250: The Promise and Paradox-themed offerings, the Quick upholds that commitment to service, education, and celebration. Must-see performers include the Silkroad Ensemble with Wu Man in American Railroad, which—through music—tells the story
Kenny “Zulu” Whitmore, Etienne, Mutulu Shakur, and Maureen Kelleher (quilt design); Maureen Kelleher (quilting), James Baldwin: Quote #3, 2019, mixed cotton blends. Lent by Maureen Kelleher, © Maureen Kelleher
A Fairfield University Art Museum dual exhibition of Stitching Time: The Social Justice Collaboration Quilts Project and Give Me Life: CPA Prison Arts Program will run through Dec. 13 at the Walsh Gallery located in the Quick Center.
Stitching Time features 12 quilts created by incarcerated men in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison. Accompanied by recorded interviews, each work tells the story of a unique inside-outside quilt collaboration and focuses our attention on the quilt creators—people often forgotten by society when discussing the history of the U.S. criminal justice system.
Give Me Life features a selection of works from women artists presently or formerly incarcerated at York Correctional Institution, a maximumsecurity state prison in Niantic, Conn., courtesy of Community Partners in Action (CPA). The CPA’s Prison Arts Program was initiated in 1978 and is one of the longest-running projects of its kind in the United States. l F
of immigrant and marginalized laborers who built the Transcontinental Railroad; Bodytraffic, a celebrated Los Angeles-based contemporary dance company that performs electrifying works set to the music of Etta James, Buddy Holly, and Peggy Lee; and Minty Fresh Circus, a joyful, Afrocentric reimagining of the circus form, inspired by Harriet Tubman’s legacy and drawing on movement traditions from across the African diaspora.
Fairfield’s signature lecture series, the Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum, has been renamed in honor of its founding director and will feature acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Artist Ambassador Padma Lakshmi, and Eboo Patel, PhD, founder of Interfaith America, among others.
“With our America250 programming in
“ART IS A UNIVERSAL LENS. WE CAN ALL LOOK AT SOMETHING TOGETHER AND RESPOND.”
C arey M a CK w eber
Frank and Clara Meditz Executive Director of the Fairfield University Art Museum
below : Silkroad Ensemble with Wu Man will present American Railroad at the Quick Center on Nov. 7, 2025.
bottom from left: Lori N. Jones, director of programming and operations at the Quick Center; ACLU Artist Ambassador Padma Lakshmi will present at the Quick Center on Nov. 13, 2025.
particular, we are asking audiences to civically engage,” said Jones. “It’s not just entertainment; it’s a powerful experience that can change you. Be overwhelmed. Be enlightened. Spend time with your neighbors and experience the etherealness of something live and in-person that will never happen quite like that again. The more you experience, the more you will be informed, feel fulfilled, and be able to successfully navigate today’s complex world.”
C elebrating 15 years , the F air F ield University Art Museum has already made its mark as a destination and resource for community members near and far. During the 2024-25 academic year, the Museum saw more than 13,000 in-person attendees and upwards of 100,000 engagements with their digital programming; growth is expected to continue as the team prepares for the exciting slate of 2025-26 exhibitions.
Carey Mack Weber, the Frank and Clara Meditz Executive Director of the Museum, is excited to share the Art Museum’s contributions to America250 programming. “Art is a universal lens,” said Weber. “We can all look at something together and respond. While we won’t all have the same response, that unifying lens provides an opportunity for conversation.”
The Art Museum will host two fall exhibitions with roots in the America250: The Promise and Paradox initiative: Stitching Time: The Social Justice Collaboration Quilts Project and Give Me Life: CPA Prison Arts Program (Walsh Gallery, Sept. 12 – Dec. 13, 2025), a dual exhibition featuring the work of currently or formerly incarcerated individuals; and Monuments: Commemoration and Controversy (Bellarmine Hall Galleries, Sept. 19 –Dec. 20, 2025), an exhibition organized by The New York Historical and curated by Wendy N¯alani E. Ikemoto which explores the evolving role of monuments in American life and how they have been celebrated, attacked, protested, altered, and removed.
above from left: Carey Mack Weber, Frank and Clara Meditz Executive Director of the Fairfield University Art Museum; Mark Thomas Gibson, The Wringer, 2021, ink on canvas. Courtesy of Michael Citrone. © Mark Thomas Gibson.
For Which It Stands… (Bellarmine Hall and Walsh Galleries, Jan. 23 – July 25, 2026), is the headliner of the Museum’s semiquincentennial commemoration. Curated by Weber, the exhibition will examine depictions of the American flag over the past century—from patriotic to politically charged. Highlights include Italian Day, May 1918 by Childe Hassam, and a commissioned textile sculpture by Maria de Los Angeles.
“Our goal with For Which It Stands… is to create a place for reflection and conversation about our democracy at 250 years, through images of the American flag,” said Weber. “There are pieces in the show that are incredibly patriotic, but there are also many works of protest. The history of this country is messy and complicated and not everyone has been treated fairly or justly. We hope that viewers are provided with an opportunity to understand why an artist was moved to use the flag in a particular way, whether in celebration or challenge. We also hope that the exhibition can help visitors imagine how they can contribute to helping our democracy live up to its original promises for all people as we move forward as a nation.”
The Fairfield University community—with the Quick Center for the Arts and the Fairfield University Art Museum at the forefront—is excited to welcome the public to celebrate and examine the rich history of the United States through the performances, lectures, exhibitions, and experiences that are set to make 2025-26 a truly historic year. Learn more about the full slate of programming at fairfield.edu/arts-and-minds. l F
The Quick Center’s Artist-inResidence program serves as a creative incubator, providing artists from around the world with space and resources to focus on the creation of new work.
Emily Coates—a dancer, choreographer, and writer—joined the Quick in March 2025 as an artist-inresidence, along with collaborators Ain Gordon, Derek Lucci, and Charles Burnham. Their project, Tell Me Where It Comes From, is a performance piece using iconic choreographer George Balanchine’s short-lived yet pivotal history in Connecticut as a point of departure to think about how the body and spirit of dance artists scatter, living on in unexpected places.
Coates elevates a local story through performance, giving particular attention to New England’s underappreciated contribution to dance. With this framework, Tell Me Where It Comes From emphasizes the power of place—a theme explored through America250—and how place can shape art and storytelling, leaving a lasting legacy far beyond the place itself.
The culmination of her residency, Coates will present Tell Me Where It Comes From at the Quick on Oct. 9 and 10, 2025. l F
by jeannine (Carolan) graF ’87, MFa’25
Decades apart, baby boomer Jay McLaughlin ’70 and millennial Liz Joy ’06 each found success in an industry they had never even considered before graduating from Fairfield: fashion. Though their career paths reflect the eras they came of age in, both alumni credit Fairfield’s liberal arts education with sparking their creativity and shaping their entrepreneurial drive.
“I wasn’t totally focused on what my next steps in life should be,” said McLaughlin of his first years out of college, “but I knew that the idea of Wall Street wasn’t appealing to me.” McLaughlin spent the early ’70s working in his father’s real estate business in Brooklyn, N.Y. He married his wife Joan in 1974 and the couple made their home in a Park Slope brownstone they renovated together. In 1977, he opened a boutique clothing store on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with his brother Kevin. From there, they grew the upscale J.McLaughlin lifestyle clothing brand into a national retail presence with approximately 180 stores in downtown locations across the country. McLaughlin left his role at the company in 2016. Liz Joy entered the corporate world after
her 2006 Commencement. “My first job out of college was in human resources,” said the art history major. “It was a practical path, but I quickly realized I wasn’t creatively fulfilled. I had so many ideas I wanted to express, so around 2009, I started a lifestyle blog.”
At the time, blogging about style and home interiors was purely a passion project— there was no money in it. Slowly, as the concept of social media influencers took off, brands began establishing paid partnerships and sending products for Joy to wear and endorse online. By 2018, she and her husband had built a full-time business out of her Instagram account and her blog. With a loyal community of online followers, she launched her own lifestyle clothing brand, Marea, in 2022.
In fashion retail, there is no tailor-made plan for success or longevity. To build their timeless brand, McLaughlin said he and his brother “relied on instinct, common sense, and God-given talent.”
With a fashion sense they’d inherited from their mother, they shaped J.McLaughlin’s traditional East Coast aesthetic with innovative, unexpected twists. Signature features of the brand include bold-yet-classic prints and color palettes, flattering silhouettes, and high-quality, easy-care fabrics.
The McLaughlins got their entrepreneurial skills from their father. While cautious not to overextend themselves, decisions were made not just on profit margins, but on longterm impact and alignment with their vision for the brand. “We were merchants, not accountants,” said McLaughlin. “Because we were small, Kevin and I were the ones who had our hands on the products and we knew what our customers wanted.”
While other clothing retailers were leaving
opposite page : Classic, colorful style is the hallmark of J.McLaughlin design.
above : (l-r) Liz Joy ’06 founded her Marea brand in 2022. Marea blends relaxed, coastal designs with European sensibilities. Jay McLaughlin ’70 co-founded his fashion brand with his brother, Kevin, in 1977.
neighborhoods for malls, J.McLaughlin stores remained firmly on Main Street. Drawing on his real estate background, McLaughlin scouted downtown locations and thoughtfully designed each brick-and-mortar location to reflect its coastal or historic neighborhood setting. Eventually the company grew big enough to manufacture its own products, which McLaughlin said, “gave us fast turnaround times. If we saw something doing really well, we didn’t have to wait until the next year for a reorder—we could have it in a month.”
McLaughlin credits his well-rounded liberal arts education with helping him understand people, markets, and cultural trends. “It was something we loved—putting together a line of clothing each season and trying to make the J.McLaughlin brand feel exciting and special. This was the thing about it: it was all fun.”
After leaving the clothing retail business, McLaughlin turned his business and creative energies to a renovation of the Village Shops shopping center in Vero Beach, Fla., which he and his wife Joan purchased in 2013.
above :
above right: Marea’s business offices and flagship store are located at 1552 Post Road in Fairfield.
After spending years making other people’s brands shine on her social media channels, Liz Joy had a realization: “I thought, ‘I have this amazing market and this amazing community behind me. They trust me,’” she said. “Why don’t I make something myself?”
Marea is the word for “tides” in Spanish and Italian; Joy’s mother is Spanish and her father is Italian. “With its beachy undercurrent, I just really liked the word marea,” Joy said, “and I liked the whole concept of the tides—the ebb and flow.”
Inspired by Joy’s New England heritage, the Marea brand blends relaxed, coastal designs with European sensibilities and artisanal accents.
“I take a trip to Europe every year, and I’m always inspired by the way people dress there—the street fashion,” she said. “I love going to the museums and getting color inspiration in Europe. We also do a lot of block printing in India, which adds an artisanal element.”
At the time that she declared her college major, Joy said, “I really didn’t know what I could do with an art history degree, but I just felt so awakened in those classes. It felt like the right choice because I wanted to enjoy my college years and I really loved art history.”
She didn’t realize it then, but studying art— including a semester abroad in Florence, Italy— would spark a lifelong passion and shape the design sensibilities of Marea.
For a millennial making a living as an influencer, rolling out her own lifestyle brand online came naturally. In addition to its shopmarea.com website and downtown Fairfield location, Marea clothing is carried by online retailer Shopbop, Nordstrom, and 150 specialty stores throughout the country.
Joy recently visited the Charles F. Dolan School of Business to share career insights with a fashion marketing class. Noting that entrepreneurship wasn’t really on her radar as a student and that “social media influencer” wasn’t even a job back then, she offered relatable, real-world advice to today’s undergraduates: “I think there’s so much pressure to find the perfect job right out of college,” she said, “but I told them: it’s really a journey to discover what you love. You may start at a job that doesn’t light your soul on fire, but you’ll take things from that role that will lead you to your next position.”
Jay McLaughlin, who splits his time between Southampton, N.Y., and Vero Beach, Fla., plans to meet with aspiring entrepreneurs on Fairfield’s campus this fall. He hopes to share his experiences as J.McLaughlin co-founder, as well as his forays into real estate development and the restaurant business. He said he will tell the students “that you can’t run a successful business if your focus is only on the bottom line. You have to stay true to your roots and your identity—and be passionate about what you do.” l F
Elizabeth Stone, PhD, assistant professor of chemistry, has been awarded $10,000 from the NASA CT Space Grant Consortium for her research project, “Environmentally Sustainable Synthesis of Xenobiotic Peptide Therapeutics.” Working with undergraduate students, the goal of this research is to develop a safe and sustainable method to synthesize and modify drugs that contain a xenobiotic amino acid. Natural biological processes rely on 20 canonical amino acids. Xenobiology seeks to expand the genetic code to utilize amino acids beyond those of terrestrial biology. This work will advance key NASA directorates by developing safe and sustainable strategies to produce therapeutics that could be accomplished in remote locations or on exploration missions.
The Fairfield University Art Museum has been awarded $15,497 from Connecticut Humanities to support an exhibition focusing on depictions of the American flag from the early 20th century to today. For Which It Stands… A Semiquincentennial Exhibition will be on view in spring 2026. The featured artworks range from expressions of patriotism to interrogations of just who the flag represents and whether justice is truly accessible to all. Anchored in the guiding themes of the America 250 Connecticut Commission’s planned commemorations, For Which It Stands… will be accompanied by a robust slate of in-person and virtual programs designed to foster dialogue, engage broad audiences, and extend the exhibition’s educational impact well beyond the museum’s walls.
The museum also received $7,500 from the Robert Lehman Foundation to support the Edwin L. Weisl Jr. Lectureships in Art History, to be presented by five distinguished scholars and curators during the 2025-26 academic year. In celebration of America’s semiquincentennial, the topics will range from the troubled history of U.S. monuments, to the idiosyncratic paintings of Florine Stettheimer, to the post-war shift to abstraction among American artists.
Fairfield University’s Center for Climate, Coastal, and Marine Studies, led by Robert Nazarian, PhD, associate professor of physics, was awarded $10,000 by the Achelis and Bodman Foundation. The Center seeks to advance interdisciplinary research and education on urgent environmental issues. This funding supports a six-part seminar series and a culminating symposium focused
on climate change in and around Long Island Sound. During the 2025-26 academic year, the Center will bring together experts, across academic disciplines, to explore research topics organized around this central theme.
Dr. David Shekhtman, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, was awarded $9,880 by the NASA CT Space Grant Consortium in support of his research project, “Stress and Angle-of-Attack Flow Stability Measurements on Flight Geometries in Hypersonic Flow.” Working with undergraduate students and one graduate student, Dr. Shekhtman will explore the use of graphite resistor arrays to measure streamwise heat flux and shear stress profiles in cold Mach 6 flows, generated by the upcoming Fairfield Ludwieg Tube. Using a rotating model mount, the shear stress sensor arrays will be used on flight geometries (flat
plates, actuated control surfaces, cones, and hollow cylinder flares) to ultimately measure the sensitivity of hypersonic flow fields to oscillations in angle of attack. From flow data, simplified turbulence models will be proposed to aid in hypersonic vehicle development.
Akshay Mathur, PhD, assistant professor of computer science, and Sidike Paheding, PhD, associate professor of computer science, were awarded $10,000 by the NASA CT Space Grant Consortium for their research project “Adversarially Stable Cyber Defense for Anomaly Detection in Satellite Communications.” This study explores the vulnerability of AI-driven anomaly detection models for space communication to adversarial attacks and investigates defense mechanisms to enhance their resilience. The research team will train machine learning models on a labeled satellite telemetry dataset and retrain them with adversarial examples to mitigate exploitable weaknesses. The dataset reflects real-life space communication scenarios, enabling robust anomaly detection. The proposed twobranch, end-to-end network architecture aims to provide layered defense against both evasion and poisoning attacks. This research not only addresses national security interests but also promotes student engagement in developing secure and resilient AI systems.
The Paul L. Jones Trust Fund continues its support of nursing students with a $40,000 grant to the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies. These funds will provide scholarships for four nursing students, allowing them to pursue their professional journeys at the Egan School, and help meet the need for nursing professionals in local communities.
A $40,000 grant
from the Paul L. Jones Trust Fund will support scholarships for nursing students and help meet the need for nursing professionals in local communities.
Fairfield Bellarmine received $5,000 in scholarship support from Near and Far Aid, an all-volunteer fund-raising and fundgranting organization that makes a positive impact on thousands of people in Fairfield County by granting more than $1 million a year to well-vetted local agencies targeting poverty and changing lives.
Fairfield Bellarmine also received $2,000 from RBC Wealth Management to advance the educations and career opportunities of students through a comprehensive Professional Internship Program (PIP) tailored to the students’ unique needs and aspirations. In partnership with businesses and non-profits, the PIP collaboration fosters a mutually beneficial relationship between students and host organizations and will help students prepare for and succeed in their careers.
The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts received a $10,000 grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) for a performance by the Silkroad Ensemble with Wu Man, titled American Railroad: A Musical Journey of Reclamation. After the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, a trip from coast to coast that used to take months was shortened to just under a week. This program of music focuses on the people who physically built the railroad and who were most affected by it. As Fairfield and neighboring Bridgeport were profoundly shaped by railroad systems and the labor that built America’s foundation, Fairfield University and the Quick Center are honored to feature this Silkroad project as part of our 2025-26 season, in alignment with
America250 programming.
The Silkroad Ensemble was created by Yo-Yo Ma. Under the leadership of current artistic director Rhiannon Giddens, this touring ensemble of world-class, international musicians unites to encourage passion-driven learning for a more hopeful and inclusive world.
Fairfield University received $25,000 from the Maguire Foundation for scholarships to support four Maguire Scholars from across the University.
The Sport for Humanity Foundation’s Higher Education Initiative has awarded $10,000 to the Department of Athletics for a project led by Kelly Bommer, PhD, senior associate athletics director. This funding will support the Built for Life program, which focuses on the holistic well-being of Fairfield’s 498 varsity student-athletes. These efforts encompass the three pillars of inspiration, inclusion, and involvement in the cultural commitments of compete, care, lead, and grow. In addition to regularly scheduled programming, special initiatives will include Mindful Mondays, Stags Care Ambassadors, and support groups for targeted studentathlete populations. Efforts will empower student-athletes by providing them with the tools to be “Built for Life.”
The Stop & Shop Foundation has recently awarded $7,500 for an initiative led by Wendy Mendes, associate director of counseling and psychological services. This donation will support the purchase of items to stock the school food pantry at Bellarmine Campus during the 2025-26 academic year, to ensure that Fairfield Bellarmine students have access to food and other essentials. l F
’66 | Edward M. Miggins, PhD, received his doctorate in history from Case Western Reserve University in 1975. He became a faculty member of Cuyahoga Community College in 1972 and after completing an N.E.H. fellowship at Columbia University, was appointed research director of the Cleveland Public Library’s Cleveland Heritage Program (1981-1983). His long list of activities and accomplishments include membership of the executive board of the Greater Cleveland Labor History Society, serving as vice president of the greater Cleveland Ethnographic Museum, contributing to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, and writing several seminal works on ethnicity and society, including Becoming American: the Cleveland Public Schools and the Americanization of Cleveland, 1865-1929; The Birth of Modern Cleveland, 1865-1930; and A Guide to Studying Neighborhoods and Resources on Cleveland. Dr. Miggins currently holds the status of Professor Emeritus at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. The son of an immigrant family, his current project on the migration of African American Southerners to Cleveland, titled The Guide to Communities of Memory and the Great Migration to Cleveland, is a product of a lifetime of teaching and studying the history of immigrants, minorities, neighborhoods, and public schools. Professor Walter Petry is cited in the project’s dedication; Dr. Miggins credits Dr. Petry, the first Black professor at Fairfield University, with having had “a profound influence” on his life.
SHARE YOUR NEWS
StagMates K elly t ra F t ’16 and a lex b oothe ’16 were married Sept. 14, 2024, surrounded by their friends and family, including 25 of their “best friends in the world, all of whom are also Class of 2016. The Stags roll deep!”
Share your news! Simply log on to the Alumni Online Community and post your Class Note. Not a member? Registration is easy— www.fairfield.edu/alumnicommunity. Sign up and log on today.
’74 | James E. Carroll recently wrote and self-published his second in a series of Jamie Carson legal thrillers, Cross Examination. His 40-year career as a trial lawyer both in private practice and for the U.S. Department of Justice allows him to give readers the realism they expect in a courtroom drama. The main character practices law in the fictional firm of Ely, Snow & Carson in the fictional town of New Tisbury, Conn.
’79 | Luc R. Pelletier, MSN, APRN, CNS, FAAN, coauthored the article “Engaging New and Aspiring Nurse Managers in a Nursing Leadership Academy,” published in the April 2025 issue of Nurse Leader
Michael Timoney participated in a reading of The Legacy of Welles Remy Crowther: The Man In The Red Bandana at the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City in May 2025. The documentary play by Lisa Rafferty was created verbatim from interviews with Welles’ friends, family, and others impacted by his courage and compassion.
’82 | Theodore Tyma retired judge, is a member of Pullman & Comley’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice. He retired from the bench in May 2025 after 21 years of service.
’90 | Gary Thomann, under his professional name Gary L. Doman, became a cartoonist on the membership platform Patreon (patreon.com) on November 22, 2024.
’96 | Louis Teller MA, PhD, was inducted into the Northeast High School Alumni Hall of Fame on May 2, 2025. Dr. Teller is a 1989 graduate of Northeast High, located in Philadelphia, Pa. He was honored for his work as a psychotherapist and his contributions to the fields of learning disabilities and autism. Dr. Teller was also honored as Northeaster of the Year by the Northeast High Alumni Association, for his fundraising efforts for the school and for student scholarships. ’99 | Catherine O’Sullivan was recently appointed the director of development and alumni engagement in the Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations at Park University in Parkville, Mo. Christine Kelleher Palus, PhD, has been named the new senior vice provost for academics at Villanova University. A member of Villanova’s faculty since 2006, Dr. Palus most recently served as dean of Villanova’s College of Professional Studies.
’02 | John Brady, an associate general agent for The Bulfinch Group in Needham, Mass., has been named a Leaders Club qualifier by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Leaders Club is one of the highest honors annually awarded by Guardian to financial professionals who demonstrate outstanding service and dedication to their clients.
’09 | Ryan Callahan won an Emmy Award for his public service announcement (PSA) campaign Combat the Silence at the 39th Nashville/ Midsouth Emmy Awards hosted by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Callahan is currently executive vice president of digital marketing and innovation at Blue Star Families, the nation’s largest military and veteran family support organization. Combat the Silence is a multifaceted campaign designed to raise awareness and foster dialogue surrounding the mental health challenges that often affect members of the military and veteran communities, and their families. Through the campaign videos “A Mother’s Grief,” “Couples Therapy,” and “Battle Buddy,” as well as other programming, Combat the Silence works to create a cultural shift among members of the military and veterans —one that prioritizes mental health and encourages early intervention.
’11 | Eric Clayton is the recipient of the 2025 Writers Award in Spirituality given by the Loyola Institute for Spirituality based in
California. Clayton had two new books released on May 6, 2025: Finding Peace Here and Now: How Ignatian Spirituality Leads Us to Healing and Wholeness (Brazos Press), which draws wisdom from the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola to find peace for our inner lives and global community, and the children’s book Our Mother Too: Mary Embraces the World (Paulist Press). Co-authored with Shannon Evans, Our Mother Too looks to the apparitions of Mary— how she appears in the local dress and like the local people—as a way to teach children that God treasures our unique ways, wherever we are, whatever we look like.
’12 | Gregory Burke is moving to Chicago, Ill. to join the faculty of Loyola University Chicago Quinlan School of Business as an accounting professor.
’18 | Julia Vyskocil, a former cheerleader at Fairfield University, is a math teacher and varsity cheer coach at Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Conn. Under Vyskocil’s leadership and guidance, the Greenwich H.S. cheer team achieved the first “triple crown” in school history, winning league, state, and regional championships. Vyskocil was recognized in March 2025 as a Greenwich Schools Difference Maker.
Dozens of fellow Stags celebrated at the wedding of K atherine C lar K ’19, bsn ’21 and a lexander MC M ahon ’19 on June 7, 2025— including friends, cousins, an aunt and uncle, and the groom’s parents: Jennifer (Janczewski) and University Trustee Andrew McMahon ’89, P’19,’13.
Share your news! Simply log on to the Alumni Online Community and post your Class Note. Not a member? Registration is easy— www.fairfield.edu/alumnicommunity. Sign up and log on today.
’20 | Taylor Murphy works in Student Services at Columbia University’s School of Data Science. ’21 | Kiersten Bjork joined the Fairfield University Marketing and Communications team as an associate director of Integrated Marketing and Communications in May of 2025.
Brian Flaherty ’87 and Jill Murphy – May 25, 2025.
Kiley Ferreri ’16, MA’17 and Jacob Knox ’16 – July 19, 2024.
Kelly Traft ’16 and Alex Boothe ’16 – Sept. 14, 2024.
John Barrasso ’18, MS’19 and Megan Schoenholz ’18 –Sept. 30, 2023.
Giana (Nerney ’20) and Brendan McCarthy ’20 –Aug. 9, 2024.
Catherine Santangelo ’21, MA’22 and Tyler Zikias ’21, MS’22 – June 21, 2025.
Alice (Guglielmoni) and Ryan Birge ’12 – daughter, Taylor Grace, Feb. 17, 2024.
John Barrasso ’18, MS’19 and Megan Schoenholz ’18 – son, Jack, May 15, 2025.
Taylor Murphy ’20 and Dwayne Reyes – son, Ezra Alexander, Nov. 8, 2022, and daughter, Kaedence Olivia, Sept. 26, 2024.
Patsy S. Pagliarulo ’54, MA’56, CT’63 – May 3, 2025
Date: June 5-7, 2026! Visit the following site for more information: fairfield.edu/reunion
Alison (Murphy) Landry ’18 and Brian Landry ’18 –Jan. 18, 2025.
Katherine Clark ’19, BSN’21 and Alexander McMahon ’19 –June 7, 2025.
Paul C. Dunn ’57 – April 15, 2025
Andrew J. Broughel ’60 –April 28, 2025
Robert L. Garofalo ’61, MA’64, CT’71 – March 18, 2025
by a lan b isbort
AF ter F o U r years on the soccer team at Fairfield University, Sara (Plowman) Uy ’19 has never stopped attacking the goal. Since leaving Fairfield, the Long Island-raised communications major with minors in management and health studies has scored the equivalent of a hat trick in her chosen profession as a sales training maven—170,000 TikTok followers, 85,000 on LinkedIn, and 25,000 on Instagram.
Recruited out of Fairfield by Pareto, a New York City-based sales training company, Uy spent five years scoring as many plaudits as she did clients for the firm. Less than a year ago, and with the blessing of her former bosses, she started her own sales training company, SellingSara, which has already attracted 50 clients, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“I went straight into Covid out of college. I more or less had to learn to leverage social media because all contact with prospective clients was now virtual. I had to learn on the fly.”
Her drive to succeed was honed on the soccer pitch. As a striking midfielder in high school, she led her team to the state championship in 2013; at Fairfield, she was a starting forward for four years. One of Uy’s favorite memories of playing for the Stags was a trip the team made to play three games in the U.K. her junior
year—her father is from the U.K. and her grandparents live there. “That trip was such a cool, 180-degree experience—playing for my favorite team in front of my grandparents.”
“I came to Fairfield on a scholarship, which added some pressure, but being a student-athlete was a great experience,” said Uy, a team tri-captain. “It allowed me to have closer relationships with faculty and staff. Because of the soccer schedule, I missed some class time and had to make it up in extra sessions, which were usually one-on-one.”
One of her mentors was Patrick Kelley, PhD, MD, director of the health studies minor. “She was always confident,” said Dr. Kelley, who taught her in two health studies courses. “You can’t have a fragile ego working in sales. Sara’s interpersonal and leadership skills are the reason she’s as successful as she is.”
Steph Gallo, director of career planning for the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences, crossed paths with Uy as part of her duties advising Fairfield athletes.
“I was a student athlete myself, playing field hockey at Villanova, so I felt comfortable working with the women’s soccer team,” said Gallo, who has been at Fairfield since 2012. “I understood the kind of pressures they were under, the balance they had to achieve around a game and practice schedule. Whenever I’d see Sara’s name in my daily work calendar, I would smile. She was so fun to be around.”
Gallo also admired the toughness and competitiveness of Uy, which she cites as key to her success in the business world. “A large percentage of female CEOs were athletes in college,” said Gallo. “They are trained to work really hard. Sara was no exception, but she also has that winning personality, the ability to connect with audiences of all ages.”
Uy acknowledges that luck played a role, too, allowing her to finish her college career
Sara (Plowman) Uy ’19
just before the pandemic turned everything upside down. “I went straight into Covid out of college,” she recalled. “I more or less had to learn to leverage social media because all contact with prospective clients was now virtual. I had to learn on the fly.”
She began by making short videos of her cold calls and posting them on TikTok and Instagram—platforms she hadn’t often used before. Watching these videos, available on her website (sellingsara.com), is like watching a team captain lead the charge: maneuvering through a defense of hesitance, disinterest, or even hostility, and always pressing toward the goal—whether it’s to close a sale or set up a future conversation.
Uy was pleased to learn that other sales professionals were in the same boat as she was, navigating the choppy and isolating seas of the pandemic. Emboldened by her growing profile, she developed her own webinars on a variety of subjects, including cold calling, social selling, and high-impact emails; she now also offers one-on-one coaching sessions.
“We had Sara back to campus last spring for Communications Night,” said Gallo. “She was so cool. She can appeal to people of all ages. The students were beside themselves listening and learning from her. I remember telling her, ‘That likeability is going to take you far.’ That’s something you can’t teach. It’s innate, and Sara has it.” l F
Theodore G. Baldyga ’62 –May 14, 2025
Richard C. DeAngelis, Sr. ’63, MA’67 – May 29, 2025
Thomas F. Fitzpatrick ’64 –April 9, 2025
Dennis B. Mattison ’64 (BEI) –April 14, 2025
Lawrence I. Wagner ’65 –May 25, 2025
William M. Pintauro ’66 –May 22, 2025
Joseph G. Stumpf ’66 (BEI) –October 18, 2023
Truman W. Bassett ’67 (BEI) –May 29, 2025
Michael B. Parent ’67 –May 7, 2025
Howard E. Emond, Jr. ’69 –April 8, 2025
Jay C. Lyons ’72 –March 31, 2025
Paul O’Connor ’72 –March 17, 2025
Dolores M. Galen ’73 –June 12, 2025
Ernest A. Gardella, III ’73 –May 16, 2025
Richard R. Metz ’73 –June 23, 2025
Mark E. Matto ’74 – May 5, 2025
John J. Pulaski ’74 –April 13, 2025
Stephen V. Caruso ’75 –June 22, 2025
L. Matthew Arens ’77 –May 27, 2025
Peter J. Fett ’78 –March 17, 2025
Paul B. McLaughlin ’78 –March 4, 2025
Liam S. McTeague ’83 –March 23, 2025
Paul F. Rinaldi ’83 –April 18, 2025
John E. Ryan ’83 –April 23, 2025
Patrick J. McGlynn ’88 –May 30, 2025
Mary B. (Dannaher) Robb ’88 –December 27, 2024
Donna L. Viselli ’90 –March 26, 2025
Anne E. (Zaharek) Murray ’92 –April 18, 2025
James M. Dean ’03 –May 10, 2025
j ohn b arrasso ’18, M s ’19 and M egan s C hoenholz ’18 got married on Sept. 30, 2023, and recently welcomed their first son, Jack, on May 15, 2025.
Share your news! Simply log on to the Alumni Online Community and post your Class Note. Not a member? Registration is easy— www.fairfield.edu/alumnicommunity. Sign up and log on today.
by s ara C olabella ’08, M a’11
As a C hild , M anjot Singh ’23 was always fascinated by space. “I used to watch rocket launches growing up and was always curious about how things worked,” she said, “especially anything related to spaceflight.” It was that childhood curiosity that drove the mechanical engineering major to pursue a career in the aerospace industry. Today, she is a crew systems and payloads launch vehicle engineer at Blue Origin.
While her interest in engineering began in childhood, it was during her time at Fairfield that Singh’s passion really took flight. As an undergraduate in the School of Engineering and Computing, she served on the executive boards of the Innovator’s Club, the Society
“Because Fairfield emphasizes ethics and collaboration, I graduated not only as an engineer but as someone ready to work on multidisciplinary teams in high-stakes environments.”
of Women Engineers, and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. These experiences broadened her understanding of the field and allowed Singh to engage in engineering pursuits beyond the classroom.
A unique opportunity to explore space engineering presented itself one summer at Fairfield, during an undergraduate research residency when Singh worked on a project funded by both a Connecticut NASA Space Grant and an INSPIRE Hardiman Scholars Research Grant.
Under the mentorship of School of Engineering and Computing Dean Andres Leonardo Carrano, PhD, Singh researched the optimal growth conditions of root vegetables in microgravity. The NASAfunded project sought to advance deepspace manned missions by developing a 3D-printed module to reliably grow root vegetables—a difficult-to-grow but important crop that can help to fully sustain the nutritional needs of a crew in outer space.
The challenges of growing vegetables in space include maintaining water and nutrient delivery, providing optimal lighting conditions, and creating a support structure for root-zone growth in a microgravity environment. “Manjot’s passion for space exploration was first evident in this NASA project,” said Dean Carrano, “and, not surprisingly, carries through her assignments today at Blue Origin.”
as a C rew syste M s and payloads laU n C h vehicle engineer at Blue Origin, Singh works on the New Shepard program at Launch Site One in West Texas. In her role, she focuses on the crew capsule—the section of the rocket that carries astronauts past the Kármán Line and safely back to Earth.
“My role involves integrating systems that ensure astronaut safety and mission success, from seats and environmental controls to interface hardware,” she explained. “It’s a mix of mechanical engineering, systems thinking, and human-centered design.”
One of Singh’s proudest career moments occurred on April 14, 2025, the day of Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission. The historic launch’s all-female crew featured singer Katy Perry, CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, Black Ops Aviation founder Lauren Sanchez, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, bioastronautics research scientist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
“NS-31 was an incredible milestone and one that I am honored to have been a part of,” said Singh. Before the launch, her team was responsible for preparing the
As a crew systems and payloads launch vehicle engineer, Manjot Singh ’23 participated in Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission on April 14, 2025.
crew capsule and making sure every system was mission-ready—from seating to safety mechanisms. “Being part of such a historic and symbolic launch, especially one focused on representation and inclusion in space, was deeply meaningful, especially as a woman in the aerospace industry.”
Witnessing first-hand how the mission resonated with the public was surreal.
“Engineering often happens behind the scenes,” Singh said. “To see something you’ve worked so hard on resonate with the public and especially inspire the next generation of women in STEM was an unforgettable experience. It reminds me why I chose this field in the first place: to be part of something bigger, something that pushes boundaries.”
Singh credits Fairfield for equipping her with a strong technical foundation while also teaching her how to think critically and communicate effectively—skills that are crucial in the engineering industry. “The small class sizes meant I had direct access to faculty, which helped me dive deeper into my interests,” she said. “And because Fairfield emphasizes ethics and collaboration, I graduated not only as an engineer but as someone ready to work on multidisciplinary teams in high-stakes environments.”
Looking towards the future, Singh said she is excited about upcoming crew missions and Blue Origin’s increasing launch cadence. “Long-term, I’m passionate about advancing technologies that make spaceflight more sustainable and inclusive; being part of that future is what drives me every day.” l F
Timothy Ashley MBA’03 recently retired with nearly 43 years of federal service with 39 years as a financial institution regulator. Ashley worked the last 25 years of his career at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and its predecessor, the Federal Housing Finance Board. Prior to that, he worked 14 years for the Farm Credit Administration (FCA). He finished his 17 years at the FHFA in the Division of Bank Regulation as the Supervisory Examiner of the Examiner Training Branch. A commissioned FCA examiner, commissioned FHFA housing finance examiner, and a certified investments and derivatives auditor, Ashley and his wife Judy live in Lake Frederick, Virginia.
Kiley Ferreri ’16, MA’17 and Jacob Knox ’16 – July 19, 2024.
John Barrasso ’18, MS’19 and Megan Schoenholz ’18 –Sept. 30, 2023.
Catherine Santangelo ’21, MA’22 and Tyler Zikias ’21, MS’22 – June 21, 2025.
John Barrasso ’18, MS’19 and Megan Schoenholz ’18 – son, Jack, May 15, 2025.
Edward I. Dolny MA’55 –June 26, 2025
Patsy S. Pagliarulo ’54, MA’56, CT’63 – May 3, 2025
Anthony A. Costa, Jr. CT’61 –May 16, 2025
Robert L. Garofalo ’61, MA’64, CT’71 – March 18, 2025
Patricia (Dunigan) Silberblatt MA’64 – March 21, 2025
Helen (Riccio) Gallucci MA’66 –June 21, 2025
Raymond C. Knox, Sr. MA’66 –June 28, 2025
Richard C. DeAngelis, Sr. ’63, MA’67 – May 29, 2025
Sr. Marita Charley, O.P. MA’69 –May 30, 2025
Nancy J. (Raphael) Martin MA’75 – April 14, 2025
Margaret E. (Fahey) Annett MA’76 – April 26, 2025
Ann Marie Hannon CT’76 –April 8, 2025
Sr. Virginia B. O’Brien, S.U. MA’82 – March 30, 2025
Beverly J. Coker MS’84 –April 13, 2025
Mary C. (Hudson) Henwood MA’84, CT’85 – June 12, 2025
Christen A. (Fantasia) Hedge MA’95 – June 17, 2025
Don O. Noel, Jr. MFA’13 –June 30, 2025
fairfield.edu/alumni | 203-254-4280
Email us at alumni@fairfield.edu
Alumni & Family Weekend FRI., OCT. 24 – SUN. OCT. 26 For more information, visit fairfield.edu/AFW
Cirque Kikasse: SANTÉ! FRI., OCT. 24 | 5 P.M.
Fairfield University Glee Club
Alumni & Family Weekend Concert SUN., OCT. 26 | 12:30 P.M.
quickcenter.com | 203-254-4010
Follow us! @FairfieldQuick
Rebecca Lazier’s Noli Timere, with sculptures by Janet Echelman (Julie Lemberger)
Rebecca Lazier Noli Timere FRI., SEPT. 26 | 7:30 P.M.
John Pizzarelli and The Swing 7 FRI., OCT. 3 | 7:30 P.M.
Manual Cinema
Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster SUN., OCT. 5 | 3 P.M.
FALL 2025
Emily Coates
Tell Me Where It Comes From THURS., OCT. 9 | 7:30 P.M. FRI., OCT. 10 | 7:30 P.M.
Dan Colley and Company Lost Lear TUES., OCT. 21 | 7 P.M.
Cia Marco Flores Rayuela Sat., NOV. 1 | 8 p.m.
Silkroad Ensemble with Wu Man
American Railroad FRI., NOV. 7 | 7:30 P.M. yMusic FRI., NOV. 14 | 7:30 P.M.
Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum
A Conversation with Eboo Patel, PhD, Founder and President of Interfaith America WED., OCT. 22 | 7:30 P.M.
A Conversation With Scott Jennings MON., OCT. 27 | 7:30 P.M.
John Tasioulas
“The Human Rights Responsibilities of Business: The Difference that AI Makes” WED., OCT. 29 | 7:30 P.M.
Kaitlan Collins
“Good Ethics for Bad News: The New Red Lines of Broadcast Journalism Today” SUN., NOV. 2 | 3 P.M.
An Evening with Padma Lakshmi THURS., NOV. 13 | 7:30 P.M.
Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum: Espresso
Edward Aldrich
“The Partnership: George Marshall, Henry Stimson, and the Extraordinary Collaboration that Won World War II”
TUES., OCT. 7 | 7:30 P.M.
Caroline Angle Maguire, PhD
“Secrets of the Smithsonian: Investigating Looted Collections in America’s Largest Museum Institute” MON., NOV. 24 | 7:30 P.M.
National Theatre Live
Suzie Miller’s Inter Alia MON., SEPT. 29 | 7 P.M.
Mrs. Warren’s Profession TUES., NOV. 18 | 7 P.M.
The Fifth Step TUES., DEC. 9 | 7P.M.
The Met: Live in HD Bellini’s La Sonnambula
SAT., OCT. 18 | 1 P.M. (LIVE)
12 P.M. PRE-SCREENING TALK
Puccini’s La Bohème
SAT., NOV. 8 | 1 P.M. (LIVE)
12 P.M. PRE-SCREENING TALK
6 P.M. (ENCORE)
Strauss’s Arabella
SAT., NOV. 22 | 1 P.M. (LIVE)
12 P.M. PRE-SCREENING TALK
Giordano’s Andrea Chénier
MON., DEC. 15 | 1 P.M. (LIVE)
12 P.M. PRE-SCREENING TALK
Inspired Writers Series presented by the MFA Program
Thomas Chatterton Williams, Staff Writer at The Atlantic TUES., SEPT. 30 | 7:30 P.M.
Fairfield University Theatre Program
An Evening of One-Act Plays by American Playwrights
WED.-SAT., NOV. 5-8 | 7:30 P.M.
SUN., NOV. 9 | 2 P.M.
Fairfield University
Glee Club
A Feast of Carols
FRI., DEC. 5 | 7:30 P.M.
Center for Catholic Studies
fairfield.edu/cs
The 25th Annual Anne Drummey O’Callaghan Lecture on Women in the Church
Heidi Schlumpf, Journalist WED., OCT. 8 | 7 P.M.
The 32nd Annual Christopher F. Mooney, S.J., Lecture in Theology, Religion & Society
Aristotle Papanikolaou, PhD WED., NOV. 12 | 7 P.M.
Bennett Center for Judaic Studies
fairfield.edu/bennett
Daniel Pearl Memorial Concert
“The Golem: A Vision in Sound and Cinema” with the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra THURS., OCT. 30 | 7:30 P.M.
Humanities Institute
David Armitage, PhD
“The Opinions of Mankind: The Global Significance of the U.S. Declaration of Independence”
THURS., NOV. 20 | 5 P.M.
Fairfield University
Art Museum
fairfield.edu/museum | 203-254-4046
Email us at museum@fairfield.edu
Stitching Time: The Social Justice Collaboration Quilts
Project and Give Me Life: CPA Prison Arts Program
SEPT. 12 – DEC. 13
WALSH GALLERY
Wendy Nālani E. Ikemoto Opening Night Lecture
Monuments: Commemoration and Controversy
THURS., SEPT. 18 | 5:30 P.M.
Monuments: Commemoration and Controversy
SEPT. 19 – DEC. 20
BELLARMINE HALL GALLERIES
Marisa Lerer, PhD “Latinx Monuments in the United States”
MON., OCT. 6 | 5 P.M.
Faculty Roundtable: Incarceration in the United States
TUES., OCT. 21 | 5 P.M.
Reunion Weekend 2025 was another one for the record books with the classes of 1975 and 1985 celebrating Fairfield’s largest-ever 50th and 40th reunions, respectively. Five years ago, this cohort of classes had their last reunion postponed due to the pandemic; this year, they came ready to party and make up for lost time.
The classes of 1975, 1995, and 2020 enjoyed private kick-off celebrations on campus on Friday evening, and the Class of 2000 started their milestone 25th Reunion with a reception at the Seagrape. New this year was an event at alumniowned Elicit Brewing Company, where more than 400 guests from seven of the reunion classes enjoyed cocktails and local brews, while alumni bands The Adults and Johnny & The Favorites provided entertainment in the main beer hall. All the events saw great attendance and set the tone for a fun-filled weekend.
On Saturday, the Class of 1975 was inducted into the Golden Stags at a private luncheon with President Mark R. Nemec, PhD. 50th Reunion Committee members Mary Beth Carmody ’75 and John Walker ’75 emceed the program and each classmate had their photo taken with President Nemec as he awarded them their commemorative medal. Meanwhile, the 5th to 45th classes enjoyed the Taste of Fairfield food fair outside the Barone Campus Center, sampling fare from food trucks and local restaurants while listening to music from alumni band St. Hubbins. Rain at the end of the event dampened the day, but not the spirits of our alumni.
Later that afternoon, Professors Emeriti Paul Lakeland, PhD, and Kurt Schlichting ’70, PhD, along with
University Archivist Elise Bochinski, hosted a well-received meet and greet and discussion of their book Success on the Sound: A History of Fairfield University, published last year. All classes then gathered for a special Reunion Mass, during which guests paused to remember their classmates who have passed on. Immediately following Mass, the Class of 2000 gathered for
their 25th Reunion toast, led by Pat Boyle ’00, and a class photo in President Nemec’s office. The weekend’s festivities concluded with the alumni-favorite Dinner Dance on Bellarmine Lawn where, despite an unexpected downpour at the start of the event, more than 1,000 guests had a blast reminiscing, reconnecting, and dancing the night away. l F
To view photo albums from the weekend, visit fairfield.edu/reunionphotos
Chris Santomero and Francesca
Santomero, DC, P’26, met as undergraduates at Le Moyne College. Married for 28 years, they are the proud parents of twins, Christopher ’26 and Calista. Calista is a senior at Boston College and Christopher is a senior at Fairfield. Chris and Francesca are grateful to see their children grounded in Jesuit values—both at home and through their education—and inspired to follow in their parents’ footsteps by pursuing their degrees at Jesuit Catholic institutions.
The Santomero family lives in Greenwich, Conn. Chris is the third-generation owner of Lordae Management, a privately held commercial real estate company based in New York that has been family-operated since 1952. Francesca, a doctor of chiropractic medicine, previously ran her own practice in Pleasantville, N.Y., before retiring in 2001 to dedicate her time to raising their children and caring for her mother.
The Santomero twins have been involved in the Lordae family business for many years, quickly becoming integral to the company. Their interest and success in roles at Lordae Management helped guide and confirm their academic paths. Christopher is majoring in business management with a focus on finance and entrepreneurship at Fairfield’s
The Santomeros see their contributions and involvement as a meaningful way to give back, celebrate Fairfield, and embody what the Jesuit mission is all about.
Charles F. Dolan School of Business, and Calista is pursuing similar studies in Boston.
Looking back on the college search process, the Santomeros think their son Christopher’s experience at Fordham Preparatory School was a significant catalyst for his decision to attend Fairfield; he understood the impact of the Jesuit tradition. “Within 15 minutes of touring Fairfield University, Christopher turned to us and said this is the place for him,” said Francesca.
As parents, they were excited to see this clarity and enthusiasm in their son, and agreed that Fairfield seemed like the right fit. “My wife and I were so pleased with what we saw and what we heard from the teachers, deans, and students,” said Chris. “We were immediately comfortable knowing that the education and C
influence Fairfield would have on him would be aligned with what we want for our children and family.”
Over the years, as Chris and Francesca became more familiar with opportunities, initiatives, and areas of impact within the Fairfield community, they felt inspired to deepen their involvement. Today, they are active members of the Executive Parents Leadership Council and regularly attend the Fairfield Awards Dinner, a signature event benefiting scholarships. They also support The Parents Fund and the St. Ignatius Scholarship Fund—both directly expand access, enrich the student experience, and enhance campus resources.
The Santomeros see their contributions and involvement as a meaningful way to give back, celebrate Fairfield, and
embody what the Jesuit mission is all about.
As Christopher embarks on his senior year, Francesca and Chris believe more than ever that their son is in the right place. “He has taken tremendous pride in being a student at Fairfield. He recruits everyone he knows to go to Fairfield, and he speaks so highly of each and every aspect of the school,” Francesca said.
The Santomeros take great pride in the growth they’ve seen in their son—intellectually, spiritually, and personally. As Christopher prepares for the next chapter, Francesca and Chris are thankful to have participated in Fairfield’s tightknit community with him and share in his Stag spirit.
Parent participation—through the Parents Fund, the Parents Leadership Council, and The President’s Circle — plays a critical role in elevating Fairfield experiences for all students.
Learn how you can join parents like Rob and Vidhya Kelly, P’28 in making a difference at fairfield.edu/parents
Be on the lookout for more details about the Parents & Family Challenge, coming this October!
The Parents Fund allows parents to contribute a gift of any size to urgent priorities, to ensure students’ access to holistic academic programming, student life, financial aid, and health and wellness services, all rooted in Jesuit values.
The Parents Leadership Council (PLC) is a network of generous parents committed to enhancing the University through millions of dollars in support for the Parents Fund, scholarships, athletics, and more. Gifts at the PLC level begin at $5,000 annually, with additional benefits at the Executive PLC level, where the minimum annual gift is $25,000. Members enjoy exclusive opportunities such as signature events with senior leadership and mission-driven programming.
The President’s Circle invites parents to make a gift of $1,000 or more each fiscal year to help shape all aspects of our University.
The Honor Your Graduate Program is a Fairfield tradition that recognizes your student’s achievements and honors their experiences with a gift of any size or a Capstone Scholarship gift of $10,000 or more.
For more information, contact: Office of Parent Engagement & Philanthropy (203) 254-4000 ext. 3276 parents@fairfield.edu
Address Service Requested
Alumni and parents have a unique opportunity to shape the future of today’s Stags. By hosting a student—either in person or virtually—you’ll give them valuable insight into your industry, career path, and daily work.
Visit fairfield.edu/jobshadow to learn more and watch for registration emails this fall. It’s a great way to give back, build your brand, and connect with top Fairfield talent.