Fairfield U., Diocese of Bridgeport join in plan to offer degrees to underprivileged

Fairfield University is exploring plans for a new academic unit that would offer an associate degree to students from low-income families and under-represented communities, primarily in the surrounding Bridgeport region.

University President Mark R. Nemec said that the proposed initiative, to be undertaken in partnership with the Diocese of Bridgeport, represents a major step toward increased educational access at a critical time.

Nemec said the groundwork for the proposal was laid by work undertaken last year by the President”™s Commission on Educational Access, chaired by former dean of the School of Education and Human Development Robert D. Hannafin.

“This initiative is designed to improve upward mobility and career trajectory for students not currently served by Fairfield University,” he said. “The initiative offers a pathway to a four-year degree and life-time learning. We believe that Fairfield University can leverage its current position of strength to build on existing efforts and establish the university as a leader in educational access in our own community.”

The university will continue to work with the Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano, bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, the diocesan staff, and other community partners to move the project forward.

Nemec said the plans for the new educational outreach “bring the university and the diocese together to build on the historic achievement of the Catholic Church in contributing to the quality and availability of education in Fairfield County. There is much enthusiasm and commitment to this initiative which expands our relationship with the diocese as we work to realize greater diversity equity and inclusion, which is part of a much larger and ongoing effort to bring new hope and opportunity through education.”

On July 31, the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Diocese of Bridgeport and Fairfield University announced a strategic partnership to supports pathways to higher education, and a platform for access to the university”™s resources for the people of the diocese and the greater Bridgeport community.

The partnership with the diocese, “Pathways to Higher Learning,” consists of ongoing projects and joint initiatives, some of which are already underway, to empower students through ongoing learning, mentoring, and service opportunities.

Current initiatives include The Bridgeport Tuition Grant program, which provides full-tuition scholarships for eligible students whose family incomes is less than $50,000 a year; the Community Scholars Program, which offers full-tuition scholarships for top-performing students, including those from diocesan schools; and the Aquinas Fellowship Program, which provides tuition support for diocesan teachers to attend graduate programs at Fairfield University.