The History of Fairfield University
Fairfield University is a comprehensive Jesuit institution that prepares students for leadership and service in a constantly changing world. Founded in 1942 after the purchase of the adjoining estates of Jennings and Lashar off North Benson Road in Fairfield, the University has grown from an initial class of 303 undergraduate male students admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences in 1947 into a coeducational university of more than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Along the way, the University has awarded more than 45,000 degrees since 1951, and has developed a reputation for educational excellence both regionally and nationally.
The Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., assumed the presidency of Fairfield University in July 2004, becoming the eighth Jesuit to hold the position since the institution's founding in 1942. He succeeds John McEleney, S.J. (1941), James H. Dolan, S.J. (1944), Joseph Fitzgerald, S.J. (1951), James Fitzgerald, S.J. (1958), William McInnes, S.J. (1964), Thomas Fitzgerald, S.J. (1973), and Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. (1979).
Presidents of Fairfield University | Honorary Degrees Awarded
| 1942 | Fairfield College of St. Robert Bellarmine, Inc. purchased two adjoining estates in Fairfield |
| Fairfield College-Preparatory School opened classes in a four-year program | |
| 1945 | Fairfield University was chartered by the State of Connecticut to grant degrees |
| 1947 | First class of 303 male students was admitted to the College of Arts and Sciences |
| 1949 | College of Arts and Sciences was accredited by the State of Connecticut |
| First summer session of undergraduate courses was held | |
| 1950 | First graduate classes in education were held on a coeducation basis |
| Education Program for teacher certification was accredited by the State of Connecticut | |
| 1951 | First Graduation Class |
| 1953 | Fairfield University was admitted to fully accredited membership in the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools |
| 1963 | Graduate Department of Education became the Graduate School of Education |
| 1966 | Graduate School of Corporate and Political Communication opened |
| 1970 | Women were admitted to all undergraduate programs |
| Undergraduate School of Nursing admitted to its first class | |
| 1972 | Center for Lifetime Learning offered its first courses |
| Graduated first class of women | |
| 1975 | Connecticut Center for Continuing Education became part of the University |
| 1978 | School of Business was established |
| 1979 | School of Continuing Education was established |
| 1981 | School of Business offered its first Master of Science degree program in Financial Management |
| 1982 | Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions merged with School of Continuing Education to form the School of Graduate and Continuing Education |
| 1987 | The School of Graduate and Continuing Education was separated into two schools: The School of Continuing Education and the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions |
| 1989 | Acquired the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur property |
| 1990 | Graduate School of Communication closed |
| 1994 | Acquired Bridgeport Engineering Institute. Masters of Science in Nursing and Masters in Business Administration Program offered |
| 1995 | Accepted into Phi Beta Kappa |
| 1997 | Granted accreditation into the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) |
| Master of Arts offered in American Studies | |
| 1998 | Master of Science offered in Management of Technology and Software Engineering |
| 1999 | School of Engineering becomes a separate undergraduate school |
| 2000 | Master of Science offered in Mathematics |
| School of Business named to honor Cablevision founder Charles F. Dolan | |
| 2002 | School of Continuing Education renamed University College |
| 2004 | Fairfield University's eighth president was installed |
| 2008 | MFA in Creative Writing launched |
| 2009 | Master's in Communication offered |
| 2010 | Doctor of Nursing Practice offered Bellarmine Museum opened |
| 2012 | University College closed |