Amid the COVID-19 crisis, new needs have arisen for current and future Fairfield students in the areas of critical financial aid, student wellness, academic response, and spirituality and guidance.
Each of these areas focuses on maintaining academic continuity and the vibrancy of the Fairfield student body as well as ensuring that all students, including the class of 2024, begin and finish their academic journeys.
FAIRFIELD—In an effort to respond to the new and urgent needs of students and their families that have arisen amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Fairfield University has launched the Stags for Stags strategic philanthropic initiative, encouraging generosity to support students in the areas of critical financial aid, student wellness and resiliency, academic response and preparedness, and spirituality and guidance. Each of these areas focuses on maintaining academic continuity and the vibrancy of the Fairfield student body, as well as ensuring that all students, including the class of 2024, begin and finish their academic journeys. Support for the Stags for Stags initiative will also be the focus of the University’s upcoming STAGiving Day on Thursday, June 4.
Many Fairfield University families are facing pandemic-related financial circumstances that could prevent the continuation or start of their educational journeys in the fall. In addition, there is urgency to maintain the health and wellness of every student and assure that academic resources in and outside the classroom are fully accessible to all.
“Each day, I talk to families who have experienced the loss of a job or an event that pushes a Fairfield education out of reach,” explained Vice President of Enrollment Corry Unis. “Additional funds for financial aid will help so many deserving and talented students overcome this obstacle.”
Staying true to Fairfield’s Jesuit values, the University is also aiming to assure support for spiritual guidance and reflection that will provide the strength and resolve to carry students through their days, studies, and service to others. “It is essential that all students, especially first-year students unfamiliar with campus can seek the guidance, support, comfort, and sense of community through God that is a hallmark of the Fairfield experience,” said Rev. Gerry Blaszczak, S.J., vice president for Mission and Ministry.
Additionally, support from the community is paramount to enhance the educational experience of Fairfield student-athletes. Fairfield Athletics is in the planning process for varsity programs to return to campus to compete at the highest level. Fairfield’s Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann explained, “Support towards the operational needs of each program provides Stag student-athletes with the requisite resources to compete for championships and supplement scholarship allocations that can be used to help them get through these uncertain times.”
Many members of the Fairfield family have already given support or expressed interest in helping current and incoming students— a testament to the Stag community’s commitment to others. The Stags for Stags initiative is a way of sharing Fairfield students’ most urgent needs with community members seeking ways to provide philanthropic support.
“Stags for Stags is an urgent call to action,” says Fairfield’s Vice President for University Advancement Wally Halas. “It is a meaningful moment when our community will once again come together guided by our Jesuit values and belief, that providing an education is and always will be the way we can improve our world.”
To support Fairfield students’ immediate needs or to learn more about the University’s Stags for Stags initiative, visit fairfield.edu/stagsforstags.
Media Contact: Susan Cipollaro, scipollaro@fairfield.edu, 203.254.4000 ext. 2726
Fairfield University is a modern, Jesuit Catholic university rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from the U.S. and across the globe are pursuing degrees in the University’s five schools. Fairfield embraces a liberal humanistic approach to education, encouraging critical thinking, cultivating free and open inquiry, and fostering ethical and religious values. The University is located on a stunning 200-acre campus on the scenic Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.
