Issuu

Victory in Motion

Urgent Questions

Deep Learning

Fairfield Dolan alumnus Drew Arciuolo ’18 helps propel his family’s legacy forward at VKTRY Gear.

Fairfield biology students and professors are taking on cancer, climate change, and wildlife conservation.

Fairfield researchers are ethically applying AI to environmental challenges.

Fairfieldmagazine UNIVERSITY

SPRING 2026

For Which It Stands... The Fairfield University Art Museum is marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with an exhibition centered on the American flag.

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Where Spring Lingers Photo by Joe Adams

After winter loosens its grip, the Quad awakens in a soft burst of spring hues. On the cover: Running Jan. 23 through July 25, 2026, Fairfield University Art Museum’s landmark exhibition, For Which It Stands…, marks the 250th birthday— the semiquincentennial—of the United States. Photo by Joe Adams

Fairfield University Magazine Fairfield University Spring 2026 | Volume 48 | Number 4 a.m.d.g. Editor, Jeannine (Carolan) Graf ’87, MFA’25 Managing Editor, Jackie Bertolone 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: pages 2-4, 9, 14-24, 28, 29, 31, 33 Joe Buglewicz: page 8 Indi DelRocco: pages 12, 13 Tom DiPirro: page 5 GrayPeak: pages 24, 26 Kristie Kistner: page 7 Roy Knight: page 39 Stockton: page 12 Cortney Wood: page 11 Contributed: pages 5-7, 10, 11, 28, 30, 32, 34-40 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 ii

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Contents

“...l’ve encountered the enduring bonds of Stag Country—marked by pride in this institution, gratitude for its impact, and a shared commitment to the values that unite us.” — M ark R. N e m ec , P h D, University President

COV E R STO RY

Victory in Motion

For Which It Stands...

by D rew K i ng s ley ’07

by K i e rste n B jork ’21

Fairfield Dolan alumnus Drew Arciuolo ’18 The Fairfield University Art Museum helps propel his family’s legacy forward at is marking the 250th anniversary of the VKTRY Gear. signing of the Declaration of Independence with a major loan exhibition centered on the As vice president of marketing, Drew Arciuolo ’18 American flag. is taking his family’s business to new heights— boosting not only VKTRY Gear’s growth, but the performance of more than 700,000 athletes worldwide who wear the company’s aerospacegrade carbon fiber VKTRY Performance Insoles. Pictured above: Drew Arciuolo and VKTRY VP of Finance Kevin Radziewicz ’18 at the company’s Milford, Conn., headquarters.

For Which It Stands… examines the flag as symbol and subject through more than 70 works spanning from World War I to the present, featuring artists such as Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Robert Rauschenberg, and others. Pictured above: Carey Mack Weber, Frank and Clara Meditz Executive Director of the Fairfield University Art Museum, curated the landmark exhibition.

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Fairfieldmagazine UN IVE RSIT Y

4 5 14

SPRING 2026

l e t t e r f ro m t h e p r e s i d e n t u n ive rs ity n ews r e s e a rc h

Deep Learning b y B e lla P od gors ki

Fairfield researchers are ethically applying AI to environmental challenges. c o mmu n i t y

A Coalition of Care

b y B rad T homas

Fairfield Egan is helping to reshape pediatric palliative care in Connecticut.

27 Urgent Questions by S ara C olab e lla ’08, MA’11

Fairfield biology students and professors are taking on cancer, climate change, and wildlife conservation.

30 32

g rants & g i fts a l um n i n ot e s

P rof i le s : 33 Cyndi Adams MA’23 Challenging Misconceptions of Dyslexia 35 Fred O’Neill ’79 Working at the Car Wash

39 40

a rt s & m i n d s ca l e n da r d o n o r p ro f i l e

Eileen (Ingram) Cavanaugh ’89

From diseases demanding new treatments to ecosystems under stress and species facing extinction, research teams in the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences are confronting urgent questions—and translating scientific inquiry into real-world impact. Pictured above: Samantha Diiorio ’26 conducts research at the Phelan Lab in Bannow Science Center.

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Letter from the President

“Our students are formed to understand leadership as responsibility and education as a call to the common good.”

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.

Dear Friends, Spring is a season of renewal—a time to pause in gratitude for what has been accomplished, while also looking ahead with confidence and purpose. At Fairfield University, this spirit of momentum and possibility is palpable, rooted in our enduring Jesuit, Catholic mission and evident in the extraordinary students who choose Fairfield. This year, we received the largest applicant pool in our University history, including our largest cohort of Early Decision I applicants. Students applied from 49 states and more than 65 countries, with continued growth in applications from Jesuit and Cristo Rey schools— an affirmation that our mission resonates with students seeking intellectual rigor, ethical formation, and purpose in service of the greater good. Our Early Action pool was the most selective in Fairfield’s history, with an admit rate of 22 percent. While selectivity alone is never the measure of who we are, it signals something important: Fairfield is increasingly recognized as a university where students are challenged to think deeply, supported to grow fully, and prepared to lead lives of purpose. This entering class’s talent, drive, and commitment to community give me great confidence in our future. Fairfield continues to serve as a forum for dialogue and discernment in a complex and changing world. We welcomed distinguished national voices—including Ken Burns, Elaine Pagels, Eboo Patel, and Thomas Chatterton Williams—whose visits brought perspective, discussion, and reflection to our community. These encounters reflect our belief that education flourishes when ideas are engaged thoughtfully and differences are met with respect.

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The life of the mind is animated through the arts in our yearlong suite of America250: The Promise and Paradox programming. Fairfield University Art Museum’s exhibition, For Which It Stands…, invites us to examine our history honestly, nurture understanding, and imagine the future with both clarity and hope. Our integration of civic life into the student experience earned Fairfield the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, a national designation held by only 277 institutions. At Fairfield, community engagement is central to who we are. It is present in our classrooms and laboratories, in our service and scholarship, and in our partnerships across the region. Our students are formed to understand leadership as responsibility and education as a call to the common good. I have been reminded recently of the strength and reach of the Fairfield community far beyond campus. In my travels to visit with prospective students and alumni across the nation, I’ve encountered the enduring bonds of Stag Country—marked by pride in this institution, gratitude for its impact, and a shared commitment to the values that unite us. A recent pilgrimage with our Trustees to Paris and Venice further deepened my appreciation for the power of history, faith, and human creativity to shape not only societies, but individual lives. These experiences reaffirm that Fairfield’s story is not confined to a place. It lives in people—in the students full of hope and determination, in the alumni who carry Fairfield into the world, and in the faculty and staff whose daily work advances our mission. With appreciation for what has been achieved, confidence in the promise of what lies ahead, and hope for all we will continue to build together, I wish you and your family a joyful and renewing spring season. With utmost gratitude and very best wishes,

Mark R. Nemec, PhD President

Universit y NEWS FAIRFIELD DOLAN LAUNCHES NEW PODCAST ON AI

Shaping the Future

Business professors from the Charles F. Dolan School of Business have launched a new podcast called Ai4U, featuring expert guests from industry and academia who share real-world insights and practical strategies for using AI effectively. The Ai4U podcast, hosted by Jie Tao, DSc, associate professor of business analytics and director of the AI and Tech Institute at Fairfield Dolan provides listeners with an ongoing guide to mastering AI for real-world results. Ai4U is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Podbean.

PRESIDENT NEMEC HOSTS COLLOQUIUM SERIES

nvited business and community leaders met last semester in Bellarmine Hall for a series of conversations led by President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, on the challenges and opportunities facing higher education. From civic formation, to NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) policy, to emerging AI tools, topics focused on how institutions can navigate rapid change with clear values and realistic expectations. Discussions centered on how Fairfield University—as a regional anchor—can broaden pathways to opportunity, strengthen our local economy, and prepare students to lead meaningful, purposeful lives. Dr. Nemec emphasized that across Fairfield’s primary arenas—classroom, competition, and innovation—our charge is the same: to act with clarity, form persons for others, and stay ahead of the curve. The premise, he noted, is straightforward: institutions thrive when they align mission with measurable outcomes and lead change without losing their compass. The task is to plan continually, even as the terrain is shifting.

The first episode, “The End of Prompt and Pray,” was produced alongside Philip Maymin, PhD, associate professor of analytics at Fairfield Dolan.

“AI UNPACKED” A Campus Connect event in fall 2025 brought together two faculty experts: Anca Micu, PhD, senior associate dean of the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, and Tommy Xie, PhD, associate professor of English and director of the Digital Journalism program in the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences, for an engaging conversation on the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, titled “AI Unpacked: Understanding the Technology Transforming Our World.”

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FAIRFIELD MEDITZ STUDENTS SHOWCASE NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH Faculty mentors Shannon M. Harding, PhD, and Karl T. Schmidt, PhD, accompanied students in Fairfield’s Behavioral Neuroscience program to San Diego for the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Annual Meeting in Nov. 2025. Fairfield Meditz students Sofia Nelson ’26 and Pilar Mengotti Estrada ’26 presented research on parsing the anxiogenic and anorexic effects of cocaine. “Presenting on the main floor provided a valuable opportunity to share research we had worked diligently to complete and to connect with faculty from all over the world conducting similar research,” said Nelson. Fairfield Meditz’s Marikate Kenny ’26 and Claire Supernant ’26, shared research on how social isolation stress can lead to depression-like behaviors in laboratory rodents. Dr. Schmidt, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences, led a workshop focused on mentoring undergraduate researchers in neuroscience.

EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP Kathryn E. Phillips, PhD, APRN, CHSE, professor of nursing at Fairfield Egan, was honored by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) with the 2025 Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship. The principal investigator of a $2.59 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Dr. Phillips’ research focuses on designing an effective curriculum that fosters resilience-building, increasing the number of certified nurse practitioners, and building and sustaining strong academic-clinical partnerships to train the next generation of psychiatric nurses. The overarching objective is to improve clinical outcomes.

Research in Action “DO WE REALLY HAVE FREE WILL?”

n Nov. 15, Gregg Caruso, PhD, director of Fairfield’s Patrick J. Waide Center for Applied Ethics and professor of management in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, participated in a sold-out town hall debate in Doha, Qatar. The debate, organized by the Doha Debates media organization, explored the question: “Do we really have free will?” Moderated by Imran Garda, a South African journalist, the panel discussion examined the implications of free will for everyday ethics, the justice system, and forgiveness. Dr. Caruso shared the stage with Jeremy Koons, a professor of philosophy at Georgetown University in Qatar, and Omar Suleiman, an internationally recognized scholar and activist for human rights. above : Gregg Caruso, PhD, director of the Patrick J. Waide Center for Applied Ethics, took part in a Doha

Debates town hall event in Qatar, alongside fellow ethics scholars.

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Universit y NEWS FRANCES FORREST, PhD, IS PART OF LANDMARK GLOBAL OLDOWAN STUDY Biological anthropologist and zooarchaeologist Frances Forrest studies early human behavior, stone tools, and ancient ecologies spanning nearly three million years. Each summer, she conducts fieldwork in Kenya, most recently at the Namorotukunan site in the Koobi Fora region near the Ethiopia-Kenya border. For this particular project, she worked with a team of about 20 researchers, 20 students, and support staff as part of an international collaboration. The site Dr. Forrest and her team recently published on is extraordinary: it preserves one of the longest sequences of Oldowan stone tools dating from 2.75 to 2.44 million years ago. below: Frances Forrest, PhD, assistant professor of

sociology and anthropology in the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences, conducts fieldwork in Kenya.

THE COASTAL CALL PODCAST Fairfield’s Center for Climate, Coastal, and Marine Studies has launched a new podcast, The Coastal Call. The podcast brings listeners to the frontlines of impactful, institution-wide research on our changing coasts and climate. Host Rob Nazarian, PhD, founding director of the research-based, interdisciplinary Center, welcomes expert guests who share latest discoveries in climate and environmental studies. The podcast spotlights faculty and student–faculty research that supports the University’s Jesuit Catholic mission of social responsibility, while fostering meaningful conversations with leading climate and coastal experts. Each episode aims to connect cutting-edge science with real-world environmental challenges. The Coastal Call is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Google Podcasts, and Podbean.

Emily Ott, an Executive DBA candidate, met on campus with fellow DBA candidates.

HOW GENERATIONS SHAPE THE WORKPLACE Emily Ott, a candidate in the first-ever cohort of Fairfield Dolan’s Executive Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) program conducted a study of how Generation Z employees and Millennial managers relate to one another—and where their management styles diverge. Ott’s mixed-methods study leveraged survey-based structural equation modeling (SEM). She also conducted interviews with 40+ Gen Z employees and Millennial managers. Although motivational differences between generations often go unnoticed in the workplace, through her dissertation research, Ott found that Millennial managers are more likely to remain in roles where they feel valued than in those that simply offer the highest pay. A hallmark of the Executive DBA program is close faculty mentorship; Ott has been guided throughout her research by Mousumi Bose Godbole, PhD, associate professor of marketing and director of the MBA program.

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MURPHY CENTER TO HOST NATIONAL CONFERENCE, JUNE 2026 Fairfield’s Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality will host a groundbreaking National Conference for Spiritual Exercises (NCSE), “Showing the Way to God: A Conference for Practitioners of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius,” June 13–15, 2026. This event will welcome all who guide or accompany others through the Spiritual Exercises. The two-day event “will explore important dynamics of the Spiritual Exercises that directly address the complexity and diversity of the people of God in the modern world,” said Rev. Denis Donoghue, S.J., director of the Murphy Center. Designed as a unique space for learning, collaboration, and renewal, the conference will feature three keynote presentations and a robust slate of workshops led by leading scholars, practitioners, and Ignatian formation experts.

MFA INSPIRED WRITERS SERIES HOSTS GEORGE PACKER The John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences’ MFA in Creative Writing Program welcomed National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist author George Packer to the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts for an Inspired Writers Series event in January. For the past two decades, Packer has been America’s preeminent chronicler of modern America. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic, and author of The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America (winner of the National Book Award), The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq, and Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century. 8

National Recognition “AMERICAN FRONTIERS”

he School of Engineering and Computing presented “American Frontiers: Fairfield Alumni at the Edge of Earth, Sea, and Space” as part of the Robert “Bob” Sobolewski ’70 Family Distinguished Speaker Series. Part of Fairfield’s America250: The Promise and Paradox programming, “American Frontiers” showcased three Fairfield alumni making a mark in their respective fields and driving the next era of discovery—from missions to Mars and microgravity research, to deep-sea exploration and development of military technologies: NASA Jet Propulsion Lab’s Joe Sauvageau ’79, PhD; Blue Origin’s Manjot Singh ’23; and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab’s Stephanie Brij-Raj ’21. After their individual presentations, Andres Leonardo Carrano, PhD, dean of the School of Engineering & Computing, led a panel discussion with all three alumni, drawing out more of their personal insights. Brij-Raj spoke about APL’s lunar-dust research, aimed at enabling a sustainable presence on the moon. Dr. Sauvageau offered his analysis of the perennial moon-versusMars debate, explaining that current priorities suggest “Moon first, then Mars.”

above : Fairfield alumni discussed their engineering careers in a panel conversation with Dean Andres

Leonardo Carrano, PhD.

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Universit y NEWS FAIRFIELD EARNS 2026 CARNEGIE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CLASSIFICATION Fairfield University has earned the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, a prestigious national designation recognizing institutions of higher education that demonstrate deep, sustained, and institutionwide commitment to community engagement. The classification is valid through 2032. Fairfield is one of 277 institutions nationwide to receive the designation in this cycle, which is administered by the American Council on Education, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The classification is based on a rigorous, evidence-based process that examines how colleges and universities collaborate with communities for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources.

TOP 9% FINISH IN NATIONAL CYBER LEAGUE COMPETITION

Among the academic highlights submitted for the classification was Fairfield University’s partnership with Loyola High School in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which has spanned more than a decade, guided by shared Jesuit values and focused on strengthening teaching, learning, infrastructure, and intercultural understanding. Fairfield’s community engagement efforts also extend locally and regionally through learning opportunities that address education, environmental sustainability, and civic participation. The University partners with a wide range of community organizations—including Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, Caroline House, Catalyst CT, PT Partners, and Beardsley Zoo, among many others—to provide mutually beneficial collaborations for students and faculty.

This fall, an undergraduate team from Fairfield University’s School of Engineering and Computing competed in the National Cyber League (NCL) competition. The Fairfield team placed in the top nine percent of competitors with a rank of 379 out of 4,214 teams, securing a Platinum Team Medal. Fairfield team members featured Viktor Nikolov ’26, a computer science major and president of the Computer Science Society. He competed alongside Kristopher Marte ’27, Jan Salafia ’27, and Agustin Gonzalez Jr. ’28, with guidance from assistant professor of cybersecurity, Akshay Mathur, PhD. The team’s achievement comes at a pivotal time. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 29 percent increase in demand for information security analysts from 2024 to 2034, far exceeding the average rate of job growth in the United States.

below: Partnerships with area schools and community

organizations provide mutually beneficial collaborations.

The National Cyber League is one of the nation’s largest and most competitive cybersecurity training platforms.

FALL CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS Fall 2025 was rich with connection, discovery, and professional growth for members of Fairfield’s School of Engineering & Computing who attended: • The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) WE25 Conference in New Orleans • The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) National Convention in Philadelphia • The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting in San Diego • The Tau Beta Pi Convention in Albuquerque F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e | s p r i n g 2026 9

STUDENTS VISIT MLB, WELLS FARGO, AND MORE The Dolan Career Development Center recently organized site visits to Major League Baseball, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo, Horizon Media, Prosek Partners, and other industry leaders, giving students the opportunity to network with professionals, connect with alumni, and gain firsthand exposure into potential careers across media, communications, sports, and financial services. On Sept. 30, students visited Horizon Media in New York City for insights into media and advertising, followed by a Nov. 6 visit to Prosek Partners to explore public relations, digital marketing, and financial communications. Students also toured Major League Baseball’s headquarters, learning from alumni about cross-functional collaboration, marketing, strategy, and the skills needed to succeed in the sports industry. In financial services, students visited Wells Fargo’s Hudson Yards office on Nov. 4 and Merrill Lynch’s Fairfield office on Nov. 13 to participate in fireside chats, panel discussions, and networking lunches that provided guidance on investment banking, wealth management, and corporate banking career paths.

Stags visited the MLB headquarters for industry insights from Fairfield alumni.

Experiential Education STUDENTS STEP INTO GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP AT THE U.N.

very fall, Fairfield University students join scholars from fellow Jesuit institutions on a visit to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, sponsored by the Center for Social Impact. On Oct. 14, eight Fairfield students representing seven different countries visited the U.N. for the annual Global Citizen Trip. The students included Allison Visser ’29, Martina Rosero ’29, Mim Rahman FB’26, Ayesha Vohra FB’26, Katherin Garcia Flores AS’25, ’27, Alexandra Camarena ’29, Francisco Martinez AA’25, ’27, and graduate student Sidhartha Kumar Pradhan. The group toured the U.N., attended a special discussion with William O’Brien, a U.N. independent expert on the human rights situation in Haiti, and concluded the day with a briefing from Camille Marinelli ’18, director of communications at Concern Worldwide U.S. In collaboration with the Jesuit Universities Humanitarian Action Network (JUHAN), students and faculty from the University of Scranton and Fordham University joined the Fairfield cohort, strengthening students’ connections to the broader Jesuit college community. above : Fairfield students visited the United Nations Headquarters in New York City for the annual Global Citizen

Trip, hosted by the Center for Social Impact.

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Universit y NEWS

BITE-SIZED

PARALYMPIAN COLLEEN YOUNG ’20 INSPIRES STUDENTS

airfield University students, including members of the men’s and women’s swimming & diving teams, filled the Oak Room last October to welcome back swimmer Colleen Young ’20, a four-time Paralympian, fourtime Paralympic medalist, and proud alumna of the Fairfield University women’s swimming & diving team. The event, titled “Colleen Young: Chasing Greatness, High-Performance Athletics and Disability,” was planned by the Disability Awareness Club and Disability Awareness Committee, hosted by committee founder Christopher (Tripp) Lyons ’26 and club founder Maddie Babcock ’26. Young encouraged students to take initiative with the confidence that anything is possible. Since 2013, Young—who is legally blind and was born with albinism—has competed in the S13 vision impairment classification. She has medaled at every major international competition, including Paralympic Games and World Championships. Her signature events are the 100m breaststroke and the 200m individual medley.

Fairfield University Theatre Program welcomed audiences to its fall production of Bite-Sized: Delightfully Unusual Short Plays by American Playwrights, which played at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts in early November. Formerly known as Theatre Fairfield, students in the newly rebranded Fairfield University Theatre Program produced, directed, designed, and starred in Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick… BOOM! in February. The first-ever co-production with the Quick Center and the Glee Club will take place this April—a staged concert of Big River: In Concert a musical adaptation of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The performance is part of America250: The Promise and Paradox programming at Fairfield.

The company of Fairfield University Theatre Program’s fall production, Bite-Sized.

below: Alumna swimmer Colleen Young ’20 posed for a photo with the Fairfield University men’s and women’s

swimming & diving teams.

PADMA LAKSHMI HEADLINES ELIASOPH OVF EVENT AT QUICK CENTER On Dec. 18, food expert, television host, and New York Times best-selling author Padma Lakshmi visited Fairfield University to share her encounters on the Hulu food and travel documentary series Taste the Nation, as part of the Quick Center’s Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum. Before a book signing of her latest publication, Padma’s All American—A Cookbook, Lakshmi recounted stories of the immigrant and indigenous food cultures whose recipes and traditions are featured in the book.

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HANNAH SNAYD WINS SECOND STRAIGHT MAAC TITLE Reigning MAAC Women’s Cross Country Champion Hannah Snayd ’27 beat the field by more than 15 seconds to retain her crown and lead Fairfield University at the 2025 MAAC Championship on Nov. 1. The Stags’ fifth-place team finish at Twin Ponds on the Farm in Montgomery, N.Y., matches the program’s bestever showing at a conference championship. Snayd completed the 6K course in 20:04.8 to take home her second straight individual MAAC Championship. She is the only Fairfield Cross Country runner—women’s or men’s—to ever claim the conference title. Snayd’s time eclipsed her mark on the same course in the 2024 season championship race by 33.5 seconds. The Fairfield runners jumped up to fifth place on the team ledger to improve upon a ninth place performance in 2024. The Stags previously finished fifth in 1983, 1992, 1994, 2010, and 2012.

(l-r) Hannah Snayd ’27 and Cross Country Head Coach Jake Jayworth celebrate Snayd’s Most Outstanding Runner award.

Season of Champions STAGS WIN THIRD CONSECUTIVE VOLLEYBALL MAAC CHAMPIONSHIP

or the third consecutive season, Fairfield University Volleyball is the champion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The top-seeded Stags swept thirdseeded Rider at Leo D. Mahoney Arena to raise the MAAC Championship Trophy for the 15th time in program history. Fairfield’s “three-peat” is the first in the MAAC since the Stags won three in a row from 2015-17. The Stags also previously won five straight from 1997-2001. Fairfield’s 15 MAAC Championships and 15 NCAA postseason appearances are both conference records. Harlan Wyche ’28 was named the MAAC Championship MVP after putting down 10 kills on .643 hitting with nine blocks in the weekend wins over Canisius and Rider. She was joined on the All-Championship Team by Mamie Krubally ’27 and Maya Walker ’26. Fairfield Volleyball concluded the 2025 season with a loss at #17 Minnesota in the NCAA Championship First Round in Minneapolis. The Stags capped their third consecutive MAAC Championship campaign with a record of 25-6 and went 17-1 in conference play to lock up the 24th MAAC Regular Season Championship in program history.

above : Fairfield volleyball celebrates its third straight MAAC Championship after sweeping Rider

at Leo D. Mahoney Arena.

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Universit y NEWS FIELD HOCKEY CONCLUDES HISTORIC 2025 CAMPAIGN The Fairfield University Field Hockey program rewrote the history books in fall 2025, claiming their second consecutive NEC Championship, entering the national rankings, and going on to win an NCAA postseason game. The NEC Championship was Fairfield’s second straight and fourth in seven seasons as a member of the conference. This year’s crown was captured at home on University Field for the first time as Fairfield defeated Wagner in the finals. The Stags also won their fourth NEC Regular Season Championship with a 9-0 league mark. below: In her first year at the helm, Head Coach

Laura Gebhart led the Stags to their second consecutive NEC Championship, a national ranking, and an NCAA postseason win.

On the heels of winning the conference crown, the Stags entered the NFHCA Coaches’ Poll for the first time since 2019, checking in at #20. The Stags’ NCAA draw sent them to Princeton for a First-Round meeting with Patriot League Champion Boston University. Rylee LaLoup scored the game’s only goal and Payton Rahn ’26 turned away all four shots she faced to secure a 1-0 victory for Fairfield to advance to the NCAA Second Round for the second time in program history. Two days later, the Stags played to an even 1-1 draw with #3 Princeton for more than 20 minutes as Pilar Mengotti ’26 earned the Fairfield goal off an assist from Catalina Ness ’27. However, the Tigers netted a second tally and later tacked on an empty net goal to close out a 3-1 final. Fairfield Field Hockey concluded the 2025 season with a record of 16-6.

PILAR MENGOTTI ’26 NAMED NFHCA ALL-AMERICAN On the heels of a landmark 2025 NEC Championship season for Fairfield’s field hockey team, Pilar Mengotti ’26 earned a berth to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America Third Team. Mengotti is the first Stag to earn a spot on the NFHCA All-America team since her former teammate Lucie Vincent received Third Team laurels following the 2023 campaign. Mengotti enjoyed one of her best overall seasons with the Stags in 2025, ranking among the Fairfield leaders in both offensive and defensive categories. She finished second on the team in scoring with 26 points, registering 10 goals and six assists—including a goal in the NCAA Championship Second Round against second-seeded and nationally ranked #3 Princeton University. The All-America accolade adds to Mengotti’s impressive 2025 résumé, which also includes a spot on the NFHCA All-Mideast Region Team. She collected the NEC Defensive Player of the Year and All-NEC First Team honors for her contributions during the Stags’ unbeaten run through the Northeast Conference.

Pilar Mengotti ’26 was named to the All-America Third Team.

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Deep Learning Fairfield researchers are ethically applying AI to environmental challenges. by B e lla P od gors ki

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“AI ethics sets the compass, establishing a solid foundation for developing future AI systems that are safe, secure, and trustworthy.” S i di ke P ah e di ng , P h D, Associate Professor of Computer Science

n a m o n ito r i n th e

School of Engineering and Computing’s Artificial Intelligence Lab, Nusrat Zahan MS’25 peers at a murky underwater image clouded by silt and shadow. As her lines of code run, the footage sharpens—revealing the vibrant reds, blues, and yellows of invasive fish species that threaten the fragile reef ecosystem. A few feet away, a graduate student is surrounded by glowing screens of geospatial and soil data. He is training a machinelearning model to help monitor geotechnical infrastructure—analyzing ground conditions to determine whether soil can safely support buildings and other foundations, particularly as extreme weather events become more frequent. This kind of transformation—turning raw, unreadable data into actionable insights—is at the heart of the work underway in Fairfield’s AI Lab. Leading the charge is Sidike Paheding, PhD, associate professor and chair of the Computer Science Department. As an AI ethics researcher, Dr. Paheding teaches his students to tackle global environmental challenges by building AI models that account for bias and risk from the earliest stages of design. “AI ethics sets the compass, establishing a solid foundation for developing future AI systems that are safe, secure, and trustworthy,” said Dr. Paheding, who serves as principal investigator on collaborative projects focused on advancing AI ethics education, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). With support from the U.S. Geological left: (l-r): Graduate student Naqibahmed Kadri and Dr. Sidike Paheding analyze satellite imagery in Fairfield’s AI Lab.

Survey and under the mentorship of Dr. Paheding, Zahan’s cutting-edge underwater image enhancement techniques—particularly focused on illumination, correction, and color restoration—are powered by the inhouse development of deep-learning models. Her research has been published in several international journals. Deep learning—a subset of machine learning—draws inspiration from the structure of the human brain. The Fairfield researchers explained that deep learning models are trained through layered neural networks that ultimately recognize patterns and process complex data. Dr. Paheding and his students emphasized that deep learning models vary based on the problem being addressed and the data sets used to train them. Ultimately, the work is driven by the people behind the scenes who identify risk factors and design models intended to anticipate risk before it becomes a reality. “When developing AI models, there is no universal solution to these complex challenges,” Dr. Paheding said. Naqi bah m e d K adri , a g raduate stu de nt in the MS in Computer Science program, is working with Dr. Paheding to develop AIdriven standards for monitoring geotechnical infrastructure. Their research is supported by the NSF in collaboration with the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and the NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium. Using satellite imagery from space, Kadri and Dr. Paheding identify mine tailings impoundments—large holding areas for mining waste product, mostly composed of sand particles mixed with chemical residue. Often built near active or former mines, these impoundments can pose serious environmental risks if they fail. The danger escalates during extreme

weather events such as floods or hurricanes. If an impoundment’s structure can’t withstand the added stress, toxic material can spill into surrounding land and waterways, causing severe environmental damage and threatening human lives. The primary challenge, according to Dr. Paheding, is knowing where these impoundments are located; many are poorly documented or difficult to monitor. To date, the Fairfield researchers have trained a deep learning model to identify more than 1,000 locations across six continents where mine tailings impoundments exist, marking a critical first step in building tools that can help monitor these sites before disaster strikes. “This dataset provides a robust foundation for advancing AI-based detection and analysis,” Dr. Paheding said. Once trained, the AI model developed at Fairfield can do more than locate impoundments. It can help predict which sites are most vulnerable—flagging areas at high risk based on factors such as soil moisture, terrain, and environmental variables. Each site is assigned a risk profile, allowing researchers to prioritize monitoring and intervention protocols. Through this federally funded research, students and faculty are not only advancing artificial intelligence but shaping how it can be used responsibly. By combining deep learning with careful model design, the AI Lab at Fairfield focuses on preventive solutions—building systems that are secure, transparent, and capable of addressing complex environmental challenges without introducing new risks. For Dr. Paheding, responsibility begins long before a model is deployed. “As AI tools become more powerful, ethics must remain at the forefront of researchers’ minds—especially F when it comes to mitigating bias.” l

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A Coalition of Care Fairfield Egan is helping to reshape pediatric palliative care in Connecticut. by B rad T homas

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years ago, a colleague shared a letter with nursing professor Eileen O’Shea, DNP, APRN, PCNS-BC, CHPPN, director of Fairfield University’s Kanarek Center for Palliative Care. The letter was a desperate cry for help from a young mother who was caring for her terminally ill child at home with limited training, resources, and assistance. Though she faced each day with courage and determination, her efforts repeatedly fell short. As her child suffered, the mother—physically and emotionally drained—held faintly to hope. An expert in pediatric palliative care, Dr. O’Shea had heard countless stories like this throughout her career. All were tragic; but this particular one, she could not shake. “It was heartbreaking,” she said. “That mom’s account profoundly affected me, and I was compelled to act.” In 2023, Dr. O’Shea founded the Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition of Connecticut (PPCC-CT), which aims to advance palliative care services for children and their families. Its top priority is advocating for access to quality care and expanded resources, workforce education, and increased public awareness. Through Dr. O’Shea’s work with the PPCC-CT, the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies is helping reshape pediatric palliative care in Connecticut, a state where more than 7,800 children live with serious health issues that limit their life expectancies. “I founded the PPCC-CT to form a collaborative group of passionate clinicians, providers, and parents who were willing to advocate for high quality community palliative care services to support these children and their families,” Dr. O’Shea said. In the short period since its founding, the coalition is already becoming a powerful voice for statewide change. Last year, it contributed written testimony that helped pass Connecticut Senate Bill 1540; today, it is supporting Public Act 25-97 to advance a Children’s Health, Advocacy, Management, and Palliative Care program. hree

left: Dr. Eileen O’Shea is director of Fairfield University’s Kanarek Center for Palliative Care and founder of the Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition of Connecticut.

“Children with serious illnesses and their families deserve care that is compassionate, coordinated, and accessible.” E i le e n O’Sh ea, DNP, APRN, PCNS-BC, CHPPN, Director of the Kanarek Center for Palliative Care

“Political advocacy is a new and very different world for me,” Dr. O’Shea admitted, “but I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this vital legislative process and remain dedicated to advancing policies that honor the dignity and needs of our most vulnerable patients.” T o g a lva n i z e fu rt h e r s u p p o rt a n d action, Dr. O’Shea and her team plan to develop op-eds and to host a legislative breakfast at the Connecticut State Capitol with the goal of raising awareness about the needs of families who care for children with complex medical conditions at home. This year, they also plan to launch a sustainability and fundraising campaign to ensure the continuation of their work. Though the PPCC-CT was founded by one passionate Fairfield nursing professor, its development was a collaborative effort involving multiple partnerships—most notably, the Pediatric Palliative Care Coalition of Pennsylvania (PPCC-PA) and the Kanarek Family Foundation. Dr. O’Shea reached out to the Pennsylvania group after nearly a year of researching palliative care coalitions and other such initiatives across the United States. In existence for more than 15 years, the PPCCPA stood out for its ongoing education, online resources, and advocacy work. Moreover, it offered a formal partnership, providing nonprofit status, shared administrative support, educational resources, legal counsel, and mentorship. Because the partnership required grant support, the Kanarek Family Foundation got involved. When its president, Robin Bennett Kanarek ’96, BSN, RN, HonD, founder

of Fairfield’s Kanarek Center for Palliative Care, learned about Dr. O’Shea’s plans, she encouraged the PPCC-PA to submit a proposal to support the establishment of the PPCC-CT. The Kanarek Family Foundation subsequently provided three years of grant funding for the initiative. More recently, the PPCC-CT has partnered with Yale Law School for support and collaboration on advocacy strategy and policy language, including a stakeholder workshop with members of the Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy. Through its partnerships and funding, the PPCC-CT has offered a robust slate of professional education and resources, including free monthly webinars, an advocacy workshop at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Connecticut, a new interactive resources map for families and providers, and statewide clinician training in advanced communication skills at Fairfield Egan. One initiative at a time, these efforts equip the healthcare workforce to better serve children with serious illnesses. With a strategic plan underway and a Parent Advisory Council in development, the Connecticut coalition, under the direction of Dr. O’Shea, is growing the impact of Fairfield University. Already a leader in compassionate, family-centered care, the Egan School is now helping to remake pediatric health policy across the state through Dr. O’Shea’s unwavering commitment and resolve on behalf of children and families facing complex and lifelimiting diagnoses. For Dr. O’Shea, PPCC-CT builds on her work at Fairfield’s Kanarek Center for Palliative Care and the Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, where she prepares the next generation of nursing leaders. “Children with serious illnesses and their families deserve care that is compassionate, coordinated, and accessible,” she said, underscoring a commitment reaching from Fairfield’s classrooms to F families across Connecticut. l Use this QR code to learn more about the Kanarek Center for Palliative Care and Dr. O’Shea’s pediatric palliative care research.

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VICTORY IN MOTION

FAIRFIELD DOLAN ALUMNUS DREW ARCIUOLO ’18 HELPS PROPEL HIS FAMILY’S LEGACY FORWARD AT VKTRY GEAR. by D rew K i ng s ley ’07

ounded in 2015, VKTRY Gear has built a reputation in elite sports for its flagship VKTRY Performance Insoles—known to athletes simply as “VKs.” Shipped directly to MLB clubhouses and NFL and NBA locker rooms, the aerospace-grade carbon fiber insoles are worn by more than 700,000 athletes—Olympians, Hall of Famers, and National Champions. Yet for all its presence in professional sports, the story of VKTRY (pronounced “Victory”) did not begin with elite competition or cutting-edge materials. Its origins lie in a family trade—shaped by generations of shoemaking—and today carried forward by Fairfield alumnus Drew Arciuolo ’18, who serves as VKTRY Gear’s vice president of marketing. Drew’s great-great-grandfather learned the shoemaking craft in factories in Italy’s Apulia region. His great-grandfather, Francesco Arciuolo, immigrated to the United States and opened Arciuolo’s Shoes in Milford, Conn., in 1921. The store was later

left: Drew Aricuolo ’18 displays VKTRY’s flagship “VK” insoles.

passed down through the family—first to Francesco’s son, who grew the business to specialize in corrective footwear and orthotics, and then to Drew’s father, Matt Arciuolo. While studying at University of Bridgeport, Matt met and later married a political science major from the institution one town over—Felicia Salerno of Fairfield University’s Class of ’83. As the Arciuolos started their family together, Matt went on to become a board-certified pedorthist, specializing in custom footwear and orthotics. When he was tapped by the U.S. Olympic bobsled and skeleton teams to improve their explosiveness at the start of the race, he set to work on what would become the first incarnation of the VKTRY Performance Insole. “They told me that if I could get them onethousandth to two-thousandths of a second faster in the push before they jump into the sled, that is the difference between not even placing and winning a gold medal,” said Matt.

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“DREW HAS EMBRACED THE MARKETING SIDE OF THE VKTRY BUSINESS—THE DETAILS AND THE METRICS AND DATA—THAT HAVE BROUGHT US TO NEW HEIGHTS. AND I THANK FAIRFIELD FOR THAT FOUNDATION.” — F e licia (S ale rno ’83) A rci uolo

Using technology originally designed for braces to support injured athletes, Matt created an insole to help athletes run faster, jump higher, and better protect against injury. Working alongside his son Christian, he eventually developed what would become the first energy-returning insole of its kind. After years of testing and refinement, the breakthrough paid off. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the U.S. men’s bobsled team captured its first Olympic gold medal in 62 years—with Matt’s carbon-fiber insoles beneath their feet.

hile Matt, Felicia, and the rest of the Arciuolo family continued to operate Arciuolo’s Shoes and refine their goldmedal winning insoles, Drew—their youngest son—was forging his own path. A student at Notre Dame-West Haven High School, he focused on baseball and academics, “maybe in that order,” he later admitted. Success in both pursuits led Drew to follow

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his mother’s footsteps to Fairfield University, where he had a four-year career with the Fairfield Baseball program and graduated in the Class of 2018. Carrying on another family tradition, he also met his now-fiancée, women’s soccer alumna Holly Habyan ’18, during his time at Fairfield. On the baseball diamond, Drew played nearly 200 games for the Stags from 2015 to 2018, highlighted by three seasons as Fairfield’s starting centerfielder. He was a two-time All-MAAC honoree, a 2018 AllNew England Second Team pick, and earned a place on the MAAC All-Championship Team in 2016, helping the Fairfield Baseball program to its first-ever conference championship and NCAA postseason appearance. Drew still ranks among the top 10 all-time in hits as a Stag, racking up 216 in his four-year career. In the classroom, Drew was a double major in marketing and management, earning MAAC All-Academic Team and Dean’s List honors. Along the way, his coursework in the

Charles F. Dolan School of Business began to spark new ways of thinking about the family business. “Funny enough, at that time I was thinking more about the shoe store,” he recalled. “That had always been the primary focus of the family. But by my junior and senior year, that’s when lightbulbs started to go off, and I started thinking about how things we were talking about in class could be applied to VKTRY.” At the time, the now-patented VKs were being lab-tested for performance and injury prevention at Lafayette College, Southern Connecticut State University, Harvard Mass General, and the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut. Additionally, one of the first VKTRY prototypes was tested by Drew and his Fairfield baseball teammates, earning rave reviews, valuable feedback, and even some assistance in choosing a new name: VKTRY. Just as the rigorous tests were confirming that the carbon-fiber insoles were ready to hit the market, a recent Fairfield graduate with a degree in marketing was ready to officially join the family business. “There was no pressure from my parents, and my mom was encouraging me to travel and see the world and go work for somebody else. Fairfield and Fairfield Baseball have such a big alumni network, and I had some opportunities if I wanted to take them,” said Drew. “But I was interning at VKTRY—just making insoles in the back room and starting to get a little involved in the marketing, and I thought, ‘This is too perfect.’” A few short years later, VKTRY Gear boasts more than one million followers on a TikTok channel featuring Olympians and high-profile professional and collegiate athletes. In addition to hosting many of these videos himself, Drew oversees a team of content creators and editors collecting footage from across the United States. A plaque from YouTube recognizing 100,000 subscribers sits on the “Collaboration Station” in VKTRY Gear’s Milford headquarters, a scant two miles from New England’s oldest shoe store, now operated by Drew’s brother Matthew II. “Drew has embraced the marketing side of the VKTRY business—the details and the metrics and data—that have brought us to new heights,” noted his mom, Felicia. “And

I thank Fairfield for that foundation. He took what he learned and was able to put it to work immediately, and we benefitted immediately. Fairfield was the perfect training ground.” Among the 700,000 athletes to wear VKs in 2025 are three-time NBA Slam Dunk Champion Mac McClung, Pro Bowl wide receiver Ladd McConkey, the U.S. Olympic volleyball team, and four teams particularly close to the Arciuolo family’s heart: Fairfield men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, and—of course—baseball. “It’s an amazing full circle moment. When I’m talking to Fairfield teams, I can’t believe I’m standing there,” said Drew. “It started with an idea, and the way things all had to work out to be what it is today is crazy to think about, and Fairfield was an integral F part of it, no doubt.” l

left: Matt, Drew ’18, and Felicia (Salerno ’83) Arciuolo at the VKTRY headquarters in Milford, Conn. below: More than 700,000 “VKTRY

Athletes” used VK insoles in 2025; Drew and VKTRY VP of Finance Kevin Radziewicz ’18, who was a classmate and Fairfield baseball teammate of Drew’s.

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FOR WHICH IT STANDS... The Fairfield University Art Museum is marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a major loan exhibition centered on the American flag.

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by K i e rste n B jork ’21

hen you think of the American flag, what comes to mind? What does it mean to you? Who does it represent—and who does it not? These questions and more are posed through an impressive range of artistic voices in the Fairfield University Art Museum’s nationally sourced, landmark exhibition—For Which It Stands… For Which It Stands… examines depictions of the American flag through more than 70 artworks created over more than a century, from World War I-era pieces to contemporary works. Featuring art in a variety of media by artists including Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Robert Rauschenberg, Shepard Fairey, and Julie Mehretu, the collected works challenge viewers to consider who the American flag truly represents and whether justice is available to all.

opposite page : On view in the Walsh Gallery:

Danielle Scott, False Flag, 2020, Photo transfer and found objects (shotgun shells) on US flag. Courtesy of the artist. © Danielle Scott. above: A visitor admires two works on view in

the Walsh Gallery: (Left) Mark Thomas Gibson, The Wringer, 2021, ink on canvas. Courtesy of the Collection of Michael Citrone. © Mark Thomas Gibson, Photo Credit: M+B (Right) Julie Mehretu, Corner of Lake and Minnehaha, 2022, 17-run color screenprint on white Coventry Rag paper. © Julie Mehretu. Image Courtesy of Highpoint Editions and Julie Mehretu.

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“With For Which It Stands…, I wanted to mark the semiquincentennial in a meaningful way for both the museum and the University: by presenting artworks that use our most enduring national symbol to question, to commemorate, and to engage.” — C arey M ack W e b e r

above: On view in the Walsh Gallery: Hank

Willis Thomas, This Ain’t America, You Can’t Fool Me, 2020, Hand-glazed porcelain. © Hank Willis Thomas. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. above right: Executive director and exhibition

curator Carey Mack Weber poses in the Walsh Gallery. Featured in the background is: Morton Kaish, Stars and Stripes, 1996 (completed 2021), Acrylic on linen. Collection of the Kaish Family Art Project. © 2026 Morton Kaish / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. above, opposite page: On display in the

Bellarmine Hall Galleries: Florine Stettheimer, George Washington in New York, ca. 1932-1933, Oil and mixed media on canvas. Art Properties, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University in the City of New York, Gift of the Estate of Ettie Stettheimer. right, opposite page: On display in the Walsh Gallery: Sara Rahbar, I don’t trust you anymore, Flag #59, 2019, mixed media, collected vintage objects, on vintage US flag. Courtesy of the artist. © Sara Rahbar.

The exhibition runs Jan. 23 through July 25, 2026, in both the Bellarmine Hall Galleries in Bellarmine Hall and the Walsh Gallery in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. It is positioned as a powerful centerpiece of Fairfield’s America250 programming in celebration of the 250th birthday—the semiquincentennial—of the United States. “As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, Fairfield University is proud to serve as one of the central convening forces for America250 programming in our region— bringing together scholarship, the arts, and public dialogue in ways that are both rigorous and inclusive,” said Fairfield University Provost Christine Siegel, PhD. “The exhibition affirms our belief that universities play a vital civic role: creating space for thoughtful engagement, complex inquiry, and shared conversation as we consider where we have been as a nation and where we are called to go next.”

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arey Mack Weber, the museum’s Frank and Clara Meditz Executive Director, is the curator of the exhibition and has been working on assembling the collection of artworks on display for more than five years. “This project is personal,” said Weber. “I grew up in Concord, Mass., where each April the ‘shot heard round the world’ is commemorated on Patriots’ Day. As a teenager in 1975, I witnessed the bicentennial celebrations that began there, experiences that shaped my sense of history and civic identity. “With For Which It Stands…, I wanted to mark the semiquincentennial in a meaningful way for both the museum and the University: by presenting artworks that use our most enduring national symbol to question, to commemorate, and to engage.” Inspiration for the exhibition began with Childe Hassam’s Italian Day, May 1918, which Weber discovered in the Art Bridges database in 2020.

“I knew I wanted to start with the Hassam painting from 1918, and from there I wanted to cover World Wars I and II, and then all major historical events—from the moon landing, civil rights, integration, Vietnam, the bicentennial, and flag law, to the wars in the Middle East, AIDs crisis, 9/11, Black Lives Matter, eco rights, immigration, and Indigenous rights. As I started finding artwork, it began to organically fill in the timeline, and after that it was a matter of filling in the remaining gaps.” Weber was drawn to artists whose work embodied the depth and complexity she hoped to showcase—but she could never have predicted how timely those pieces would feel today. “When I began developing this exhibition five years ago, I could not have anticipated the turbulence of our current moment,” Weber reflected. “My goal, however, has remained constant: to create an exhibition that fosters civic engagement through art—highlighting artists whose work invites us to confront the complexity of our past, acknowledge present challenges, and imagine future possibilities. As the artists here reimagine the flag, they reveal not only our shared victories but also the injustices that demand reckoning.” True to that vision, For Which It Stands… showcases a range of points of view on the flag and its role and representation over time.

REIMAGINED AMERICAN FLAG In an unprecedented collaboration, Fairfield faculty across departments within the John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences contributed original interpretive captions for many of the art featured in For Which It Stands…, deepening the academic engagement around the art on view. About Sara Rahbar’s work, I don’t trust you anymore, Flag #59, Silvia Marsans-Sakly, PhD, associate professor of the practice of history and Islamic World Studies, writes: “In this reimagined American flag, the artist—who emigrated to the United States after the Iran-Iraq War, a conflict the United States helped ignite to destabilize both countries and weaken the region—keeps the familiar constellation of stars but forges the stripes from cartridge and utility belts, dog tags, hammered Middle Eastern charms, and crucifixes. The result lays bare a nation whose symbolic fabric has been rewoven through the gear of killing. The outline remains, but its promise hardens into iron: a banner of democratic ideals set against the reality of a nation for whom war is not an aberration but a defining identity—and a profitable industry. These weapon-laden stripes expose the gulf between the justifications offered at home—‘defense,’ ‘freedom,’ ‘security’—and the power projected abroad through endless war in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, and beyond. In this flag, the myth of democratic F virtue stands next to the machinery that sustains empire.” l F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e | s p r i n g 2026 25

left: On Display in the Walsh Gallery: James Prosek, Invisible Boundaries, 2021, acrylic on panel. Courtesy of the artist and Waqas Wajahat, New York. © James Prosek. below: Fairfield University President Mark R.

Nemec, PhD, and Provost Christine Siegel, PhD, toured the exhibition in the Bellarmine Hall Galleries following the opening night lecture.

“Hopefully people will take the time to look at the art through the lens of the artists who created it and try to imagine the place that they’re coming from,” said Weber. “Every piece is telling a different story—from patriotism to protest, beautifully poignant paintings to works with no historical meaning whatsoever. The intent is to showcase a thought-provoking mixture that will get people thinking and talking—a way to mark this historic moment in time in a thoughtful way.” The exhibition features nationally recognized and local contemporary artists—many of whom will visit campus for talks and programs—inviting a multidisciplinary conversation about the ideals and contradictions embedded in the American story. Artists such as Maria de Los Angeles—whose textile sculpture, Freedom Is Not Free?, was commissioned specially for this exhibition—will give gallery talks about their work, shining a light on the creative process and meaning behind the artworks.

he For Which It Stands… exhibition has garnered widespread national attention—including coverage in The New York Times—inviting broader audiences into Fairfield’s America250 arts and humanities programming and affirming the University’s role in shaping cultural dialogue through art. In the For Which It Stands… exhibition catalog, Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, wrote:

“American higher education is the embodiment of American exceptionalism. From the founding of Harvard College in 1635 to the founding of Fairfield University in 1942 to today, our higher education institutions have been central to the American project. Our nation’s extraordinary history and example is in no small part a product of the breadth and depth of our remarkable model for higher education. It is with this Tocquevillian ethos in mind that we are most excited about the exhibition For Which It Stands…, which examines depictions of the American flag over the past century—from patriotic to politically charged. “We host this exhibition as not simply a museum, but as a university—a university whose societal role in our American context is to ensure public ideas and public discourse are essential. For as I have written previously, ‘if the university comes to be broadly perceived as simply a vested interest inhibiting the consideration of reform, rather than as an agenda-setting institution, its unique societal position—its relevance—is lost.’ “Fairfield University’s relevance stems not just from our commitment to free inquiry, but from our over 500-year Jesuit, Catholic educational tradition which embraces the centrality of the arts in our shared endeavor of advancing human flourishing and seeking wisdom in support of the dignity of every individual and the greater good—or as our motto states, Per Fidem ad Plenam Veritatem—Through Faith F to the Fullness of Truth.” l

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To learn more about the exhibition, including visiting hours and the full schedule of programs, visit fairfield.edu/museum.

Urgent Questions by S ara C olab e lla ’08, MA’11

FAIRFIELD BIOLOGY STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS ARE TAKING ON CANCER, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION.

At Fairfield University’s John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences, biology research begins with urgent questions—and leads to meaningful action. From species facing extinction and ecosystems under stress to diseases demanding new treatments, students and professors are applying science where it matters most.

n research supported by external grants and alumni donors, students are working with Shelley Phelan, PhD, professor of biology and director of the Science Institute, to answer the question: Can natural plant-derived compounds help combat breast cancer? “I have focused my work on breast cancer for many years, as it is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer in the U.S. and has benefited from various types of treatments,” said Dr. Phelan. “But tumors of the breast have a lot of heterogeneity—meaning not all cancer cells behave the same way, even within a single tumor—making treatment difficult. Some cells can develop resistance to drugs, leading to tumor regrowth.” Dr. Phelan’s lab previously focused on understanding the altered biology of breast cancer cells and the mechanisms of traditional chemotherapy drugs. Concerned about

the toxicity of conventional treatments— and encouraged by research showing the cancer-preventive effects of certain natural compounds—she began investigating whether those same compounds might also help treat breast cancer. Her work now centers on olive leaves and pomegranate seeds, which have a long history of human consumption and known health benefits. “The Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil, has been associated with lower risk of many cancers,” Dr. Phelan explained. Her lab now studies oleuropein from olive leaves and punicic acid from pomegranate seeds. Working alongside Dr. Phelan, biology majors Jenna Walsh ’27, Katie Tirino ’27, Samantha Diiorio ’26, Giovanna Kalin ’26, and Adam Vaz ’26 are studying how these natural compounds affect different types of breast cancer cells—from slower-growing forms to more aggressive cancers. Their early findings

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much of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean,” Dr. Gerry said, making it ideal for studying climate change in real time. Dr. Gerry and students Hannah Snayd ’27 and Matt Shattuck ’28 are studying what’s known as the “C-start” escape response—a lightning-fast movement fish use to evade predators and occasionally to capture prey. The entire response is completed in roughly 100 milliseconds, so the research relies on high-speed cameras to capture every detail. After collecting fish from Bridgeport Harbor and transporting them to a 200-gallon tank in the campus lab, the researchers acclimate the fish to different water temperatures before filming them under a simulated predator threat. Students

left: Dr. Shelley Phelan (center) and students are investigating the effects of natural compounds on breast cancer cells. below: (l-r): Dr. Shannon Gerry and

Hannah Snayd ’27 presented their research on the effects of rising ocean temperatures on fish at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting.

suggest that oleuropein targets cancer cells more effectively than healthy breast cells, pointing to its potential as a more precise treatment. “Both of these cancer cell types were much more susceptible to oleuropein than normal breast cells,” Dr. Phelan said, “suggesting that it may have important cancer specificity.” The lab has also found that punicic acid can be effective at even lower doses in certain cancer cells. For Vaz, the project holds deep personal meaning. “As a cancer survivor, I know how damaging treatments like chemotherapy can be,” he said. Working in Dr. Phelan’s lab, the alternatives he is helping to explore could one day offer patients safer, more targeted options.

n the lab of professor of biology Shannon Gerry, PhD, the question is: How do rising ocean temperatures affect fish movement and muscle function? As climate change warms coastal waters, species such as cunner and black sea bass—both common to Long Island Sound—are forced to migrate north, potentially disrupting food webs and altering predator–prey relationships. “Long Island Sound is warming faster than 28

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“ I THINK MOST OF US UNDERSTAND THAT BIODIVERSITY IS IMPORTANT TO OUR PLANET AND CONSEQUENTLY OUR WELL-BEING, BUT FOR ME, IT’S MORE THAN THAT. I FEEL DRIVEN TO DO SOMETHING AND THAT DRIVE INSPIRES BOTH MY RESEARCH AND TEACHING.”

above : Fewer than 80 Amur leopards

remain in the wild, making zoo-based breeding essential to the species’ survival. right: Dr. Ashley Byun’s research uses

bioacoustics to determine when female leopards are in estrus.

then study the footage, frame by frame, to measure how quickly and powerfully each fish moves—key indicators of its ability to survive in warming waters. Their findings reveal a concerning pattern. While escape performance improves slightly as temperatures rise, it drops significantly at a critical threshold. “Ecologically, 28 degrees Celcius may be close to the lethal limit for cunner,” Dr. Gerry said. “This leads us to conclude that as temperatures continue to rise, at a certain point the Long Island Sound will no longer be viable for the cunner to live,” noted Snayd, who presented the research at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon, this winter. “Further migration of cunner to colder waters would have significant impacts on the whole ecosystem.”

he question most on the mind of professor of biology Ashley Byun, PhD, is: How can science help save one of the world’s rarest big cats from extinction? “Protection and conservation of wildlife is deeply important to me,” she said. “I think most of us understand that biodiversity is important to our planet and consequently our well-being, but for me, it’s more than that. I feel driven to do something and that drive

— A s h ley B yu n , P h D

inspires both my research and teaching.” Dr. Byun’s research centers on the critically endangered Amur leopard. Fewer than 80 remain in the wild, making zoo-based breeding essential to the species’ survival. Yet breeding success has declined, in part because it is difficult to determine when females are in heat, or estrus. Within institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, only 73 leopards are currently part of the managed breeding population, creating an urgent need for more effective reproductive monitoring. “At the moment, the gold standard for reproductive monitoring in wild cats is measuring fecal hormone levels,” Dr. Byun explained. “But it’s expensive, highly variable, and only tells us after the fact when a cat was in heat. By the time the lab results come back, the cat is already out of estrus.” In response, Dr. Byun’s lab is developing a behavioral alternative using bioacoustics at the Connecticut Beardsley Zoo. Amur leopards are a solitary species that rely on longdistance “saw calls” to attract mates. Dr. Byun and students Thompson Marren ’28, Olivia Taylor ’28, Marlee Dubin ’26 and Isabella

Manole ’26 hypothesized that these vocalizations increase when females are in estrus—providing a potential way for conservationists to better time breeding efforts. To test that idea, the team placed audio recorders in leopard habitats, collecting nearly a year of continuous sound. Turning those recordings into usable data required automation, leading Dr. Byun to collaborate with assistant professor of computer science Danushka Bandara, PhD, and students in Fairfield’s School of Engineering and Computing. Together, they developed Felidetect—an AI-powered tool trained to recognize Amur leopard saw calls. After analyzing nearly 6,000 hours of audio, the team generated enough data to train Felidetect to detect and count calls with nearly 98 percent accuracy. “Implementing AI to detect natural ovarian cycles will greatly improve our chances to successfully breed Amur leopards and protect them from extinction,” Dr. Byun said. The impact of the project is already reaching beyond a single species. Supported by federal funding and in partnership with the Cincinnati Zoo’s Center for Research of Endangered Wildlife, the same approach is being used on jaguars across Association of Zoos and Aquariums institutions—expanding Fairfield’s conservation efforts and offering F new hope for endangered wildlife. l

F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e | s p r i n g 2026 29

Grants&Gifts

A Selection of Grants and Gifts Received From Private and Public Foundations, and Corporations

John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences The E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation increased their funding with a $35,000 grant to Jeanne Peloso, PhD, assistant professor of the practice in psychology, and assistant professor of psychology Joseph DeLuca, PhD, for their programming for LGBTQIA+ Youth and their research studying evidence-based strategies to improve students’ knowledge of the trans community and reduce stigma. Elise Bragard, PhD, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences, has received a $19,543 subaward from Fordham University’s HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention Research Ethics Training Institute, with funding from the National

Institute on Drug Abuse, for a research project on sexual victimization, PTSD, and coping-related substance use among lesbian and bisexual women. Dr. Jeanne Peloso and Amanda Haber, PhD, assistant professor of psychology, have been awarded a $15,000 programming grant from the F.M. Kirby Foundation to continue its support of the Adrienne Kirby ’81 Family Literacy Project’s partnership with Hall Neighborhood House. This is a transformative initiative that supports early learners in Bridgeport, Conn., while offering Fairfield University students valuable experiential learning rooted in research, reflection, and community engagement. Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County continues its funding of

the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies with a $6,300 grant in support of cultural and educational programming. Paul Riccio, PhD, assistant professor of biology, in collaboration with Isaac Macwan, PhD, has received an award of $4,969 from the NASA CT Space Grant Consortium for the research project “Mechanobiology of 30

Beta-Cells in Microgravity: Ground-based Modeling of Membrane Tension as a Driver of Impaired Insulin Secretion.”

School of Engineering and Computing Sidike Paheding, PhD, associate professor of computer science was awarded a $231,958 grant from the National Science Foundation for the collaborative research project “Ethical Thinking and Case Analysis in Artificial Intelligence Education.” He will lead a team including David Schmidt, PhD, professor of ethics in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, and researchers from the Indiana Institute of Technology and Prairie View A&M University. The project award amount across all three institutions totals $398,117. The School of Engineering and Computing is leading a team of faculty from engineering and the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies on a $51,600 award from the New England Board of Higher Education with funding from the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy. This pilot award under the CT Higher Ed Tech Talent Accelerator 3.0 is focused on “Embedding Artificial Intelligence (AI) Competencies into Nursing Education and Practice.” In coordination with Stamford Hospital, the Fairfield team will design and pilot a workshop along with pedagogical tools for nursing students and practitioners to develop the skills to effectively utilize AI tools in healthcare. The Gene Haas Foundation continues its support of undergraduate education with a $12,000 grant to the School of Engineering and Computing to provide scholarships for mechanical engineering students. Additional support is coming from the William Hawkins Fund at Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.

s p r i n g 2026 | F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e

Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies Jessica Alicea, PhD, professor of nursing, has been awarded $11,868 from the Southwestern CT Agency on Aging and Independent Living. Federal

funding for this program is provided through the Older American’s Act under the Department of Health and Human Services. The project implements the Matter of Balance approach as a fall prevention training program for older adults in the greater Bridgeport area. Students from Fairfield Egan have the opportunity to participate as health educators, as do students from the Modern Languages program who serve as interpreters. Fairfield Egan has received general operating support of $10,000 from the McKeen Fund. The Delaney Memorial Foundation ($2,000) and the Carlson Fund at Fairfield County’s Community Foundation ($3,313) both continue their

The F.M. Kirby Foundation continues to support the Adrienne Kirby ’81 Family Literacy Project’s programming at Hall Neighborhood House in Bridgeport, Conn.

funding of critical scholarships for nursing students, allowing them to pursue their educational journeys and helping to meet the need for nursing professionals in local communities.

Center for Climate, Coastal, and Marine Studies The Claire C. Bennitt Watershed Fund is supporting undergraduate research through the Center for Climate, Coastal, and Marine Studies, enabling students to work with the center’s founding director, Robert Nazarian, PhD, on watershed water quality research benefiting the South Central Connecticut Regional Water District.

The work of Fairfield’s Center for Climate, Coastal, and Marine Studies is supported by the Claire C. Bennitt Watershed Fund.

Fairfield University Art Museum The Art Bridges Foundation continues its support of the Fairfield University Art Museum with a $15,000 grant for programming and the loan of Childe Hassam’s Italian Day, May 1918, which is on display in the museum’s current show, For Which It Stands…. Additional exhibition and educational programming funding comes from the Maximilian E. and Marion O. Hoffman Foundation ($10,000).

School of Education and Human Development The Regina A. Quick Center for Bryan Ripley Crandall, PhD, professor of English education, has been awarded the Arts $47,625 in ongoing support from the CT State Department of Education for the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield University (CWP-Fairfield) to invest in literacy excellence in southern Connecticut, including a 40th-year celebration of National Writing Project work in the state. Since its inception, CWP-Fairfield has established and maintained programs between Fairfield University, the National Writing Project, and local K-12 schools by offering professional development, workshops, conferences, courses, and events for teachers and youth.

Fairfield Bellarmine IMA Foundation continues its support of

scholarships for Fairfield Bellarmine students with a $10,000 grant.

Funding for America250: The Promise and Paradox programming comes from the Bank of America Foundation and Bank of America Corporate. $50,000 from Bank of America has allowed the Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum to host acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns in conversation with CNN’s John Berman. Carlson Fund at Fairfield County’s Community Foundation has awarded

$7,668 to the Quick Center in support of arts programming. The National Dance Project at New

director and choreographer Rebecca Lazier and world-renowned sculptor Janet Echelman. The grant also supported community programming in conjunction with this performance.

Additional Support Fairfield University Arts & Minds has received a wide variety of grants in support of America250: The Promise and Paradox programming, in commemoration of the semiquincentennial of the United States of America. The Center for Social Impact has been awarded a $56,000 grant from the Marie and John Zimmerman Fund for ongoing funding of J-Z AMP, an after-school homework program that matches Fairfield University undergraduates with middle school students from Bridgeport’s Cesar Batalla School and takes place at the Wakeman Boys and Girls Club in Bridgeport. The Collegiate Recovery Program and Office of Counseling and Psychological Services in Health & Wellness has received a $5,000 grant from the CT Council on Problem Gambling to fund studentfocused programming as part of the 20252026 College Campus Gambling Prevention F Initiative. l

England Foundation for the Arts

awarded a $4,500 grant to present Noli Timere, a soaring aerial dance performance born from a five-year collaboration between Guggenheim Fellowship Award-winning F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e | s p r i n g 2026 31

Alumni NOTES 1960

S H A R E YO U R N E W S

2000

’68 | Bill Coffin leads a marriage enrichment program for St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Silver Springs, Md. He recently transferred his EXAMEN license plate from one old car to another. He and his wife Pat cycled across Switzerland last fall on e-bikes and celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary.

1970

’71 | John Skoyles had a poem published in The Nation in June 2025. In Sept. 2025, he published a review of two books in the Catholic magazine Commonweal, and in Oct. 2026, he will publish his eighth book of poems, That’s Where You Come In, and sixth book of prose, All the Question Marks. ’76 | Patricia (Dunn) Paolucci is the director of strategic events for St. Joseph’s Health, a hospital and healthcare network in New Jersey. Robert Cappio has retired and is living in Vermont. ’79 | Luc Pelletier co-authored with Dr. Christy L. Beaudin the chapter “Quality and Safety” in Joseph & Huber’s 8th ed. of Leadership and Nursing Care Management (Elsevier, 2026). The purpose of this textbook is to develop and strengthen nursing leadership and management skills, focusing on best practices for effectively managing interdisciplinary teams, client needs, and systems of care.

StagMates N atalia Nawrocka ’20 an d Mos e s Oli m pio ’19 tied the knot on July 20, 2025 with many fellow Stags in attendance.

1980 ’86 | Raul Guizado is the current president of the Federation of Latin American Banks (FELABAN). ’87 | Jane Halloran Ryan has lived in Ireland since 1991. A member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, she undertakes research for clients from all over the world in relation to Irish genealogy and tracing family roots from Ireland. Her genealogy research business is called Dalcassian Origins.

1990

’90 | Vincent Cervoni was recently re-elected to the office of mayor in the town of Wallingford, Conn.

the Mass: Reflections on Life, Identity, and Moving Forward, a collection of essays that explore the relationships and experiences that shaped him. Available at Amazon and bookstores.

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’92 | Jim D’Andrea published his first novel, a young adult gothic horror story called The Haunting of Ashley Hall School, in October of 2025. His second novel, an adult psychological horror story is completed and slated for publication in late 2026… “I think I found my genre!” ’93 | Christina (Rackiewicz) Prete MBA’99, P’23 and Buddy Prete P’23 have launched a mobile app called Shopping Anyway, a one-stop-shop platform where nonprofit organizations can post needs for donations, volunteers, or “other ways to help.” Learn more and download the app to Apple or Android at shoppinganyway.com. Fran (Tranchese) Welch was promoted to partner at Aon Corporation and is currently the pension administration leader in Human Capital for the Greater New York location. ’98 | William Hulseman self-published his first book, Six to Carry the Casket and One to Say

’06 | Jesse Cushman was named CEO of Papabubble, a global candy company with more than 30 franchises worldwide. Known for their image candies and fun designs, Papabubble was founded in Barcelona in 2004 and has been enjoyed by millions throughout the world. John (Jack) Becht had a brief career as a human rights attorney at the United Nations in NYC and Nairobi, after which he worked as a creative director at Condé Nast and then SVP creative director at Ralph Lauren before moving into his current role as executive creative director at Accenture, where he leads brand content and advertising for Range Rover and Defender. ’09 | Jason J. Lewellyn joined the law firm Halloran Sage as a partner and an experienced family law attorney.

2010

’11 | Danielle (Sullivan) Charlot recently made partner at the law firm of Diserio Martin O’Connor and Castiglioni LLP in Stamford, Conn., where she is a member of the Litigation Practice Group. ’13 | Joseph Owens, DMD, moved back to the area with his wife Allison (Class of ’12) and works at a dental practice he purchased in Fairfield called Center for Aesthetic & Comprehensive Dentistry. Updates to the name and space are underway.

Cyn di Adam s MA’23 Challenging Misconceptions of Dyslexia by S ara C olab e lla ’08, MA’11

o r e d u cato r C yn d i

Adams MA’23, the decision to pursue a master’s degree in remedial reading and language arts at Fairfield traces back to a pivotal moment early in her career. As a first-grade teacher in New Haven Public Schools, “I had a passion for teaching reading to young children,” she said, “but I realized the knowledge and skills I had been equipped with in my undergraduate program and in-service professional learning didn’t reflect current research and effective practices around how children learn to read.” She enrolled in the School of Education and Human Development’s graduate program as a way to learn how to better help her students and to earn specialized literacy education credentials. Her advanced studies gave Adams the confidence to advocate for implementing research- and evidence-based practices; she graduated

“Getting to witness the moment when a student realizes they can make sense of the world around them through reading and writing is pure magic.” — C yn di A dam s MA’23

with a strengthened belief that all students can learn to read with the right instruction. Adams holds a Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner (Level 1) Certification and currently works as a teaching and learning specialist at Cooperative Education Services, one of Connecticut’s six regional educational service centers. There, she provides professional development,

coaching, and consultation to schools in Fairfield County and across the state. “I collaborate with district and school leaders, teachers, and instructional staff to strengthen literacy practices and ensure all educators have the tools to teach reading effectively,” she said. She also leads regional councils that provide critical state updates and works with the Connecticut State Cyndi Adams MA’23 earned her master’s degree from Fairfield’s School of Department of Education to Education and Human Development. strengthen literacy initiatives and legislative mandates. Serving on committees within the state’s By sharing personal perspectives through Office of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities the Voices of Dyslexia project, Adams aims has taught her a lot about how statewide to challenge misconceptions and affirm systems collaborate and how research, that people with dyslexia are resilient, advocacy, and policy help to shape the hardworking, creative, and intelligent. support that students and teachers receive. “People with dyslexia,” she noted, “often “My role,” she said, “often involves bringing describe it as an advantage. The way their the perspectives of teachers who are doing brains are wired can heighten creative this work every day—and making sure their skills such as visual-spatial processing and experiences, challenges, and successes are problem-solving.” part of the conversation.” When asked what advice she would share with educators to better support I n s p i r e d by th e nati o nal n o n - p ro f it students with reading difficulties, Adams StoryCorps project, which records and offered, “Stay curious and keep learning.” shares stories of everyday Americans, She stressed that understanding how Adams launched the Voices of Dyslexia reading develops and what research tells us storytelling project to amplify the lived about effective instruction can make a big experiences of individuals and families difference for students. impacted by dyslexia. Partnering with the Adams’ favorite part of her work is Office of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities, witnessing moments when learning clicks— she recorded, edited, and produced eight both for students discovering their own interviews. “It was deeply moving to listen capacity and for the teachers helping to to these experiences firsthand and to have make it possible. “Getting to witness the the responsibility of preserving and sharing moment when a student realizes they can them in a way that would leave a lasting make sense of the world around them impact,” she said. through reading and writing is pure magic,” Across the narratives, a common theme she said. “Equally powerful is empowering emerged: dyslexia is often misunderstood teachers to be part of those moments and to F and enduring myths continue to shape how see the impact of their work in real time.” l individuals with dyslexia experience school and the world around them.

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Alumni NOTES ’14 | Trish (Doheny) Chisam launched a colorable stationery line called Cranbaby Paper, whose mission is to involve children of all ages in the art of gratitude. Products can be found in select gift shops across the country and online. Cranbaby Paper’s Frami Art Cards were awarded Editor’s Pick at The Dallas Market Center trade show in June 2024. ’15 | Anthony Antorino, a vice president and member of the U.S. investment team at 17Capital, was selected as a 2025 Rising Star by the Fund Finance Association.

S H A R E YO U R N E W S

computer science from Georgetown University’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences in Dec. 2024.

Marriages David DeLeo ’93 and Traci Cardella – June 1, 2025. Jeremy Shea ’10 and Caitlyn Sweeney – July 25, 2025. Nicole Raposo ’14 and Dennis Zlobinksy ’14 – August 30, 2025. Shane Tarca ’15 and Michael Therrien ’15 – Nov. 8, 2025.

’16 | Claudia (Wasilewski) Baggiano was honored with a 30 Under 30 Award by the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce in Huntington, Long Island, N.Y. Baggiano is vice president of TriPower Electrical, a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) company that offers a broad spectrum of electrical services. She is also director of marketing and business development at Apollo Electric, a fully licensed electrical contracting company located in the heart of NYC.

Brooke Braccio ’16 and Anthony DeRiso – Oct. 25, 2025.

Emma Byrne ’17 and Nicholas Greco ’17, MA’19 – Oct. 11, 2025.

Sophia Fagan ’19 and Riley Blozzon ’23 – Sept. 13, 2025.

’17 | Mackensie duPont Crowley was named a 2025 Emerging Coastal Leader by the University of Rhode Island Coastal Institute.

Megan Gallagher ’17, MS’18 and Ryan Roche ’17 – June 22, 2024.

Laurel Nothel ’19 and Andrew Simcox – Nov. 1, 2025.

2020

’21 | Sarah Macedonio is in her second year at St. John’s University School of Law and spent the past five months interning with the United States Court of International Trade in downtown Manhattan. A staff editor on the New York International Law Review, she is currently writing a law review note exploring how conditional tariffs can be used to promote childlabor-free supply chains. ’22 | Caroline Neilson earned her master of science degree in

Kimberly Ciardiello ’16 and Ben Carlisle ’16 – Oct. 3, 2025. Stephanie Lewia ’16 and Michael Kowalski ’16 – July 26, 2025. Claudia (Wasilewski) ’16 and Anthony Baggiano – Sept. 19, 2020.

StagMates Ale ss ia Conte ’20 an d Au sti n Pope ’20 married on Nov. 15, 2025. Share your news! Married? Moved? New Job? New Baby? Big News? Share your Class Note or Contact Update by scanning this QR Code to access the form or going to fairfield.edu/AlumniNotes We’d love to hear from you!

Brett Barrett ’17 and Mackenzie Elkow – May 31, 2025.

Nicole Lambi ’17 and Michael Crispino ’17 – Oct. 18, 2025. Brianna Tancredi ’17 and Liam Murphy ’17 – Oct. 4, 2025. Philip Karas ’18 and Sarah Proto – Nov. 25, 2025. Felicia Prignano ’18 and Anthony Crasto ’18 – Sept. 12, 2025. Margaret Smith ’18 and Todd Michaelis – Oct. 18, 2025. Carolyn Surdovel ’18 and Marcus DeSouto ’18 – Oct. 11, 2025. Caroline Young ’18 and George Halvatzis ’18 – Sept. 27, 2025.

s p r i n g 2026 | F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e

Emily Vlass ’19 and Kevin Foz ’15 – Oct. 18, 2025. Olivia Baril ’20, MSN’25 and Emmett Godfrey ’20 – Oct. 5, 2025.

Jacquelyn Reardon ’20 and William Jones ’20 – July 26, 2025. Kathryn Ricciuti ’20 and Kyle Klaschka ’20 – April 26, 2025. Zoe Smith ’20 and Brian Nagle ’20 – Oct. 18, 2025. Andrew Welcome ’20, MS’21 and Jessica Matthews – Oct. 4, 2025.

Marissa Bartone ’20, MS’21 and Trevor Gasperetti ’20 – Sept. 13, 2025.

Katie Doherty ’21 and Nicholas Reich ’21, MS’22 – Dec. 27, 2025.

Emily Beaulieu ’20 and Joseph DeCaro ’20 – Aug. 16, 2025.

Rachel Landry ’21 and Ian Nelson ’20 – May 25, 2025.

Alessia Conte ’20 and Austin Pope ’20 – Nov. 15, 2025. Marie Lacke ’20 and Miles McKinley ’20 – July 27, 2025. Natalia Nawrocka ’20 and Moses Olimpio ’19 – July 20, 2025.

Liam McAuliffe ’21 & Ava Leonhardt ’22 – Sept. 20, 2025. Courtney Kitchen ’23 and Max Honig ’23 – July 26, 2025.

Fre d O’Ne i ll ’79 Working at the Car Wash by B rad T homas

re d O’N e i ll ’79 worke d at gas stations and car washes throughout high school and college. In fact, his part-time job at a car wash helped pay his way through Fairfield University. Though he enjoyed the experience, the business major dreamed of landing a big corporate job after graduation and putting the car wash industry in his rear-view mirror. “That was the plan,” he said with a chuckle, adding, “and it worked somewhat.” After earning his bachelor’s degree, O’Neill was hired into marketing at Mobil Oil Corporation and assigned to several local retail locations as part of his training. Though his primary task was to better understand business operations, O’Neill quickly demonstrated his management skills by reviving a struggling car wash location in Norwalk, Conn. At the time, many Mobil executives, including the CEO and president, lived nearby and frequented the car wash. Impressed with the location’s transformation, they offered O’Neill the opportunity to become a franchised dealer. Upon careful consideration, O’Neill resigned his corporate job and accepted. In 1980, with a business loan and some additional financial help from his mother, O’Neill went into business for himself, becoming a franchised dealer for the car wash and gas station he’d revitalized. “That’s how the story began,” O’Neill said. “Growing the car wash business became my focus, and that’s what I did for the next 44 and a half years.” In the decades that followed the launch of his entrepreneurial career, O’Neill built a legacy as a prominent business owner in Connecticut. He eventually purchased the car wash in Norwalk as well as the real estate beneath it. He rebranded the former franchise under his name and began to expand to new locations. At the peak of his

career, O’Neill operated eight Fred’s Car Wash locations: five of his own, and three in partnership with a private equity group. Modest and congenial, O’Neill credits the success of Fred’s Car Wash to his team, including his CPA wife, Jo-Ann, with whom he ran the business, and many loyal and hardworking employees. “I didn’t do this without a great family behind me,” said O’Neill, whose car washes were regularly recognized as the best in Fairfield County. Among O’Neill’s most memorable accomplishments is his involvement in the car wash industry. As former president and ten-year board member of the International Carwash Association (ICA), O’Neill was an influential figure and leading voice in the industry, helping to shape its direction and future. “I really enjoyed my time with the association,” he said. “It gave me the opportunity to travel the world and to meet the great families and unique characters who manufactured car wash equipment and operated car wash chains. But most importantly, it allowed me to share best practices for growing the industry for the benefit of everyone involved.” O’Neill used his voice at the ICA to unite and promote the industry. His goal was for rival car washes to stop competing and to rally behind the idea that washing cars in commercial bays was smarter than washing them in driveways. “It’s certainly not easy to get entrepreneurs to stroll in one direction,” he said, “but I think we accomplished that.” I n 2025, O’N e i ll ste p p e d away f ro m the car wash industry, selling his five Fred’s Car Wash locations to Summit Wash Holdings, the parent company of Speeder’s Car Wash. As his name came down from the retail signs, O’Neill settled into a different chair and donned a new hat. Having retained ownership of the real estate, he became landlord to the new car wash proprietor.

At the peak of his career, Fred O’Neill ’79 operated eight Fred’s Car Wash locations throughout Connecticut.

“Growing the car wash business became my focus, and that’s what I did for the next 44 and a half years.” — F re d O’N e i ll ’79

As a young man fresh out college, O’Neill would have reveled at the prospect of this transition. After all, he had hoped his degree would take him far beyond the world of tunnels and bays and spotless rinse. But having spent his entire adult life building a successful car wash brand, O’Neill found himself less gleeful than grateful to the industry that he helped shape and that shaped his life in return. For fostering his entrepreneurial spirit and courage, O’Neill credits Fairfield University. “My professors and friends at Fairfield made this happen,” he said. “They empowered, encouraged, and inspired me, and I cannot F thank those people enough.” l

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Alumni NOTES Births Krystina (Occhicone) Palladino ’09, MA’12 and Nicholas Palladino – son, Tate, June 4, 2023; daughter, Lucia, Sept. 12, 2025. Ryan Donahue Rolleri ’10 and John Rolleri – son, Charley, June 12, 2025. Jackie and Patrick Meehan ’12 – daughter, Marilyn Ruth, June 24, 2025. Chelsea (Whittemore) ’12 and Daniel Bruno Jr. ’13 – daughter, Layla Ann, June 25, 2025. Shannon (Burr) ’13, MA’14 and Josh Robichaud ’13 – son, Nolan Aster, April 27, 2025. Cristelle (Sens-Castet) ’15 and Alec Bandzes ’15 – son, Ren, March 3, 2025. Michaela (Nichols) ’15 and Matthew Ross ’15 – son, Henry Christopher, Oct. 8, 2025. Caite (Diver) ’16, MA’17 and Jac Costello – son, Henry Anthony, Sept. 19, 2025. Rosa (Fodera) ’16 and Gabriel Carino ’14, MS’15 – son, Raphael, Sept. 25, 2025.

In Memoriam

Ronald P. Grosso ’58 – Oct. 13, 2025 George Y. Bramwell ’59 – July 18, 2025 William D. Pellechia ’59 – Dec. 2, 2025 John T. Redway ’59 – July 26, 2025 Francis A. Corr ’60, MA’64, CT’67 – Dec. 10, 2025 Peter A. Criscuolo ’60 – Nov. 19, 2025 Donald E. Kiely ’60 – Aug. 10, 2025 Joseph E. Mastrangelo ’60 – Aug. 2, 2025 Frank J. Quinn ’60 – July 6, 2025 Lester P. Albee ’61 – Nov. 9, 2025 Russell J. McCreven ’61 – Oct. 18, 2025 Francis J. Hendricks ’62 – Nov. 25, 2025 John Malinak Jr. ’62 – Sept. 23, 2025

Thomas E. Leonard ’63 – Sept. 12, 2025 John M. Bielaczyc ’64 – Dec. 10, 2025 Gilbert W. Cass ’64 – Sept. 9, 2025 Lawrence E. Palaia ’64 – Nov. 26, 2025 Robert R. Beauregard ’65 – Nov. 29, 2025

Mario A. Scrimenti ’53 – Dec. 23, 2025

George Durkota ’65 (BEI) – Oct. 7, 2024

James F. Stapleton, Sr. ’54 – Aug. 20, 2025

Norman A. Roberts Sr. ’65 – Aug. 10, 2025

James F. Riordan ’55 – Dec. 8, 2024

Kevin G. Boll ’66 – July 29, 2025

Paul S. Check ’57 – Sept. 17, 2025

William J. Kearns, III ’66 – Sept. 4, 2025

Arthur J. Pavluvcik ’57 – Aug. 26, 2025

Carl H. Klinger ’66 – Nov. 4, 2025

Richard H. Ferraro ’58 – Oct. 14, 2025 36

Cri ste lle (Se n s-Castet) ’15 an d Alec Ban dze s ’15 welcomed their son Ren on March 3, 2025. Share your news! Married? Moved? New Job? New Baby? Big News? Share your Class Note or Contact Update by scanning this QR Code to access the form or going to fairfield.edu/AlumniNotes We’d love to hear from you!

Thomas P. Hartnett ’63 – Sept. 27, 2025

Clement F. Naples ’53 – Oct. 30, 2025

James A. White ’57 – Sept. 6, 2025

S H A R E YO U R N E W S

Hervey H. Aitken Jr. ’67 – Jan. 17, 2025 Joseph E. Crapanzano Jr. ’67, MA’70, CT’72 – July 9, 2025

s p r i n g 2026 | F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e

Leave a Legacy A Clear Path for Good Naming Fairfield University as the beneficiary of your retirement plan, bank account, or donoradvised fund is an easy way to include the institution you love in your estate plans. For more information or to let us know Fairfield is in your estate plans, please contact: Laura Becker, Senior Director of Planned Giving 203-254-4020 | LBecker@fairfield.edu giftplanning.fairfield.edu

Charles W. Dougiello Jr. ’67 – Sept. 2, 2025

James M. Clarke ’72 – April 17, 2025

John M. Carulli ’77 (BEI) – Nov. 14, 2025

Lawrence W. Daly Jr. ’90 – July 28, 2025

William P. Egan II ’67 – Sept. 13, 2025

Joseph F. Collins III ’72 – Oct. 16, 2025

Bryan P. Murphy ’78 – Nov. 9, 2025

Philip M. Singleton Jr. ’93 – May 23, 2025

William J. McGee III ’67 – Sept. 14, 2025

William C. Packard ’72 – Aug. 5, 2025

Kevin D. Flood ’81 – Sept. 9, 2025

Ronald W. Taylor Jr. ’96 – July 24, 2025

Philip M. Sinisgalli ’67 – July 26, 2025

Kenneth P. Kalva ’73 – Oct. 7, 2025

James A. Dirksen ’68 – July 5, 2025

Madeline (Rossi) Hanusovsky ’74 – Aug. 12, 2025

Ronald J. Durie ’68 – Oct. 7, 2025

Rita E. Horan ’74, MA’76 – Oct. 9, 2025

John L. McSweeney ’68 (BEI) – Oct. 28, 2025

Kevin F. Martin ’74 – Dec. 12, 2024

Gary G. Brannigan ’69 – Sept. 19, 2025

James T. Murphy ’74 – Oct. 7, 2025

Geoffrey A. Patrissi ’69 – Nov. 27, 2025

Thomas F. Scully ’74 – Nov. 19, 2025

Arthur A. Paretti Jr. ’71 – Aug. 9, 2025

Dorothy (Stassun) Costello ’76 – Dec. 21, 2025

Field Notes Fairfield faculty members took their expertise abroad—and left a lasting impression wherever they went.

America 250: 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.

Fairfieldmagazine UNIVERSITY

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The Golden Visionary

Philip Eliasoph, PhD, Celeb rates a Half-Century at Fairfield

James F. Caterbone III ’82 – July 11, 2025 Carole A. Williams ’82 – Sept. 26, 2025

Matthew N. Papillo ’00 – Sept. 5, 2025 Joan M. Asher ’01 – Nov. 18, 2025

Janice M. Freddino ’85, MS’96 – Oct. 10, 2025

Steven B. Hackett ’02 – July 20, 2025

Paul R. Vallillo ’87 – Aug. 29, 2025

Allison (Artis) Gallagher ’04 – July 7, 2025

Eileen F. DiGioia ’87 – Nov. 11, 2025

Tricia A. Dewey ’07 – July 18, 2025

Stephen C. Atkins ’89 – Nov. 19, 2025

Robert J. Caserta ALND’09 – Dec. 29, 2025

Russell J. Paquette Jr. ’89 – Aug. 31, 2025

Mikaela M. McDonough ’16 – July 27, 2025

Brian A. Prybylek ’89 (BEI) – Nov. 19, 2025

INBOX OR MAILBOX? HOW WOULD YOU PREFER TO CONTINUE RECEIVING YOUR QUARTERLY ISSUES OF FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE? Visit fairfield.edu/stagmag and let us know if you’d like to: • Switch to (or add!) a digital subscription.

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Alumni NOTES

S H A R E YO U R N E W S

G R A D U AT E S C H O O L S Dorothea Brennan MA’81 is a mentor for the University’s Ignatian Residential College. A longtime President’s Circle member, she also serves on the Trustees’ Advisory Council, the Alumni Board of Directors, the Philip I. Eliasoph Open VISIONS Forum Advisory Board, and the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts Advisory Council.

Births

Christina (Rackiewicz) Prete ’93, MBA’99, P’23 and Buddy Prete ’93, P’23 have launched a mobile app called Shopping Anyway, a one-stop-shop platform where nonprofit organizations can post needs for donations, volunteers, or “other ways to help.” Learn more and download the app to Apple or Android at shoppinganyway.com.

Rosa (Fodera) ’16 and Gabriel Carino ’14, MS’15 – son, Raphael, Sept. 25, 2025.

Marriages Megan Gallagher ’17, MS’18 and Ryan Roche ’17 – June 22, 2024. Emma Byrne ’17 and Nicholas Greco ’17, MA’19 – Oct. 11, 2025. Marissa Bartone ’20, MS’21 and Trevor Gasperetti ’20 – Sept. 13, 2025. Andrew Welcome ’20, MS’21 and Jessica Matthews – Oct. 4, 2025. Katie Doherty ’21 and Nicholas Reich ’21, MS’22 – Dec. 27, 2025. Olivia Baril ’20, MSN’25 and Emmett Godfrey ’20 – Oct. 5, 2025.

Krystina (Occhicone) Palladino ’09, MA’12 and Nicholas Palladino – son, Tate, June 4, 2023; daughter, Lucia, Sept. 12, 2025. Shannon (Burr) ’13, MA’14 and Josh Robichaud ’13 – son, Nolan Aster, April 27, 2025.

Caite (Diver) ’16, MA’17 and Jac Costello – son, Henry Anthony, Sept. 19, 2025.

In Memoriam Joan (Kerby) Weinman MA’56 – Sept. 17, 2025 Claire Fray MA’62 – Sept. 28, 2025 Arthur W. McCormack Jr. MA’62, CT’67 – Sept. 13, 2025 Francis A. Corr ’60, MA’64, CT’67 – Dec. 10, 2025

Cynthia E. (Collins) Luden MA’74 – Oct. 16, 2025

Anne J. (Coughlin) Forte MA’79 – Aug. 15, 2025

Georgeann M. Gibson MA’67 – Aug. 27, 2025

Claire D. (Angell) Miller MA’74 – Dec. 7, 2025

Bernard Goffin MA’68, CT’73 – Dec. 1, 2025

Suzanne (Mitnik) Murphy MA’74 – Dec. 2, 2025

Rose A. (McDonald) Harrington MA’83 – Oct. 23, 2025

Mary L. Sette MA’68, CT’76 – Dec. 5, 2025

Kathleen E. Dinneen-Torello MA’76 – Oct. 25, 2025

Joseph E. Crapanzano Jr. ’67, MA’70, CT’72 – July 9, 2025

Gustav A. Filter MA’76 – Sept. 24, 2025

Estelle (Gershman) Fruchtman MA’70 – Aug. 17, 2025

Rita E. Horan ’74, MA’76 – Oct. 9, 2025

Richard M. Pesce MA’71 – Nov. 8, 2025 Mary (Tribit) Zampino MA’72 – July 11, 2025 Annmarie Laflamme MA’73 – Sept. 19, 2025

Krystina (Occhicone) Palladino ’09, MA’12 an d J e n n i fe r A m du r ’09 captured a sweet moment between their children, Tate Palladino and Sadie Swiderski, at StagFest 2025.

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Christine M. Kowalonek MA’76 – Aug. 19, 2025 Inge (Heineman) Maerowitz MA’76 – Nov. 28, 2025 Tania (Pavloff) Shansky MA’78 – July 13, 2025

Mary (Hyatt) Nevins MA’83 – Nov. 21, 2025 Joan (Manning) Lowney MA’84 – Aug. 22, 2025 Claudia (Proto) McDermott MA’86 – July 27, 2025 Janice M. Freddino ’85, MS’96 – Oct. 10, 2025 Bradford T. Heines MA’06 – Nov. 3, 2025 Frank A. Juliano Jr. MA’09 – Oct. 9, 2025 Duane G. Shedd Jr. MA’11 – Dec. 2, 2025

A SELECTION OF

SPRING 2026

Fairfield University Alumni Association fairfield.edu/alumni | 203-254-4280 Email us at alumni@fairfield.edu

WED., APRIL 15 | 6 P.M.

THURS., MAY 14 | 4 P.M.

Associate’s Degree Exercises SAT., MAY 16 | 9:30 A.M.

Graduate Exercises SUN., MAY 17 | 9:30 A.M.

Bachelor’s Degree Exercises Reunion Weekend Class years ending in 1 and 6 Including 50th: Class of 1976 FRI., JUNE 5 – SUN., JUNE 7

FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY THEATRE PROGRAM Big River: In Concert

Bennett Center for Judaic Studies

FRI., APRIL 17 & SAT. APRIL 18 | 7:30 P.M.

fairfield.edu/bennett

FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY GLEE CLUB Glee Club Pops Concert GLEE2K

Fairfield Awards Dinner Cipriani 42nd Street

76TH COMMENCEMENT

UPCOMING CAMPUS EVENTS

WED., APRIL 29 | 7:30 P.M.

Janoah Bailin, meSSes

Orin Grossman A Celebration of Gershwin SUN., MARCH 22 | 3 P.M.

Janoah Bailin meSSeS SAT., APRIL 11 | 11 A.M. & 4 P.M.

Joanna Chang, PhD, DMA Musical Postcards: A Transatlantic Journey from Beethoven to Bernstein MON. APRIL 27 | 7:30 P.M.

THE MET: LIVE IN HD Tristan und Isolde (Wagner)

Center for Catholic Studies fairfield.edu/cs

The 20th Annual Lecture in Jewish/Christian Engagement Malka Z. Simkovich, PhD

Annual Holocaust Memorial Program Shay Pilnik, PhD THURS., APRIL 16 | 3 P.M.

Fairfield University Art Museum fairfield.edu/museum | 203-254-4046 Email us at museum@fairfield.edu

For Which It Stands… BELLARMINE HALL GALLERIES & WALSH GALLERY JAN. 23 – JULY 25

TUES., MARCH 24 | 7:30 P.M.

The 19th Annual Commonweal Lecture Ross Douthat WED., APRIL 8 | 7 P.M.

SAT., MARCH 21 | NOON (LIVE), 11 A.M. PRE-SCREENING TALK

Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) TUES., MAY 19 | 1 P.M. (ENCORE), 6 P.M. (ENCORE), NOON PRE-SCREENING TALK

Gina Barreca, PhD

Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts quickcenter.com | 203-254-4010 Follow us! @FairfieldQuick

Jazz at Lincoln Center presents: Great American Crooners THURS., MARCH 19 | 8 P.M.

PHILIP I. ELIASOPH OPEN VISIONS FORUM: ESPRESSO Gina Barreca, PhD TUES., MARCH 24 | 7:30 P.M.

Stephen Wilkes TUES., MARCH 31 | 7:30 P.M.

PHILIP I. ELIASOPH OPEN VISIONS FORUM The Bennett Lecture in Judaic Studies David Brooks SUN., MARCH 29 | 3 P.M.

Jane Hammond, Untitled (28, 157, 272, 179, 64, 95, 45, 244, 247, 109, 146, 185, 9, 234, 207), 1993, Oil on canvas with metal leaf. Collection of the Orlando Museum of Art. Purchased with funds provided by the Acquisition Trust. © Jane Hammond, Courtesy Galerie Lelong.

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Donor PROFILE Ei le e n (Ing ram ) Cavanaug h ’89

ong before Eileen (Ingram) Eileen (Ingram ’89) and Peter Cavanaugh of Monroe, Conn., have consistently supported Cavanaugh ’89 became a consistent Fairfield University for more than three decades. supporter of Fairfield University, she learned—by example—that education “Scholarship support played a key role is something you work for, value deeply, and in my decision to attend Fairfield, and it never take for granted. That lesson, shaped early by family and reinforced at Fairfield, supported my family’s goal of a Catholic continues to guide how she gives back today. One of five children, Cavanaugh was raised in a Long Island household where Catholic education came first. Her father, a New York City police officer, and her mother, a stay-at-home parent, made deliberate sacrifices for their children’s schooling. “There was never any question that we were going to Catholic schools,” Cavanaugh said. “It was a priority growing up.” Her parents didn’t just emphasize education—they insisted that their children understand its value. In high school, each sibling was required to pay one month of their private school tuition themselves. “It wasn’t because he needed that relief,” Cavanaugh said of her father. “It was more that he wanted to teach us the value of the education.” When it came time for college, Fairfield quickly felt like the right fit. Cavanaugh was drawn to the Jesuit mission, the size of the campus, and the sense of belonging she felt during her 40

visit. Financially, her decision hinged on scholarship support. At Fairfield, Cavanaugh pursued a double major in economics and political science while balancing her coursework with part-time jobs. She logged at least 10 work-study hours a week in on-campus roles as a RecPlex pool lifeguard and an Admission tour guide, and also completed an internship at a bank. She recalled Fairfield being “a good mix of people from different backgrounds” and noted that many classmates were also working their way through school, which created a driven and supportive social circle. Cavanaugh’s undergraduate experience helped shape her professional path. She went on to build a long career in finance, including nearly 25 years at General Electric, where she became known for a valuesdriven leadership style and a deep commitment to mentoring others. “I expect people to be honest, good people,” she said. “And then business will just

s p r i n g 2026 | F a i r f i e l d U n i v e r s i t y M a g a z i n e

education. So, it’s very important to me to give back.” come naturally.” Those same principles guided how Cavanaugh and her husband Peter raised their four children—Christopher, Megan, Shannon, and AJ—in Monroe, Conn. “Being good people comes first in our family,” she said. “Fairfield reinforced values of faith, family, and service.” Cavanaugh’s husband built a 35-year career at General Electric before retiring at age 50 and transitioning into academia. Now a full-time professor at the University of Bridgeport, he also teaches a business communication class in Fairfield’s Charles F. Dolan School of Business. As a Class of ’89 alumna, Cavanaugh’s philanthropy is rooted in gratitude and perspective. She has supported Fairfield University for 31 years, including 18 consecutive years of giving. “Scholarship support played a key role in my

decision to attend Fairfield, and it supported my family’s goal of a Catholic education,” she said. “So, it’s very important to me to give back.” While she has supported the Fairfield Women’s Basketball program, much of her giving is unrestricted—reflecting her trust in the institution’s priorities. In addition to financial support, Cavanaugh remains engaged with the University through alumni events, basketball games, and student mentoring. “I want to keep opening up doors for people,” she said. “That’s what Fairfield did for me.” At its core, her philosophy of giving is simple and steady. “I do think it’s important that everybody donates a little bit,” she said. “Every dollar matters.”

6 2 0 2 , 7 5 e n u J W O N R E T S I G RE

Registration is now open! Save the date and register today to ensure you don’t miss out on a weekend full of fun, friends, and Fairfield spirit. Classes of 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021: visit fairfield.edu/reunion Please consider supporting Fairfield and celebrating this milestone occasion with a Reunion Class Gift. Make your gift online at fairfield.edu/givereunion or call 203-254-4004. Thank you!

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Fairfield University Magazine - Spring 2026