Global Fairfield - All Things International

Global Fairfield – All Things International Education.

Global Fairfield is excited to be able to get back to our mission of designing and implementing global partnerships, programs, and projects; to support the development of globally competent students through study abroad and exchange, international internships, global research, service and language learning opportunities. As we start this academic year, we wanted to take a moment to reintroduce our Fairfield Community to the work of Global Fairfield.  Throughout the academic year, we will post additional articles highlighting specific programs and procedures to better inform our campus partners.

Study Abroad

In 2022-23, 304 Fairfield students participated in Fairfield’s year, semester, short-term and faculty led study abroad programs.  Students re-entered the international learning experience with more enthusiasm than ever. They utilized the academic pathways offered through our partners abroad, they joined Fairfield faculty on faculty led courses, and they completed clinical placements or internships which can add international work to their academic achievements/resume.

Global Fairfield looks forward to working with over 475 Fairfield students this coming academic year on their study abroad journey. There are students studying language in France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Australia is hosting our second cohort of Nursing students this fall and Business this spring. Engineering and Computer Science students will be spending the fall semester with our long-standing partner, University of Galway. And the Florence campus will be the home to 15 Egan nursing sophomores for the first time this spring!

We are also thrilled with the amount of faculty working with Global Fairfield to offer students 7 – 14 day for-credit Faculty Led courses, where an international location is utilized as one of the main “textbooks for learning”. Thank you faculty! These opportunities are transformational to our students.

International Degree Seeking Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Did you know that International Degree Seeking Student management is under Global Fairfield? Agnes Farkas, the University’s International Student & Visa Manager, serves as the main point of contact for international students when needing information on how to enter the country as a student and how to obtain a student visa. She is a terrific resource for preparing F-1 students with their I-20, the J-1 students with their DS-2019, and with SEVIS for employment government registration. Global Fairfield hosts events throughout the year like workshops on travel documentation, internships and work processes while on a student visa, as well as cultural “Coffee Hours” for social integration.

This Fall, Fairfield University has enrolled 64 international undergraduate students and 54 international graduate students. A total of 118 International students Fall 2023.

Students are on study visas from countries that include: India, Turkey, Sweden, Greece, Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Spain, France, Argentina, Italy, Ireland, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, Croatia, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Cameroon, Senegal, South Africa, Bulgaria.

Many of these students are part of a Fairfield University athletic team. Europe has brought us athletes on our Soccer, Basketball, Tennis and Swim teams. The tennis team also recruited students from Turkey and both tennis and basketball have players from the African continent.

Exchange and Student Mobility

Our Exchange and Student Mobility programs bring students from around the world to Fairfield University for a semester of learning and exploration. Fairfield regularly hosts students from top schools like Maastricht University, University of Galway, Instituto Químico de Sarrià (IQS), Comillas Pontifical Universidad, and Sogang University. The last three also being an international Jesuit partner.

Throughout their semester on campus, we find it a great pleasure to get to know these visiting students and see how they truly enhance a class with their international perspective. Quite often they become a friendly campus resource to the Fairfield student’s studying at their own campus upon their return home.

In the 2022-23 academic year, we hosted 7 exchange students from Spain, Ireland, and Germany. This academic year, we will host 4 students during the Fall and 3 students in the Spring, from Spain, Germany, Ireland, and South Korea.

Feel free to reach out and set up a time to discuss international partnership ideas. Global Fairfield is always looking to partner with new departments and faculty to grow our portfolio of opportunities, supporting the University’s mission of Global Unbounded.  We welcome collaboration.

Global Fairfield

DiMenna-Nyselius Library, Room 107

globalfairfield@fairfield.edu

203-254-4332