“Man’s task is simple. He should cease letting his existence be a thoughtless accident.”
This quote from Friedrich Nietzche is one of the motivations behind the aims and ideals of the Ignatian Residential College, a unique program designed for the class of 2005 that will begin during the Fall 2002 semester.
The college will be placed in Loyola Hall next year, following the departure of the Office of Human Resources at the end of this academic year. The space now will become a 21,000 square foot “living room” area for the Ignatian College.
As reported in The Mirror earlier this year, Fairfield was awarded nearly two million dollars in seed money from Lilly Endowment Inc. to start the college.
Rev. Thomas Regan S.J. and Rev. Jim Mayzik S.J. will direct the college next year, which is designed to encompass a number of aspects which are aimed at helping sophomores address questions of identity and how they fit uniquely into the world.
According to Regan and Mayzik, the college is first and foremost an academic project, directed at the aforementioned questions.
“It’s really a program to help what students get out of college,” said Regan. “It’s keeping in the whole Jesuit philosophy of educating the whole person.”
Regan will be leaving the office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences to teach philosophy full time. According to Regan, approximately 50 faculty members are interested in offering classes as part of the college.
The college experience will not stop at the classroom, however. “We’re going to bring in speakers and take trips off campus to places like New York City and Yale,” said Mayzik. “Nothing’s going to be mandatory. There will be a lot more offered to students, but they aren’t going to be required to do it.”
David McFadden, chair of the history department, will be the first academic chair of the Ignatian College. Glenn Sauer of the biology department and Roselie McDevitt of the accounting department will be assistant academic chairs.
“On the academic side, the IRC will be offering a variety of core courses (and electives, and major and minor courses), primarily for sophomores in the College but then open to all other students. These courses will deal with a wide range of issues and disciplines, but focused on questions of values, meaning, purpose in life-how to explore issues connecting a student’s life with a student’s life work-how to make a difference in the world,” McFadden said.
He added, “This is not just religious studies or philosophy. This is not just Catholic or Jesuit education-but it is the Jesuit understanding of education at its best…we will be involving students and professors who are Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, atheist, agnostic, seeker-and we will deal with these questions across all cultures and disciplines.”
Student reaction to the Ignatian College is so far on the positive side of mixed. While some students think that the college is a good idea, some have apprehensions about various parts of the program.
“It seems like an interesting idea with several aspects that attract me to the program, however the fact that it will be entering into its first year at Fairfield gives me enough uncertainty to prevent me from participating,” said Thom Corsillo ’05.
“I feel that the idea behind the Igantian College is going to benefit sophomores if they are willing to take it seriously,” said Caitlin Russell ’02.
Others were discouraged at the choice of Loyola Hall for the program. “I don’t like the fact that they are using the best dorm for it,” said Matt Grasso ’04.
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