Acclaimed novelist John Irving is best known for being the author of “The World According to Garp” and “The Cider House Rules.” But now, he can add a new accomplishment to his resume: the inspiration for the new Master of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing at Fairfield University.
And he probably doesn’t even know of his role. “The idea for the graduate program came up three years ago during a conversation I had with Dean Edna Wilson from University college,” said Dr. Michael White, Fairfield professor and professional novelist. “We were at a function for the writer John Irving and he happened to talk about my teaching in a low-residency MFA in creative writing. She asked what such a program was, and when I told her, she said, quite simply, why don’t we have such a program at Fairfield.”
Three years later, White has been appointed to be the director of the new low-residency Creative Writing program, but this program is not entering Fairfield alone. A new masters program in communication has been approved as well, bringing the total number of graduate programs at Fairfield to 36.
Click here to watch a video about the new Creative Writing program.
Fairfield offers graduate programs in American Studies, Education, Finance, Engineering, Business Administrations, Mathematics, Nursing. With these new additions, Fairfield is showing a move towards meeting Goal III of the University’s strategic plan, said Associate Academic Vice President Mary Frances Malone. “Fairfield University in its strategic plan and mission calls for the enhancement our graduate programs and define and market what distinguishes Fairfield from other regional competitors and become known for the exceptional ways these programs serve the local community and the society at large,” she said. When Father Jeffrey von Arx became president of the University, he proposed the creation of new graduate programs on campus in hopes of improving the master’s-level programs that have provided this region’s future competent teachers, counselors, engineers, nurses and business executives. “Goal III centers on making this fact more well known, and on bringing the process of earning a graduate degree into closer alignment with the Jesuit mission,” he said. White has been appointed the director of Fairfield’s new two-year MFA program in Creative Writing, which was commended at a recent State Department of Higher Education Advisory board meeting as the only low-residency program in the state. Fairfield’s first low residency model offers MFA students from around the country the opportunity to come together twice a year to participate in intensive 10-day residencies with nationally renowned writers. In between residencies, students will work independently with personal mentors to develop their own writing style and skills in fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. The two annual ten-day residencies will take place at the scenic Ender’s Island in Mystic, Conn., on Long Island Sound. White feels that the MFA fits “hand in glove” with the University’s strategic vision. “It involves a graduate program, attracts non-traditional students from all walks of life and from all parts of the country, and includes life-long learning-our students will range in age from 23 to 80,” he said. Additionally, White said the program will bring a greater presence of the arts to campus. An idea for the MA program in Communications had been “gestating” for a long time, according to Dr. James Shanahan, the to-be director of the program. “We have had a Master’s program in Organizational Communication for corporate cohorts for some years. The success of the program prompted the University to take a look at whether the market would support an on-campus program as well,” he said. “This past year, the faculty decided to move ahead with the program.” The M.A. program Shanahan speaks of was created in 2005 for corporate employees was developed by the Communication Department in collaboration with University College at Fairfield University. This program brings graduate classes in communication to students at or near their offices at Cartus (formerly Cendant Mobility), Sikorsky Aircraft and Prudential. “The master of Arts in communication comes from a strong historical tradition of communication education within the Jesuit higher education system, and grows out of an exceptionally strong undergraduate program,” said Malone. In the new Communications program, each student will work individually with a faculty advisor and will complete 36 credits: 9 credits in foundational courses; 21 elective credits; and a thesis or capstone project. Shanahan believes that the program will contribute to the University because there is a strong ethical dimension to the communication program at Fairfield, integrating Jesuit values with professional and graduate education. “Most of our courses focus on the use of communication to confront social challenges in a variety of contexts,” he said. “In a ‘communication age,’ we must understand communication to move forward.” Both White and Shanahan have high goals for their new projects. “Generally, I would like the program to heighten the awareness of the creative arts on campus, especially by linking Fairfield’s name with writer’s of national prominence,” said White. “By more specifically, I would hope to foster the image of Fairfield as a center for writing and writers, for being a strong writers’ community.” Besides providing Fairfield a service, Shanahan said he is excited to extend its program to those who should learn more about communications. “Whether in the business sector, in the world of education, in the healthcare sector, or for those seeking to move on to higher-level graduate study, we think that our program will become a very successful incubator and nurturer for those who can become the communicators that we need to lead us,” he said.
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