Overview
Fairfield, CT Offers a Treasure of Arts, Recreation, and Opportunity
Situated on Connecticut's Gold Coast, Fairfield is a town with a diverse array of neighborhoods, and in 2006 "Money" magazine named Fairfield the #9 "best place to live" in America, and the #1 place in the Northeast. Its low crime, suburban flavor, and ultra-scenic location on the Long Island Sound add to its allure. Fairfield calls itself "the dogwood capital of the world," and the Dogwood Festival is held every spring in the town's Greenfield Hill area.
The town is proud of its arts, culture, and healthful living. The Community Theatre Foundation shows independent and "arthouse" films, and provides educational programs for local youths who volunteer there. Fairfield's well-educated populace makes the Open VISIONS lecture series a popular attraction. The series showcases eminent artists, authors, and lecturers in the humanities and sciences. The Kelley Theatre, the experimental "Black Box" troupe, and the Walsh Gallery provide cultural riches for the local residents, while the Quick Center is the "cultural epicenter" of the region, according to "Westport" magazine.
Residents enjoy a range of recreational activities, some of which take advantage of Fairfield's prime location on the waterfront. There are five "town beaches" and miles of private beachfront property that is open to the public. The town's marina provides more than 600 boat slips, while the downtown's Lake Mohegan, including the Cascades waterfalls, is a popular place for hiking, picnics, and sports. Sailing, fishing, and a variety of summer water sports make for a life of diversity and interest for both residents and visitors.
Top Faculty and Computing Resources Keep Research on the Leading Edge
Faculty members of the Dolan School of Business have national and international reputations, and have published widely. Graduate students benefit from a faculty with a high proportion of Ph.D.'s, whose scholarly achievements and hands-on business experience add a large component of real-word experience to their academic expertise. The faculty members have published numerous books and articles, and have presented research findings at conferences worldwide. Many have earned prominent international awards for research and teaching.
Various technical staff members from the university's Computing & Network Services department are available for the express purpose of assisting professors, instructors, and graduate students. Research in the MBA program makes prodigious use of computing assets and specialized software packages, so these tech support personnel are crucial in keeping the research facilities state-of-the-art. The Dolan School welcomes input from all faculty, staff, and students about the ways in which all concerned can make the research, the research facilities and the teaching process itself more relevant to today's educational needs.
The Computing & Network Services department also provides a wide range of computer hardware and software, plus all necessary support, to the faculty and students of the university. To support research efforts, experts from across the spectrum of technology assist with software support, application/program development, database design, and the full range of web services. Various university labs, centers, and research facilities are the setting for a broad range of technology workshops that are open to both faculty and students. The commitment to technology and support systems is serious and ongoing at Fairfield University.
An MBA Program with a Degree Focusing on Real-World Business Know-How for a Global Economy
At Fairfield University's Charles F. Dolan School of Business, the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program prepares students with both theoretical expertise and real-world experience. This is in keeping with the recognition that a diverse, flexible, and interrelated set of skills is required for business leadership in today's world, especially in a globalizing economy. As a generalist diploma, the MBA degree provides a powerful, broad, and essential foundation of knowledge with which graduates can avail themselves of opportunities for specializing in a particular functional area in the business world.
The MBA program at the Dolan School has three components, ranging from the initial "core" courses through a subsequent series of "breadth" courses, and culminating in the "concentration" courses of the student's specialty. Core courses, of course, are meant to impart the fundamental tools to establish basic competency in an array of functional areas. The following breadth courses will naturally expand on this foundation of the MBA degree program by going into more detail in those functional areas. Concentration courses are the most important once the student focuses in one particular area of business, finance, or government service.
Fairfield's MBA program is designed to allow students the maximum flexibility in tailoring a curriculum that fits their needs, and which provides the very highest quality graduate education and the most valuable MBA degree available anywhere. Most students finish the program within two to three years and enter the business world, financial industry, or public service with the tools they need to go as far as they can dream.
