Fairfield University Partners with Bassick High School to Create a College Learning Environment Simulation

Fairfield, Conn. — Fairfield University’s Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions (GSEAP) welcomed 80 Bassick High School students to campus starting September 4, 2015.

Throughout the academic year, Bassick High School teachers will hold their regularly scheduled Friday classes in Fairfield University classrooms.

The partnership between Fairfield’s GSEAP and Bassick High School was formed with the goal of introducing Bridgeport high school students, some of whom may not have plans to attend college, to learning in a college environment.

“We are pleased to be hosting Bassick students as a way to open our doors to local high schools and give students the opportunity to experience learning on a college campus," said Robert Hannafin, Ph.D., dean of the School. “Through this partnership we’re hoping to encourage students to rethink their plans after high school, and see higher education as a path they can pursue. And our faculty and the Bassick teachers have already found ways to collaborate, which is very exciting."

Nicole Survilla recently hosted her mathematics class in Canisius Hall and is thrilled to be on campus: "Being able to learn at Fairfield is a unique experience for my students because it allows them to see the opportunities that exist beyond Bassick High School,” she said. “It’s difficult for my students to envision a life in college. For them, higher education can seem far off or even unobtainable, but being at Fairfield and sitting in the seats of college students allows them to envision themselves attending college in the future." 

University's Graduate School of Education & Allied Professions offers a nationally accredited education with programs including Early Education, School Counseling, and Marriage and Family Therapy. Utilizing engaging classrooms and specialized programs, GSEAP is accommodating to schedules and a variety of field experiences.

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Colorado School District Breaks Ground on Unified PK–12 Campus

    The Haxtun School District No. Re-2J in Haxtun, Colo., recently announced that ground has been broken on a renovation/addition project that will unite its two schools, Haxtun Elementary and Haxtun Jr/Sr High School, according to a news release.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.