Fairfield University Charles F. Dolan School of Business

As artificial intelligence continues to advance, one message remains clear: the humanities and the liberal arts are not optional—they are foundational. During the final Presidential Colloquium of the spring semester, academic and business leaders explored the future of work, technology, and economic growth in Connecticut.

Panelists highlighted that liberal arts skills—close reading, critical thinking, and sustained writing—remain foundational, enabling graduates to interpret, question, and improve what AI produces.

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Why the Liberal Arts Matter in an AI-Driven Economy Business and economic leaders point to creative and critical thinkers as essential partners to artificial intelligence.

Ata Jameei Osgouei, PhD, assistant professor of marketing, attended the Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators (ACME) Conference and was the recipient of the 2026 Lou E. Pelton Emerging Scholar Award.

Congratulations to Dr. Osgouei on this incredible achievement!

The AI & Tech Institute x Synchrony Student Case Study Showcase brought together students, faculty, and keynote speakers for an evening centered on how student teams are applying AI to real-world challenges, including automated documentation generation, AI-assisted data preprocessing, and AI-driven coding automation.

The event featured keynote insights on generative AI, a showcase of student-applied business solutions, and a networking reception.

Guest speakers included Abhijit Chinai, SVP, Strategic Initiatives & Non-Bank Products and
Mike Storiale, SVP, Innovation, Payments & AI, Synchrony.

During her spring internship with local nonprofit Team Woofgang & Co., Andrea Annunziata ’27, a business analytics and finance student, helped promote the organization’s mission of creating meaningful employment opportunities for adults with disabilities.

Through her work supporting donor outreach and community engagement initiatives, she gained valuable experience in nonprofit communications, donor engagement, and mission-driven marketing.

A big congratulations to the student entrepreneurs who earned top honors at this year’s StartUp Competition! 🚀 Leave It to Us, led by team members Colby Ciampi ’28 and Andrew Hefter '27, and EviSyna, created by graduate students Naqibahmed Kadri and Sidharth Kumar Pradhan, took home the top prize in their respective categories.

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Two Student Ventures Win Top Honors at 2026 StartUp Showcase Two student-led ventures, Leave It to Us and EviSyna, emerged as winners in their respective categories at the 2026 StartUp Competition.

Callie Dunbar '28 spent her spring semester interning at Vera Bradley, focusing on customer insights, product strategy, and marketing analytics.

In this role, Callie supported focus groups and customer research, analyzed trends, and helped turn insights into actionable strategies that influenced product development and marketing initiatives. She also provided feedback on new product offerings, promotions, and personalization efforts, strengthening her skills in data-driven decision-making and business performance analysis.

A moment for our deans! Thank you for your leadership, compassion, and creativity — and for the countless ways you continue to support and inspire student success.

Pictured: Patricia Simino Boyce, PhD, RN, dean of the The Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing & Health Studies, Zhan Li, DBA, dean of the Fairfield University Charles F. Dolan School of Business, Evelyn Bilias Lolis M'02, PhD, dean of the Fairfield University School of Education & Human Development, Andres L. Carrano, PhD, dean of the Fairfield University School of Engineering & Computing, and Richard Greenwald, PhD, dean of the Fairfield University John Charles Meditz College of Arts and Sciences.

To the future business leaders and innovators of tomorrow, congratulations to Fairfield Dolan's Class of 2026! 🎓❤️

Executive Doctorate of Business Administration (Executive DBA) graduate Shilpa Rosenberry ’98, DBA'26, turned years of industry experience into impactful academic research through Fairfield Dolan's Executive DBA program.

Her study examines how videoconferencing backgrounds shape perceptions of warmth, competence, and leadership in virtual workplaces, drawing on both qualitative interviews and a quantitative experiment.

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Katsiaryna Salavei Bardos, PhD, Chair, Finance Department received the Inaugural 2026 Distinguished Scholar in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or Business award. This award recognizes a faculty member who has made outstanding lifetime contributions to research in their discipline.

The goal of the award is to celebrate the extraordinary research of senior faculty members and to elevate the profile of research done at Fairfield, both on campus and externally.