Fairfield University the Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions. In 1941, Rev. James H. Dolan, S.J., Provincial for the New England Province of the Society of Jesus, received written permission from Bishop Maurice F. McAuliffe of the Hartford Archdiocese to establish a Jesuit high school and college in the southwestern area of Connecticut. Fairfield University was officially founded in 1942 when the Jesuits acquired the two contiguous estates of the Brewster Jennings and Walter Lashar families. Upon its founding, it became the 26th Jesuit college/university in the United States. In the same year, Rev. James H. Dolan, S.J. appointed the Rev.
Connecticut State University System overseen by the Connecticut State Department of Education. In 1965 the General Assembly transferred control of the then-colleges to an independent Board of Trustees. In 1983 the four institutions were converted into universities, together constituting the Connecticut State University System. The universities are governed by the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education, established in 2011 to license and accredit the institutions and their programs, approve budgets, support planning, and coordinate technology operations. The president of the Board is Mark E. Ojakian. The Connecticut State University System Foundation, provides financial support from private donations to assist the missions of the