Fairfield University will use facilities in a shuttered Bridgeport, Conn., Catholic parish to establish a two-year associate’s degree program.

The university, based in Fairfield, Conn., says in a news release that the Fairfield Bellarmine academic unit will open in fall 2023 in what was the rectory and convent of the St. Ambrose parish in Bridgeport.

The program is designed to prepare students in the Bridgeport community for transition to a bachelor’s degree program at four-year institutions.

Renovation plans for the facilities and a site plan for the campus are underway. Several buildings will house instructional, student life, community engagement, and administrative spaces. Small class sizes and cohorts will ensure one-on-one attention, dedicated faculty, and strong support services. 

Fairfield University’s writing and math center staff will have a presence on the Bellarmine campus, and students will be engaged in planning and forming a student government, clubs, athletic activities, and social and faith-related events at the Bellarmine campus. 

The university and the Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocese had earlier sought to establish the two-year campus at another Bridgeport site owned by the diocese, but after community opposition arose, the university and diocese decided to relocate their plans to the St. Ambrose site, the Connecticut Post reports.