From Richard Chumney, CT Post:
An experiment is underway in the city’s Mill Hill neighborhood.
Fairfield University has welcomed 44 students to the private Jesuit institution’s new Bellarmine campus in the East End, inaugurating the first class of a two-year program designed to serve low-income students.
After sitting empty for more than 10 years, the university has revitalized the old St. Ambrose Church on Barnum Avenue and transformed the Neo-Romanesque landmark into classrooms and study spaces.
But the stained glass windows remain, evoking the history of the historic structure. For the Rev. Kevin O’Brien, a university vice provost and the executive director of the Bellarmine campus, the decades-old church buildings are also a reminder of the religious university’s commitment to give back to the city.
All of the students enrolled in the associate degree program, a group that is predominately made up of Bridgeport residents, receive some form of financial aid, according to the university. Tuition and other costs are capped at $1,000 a year.
Full story here
