This past summer, 2L Mandi Bruns had the honor of being selected as the inaugural Philip Foglia Summer Legal Intern at the NYC Office of the Inspector General’s Office. The Philip Foglia Summer Legal Internship was created in honor of dedicated Haub Law alumnus Philip Foglia who passed away in 2020. Mandi Bruns applied for the internship to further her interest in government investigations. “This internship opportunity really appealed to me. I worked on government investigation matters while working as a legal assistant at a law firm for many years. I am also inspired by Phil Foglia's commitment to fighting organized crime and public corruption, as well as his notorious devotion to community.”

“This internship opportunity really appealed to me. I worked on government investigation matters while working as a legal assistant at a law firm for many years. I am also inspired by Phil Foglia's commitment to fighting organized crime and public corruption, as well as his notorious devotion to community.”

This summer, at the Office of the Inspector General, Mandi had the opportunity to conduct legal research, write memos, attend interviews, discuss ongoing investigations with investigative counsel, and more. “I learned to value the impact that legal research can have on an active investigation.” While there were many highlights, Mandi notes that one that really sticks out to her was having the opportunity to speak with the Inspector General, Lucy Lang, about her experience doing defense versus prosecution work in the City. “I came into law school laser focused on doing defense work, but it was really rewarding getting the perspective of former prosecutors and how they feel they can ensure a fair process throughout the criminal justice system. The IG leads an office with a mentorship mentality. Everyone was fantastic at involving me in their work and explaining the process of an investigation. I came out of the internship learning so much, from how an investigation begins to how it can end in recommending charges to a prosecutor. I hope that I made both the Foglia family and Pace community proud.”

A member of Haub Law’s Class of 1980, Phil Foglia began his legal career at the Bronx DA’s Office. He was later a Special Assistant US Attorney in the SDNY, a partner at a private firm, the Executive VP of SEBCO, and in August 2019, he retired after a lengthy career with the Office of the New York Inspector General as Chief of Investigations and Special Deputy Inspector General. He was also very dedicated to charitable and community work, serving as the pro bono legal counsel for the Bronx Special Olympics and co-founding the Child Reach Foundation. He retired from the Ispector General’s office in 2019.

Learn more about Phil Foglia and the Philip Foglia Summer Legal Internship at the NYC Office of the Inspector General’s Office in the 2022 Haub Law Alumni Magazine.

Aman Islam and Kimberly Mars are both political science majors at Pace—Aman in New York City and Kimberly in Pleasantville. But that’s not where the similarities end. They also both hold the office of President of the Student Government Association’s executive board on their respective campuses.

Not sure what the Student Government Association (SGA) does? No worries—we got you. The purpose of SGA is to represent the voice and rights of the student body, to ensure an environment which supports the development of student leadership and responsibility, and facilitate the activities and interests of the undergraduate student body. Essentially, SGA is the elected representatives of the student body.

With the approach of the fall semester, we sat down with Kimberly and Aman to learn more about their student government background, their governing ideals, and their hopes for the upcoming year. Consider this your introduction to Pace’s SGA presidents.

How did you get involved with student government?

Aman: When I came to Pace, I was trying to find my place on campus in this virtual world. I did student government through high school, so I ran for freshman president. I actually lost that race, but I became a fellow with the SGA and got really involved. This year I decided it was time to try to join the executive board. So what started off as a loss, turned into being president.

Kimberly: This is actually my second term as SGA president. When I first came to Pace, I was on an executive board for Black Student Union and I noticed there was a limitation to what we were able to accomplish. I wanted to make a difference, but I knew I had to be in one of the highest positions to make an impact. That was one of my biggest motivating factors to join SGA.

What are some examples of SGA having a positive impact at Pace?

Aman: The pronouns initiative that happened last year. We saw an issue that wasn’t being addressed. Our freshman class representatives last year decided to write out a proposal to make it easier for students to include their preferred pronouns across digital platforms. We showed it to administration and they adopted it.

Kimberly: Last year we were heavily involved with the Office of Multicultural Affairs and starting this new tradition called the Heritage Celebration, which supports students of color on campus that are graduating. We gave them certificates and the opportunity to feel appreciated for all their hard work.

What hopes do you and the rest of the SGA have for this upcoming year?

Aman: We are coming back stronger than ever. We are branding ourselves not only as an advocacy group but as a programming group. We want to bring events, throw banquets, and have so much fun while advocating for every single student here, regardless of if you are an incoming freshman or an outgoing senior.

Kimberly: We’re starting from scratch with a mostly new board. We want to have town hall events more often so we can gauge what the student body is looking for from us and from the University. We also want to continue doing events that bring the student body together like Springfest, which was an amazing chance to see the entire student body come out.

What are you personally most excited about this year?

Aman: I’m just excited to see where this year takes me, and how the Pace Community grows from COVID-19. It’s just great to see all the new faces coming to campus and all the new people to bring the legacy of Pace globally.

Kimberly: I’m most excited to see the new, incoming class and see what it is they want to get out of Pace. I always love talking to the freshman because they have amazing ideas or ways they want to change or adapt the university to be better for everyone.

Finally, what do you want the students on your campus to know about SGA?

Aman: First of all, welcome to Pace, we’re so excited to have you here. SGA is here for you. If you have a problem, reach out. We can advocate for you, and you can advocate for yourself. We will listen to you. Be loud, be proud, and tell us what you need.

Kimberly: I just want the student body to know that they can come to us for anything. They should never be afraid to use their voice. It is extremely important, and they deserve to be heard. They can speak up in any way they choose, they can come to us, and we’ll help them. We are always here.

To learn more or get in contact with Student Government Association on New York City’s Campus email them at sganycpresident@pace.edu or sganyc@pace.edu and follow the NYC SGA on Instagram.

To learn more or get in contact with Pleasantville’s Student Government Association email them at sgapresident@pace.edu or follow the Pleasantville SGA on Instagram.

Jeffrey A. Barnett, PhD, has joined the Pace Community as vice president for student affairs and dean for students. He most recently served as interim associate dean of students at Stony Brook University, where he has worked for more than two decades in a variety of student affairs and enrollment and retention roles.

Barnett earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Stony Brook and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Teachers College at Columbia University. Last year, he completed his doctorate in social welfare at Stony Brook—with a dissertation focused on fostering belonging among low-income college students.

“Pace is a place that sets itself apart from so many others and I am excited that my professional principles and values align so deeply with the University's mission."

We are excited by the new vision Jeff will bring to Student Affairs, as well as his skill and enthusiasm for connecting with students.

“Pace is a place that sets itself apart from so many others and I am excited that my professional principles and values align so deeply with the University's mission,” says Barnett. “Opportunitas—opportunity for all—is not just a convenient motto here at Pace but rather an easily identifiable foundation woven into the fabric of Pace's mission. It is a singular identity that grounds us in creating transformative experiences and opportunity for all students. This living mission is what pulled me to Pace.”

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Jeff at Stony Brook and over the years, as our careers have progressed, we’ve stayed in touch,” says Alerie Tirsch, Pleasantville’s associate dean for students. “He’s very student-centered and innovative. I’m really excited for our community to get to know Jeff.”

At Pace, Barnett will bring deep expertise in organizational leadership, inclusion and belonging, student support services, student programming, risk management, student organization administration, commuter student services and off-campus living, mental health and wellness, emergency management and crisis response, leadership development, peer education prevention programs, new student programs, community relations, marketing and communications, freedom of expression actions, and civic engagement.

“We are thrilled to be welcoming Dr. Barnett to campus and we’re looking forward to working with him in our efforts to continually enhance the student experience,” says NYC Senior Associate Dean for Students Todd Smith-Bergollo. “Jeff is bringing his strong experience and ideas to the table and has already hit the ground running!”

Want to meet our new Dean for Students? Join him, President Marvin Krislov, and Interim Provost Joe Franco at one of our upcoming Welcome Back receptions hosted in Pleasantville and NYC.

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Nowadays, it’s hard to watch the news without hearing some mention of supply chain problems. Lubin Assistant Professor of Management and Management Science Pritha Dutta, PhD has spent much of her academic career studying this very topic—particularly, operational and strategical issues faced by supply chains, and sustainable supply chain management.

Dutta was kind enough to chat with Pace Now about a range of topics related to her expertise—from her current research interests, to what the average person should know about global supply chains, to why disruption and innovation makes this field an exciting one for young business students to join:

In regards to global and national supply chains, how have the 2020s been unlike previous decades?

When we think of supply chain, the idea is that it’s something linear. But it’s not; it’s more like an intricate network consisting of manufacturing facilities, warehouses, distribution centers, logistics companies etc. spread across the world. As we saw during the pandemic, disruption or delay in one link can have major impact on the entire network.

It became very evident, how vulnerable these networks can be. It also really brought to light the downside of global supply chains. We saw how relying solely on overseas suppliers can negatively impact supply chains.

The other main issue during these two years has been the labor shortage, which we are still talking about—not having enough people on the floors of factories, not having enough truck drivers to move materials from plants to warehouses, or to retail stores. The importance of labor in the efficient management of supply chains is undeniable.

The last thing I want to mention here is that we saw many businesses opting for omni-channel strategies—where you have the option to shop in the store, shop online or you can order online and pick-up in store. It gave consumers much more flexibility, which was needed during the lockdown. The pandemic forced many businesses to adopt an omni-channel strategy which they might not have had before—which requires an adjustment in the way businesses manage their supply chains.

What long-lasting effects do you think the COVID-19 pandemic might have on global trade and supply chains?

Over the years, companies were focused on making supply chains leaner—you don’t want to have excess inventory, you want to reduce costs, move your shipments only when it is needed or right before it is needed.

That’s something that will not work anymore. Companies are now moving toward the just-in-case model. You need to have excess inventory just-in-case there is a new disruption or demand surge.

Secondly, every crisis is an opportunity for innovation. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed companies to be more innovative in terms of the technology they are using—better use of advanced analytics for demand forecasting, increasing supply chain transparency and traceability using technology like blockchain, internet of things etc.

And in regards to globalization—previously the focus was on outsourcing operations, specifically manufacturing, to South Asian and Southeast Asian countries to reduce costs, which has been a driving force for supply chain innovations in the past. But there has been a shift—conversations and discussions to moving things back on-shore.

This brings us to the discussion on the need for diversification of suppliers. Companies need to look at broader geographic diversification of their supplier base right now. Having some sort of capacity of production to meet the demand regionally will also be important. Definitely these are shifts we are seeing, and are here to stay.

When we think of supply chain, the idea is that it’s something linear. But it’s not; it’s more like an intricate network consisting of manufacturing facilities, warehouses, distribution centers, logistics companies etc. spread across the world. As we saw during the pandemic, disruption or delay in one link can have major impact on the entire network.

Why should the average person be informed about the workings of supply chains?

It affects all of us. More so for the common people, we care about costs. And if the costs rise for the producers—if it rises throughout the supply chain—it ultimately affects us.

Is it a good time to buy a car? Definitely not, because there are global chip shortages, which are affecting production of cars and subsequently prices of cars.

It’s also important I feel because we’ve become so used to the Amazon Prime two-day deliveries that when it takes a little longer we get restless and agitated. Throughout the pandemic that was a learning process for consumers as well—know when to place your order, understand you might not get something right away.

Furthermore, it’s helped us understand our consumer behavior. Collectively, we do so much mindless consumption, we don’t necessarily think about what goes on between us placing an order and the actual package being delivered. I am hopeful that it’ll make us more mindful of the way we consume. Instead of placing an order on Wayfair for a couch, why not check out your local market or thrift store?

Finally, it can make us more sustainable. Personally, the disruptions of the past few years changed the way I shop for groceries. During the lockdown, I switched to startups like Misfits Markets and Imperfect Foods for grocery delivery, which are also helping to reduce food waste. These are the innovative spaces supply chain disruptions have created.

Anything else you’d like to add?

In many of these sectors we’ve already seen that the issues are getting resolved slowly. But there are still some areas—in healthcare, for example, I’m sure you heard about the baby formula shortages—where there are issues. There might be some areas where there is longer-lasting impact. Not only COVID-19, but any geo-political event may cause disruptions in global supply chains. Supply chains have to be more resilient to be able to continue working effectively and efficiently even in the face of crisis.

What I want to say to students is that this is an exciting area—and it’s becoming more and more exciting because of these opportunities for innovation and looking at things differently. Get involved! It’s a great time to be studying this subject, and going into this field.

“The technical name is Jupiter, but we decided to do a spinoff and call it T-Bot—since T-Bone is our mascot.”

Seidenberg Professor of Information Technology Pauline Mosley, DPS is referring to one of the Pace Community’s newest members. T-Bot, as it is affectionally named, is no ordinary robot. In fact, it’s Pace’s newest recruitment tool.

“It started in 2020—that August, I received a Provost scholarly research grant from Pace for around $4,000,” says Mosley. Seidenberg Dean Jonathan Hill was supportive of this initiative and purchased another Jupiter Robot as well as financed training for the research team via Teams from Singapore for a week. “With that, I purchased a Jupiter Robot.”

A Jupiter Robot is an integrated and open artificial intelligence development platform which can be used to develop applications to solve real-world problems—ranging from autonomous navigation, to speech interaction, to much more. In other words, it’s a pretty cool robot.

One of the reasons Mosley was interested in purchasing a Jupiter Robot is she felt it was more collegiate—a launching point for unique collaborative projects, and a means through which Pace students would be able to compete in competitions, both nationally and internationally. Furthermore, it would establish Pace as a leader in robotics—a place in which students from all over the region could congregate to think, geek out, and work on unique research projects.

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Which is exactly what has happened. The Pace Robotics Club, led by Mosley and Seidenberg adjunct professors Matt Ganis and Lisa Ellrodt, has essentially emerged as a result of Pace’s acquisition of the Jupiter Robot. A combination of local high school students looking to do advanced robotics research, current Seidenberg students of all levels, as well as faculty members, have coalesced around this exciting new technology.

“That’s how the club got started. It works with gifted high school students from the Westchester County area, it works with our undergraduate students, and graduate and PhD students. It’s a really nice cross-section of intellect that’s working together trying to solve problems,” says Mosley.

“This is the technology of tomorrow—the high-schoolers, undergraduates, and PhD students involved in this club are really going to be solving the issues of today using the technology of tomorrow—that’s a big positive,” added Ellrodt.

The club’s major project is the development of T-Bot—a robot that is designed to behave similar to a tour guide. Currently, T-Bot is programmed to inform its audiences of the many benefits of a Seidenberg education—discussing Seidenberg’s labs, its cybersecurity program, the accomplishments of Cybersecurity Director Li-Chiou Chen, and so much more.

Mosley hopes that T-Bot could be, in addition to a selling point in itself, a vehicle to consistently deliver information that may not typically be offered on a tour. For example, the fact that Seidenberg boasts an above average percentage of women faculty and students, and a robust mentoring network aimed to increase the number of young women in the cybersecurity pipeline.

“We have a lot of tours, we’re always hosting open houses, parents always want to know more about Seidenberg in general. We have great students who do that—sometimes, tour guides are Pace students but not Seidenberg students, who might not know our programs, the individuals in our schools, to really market Seidenberg well. That’s where the idea came to me—if we could get this robot, and take highlights of our school, and have the robot say it—it’d be a complement to a human tour guide, supplementary in that it would represent our school very well,” said Mosley.

While T-Bot’s current focus is on Seidenberg-specific tours, the potential projects and possibilities for T-Bot are endless. For example, Ellrodt is in the early stages of envisioning a collaboration with Seidenberg’s Blue CoLab, a STEM laboratory aimed at innovating real-time water monitoring to improve water quality and overall health, directed by Professor John Cronin.

“Blue CoLab, they have a boat with sensors on it that monitors the environmental information around Choate Pond,” notes Ellrodt. “We thought it’d be really cool to have T-Bot say what those readings are.”

The future is certainly bright for Pace’s Robotics Club. With increased funding, Mosley hopes to be able to assemble a group of talented students to compete in international robotics competitions, and further the influence of Pace through strong relationships with local high schools and high schoolers interested in the field. But more than anything, she is proud of the environment that T-Bot and the Robotics Club have built—one of intellectual curiosity, innovation, and shared community.

“In Westchester, to my knowledge, there doesn’t exist a physical think tank or a hub, where minds can just come hang out and think. Where is there a space where people could further the discipline and push the limits of programming—where do those kids hang out? My goal is to create a space for these inquisitive minds that love to tinker, love to code, love discovery and exploration as well as innovation. I’m looking to create physical and virtual spaces where innovation and experimentation are cultivated and encouraged in a safe environment, monitored by positive faculty and students alike.”