Ka’ramuu Kush is busy.

In addition to an active career as an actor, writer, and director (check out his IMDb page), Kush has had a long, successful career in teaching. After spending a decade as a faculty member at Howard University, Kush recently made the move back to New York—where his career in show-business began—to become an Associate Professor at the Sands College of Performing Arts.

How does Kush juggle it all? In his words, teaching the craft is energizing in-and-of-itself

“To see the students every day for class is just a lift,” says Kush. “No matter what’s going on in the world or in my life—when I see them and I know we have some work to do, or films to watch, it’s always a lift.”

Kush joined the Sands College of Performing Arts Faculty in Fall 2022, and has hit the ground running. He’s primarily teaching courses in the Acting for Film, Television, Voiceover, and Commercials BFA program, leveraging his considerable experience as a multi-hyphenate artist to impart both grounding theory and practical, actionable lessons to his students. Like many other instructors at Pace’s College of Performing Arts—and at Pace in general—Kush being a working professional in the very field that he is teaching adds an extra level of insight to the classroom setting.

“The students keep me fresh and buoyant and charged-up, so that when I go into the industry, I’m reminded of my purpose, why I’m doing it.”

Kush, furthermore, believes that his professional and teaching careers go hand-in-hand—that they symbiotically build off one another, and provide extra motivation for him to be the most focused and purposeful artist possible.

“The students keep me fresh and buoyant and charged-up, so that when I go into the industry, I’m reminded of my purpose, why I’m doing it,” notes Kush. “You have a number of eyes on you, and you’re making impression on young minds who will be carrying whatever it is you impart or show in terms of your work.”

In addition to teaching the craft, Kush also believes it is his duty to offer practical wisdom he found lacking when he was a student—spending time teaching his students about how to approach a career in the arts from a business perspective—to know their worth as an artist, to manage their money, to translate their skills into multiple income streams. Kush hopes that these lessons will eventually form the foundation of a course—one he believes is both under-emphasized in traditional performing arts schooling, yet absolutely necessary.

“We have this stereotype of the starving artist. Who said the artist had to starve?”

Although he’s only been at Pace for a short while, Kush’s outlook on both teaching and the profession—one that blends big picture thinking with meticulous attention to detail—is a unique combination that has already, and will certainly continue, to inspire performing arts students for years to come.

“Life is too abundant and fruitful to not be benefiting, especially as an artist—and as an artist, you’re responsible for a lot of that abundance and fruitfulness because you bring vicarious experiences to the masses—the plumber, the doctor, the banker, the elementary school teacher. They can see their experiences, their problems, and challenges reflected through you."

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On January 4, 2024, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board Member and alumnus Paul Ryan ’86, Literature and Communications, was named the executive producer for NBC’s long-running news show Dateline. In this role, Ryan will oversee the broadcast, streaming, and podcast entities associated with the brand.

Ryan joined Dateline in 2011, most recently serving as senior producer, overseeing investigations such as the Alex Murdaugh trial and the University of Idaho murders. In his time at Dateline, he has received multiple News & Documentary Emmy Awards and a pair of Edward R. Murrow Awards, a recognition that honors “outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism.”

Aside from Dateline, Ryan has been the senior producer on a number of NBC News specials; the executive producer for the annual Inspiring America special; the co-executive producer for The Widower and Escape and the senior producer for The Last Day, Dateline’s first original show.

Ryan has spoken fondly of his time on Pace’s Westchester campus, where he attended and where his father taught English and journalism. “I joined the school newspaper, which was a pivotal decision in my life, because I’m a journalist now,” he said in a previous interview. “Working very collaboratively and managing people really helped shape my interests.”

And Ryan has continued his close involvement with the Pace community, now as a member of the Dyson Advisory Board. “I realized Pace students are the same as when I went to Pace,” he said. “The students are tough, and they want it more because they’re working for it. That still comes through, so I really respect that and want to help.”

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University has entered into eight new academic partnerships with leading universities from Australia, Spain, Brazil, Germany, India, Switzerland, and Mexico. These collaborations are the latest additions to Haub Law’s seven existing international partnerships. These agreements provide a cooperative framework that will benefit students and faculty at both institutions, providing opportunities for global research, education and cultural immersion.

“Haub Law has a historical and deep-rooted commitment to fostering collaboration with other academic institutions,” said Horace E. Anderson, Jr. Dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. “We believe a well-rounded legal education goes far beyond the walls of our own institution. We live in a globalized world and by collaborating with international institutions we are providing the next generation of legal minds with an opportunity to learn through and with diverse perspectives. Haub Law is proud of its expertise in international environmental law, international human rights, comparative criminal law, and so many other specialties. We look forward to sharing and joining our strengths with the expertise of these new partner institutions.”

Pace’s recent collaborations will result in additional learning opportunities in the United States for students from the partner institutions, including exchange study, dual degree programs, new and innovative joint courses, and additional avenues to publish research.

“The goal of these partnerships is to work toward building mutual programs and learning opportunities for students of all of the institutions,” said Diana M. Ramirez, Associate Director Graduate Programs and International Affairs at Haub Law. “Collaborative educational experiences are integral to the study of law. Our students and those of the various prestigious international institutions where we are collaborating will have the opportunity to form partnerships and share knowledge across geographic and intellectual boundaries, creating a more inclusive learning environment as well.”

New partnerships in Mexico include Tecnologico de Monterrey (TEC), a top five school in Latin American and the #1 ranked school in Mexico. In Argentina, Haub Law has partnered with Universidad de Buenos Aires, which is ranked #1 in Argentina, top 10 in Latin America, and its law school is ranked top 50 worldwide. Haub Law also has a pre-existing collaboration with OP Global Jindal University, which is the #1 ranked law school in India.

Haub Law’s list of new and continuing international partnerships includes:

Australia

• The University of Adelaide, student exchange
• University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Spain

• Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, student Exchange and LLM programs
• Universidad de Malaga, student Exchange

Brazil

• Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), student exchange

France

• Sorbonne University, student exchange and LLM programs

Norway

• The Artic University of Norway (UiT), student exchange

Germany

• EBS, student exchange

Costa Rica

• UPEACE, dual degree LLM/MA

India

• OP Global Jindal University, student exchange, LLM programs
• BITS Law School, general MOU

Peru

• Universidad científica del sur, LLM in environmental law degree

Switzerland

• Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), student exchange

Mexico

• Tecnologico de Monterrey (TEC), student exchange

Argentina

• Universidad de Buenos Aires, general MOU for collaboration with the environmental programs