Today the sound of student chatter fills Pace University’s Westchester Campus, but just over sixty years ago, the campus sounded different. Surrounded by fields and the freshly constructed Taconic State Parkway, the property was filled with the sounds of farm animals and the soft drone of passing cars. In the following years, Pace’s presence in Westchester went through metamorphosis, growing from a small campus surrounded by pastures to an anchor institution with regional impact. At the 120th anniversary of Pace University, the Westchester Campus is integrated into the growth and success of the local community through numerous initiatives and providing students with opportunities to meet the challenges of the moment.

Pace’s Evolution in Westchester

Long before Pace arrived, the land that would become its Pleasantville Campus had already witnessed a century of remarkable stories. In 1867, a shoemaker named Samuel Baker built a house on the property. It would later come into the possession of Dr. George C.S. Choate, a prominent physician who expanded it into a private sanitarium for wealthy patients suffering from what the era called "nervous disorders." In November 1872, one of those patients was Horace Greeley, the celebrated newspaper editor and presidential candidate who had just lost to Ulysses S. Grant in a brutal campaign. Greeley, who owned a farm a few miles away in Chappaqua, checked into the Choate sanitarium and never checked out. He died there weeks later, one of the most famous Americans of his age, on a campus that today hosts study groups and late-night runs to the Pace Perk.

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Dr. Choate himself passed away in 1896, and the sanitarium continued for another decade before closing. In 1909, his widow Anne Hyde Choate did something remarkable: she had a section of the original Choate House moved—inch by inch, via teams of horses—to its current location on campus, where she lived until her death in 1926. The house changed hands several times before landing with Wayne C. Marks, a Pace College alumnus from the class of 1928. In an act of generosity that would shape the region's educational landscape for generations, Marks and his wife Helen donated the property to Pace, including the iconic pink Choate House and a pond that still bears the family name. Pace honored the gift by naming the then-main academic building Marks Hall.

Today, painted turtles bask along the banks of Choate Pond, largely unbothered by the campus life swirling around them. They are, in their unhurried way, the longest-tenured residents on campus.

"The property was farmland forever," explains University Librarian Steve Feyl. "New York City was expanding north, and the area became suburban, creating the possibility of a suburban campus."

"New York City was expanding north, and the area became suburban, creating the possibility of a suburban campus."—Feyl

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Growth came steadily. Dyson Hall followed. Then Wilcox Hall in 1965, which marked a turning point. "When Wilcox was built, students at the time saw it as an investment in them," says Feyl. "Pace was starting to become a college campus with a cafeteria, library, gymnasium, and more academic spaces." Four-year degrees followed. The 1970s brought Miller Hall and Lienhard Hall, as well as a significant institutional expansion: Pace consolidated with the College of White Plains (formerly Good Counsel College) which became the home of what is now the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. The Law School opened in 1976, enrolling 250 students. And even today, it remains the only law school between New York City and Albany.

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Residence halls in Pleasantville followed and then a library building, a key facility for a burgeoning university campus. Mortola Library opened in 1985 and faculty paintings from the era show cattle grazing just outside its newly constructed walls. As late as the early 2000s, Feyl recalls horses and sheep still calling the campus home. "The environmental center, a historic building, used to be the center of campus, the farmhouses used to be the center of campus, and animals used to be the center of campus," he says.

During Pleasantville’s 50th anniversary, Pace announced a $100 million investment in the 200-acre property. Between 2013 and 2016, the campus added Alumni Hall and Elm Hall to meet surging residential demand; an overhaul of the Kessel Student Center for dining, student organizations, and the student government association; an additional14,000-square-foot athletic complex supporting more than a dozen NCAA Division II programs; and a new Environmental Center powered by solar and geothermal energy. Gone were the grazing animals. In their place: a vibrant, modern campus that still carries the memory of what came before.

Feyl shares that the evolution of the spaces on campus have reflected the changing needs of degrees and workforce, for example adding a nursing program in the mid-1960s or discontinuing an equestrian associate degree. This responsiveness to community needs is an element of what sets Pace’s presence in Westchester apart. As the campus grew, so did Pace's deep commitment to the community surrounding it.

Pace’s Impact on the Westchester Community

“Our legacy represents generations of serving as the anchor university in Westchester,” explains Interim Associate Provost, Professor, and Executive Director of the Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship Rebecca Tekula, PhD. While there are other institutions of higher education in the region, Tekula says Pace is unique in that “our partnerships are naturally in service of the community, because of our commitment to community engagement, civic education, and experiential learning. We have a longstanding institutional focus on supporting our students and alumni in their career paths, which means that our work with students, and the academic programs that we stand up on this campus, are intrinsically and proactively responsive to the needs of the local and regional economy.”

Students and faculty members in the MS in Mental Health Counseling program are an ongoing example of this process, she says. “Westchester County Commissioner of Community Mental Health Michael Orth recognizes the need for co-occurring disorders prevention, early detection, and treatment.” She explains that if someone has mental health needs, they’re tracked through one system of behavioral health support, yet if they concurrently develop a substance use disorder, they would be tracked into a separate system of substance use treatment and support. “There are very few integrated approaches to supporting the care of someone who is presenting with both mental health and substance use concerns.”

She recognizes the work being done by faculty who are participating in training on treating co-occurring disorders so they can go on to train doctoral and master’s students at Pace. “In this way, as we train-the-trainers, all of our students in mental health counseling would have the opportunity to graduate and enter the workforce as clinicians with the tools to recognize and treat clients with co-occurring disorders, using the best tested methods. It’s a beautiful case where, as our partners in government raise concern on an emerging program and policy issue, our faculty have developed a response in roughly 24 months. It is incredible, and we’re proud to continue to bust the myth of a higher education sector that moves too slowly.”

"Our legacy represents generations of serving as the anchor university in Westchester."—Tekula

That same instinct to meet community need with institutional action runs through nearly every corner of Haub Law. Professor Tekula also references the ongoing work of the Pace Women’s Justice Center (PWJC). Founded in 1991, the center now serves around 3,500 clients annually across Putnam and Westchester counties. The PWJC provides free legal services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse by helping individuals navigate the legal system. The work takes place at the Walk-In Legal Clinic, hosted at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, and Tekula says, “at some of the local police stations and courthouses through the Court Accompaniment, Respect and Empowerment (CARE) program where volunteers act as legal representatives and advocates who are there to receive and support” people in the moment.

PWJC integrates law students as a core element of all of its programs. Students receive ongoing supervision and guidance from attorneys and paralegals while earning academic credit for their assigned work through specialized learn-work experiences called externships at the Center. This includes preparing cases for family court, gaining expertise in relevant areas of law to represent domestic violence victims in court, practicing client interviews, and developing drafting and case presentation skills. Undergraduates also work with PWJC assisting with maintaining the case management system, case files, and legal resources databases. Students’ integration into PWJC helps them develop necessary professional skills while having a real-time impact in the Westchester community.

The Haub School of Law is also home to the Land Use Law Center (LULC). The Center was one of the first law school-based initiatives in the country to respond to the 1992 Rio de Janeiro pledge by countries around the world to foster sustainable development, meet economic needs, and preserve resources for future generations. The Center “is a key partner for regulatory work that communities are doing, and it’s very much a part of the fabric of those policy and issue areas,” explains Tekula.

"Haub Law school’s continuous community and government connection and stewardship of those relationships is one of the strongest cases of how Pace University shows up for Westchester and the greater region."—Tekula

Stemming from a commission to study land use patterns in the Hudson Valley to see whether the region would be sustainable in 50 years, the Center developed a training program supported by over 100 local communities and governments to provide land use leaders, advocates, planners, and others with opportunities to learn techniques to build grassroots civic engagement that fosters sustainable communities. More than 3,000 participants have graduated from the four-day program so far.

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Locally, LULC operates the US Department of Energy’s New York-New Jersey Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership (CHP-TAP). Funded by federal tax dollars, the program provides technical assistance to help industry transition to clean energy, reduce emissions, and contribute to a clean energy economy. The Center also supports regional cities, towns, and villages in working towards sustainable development by providing strategic recommendations and technical assistance. Both initiatives have direct and indirect impacts on the Westchester community by creating advocates and opportunities for sustainable land use and methods for creating clean energy. Students work and volunteer at LULC conducting research on land use, with their work often receiving publication in academic journals, scholarly publications, and contributing to the Center’s archives and books.

“Haub Law school’s continuous community and government connection and stewardship of those relationships is one of the strongest cases of how Pace University shows up for Westchester and the greater region,” says Tekula, “Haub is a model and a lens through which we can envision this potential for all of our programs in Westchester, and is an internal organizational case study of how these true partnerships add value to both Pace and its counterparts.”

Pace’s Role in Westchester’s Economic Growth

Pace has a role in Westchester that extends beyond direct partnerships. The Westchester Campus enrolls more than 3,400 students, employs more than 2,000 people, and places hundreds of students in local internship and clinical practice each year. According to a 2019 report, the impact on the regional economy “amounts to $278.5 million in increased output, $92.8 million in earnings, and 2,409 [non-campus] jobs.”

Because of Pace's deep ties to the economic wellbeing of Westchester County, as well as Haub Law’s nearby location to critical municipal buildings, Pace often collaborates with the Westchester County government. Professor Tekula explains, “Westchester County government is highly effective, innovative, and serves as a powerful connector throughout the Hudson Valley, New York State, tri-state area, and directly to Washington, DC. Our county partners are critical to our university and the greater community, and we are so incredibly fortunate to have not one but two of our campuses here.”

"To understand where we've come from helps us understand where we're going."—Feyl

Tekula has worked with members of the Pace Community in collaboration with Dyson College’s Department of Public Administration and the Helene and Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship on a growing number of community-engaged research projects, evaluations and assessments which have guided and informed funding and policy. The Wilson Center supports faculty and students across all disciplines working with social enterprises and non-profits to educate, research, and advise. Students participating in programs at The Wilson Center receive hands-on experience in class and during extracurricular opportunities to work with a variety of organizations on pressing needs.

“On a hyper local level, we have worked on community needs assessments for three towns and their community fund, and another county-wide project to produce the Westchester County Nonprofit Compensation and Benefits Report,” she explains. The report provides insights into equitable pay and benefits for non-profit employees in the region. This information galvanizes organizations to make informed decisions about compensation, retention, and future planning, as well as understanding structural barriers in providing livable wages and opportunities for change.

Another high-impact community-engaged research project she’s worked on is the Westchester County: Hispanic Community Needs Assessment (PDF), published in 2025. “This project marks the first comprehensive needs assessment of the Hispanic community in Westchester County in over 20 years,” says Tekula. “We’ve worked with the county’s Hispanic Advisory Board to understand the needs of the Hispanic population, which has now grown to 27% of the county.”

"Pace has that public purpose as a partner. Higher education can stand up to service these needs."—Tekula

The report resulted from 18 months of community-engaged research, including co-designing the research instruments with community representatives, online and paper surveys, and in-depth, semi-structured interviews. “We covered key areas such as education, healthcare, employment, housing, and social services as the initiative aimed to collect high-quality data to enhance county programs and services,” says Tekula. The report shows that respondents ranked “Families, Children, and Seniors, Mental and Physical Health, and Basic Human Needs” as their highest priorities, specifying needs like “parent training, elder care, emergency access, suicide counseling and intervention, quality and affordable housing, and quality groceries.” The Hispanic Advisory Board has already applied these findings to make policy recommendations to the County Executive Ken Jenkins, and the rigorous, detailed report has formed the foundation of a better understanding of “needs and barriers affecting access to services and opportunities and […] creating goals to close high priority gaps.”

Ultimately this partnered, community-engaged research helps to shape county policies and programs by providing actionable insights into what’s happening in local organizations and in the community. “Pace has that public purpose as a partner. Higher education can stand up to service these needs,” says Tekula.

Westchester Connections Support Student Career Paths

Pace’s commitment to meeting regional needs and connecting students with hands-on experiences ensures that students have strong post-college outcomes. Working with cutting-edge mental health treatments, practicing environmental and family law, and participating in research, among other real-world issues during their time in school gives students an advantage when applying for internships, first-time roles, and graduate programs. “Experiential learning opportunities help students translate academic skills into workplace-ready skills,” says Kim Porter, director of Operations, Assessment, and Strategy for Pace’s Career Services and Employer Relations team. “This preparation positions Pace students as confident, motivated candidates.” Because of opportunities like these, within six months of graduation, 95% Pace graduates from Westchester hold a job or continue their education or military service, with 83% of undergraduates and 97% of graduate students working in a field related to their studies.

Pace’s Career Services is a leader in the region, providing a range of career advising, career fairs, and in-person and online programming to ensure students are prepared with the skills employers seek. “Career readiness is integrated throughout the student experience beginning the first year,” explains Porter. “A key example is Resume Write Now, a Career Services initiative embedded in University 101 courses that helps first-year students create their first professional resume early, removing barriers to applying and preparing them to engage with employers and internship opportunities from the start of their college experience.” After The Resume Write Now experience, students have the opportunity to engage with the “Employer in Residence” program where employers visit Career Service’s offices in Westchester to host one-on-one meetings with students.

"Experiential learning opportunities help students translate academic skills into workplace-ready skills."—Porter

“Pace works closely with area companies, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and business associations across Westchester to connect students with internships and full-time opportunities,” says Porter. One unique opportunity to work regionally is Pace’s Community Impact Funded Internship Program, which places students in paid internships with mission-driven partner organizations. Porter shares, “students have been placed with a variety of local Westchester organizations, including Make-A-Wish, the Ronald McDonald House, Arts Westchester, and more.”

Those smaller, mission-driven placements exist alongside connections to some of the county's largest employers. The Career Services team also engages with regional employer networks like the Westchester County Association to stay connected to workforce trends and employer needs in the county. These connections help students hold more than 9,000 internships, co-ops, field experiences, and clinicals with over a thousand different employers across the Hudson Valley and New York City. In Westchester, students have connected with organizations like PepsiCo, IBM, Fujifilm, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Northwell Health, Montefiore Medical Center, Cerebral Palsy of Westchester, Westchester Magazine, and White Plains City School District, among others. Whether students work in the non-profit, healthcare, or education sectors and have direct impacts on members of their own community, or gain technical experience with larger corporate partners, they all shape Westchester County, its economic outcomes, and their own successful career journey.

The Next One Hundred and Twenty Years at Pace

Stand at the edge of Choate Pond on a quiet morning and look out. The turtles are there if you know where to look. The building that was moved by horses still stands. The house on the hill is still pink. That continuity is not incidental. It is the argument.

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"To understand where we've come from helps us understand where we're going," says Feyl. Six decades of earned relationships, adapted programs, and community-centered purpose have created something that cannot be built overnight: genuine belonging. Pace is uniquely positioned to lead innovation in physical and mental health, economic development, technology, and the law. Not despite its history, but because of it.

That positioning is both geographic and relational. "I think Pace's Westchester Campus is very fortunate to be in an environment where we can have all of the benefits of a residential, suburban college where we can be true partners to one of the most innovative governments in one of the most diverse counties in our state and in our country," says Tekula. The investments into building and maintaining those partnerships, along with a rich history of adaptation and exploration, mean that Pace can respond to meet the moment as needs change. "In this environment of higher education, we're all needing to transform in order to survive and thrive."

In another 120 years, the campus will sound different and look different. But if history is any guide, it will still be responsive, still be present, and still be doing the work. That is what it means to be Pace in Westchester. That is what it means to belong somewhere.

In Fall 2026, the doors of One Pace Plaza East will reopen after an extended renovation. Students will once again fill its classrooms, rehearsal spaces, and studios—studying, performing, and creating in the heart of Lower Manhattan. The renovated building will house new facilities for the Sands College of Performing Arts along with humanities instructional spaces designed to serve students from across the University. For the many students, faculty, and staff eagerly awaiting its return, the reopening will mark the beginning of a new chapter in Pace’s story.

Fittingly, as Pace celebrates its 120th anniversary, the reopening of One Pace Plaza East also marks a return to where that story began.

In 1906, educator and entrepreneur Homer St. Clair Pace rented a space in the New York Tribune Building on this same site, just steps from the financial institutions shaping the modern economy. With a $600 loan, Pace launched his first class as an experiment in higher education: an institution designed to prepare students for the emerging accounting profession while also equipping them with the broader intellectual tools needed to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

From that first course in a rented classroom, Pace has grown into a comprehensive university serving students across campuses in Lower Manhattan, Pleasantville, and White Plains. Yet the institution continues to pursue the simple but powerful idea on which it was founded: education should unite intellectual inquiry with real-world experience, drawing on the opportunities of the city and empowering students to shape the professions, communities, and institutions of their time. In other words, Pace has long practiced what might be called education as agency—an approach to learning that prepares students not only to understand the world but to participate in shaping it.

An Educational Idea Ahead of Its Time

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At the beginning of the twentieth century, American universities had not yet fully adapted to the changing demands of the modern economy. Traditional curricula remained largely centered on classical study, preparing students for established professions such as law, medicine, and the ministry. Meanwhile, rapidly growing cities like New York were generating new professions, including accounting. As financial markets expanded and businesses grew more complex, accounting required formal training and professional standards. Yet few universities offered programs designed to prepare students for this work. Homer Pace recognized both a need and an opportunity: to create an institution that would connect higher education more directly with the realities of modern professional life.

Pace also experimented with new ways to expand access to professional education. In addition to classes offered in Lower Manhattan, accounting courses were soon taught through YMCA programs across the country, as well as through correspondence courses for students unable to attend in person. These initiatives extended professional education to working students who might not otherwise have had access to professional training.

Pace did not view professional education as purely technical training. He believed that success in business and public life required broader intellectual preparation. From the beginning, students studied not only accounting and business law but also English, public speaking, and psychology—fields that helped cultivate the judgment, communication skills, and intellectual curiosity needed for leadership in a complex world. Decades later, a Pace course catalog would describe this philosophy clearly, noting that “the effectiveness of any undergraduate program in business administration is greatly dependent on the students’ understanding of the humanities, behavioral sciences, social sciences, and natural sciences.”

Supporting this educational philosophy was the belief that students should also learn from those actively working in the professions they hoped to enter. From its earliest years, Pace emphasized practitioners as teachers—accountants, lawyers, and business leaders who brought real-world experience into the classroom. Many faculty members also served as mentors to students, a tradition that remains central to the University today.

In this way, Pace advanced an educational model that was unusual for its time: bringing together rigorous professional preparation, mentorship from faculty and experienced practitioners, and the broader habits of inquiry associated with the liberal arts.

Expanding Opportunity in a Changing City

From its earliest years, Pace expanded access to emerging professions at a time when many institutions restricted educational opportunity. It is notable that, from its earliest classes, women studied accounting and business alongside men. Students from diverse backgrounds came to Lower Manhattan seeking preparation for careers in finance, law, advertising, and other growing fields.

Civic engagement also formed part of the University’s culture from its earliest years. During World War I, Homer Pace was asked to serve as Commissioner of Internal Revenue following the introduction of the federal income tax in 1913. Viewing the role as a civic responsibility during wartime, he agreed to serve. At the same time, his wife, Mabel Pace, worked with the National League for Women’s Service to organize classes in business and accountancy so that women could fill positions left vacant as men went to war. A similar effort took place during World War II, when Pace established expanded business education courses for women in coordination with the federal government.

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As New York City evolved into one of the world’s leading economic and cultural centers, Pace grew alongside it. The institution transitioned from a for-profit school to a nonprofit educational institution in 1935, expanded its academic offerings after World War II, and began awarding bachelor’s degrees in the 1950s. Over time, what began as the Pace Institute developed into a comprehensive university with programs spanning the arts and sciences, business, computer science and information systems, law, education, health professions, and the performing arts.

Throughout these changes, the relationship between Pace and the city has remained central to its identity. Located in the heart of Lower Manhattan and later expanding into Westchester County, the University continued to draw on the intellectual, professional, and civic life of the region as part of the educational experience.

Opportunity at Pace was never simply an abstract promise. It was created through education that connected students with the institutions, industries, and communities of the city around them.

Inquiry in Action

Over time, this philosophy evolved into what Pace today describes as experiential learning—an approach that connects classroom study with research, internships, and community engagement. At Pace, experiential learning has always meant more than practical experience alone. It reflects a broader goal: helping students develop the intellectual independence to investigate new problems and apply their knowledge to the world around them.

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This idea has deep roots in the University’s educational philosophy. As a Pace course catalog from the 1980s explained, “the university experience must not merely include the subject matter of specific courses but must also train students to attack previously unexplored subjects and to apply their resources in examining and assessing these subjects effectively.”

In other words, the purpose of a Pace education has never been simply to prepare students for existing careers. It is to equip them with the curiosity, judgment, and creativity needed to confront problems that do not yet have clear answers.

Today this tradition continues through faculty-mentored research, internships across the New York metropolitan region, community-engaged learning, and partnerships with industry and civic organizations—extending the classroom into the city itself. Pace has also been recognized for its leadership in civic engagement, including its role as a founding member of Project Pericles, its inclusion on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, and its Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement.

Taken together, these efforts reflect a philosophy that might be described as inquiry in action—learning that connects intellectual curiosity with the real challenges of the world students are preparing to shape.

A New Turning Point in Higher Education

As Pace marks 120 years since its founding at a transformative moment in early twentieth-century education, higher education once again finds itself at a turning point. Rapid advances in technology, shifting expectations about the value of a degree, and the growing complexity of social and economic challenges are reshaping what universities are asked to provide.

In response, Pace is advancing an academic plan focused on areas where its distinctive approach to education can make the greatest impact: health and behavioral health; civic leadership, law, and public service; innovative technology and business; and the humanities and performing arts.

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Across these fields, Pace’s longstanding commitment to inquiry in action takes many forms. Students in health and behavioral health programs engage in clinical training and community-based care while studying the social and ethical dimensions of health. Those preparing for careers in law and public service work alongside community organizations, advocacy groups, and public agencies through internships, research, and policy initiatives. In technology and business programs, students explore emerging fields such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and data science while examining their economic and societal implications. And across the humanities and performing arts—including the programs that will soon occupy the renovated spaces at One Pace Plaza East—students combine creative practice with critical inquiry, developing the skills needed to interpret and produce culture, communicate ideas, lead media innovation, and imagine new possibilities for the future.

In an era when AI can increasingly generate information, the deeper purpose of education becomes clearer than ever. Universities must help students develop the intellectual agency to ask new questions, interpret complex problems, and apply knowledge creatively and responsibly. These are precisely the capacities Pace has sought to cultivate for more than a century.

The University has faced moments like our current one before. During the economic turmoil of the 1930s, Pace made a defining choice: transforming itself from a for-profit school into a nonprofit university and placing its future squarely in the hands of education rather than profit. In a time of uncertainty, Pace reaffirmed a simple conviction that the purpose of the university is not merely to respond to economic change, but to prepare students to be innovative thinkers and active problem solvers.

For 120 years, that conviction has guided Pace as it has grown from a rented classroom on Park Row to a university serving students across the globe. The idea remains the same: education should empower students not only to understand the world as it exists, but to imagine—and shape—the world that comes next.

Nestled on a bookshelf in the Pace Study at 41 Park Row, 16 floors above New York City, are clues to the evolution of language.

Yellowed pages from John Higgins’s 1572 edition of Huleot’s Dictionarie—a trilingual guide for Elizabethan learners—peek from the pile. A 1708 second edition of John Harris’s Lexicon Technicum, the world’s first technical dictionary, is perched nearby.

Together, the volumes—personally collected by the University’s co-founder, Homer Pace—form more than a rare archive. They reflect the idea that knowledge is always evolving and never finished, a concept that Pace educators have spent more than a century putting into practice.

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For 120 years, adaptability has been Pace’s guiding star. From humble origins as a one-room school of accountancy, to a three-campus powerhouse with thousands of students, Pace has constantly evolved to meet the moment in higher education and to train the workforce of today.

“Our success is a result of the fact that we have a great deal of flexibility,” Edward J. Mortola, Pace's third president, told The New York Times in 1978. “We are able to act quickly when opportunity presents itself and have an ability to innovate.”

That flexibility is again being called upon, as economic pressures and demographic shifts push many universities to retrench. In the face of these challenges, Pace is refocusing on strengths, and in the process, redefining education for the 21st century and beyond.

Academic Strengths

At the center of these innovations is experiential learning; not just the belief that careers begin long before graduation, but the practice of it. Across the University, Pace students—lawyers, actors, writers, health care workers, technologists, and business leaders in training—go beyond the classroom to gain real-world experience through fieldwork, internships, and immersive learning and working experiences.

“At Pace, we empower students to learn by doing,” said Kelley Kreitz, PhD, director of Experiential Learning and associate professor of English at the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences. “This is a shift away from the historical model of universities of a one-way flow of information.”

To solidify Pace’s leadership in experiential learning and ensure its programs keep pace with a changing world, the University recently completed a comprehensive review of its academic portfolio. Four areas of focus emerged.

First, Pace will remain committed to the liberal arts through programs like Communications and Media Studies, and to the creative disciplines that shape culture, inspire innovation and develop well-rounded, forward-thinking graduates. The Sands College of Performing Arts and the soon-to-open One Pace Plaza East give Pace a national platform from which to lead.

Just as importantly, with nationally recognized programs in nursing, clinical psychology, and mental health counseling, Pace will lead in training the professionals who will meet society’s most urgent health needs.

"At Pace, we empower students to learn by doing."—Kreitz

Beyond health, civic leadership, law and public service will be prioritized. From the Elisabeth Haub School of Law’s top-ranked environmental law program to Dyson’s public administration and criminal justice degrees, Pace will prepare students to lead.

And in a rapidly digitizing economy, Pace will leverage strengths in data science, cybersecurity, AI, finance, and accounting, fields where demand is growing and where Pace has a strong track record of success.

By focusing on these four areas, Pace will become more than another university in a crowded field—it will emerge as New York’s dream school for a new generation of learners. These priorities are grounded in 120 years of proven impact, reflected in the programs, partnerships, and graduates that show Pace can compete, lead, and endure through disruption. The portfolio review didn’t create these strengths, it simply brought them into focus.

Humanities and Performing Arts

That commitment is visible in Pace’s humanities and performing arts curriculum. For Dean of the Sands College of Performing Arts Jennifer Holmes, PhD, artistic expression is an inseparable part of the liberal arts experience. One can’t exist without the other.

“Great artists draw constantly on history, philosophy, literature, politics, economics, science and the study of human behavior,” said Holmes. “The liberal arts cultivate the habits of mind—curiosity, critical thinking, cultural awareness—that allow artists to interpret the world and contribute to it thoughtfully.”

“In that sense,” she added, “the performing arts are not separate from the academic mission of the University, they are one of its most powerful expressions.”

"Great artists draw constantly on history, philosophy, literature, politics, economics, science and the study of human behavior."—Holmes

Established in 2014 within Dyson, the Pace Performing Arts—later earning college status and the Sands name in recognition of a $25 million gift from Pamela and Rob Sands, JD ’84—has quickly become a top contender in the performing arts education world, with current students and alumni regularly working in film, television, and theater.

Sands College is future-focused, preparing students to lead in a rapidly evolving industry. Students train with new technologies, build props and choreograph dance for stage and screen, develop voice work across audiobooks and podcasts, and gain fluency in film production and editing.

They study bi-coastally in Los Angeles and globally in Sitges, Spain, with the Institute of the Arts Barcelona. They devise new work and collaborate with leading artists, producers, and creative entrepreneurs, while building industry-facing skills such as script supervision and pitching.

Students are expected to engage professionally throughout their training, developing the relationships and experience that translate directly to careers.

"...the performing arts are not separate from the academic mission of the University, they are one of its most powerful expressions.”—Holmes

Beyond the stage, Pace’s humanities ecosystem, particularly within Dyson, includes programs in writing, publishing, communications, and digital media. These fields of study demonstrate the University’s continued commitment to the Core Curriculum and applied liberal arts, ensuring that graduates not only master technical and professional skills but also understand culture, communicate effectively, and contribute meaningfully to society.

Together with Pace’s strengths in other areas, the humanities and performing arts help form a university that is interdisciplinary, applied and deeply aligned with modern challenges.

Health and Behavioral Health

If the humanities shape how we understand the world, Pace’s commitment to health and well-being is focused on improving it.

For Tyler McShane ’26, a Psychology BA/Mental Health Counseling MS student in Pleasantville, a healthy world starts with strong human connection. Pace's investment in health and behavioral health isn't new, but the scale and urgency of that commitment has never been greater. As part of his work as vice president of the campus’s psychology club, McShane recently created a social event designed to help young couples—romantic and platonic alike—bond with each other in meaningful ways.

During a recent iteration, more than 50 students and their partners attended, including many off-campus guests. The result was a novel on-campus event that mixed psychology, honest conversation, and for some a little romance.

“I think that level of intimacy and bonding our event explored was something new and exciting that people wanted to try out. It’s an opportunity for openness that is not typically presented at other events,” McShane said.

“...our purpose [has remained] constant: to prepare students, undergraduate and graduate alike, with the knowledge, real-world experience, and habits of mind to realize their full potential.”—Krislov

At Pace, student wellbeing isn’t an afterthought. It’s built into the experience. Pace is among the top 30 colleges in the country for its exceptional commitment to supporting mental health, and programs like RADical Health, a nationally recognized, peer-led wellness initiative, help to ensure that Pace graduates are resilient, confident and grounded.

Pace is also contributing to a stronger regional healthcare workforce.

One step in this direction is the recent launch of the College of Health Professions’ Pathways to Practice Initiative, supported by more than $3 million from the New York State Department of Health. The program will expand opportunities for underrepresented students and enhance preparation for careers in high-demand clinical fields.

Pace is also broadening access to healthcare careers through financial support. In 2025, more than $4 million in full-tuition scholarships were awarded to more than 200 College of Health Professions students through the New York State Department of Health Career Pathways Training program. Student recipients commit to working for three years with a New York State employer where at least 30% of the patient population is Medicaid supported or uninsured.

At Pace, student wellbeing isn’t an afterthought. It’s built into the experience.

As Pace looks ahead, University leadership is focused on aligning its expanding health programs with its recognized commitment to student wellbeing—strengthening advanced clinical training in fields such as nursing, clinical psychology, school psychology, and mental health counseling.

The goal, said College of Health Professions Dean Brian Goldstein, PhD, is to “align with workforce demands, to expand interprofessional education, and to develop strong teaching, scholarship, and clinical and practice partnerships that benefit students, faculty, and the communities we serve.”

Civic Leadership, Law, and Public Service

A similar commitment guides Pace’s approach to legal education, civic engagement, and community partnerships.

At the heart of this work is the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, which houses the nation’s top environmental law program. For more than four decades, Pace’s school of law has built a distinctive model of legal education that emphasizes learning beyond the classroom through experiential opportunities, policy advocacy, and public service.

Evidence of this hybrid approach is everywhere.

One example: a new partnership between Pace’s Animal Policy Project and the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council brings together environmental scholars and wildlife experts to collect data, educate communities, and inform policies that protect wildlife across the state.

In these efforts, legal students don’t only craft briefs; they play a central role in the wildlife rehabilitation and release efforts at Pace’s Suburban Biodiversity Conservation Center.

For more than four decades, Pace’s school of law has built a distinctive model of legal education that emphasizes learning beyond the classroom through experiential opportunities, policy advocacy, and public service.

Civic engagement at Pace extends well beyond the law school. The Center for Community Action and Research (CCAR) connects students with opportunities for service, advocacy, and democratic participation. In 2025 alone, Pace students contributed more than 62,000 service hours through civic engagement courses and programs, representing more than $2 million in value for community partners.

Faculty leadership further strengthens Pace’s commitment to public service. Professors Emily Welty, PhD, and Matthew Bolton, PhD, were members of the ICAN—the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons—a global coalition that was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its work advancing international disarmament efforts.

Together, these programs reflect Pace’s broader vision: to prepare graduates who combine professional expertise with a deep commitment to civic responsibility, public leadership, and meaningful social impact.

Innovative Technology and Business

This philosophy, that the world needs civic-minded graduates, has roots in Pace’s founding. When Pace was established as a for-profit training center in 1906, its first focus was accounting. But Homer Pace quickly realized that success in business requires more than being good with numbers.

The best business leaders, he reasoned, needed to be trained in English, public speaking, and even psychology to manage employees and sell services. It was a whole-person approach to accounting that set Pace apart.

It’s a similar system of training that drives Li-Chiou Chen, PhD, interim Dean of the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. As a school for computer science embedded in a liberal arts college, Seidenberg trains technologists who are also humanists.

"Our students are the technologists who connect to the human side of society.”—Chen

“We’re not a traditional coding school,” said Chen. “We train computer scientists who are critical thinkers, creators, problem solvers, collaborators, and technology entrepreneurs. Our students are the technologists who connect to the human side of society.”

Chen said this idea is integrated into Pace’s approach to technology education, in part because the future demands it. As innovations like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and quantum computing accelerate discoveries and power change, critical thinkers will be needed across disciplines to ask the right questions and interrogate the answers.

The approach has helped build a diverse student body. Lauren DeMaio ’24 was a dancer before coming to Pace, where she found herself drawn to computing. Stephanie Sicilian ‘26, a graduate student in information systems, was an athlete on Pace’s volleyball team; she stayed at Pace to pursue her interest in AI. Brennan Moores ’26, a game developer before applying to college, wanted a school where creative experimentation thrives. He found it in spades at Seidenberg.

"We train computer scientists who are critical thinkers, creators, problem solvers, collaborators, and technology entrepreneurs."—Chen

Emboldened by students like these, and committed to staying ahead of workforce needs, Pace is expanding programs in cybersecurity, AI, data science, and high-demand business disciplines.

Cybersecurity stands as one of the University’s flagship strengths. Pace’s MS in Cybersecurity is housed within a National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security-designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education, reflecting the rigor and national recognition of its programs. Students develop practical expertise through hands-on training environments such as the Cyber Range and the Cybersecurity Education and Research Lab.

Pace is also expanding its leadership in AI. It has launched new degrees programs—including the first undergraduate AI degree in Westchester County. In 2024, the University launched the Pace Artificial Intelligence Lab, an interdisciplinary hub for research, experimentation, and collaboration. The lab brings together faculty and students from across the University to explore emerging technologies and their applications in fields ranging from business analytics to healthcare and public policy.

Data science and advanced analytics further strengthen Pace’s technology ecosystem. The MS in Data Science emphasizes applied learning through work with real-world datasets and cutting-edge analytical tools.

Industry and government partnerships reinforce these academic strengths. Pace has signed an Education Partnership Agreement with the National Security Agency to expand opportunities for collaboration in cybersecurity education and research, helping create a pipeline of highly trained professionals.

This philosophy is reflected across the University, shaping programs within the Lubin School of Business as well.

“These initiatives reflect Pace’s commitment to adaptive innovation,” said Dean of the Lubin School of Business Ajay Khorana, PhD.“By linking technology with business education, Pace will develop adaptive, resilient leaders who thrive in disruption and change; are fluent ​in innovation, AI, and emerging technologies; and are empowered through experiential learning.”

"By linking technology with business education, Pace will develop adaptive, resilient leaders who thrive in disruption and change.”—Khorana

Always Innovating

Like language itself, Pace has always evolved, building on the past to strengthen the future for its students and the communities it serves.

In 1917, as World War I raged, Pace—just over a decade old—offered its students a promise reflective of the times. “Pace training prepares for war-time service now and peace-time opportunities later,” vowed an ad in the Pace Student, the school’s first newsletter. It was, said Pace archivist and historian Ellen Sowchek, an appeal to women to enter a field vacated by men headed to the frontlines.

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During these early years, the Pace brand expanded through affiliate schools and franchises across the country, and with a training program offered by mail. But in 1922, Pace retrenched to renew its focus on New York City. By 1929, as the stock market crashed and the Great Depression loomed, Pace’s decision to trim was vindicated.

As economic conditions improved, Pace sensed its moment. In 1935, Pace, which began as a proprietary for-profit business, was incorporated as a non-profit institution of higher education and officially became a college in 1948. Between 1960 and 1984, Pace’s third president, Edward J. Mortola, led a transformation that saw Pace mushroom from a tiny footprint and an enrollment of 400 into an educational powerhouse with eight schools, three campuses, and more than 26,000 students.

Pace is smaller today, but no less rigorous in its pursuit of academic relevance, said Marvin Krislov, Pace’s eighth, and current, president.

“Over the decades, we’ve grown across disciplines, campuses, and generations,” he said in its 2026 State of the University address. “But our purpose [has remained] constant: to prepare students, undergraduate and graduate alike, with the knowledge, real-world experience, and habits of mind to realize their full potential.”

The pattern is consistent enough to be called a strategy. In 1922, Pace pulled back from national expansion to recommit to New York—and thrived. In the 1960s, it expanded boldly when conditions allowed and built something lasting. Today's refocusing on core strengths isn't a retreat. It's the same institutional instinct, applied to a new moment. Pace has done this before. The record suggests it will work again.

The Future is Now

Flip to page 4,130 in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia—a Pace Study showpiece and one of America’s greatest contributions to the field of dictionaries—and the entry for “opportunist” helps illuminate Pace University’s approach to keeping education relevant.

“In general,” the definition reads, an opportunist is “one who makes the best of circumstances as they arise.” The entry continues by invoking Anthony John Mundella, a famed British Liberal politician and major figure in 19th-century educational reform.

“Mr. Mundella,” the entry reads, “made a happy address before the conference, in which he styled himself an opportunist in education…a man who has to do the best he can under the circumstance.”

One hundred and twenty years after Pace’s founding, it’s forefathers would no doubt approve of the University’s continued commitment to that ideal.

The Women’s Association of Law Students (WALS) at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University hosted its annual Pioneer of Justice and Equality Award ceremony on March 18, 2026, recognizing Cindy Kanusher, Esq., Executive Director of the Pace Women’s Justice Center, as this year’s honoree.

The annual ceremony highlights WALS’ mission to promote gender equity and empower future attorneys to pursue justice for marginalized communities. The event brought together students, faculty, alumni, and members of the broader legal community to celebrate and recognize Cindy Kanusher’s leadership and enduring commitment to advancing justice for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse. Through her leadership and service, Kanusher embodies the spirit of the award and serves as a positive example for the next generation of legal advocates.

As Executive Director of the Pace Women’s Justice Center (PWJC), Kanusher has dedicated 27 years to expanding legal services and support for vulnerable populations. Under her leadership, the Center has grown into a highly respected legal services and training organization, serving more than 3,500 individuals annually across Westchester and Putnam Counties. She has played a critical role in broadening access to justice through initiatives that provide bilingual legal assistance, safety planning, legal representation, and community education. Her work has helped thousands of survivors navigate the legal system and secure protection, resources, and stability.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Pioneer of Justice and Equality Award from WALS,” said Kanusher. “This recognition is especially meaningful coming from students who are preparing to enter the profession and carry forward the work of advocating for those in need. It reinforces the importance of building systems that ensure access to justice for all.”

Each year, WALS presents the Pioneer of Justice and Equality Award to recognize women who are breaking barriers and advancing equity within the legal profession and beyond. Since its founding in 1996, the award has honored influential leaders whose work has shaped the legal landscape, including Dr. Sarah Weddington, attorney for the petitioner in Roe v. Wade, and Catharine A. MacKinnon, internationally recognized scholar and advocate.

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“This event is an opportunity to recognize leaders who are making a real difference and to inspire students to pursue meaningful careers in advocacy and public service,” said Morgan Wertlieb ’26, President of WALS. “Cindy Kanusher’s work exemplifies the values of justice, compassion, and leadership that WALS seeks to promote, and we were honored to celebrate her.”

The annual award continues to highlight the impact of women leaders in the legal profession while inspiring students to pursue careers rooted in advocacy, equity, and service.

How Pace alumnus Henry Richard used marathon running as a way of overcoming tragedy, building community, and becoming the best version of himself.

Pace University Lubin School of Business alumnus Henry Richard ’25 has run nine marathons to date. Taken together, that’s around 236 miles—farther than the driving distance between his hometown of Boston and Pace’s New York City campus. And that’s not to mention the countless miles Henry has run in shorter races, in community open runs, or in the rigorous training regimens required to sustain his high level of athletic performance.

In the hundreds—perhaps thousands—of miles he has covered since he discovered his passion for running, Henry has learned a thing or two about resilience, about the inexhaustible power of the human will to persevere. But these were lessons that Henry first learned long before he laced up his runners for his marathon debut.

When, at just eleven years old, senseless tragedy struck his family, Henry learned firsthand how moments of unimaginable sorrow can inspire new forces of positivity and compassion that change people’s lives.

No More Hurting People, Peace

In April 2013, Henry’s little brother, eight-year-old Martin, was one of three people tragically killed during the Boston Marathon bombing. Martin was precocious, athletic, and talented—a standout student with a wide circle of friends and a dream of becoming the next great Boston professional athlete. He was the pride of his teachers and coaches and the joy of his family. “And he was always the kindest one in the room,” Henry said. “That’s how his legacy will be remembered.”

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In the weeks after the bombing, an old photo surfaced of Martin holding a handmade sign he’d created for his classroom’s participation in a peace march on the Boston Common. Martin’s sign bore a simple but profound message: “No More Hurting People, Peace.” The photo spread quickly across the internet and news media. For a community and a nation grieving the devastating tragedy of the bombing, the image of Martin’s smiling face—and the powerful message emblazoned on his sign—became a symbol of compassion in the face of violence, of hope in the face of despair.

Martin may have been gone, but his message of peace inspired millions of people around the world. “No More Hurting People, Peace” became an indelible maxim of healing and grace. Soon, his parents recognized that there was a unique opportunity to memorialize their son’s legacy while continuing to spread positivity through his enduring spirit of kindness.

In early 2014, Martin and Henry’s parents established the Martin Richard Foundation, a mission-centered philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing the values of sportsmanship, inclusion, kindness, and peace through investment in programs that encourage young people to celebrate diversity and engage as community leaders. In the years since its founding, the Foundation has honored Martin’s legacy through more than ten million dollars in support to local organizations across more than 250 communities, including the development of innovative and inclusive sports programs for young people with disabilities, the creation of Martin’s Park in Boston’s Seaport District, and the naming of the Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice at Bridgewater State University.

Today, Henry takes immense pride in the way his parents, his family, and his community came together to build a movement of positivity and peace in his little brother’s name.

“I’m really proud of them,” he said. “I’m grateful to my parents for being so strong, for being the rock for my sister and me after Martin passed away. When the idea for the foundation was born, they wanted to turn something tragic into something that could be inspiring and beneficial to the world and that could keep Martin’s memory and legacy alive. We were part of such a loving community, a big family of people in Boston who were there to support each other. That will always mean a great deal to me.”

Resilience Through Running

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At the heart of the Foundation’s work was Team MR8, a global team of runners, spanning 175 towns and cities across 12 countries, who participated in marathons and other athletic events in Martin’s honor. Every year, Henry and his community would support the Team MR8 runners as they trained for their races. And every year, Henry would attend the Boston Marathon to cheer the runners on and to celebrate the culmination of their commitment, their effort, and their belief in the power of Martin’s message.

For Henry, the Boston Marathon was more than just a race. It represented community, fortitude, the extraordinary things that can be achieved when adversity is met with positivity and a clarity of purpose.

“The Boston Marathon was always a symbol of strength and resilience for me,” he said. “Growing up, I felt that, one day, I needed to be one of those people who put in the work and completed it. It was always an important goal. I remember always telling myself, ‘I’ll be back. I’ll be back. I’m going to beat this thing.’”

During his freshman year at Pace, Henry made good on that promise. He committed to running his first-ever marathon back in his hometown: the Boston Marathon, the race that had always meant the most to him. And thanks to a support system that encouraged him every step of the way, he successfully completed the race, running in honor of his brother and fulfilling a goal he had fostered since his days cheering on older runners from the sidelines.

After that first race, he was hooked.

Eight marathons later, running has become an essential part of Henry’s life, a core part of his daily routine. It always gives him a challenge, he said. Something to work for. A constant source of inspiration to improve, to better himself, to “keep going and keep running through life.”

As a student at Pace, he brought those same principles of discipline and personal improvement to his campus community, working with classmates and friends to found Soul-Fighter, a fitness-focused student club that uses boxing training methods to promote physical, mental, and emotional wellness. Soul-Fighter has remained active even after Henry and his fellow founders’ graduation, continuing to bring Pace students together to forge community and build healthy habits.

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Today, the drive to improve and excel continues to motivate Henry—in his running and in his life.

“I’m very privileged to be able to run these races for a variety of incredible organizations, including my family’s,” Henry said. “I enjoy the challenge. Whether it’s a marathon, a half-marathon, or anything in life, it’s about signing on the dotted line and showing up. It’s about getting up on the days you don’t want to get up. It’s about taking risks, diving into the deep end and trusting that you’ll figure it out.”

A New Challenge, A New Chance to Reflect

In April 2026, Henry will once again count himself among the runners of the Boston Marathon. It will mark his tenth marathon, back where it all began, back where he learned the lessons of resilience and positivity that have shaped his life.

Each new race means a new season of intensive training, and his tenth race is no different. In the past months, Henry has carved out precious time around his job as an underwriting assistant at eMaxx Assurance Group to prepare for the unique physical and psychological challenges that only a marathon can present. It’s all part of the process, and it’s in the daily grind where Henry finds his purpose.

But it’s more than just the training. Each new race also provides an opportunity for contemplation: a chance to trace the journey; to reflect on the great sweep of progress made, challenges overcome; to practice gratitude for the people who made it all possible.

For Henry, this is just as important as the 6:00 a.m. workouts.

“I’m so incredibly grateful for the continuous support I’ve received,” he said. “It shaped me into the man I am today, and it inspires me to keep doing hard things, knowing that, if I fall, I have plenty of people who will be there to yank me back up. I’ve had so many good friends, an amazing family, amazing coaches and professors, great role models. The people you surround yourself with are always the most important thing, and I’m incredibly grateful for the people in my life.”

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Pace University’s new Pride Alumni Network Committee Chair, Anthony Parker ’15, always knew that he wanted to pursue a career that made use of his creativity. As a student at Pace University, Anthony studied communications at the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, with a concentration in film production and a minor in journalism.

As a New York local, Anthony was drawn to Pace for its proximity to home. Originally intending to pursue Adolescent Education major, Anthony’s eyes were opened to a different path when he attended a Dyson open house as an admitted student. The variety of course offerings and hands-on, technical production experiences available through Dyson’s communications major were a considerable draw, presenting Anthony with the opportunity to explore a variety of potential career paths.

“I knew that no matter what I was doing, I wanted to have an element of creativity in my work,” Anthony said. “I didn’t want to sit at a desk all day and push papers around. I wanted to be able to think critically, think creatively, and have a product to develop and deliver.”

As a student at Pace, Anthony worked as a student assistant in the University’s Human Resources Office. The experience helped him secure a position as a marketing and HR assistant at a law firm shortly after graduation. Over the next few years, Anthony was inspired to make marketing his full-time career. Today, he works as a marketing specialist at a global law firm, Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP.

“It’s not what I expected, but I love what I do, and I really enjoy the creative aspect of my work,” Anthony said. “But I’ve also still been able to do the production work that I wanted to do when I was in college.” In addition to his marketing work, Anthony produced and hosted a public access television show between 2018 and 2022. The show, aimed at the Bronx LGBTQ+ community, aired on BronxNet and the Manhattan Neighborhood Network.

“The show, Out Loud, was really meant to give the LGBTQ+ community in the Bronx a voice and make them aware of the different resources available to them locally,” Anthony said. “My goal was to highlight and tell stories for the LGBTQ+ people, organizations, and resources there.”

The show led to Anthony becoming involved with the Pace University Alumni Association. Thoroughly impressed by Anthony’s work on Out Loud, former professor Melanie LaRosa reached out and encouraged Anthony to get involved with the Pace Pride Alumni Network. Prior to being named committee chair in the fall of 2025, Anthony served as the committee’s communications chair.

“We’ve really seen the group grow in the last two years,” Anthony said. “The previous chair, David Reed, really laid a great foundation for the group. And now, my goal as chair for these next two years is to continue that momentum. We’re constantly exploring new avenues by which we can engage existing alumni—and making current seniors aware of the network to get them involved when they graduate.”

As chair, Anthony hopes that he can further establish the Pace Pride Network as a professional network and resource hub for alumni in all stages of their careers. Anthony seeks to leverage campus partnerships to hold engaging events—such as this month’s SafeZone Training Setter Session, hosted by Director of Pace’s LGBTQA+ Centers, Jimmy Luckman.

By leveraging these valuable partnerships and remaining committed to building community amongst Pace professionals across industries, Anthony is confident that the network will only continue to flourish.

“If you want to feel the value in Pace, I think it’s always important for you to pay that forward. If you want to give back and help create opportunities for people, I think the Pace Pride Alumni Network is a great way to get involved and give back. Going out into the world after graduating can be daunting, especially for LGBTQ people, and I want to help open doors for others the same way Pace has done for me.”

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The Pace Alumni Association’s new College of White Plains of Pace University (CWP/Pace) Alumni Committee Chair, Joe Antonacci ‘80, knew as early as fourth grade that he wanted to write for a newspaper. From a young age, Joe recalls reading the Sunday paper religiously. 

“I would read the Arts and Leisure section of the Sunday Times, just to see what movies were playing in the city and what music was being made,” Joe said. “I liked the articles and the ads, and after that I would look at the book review, of all things—and then the news. My father used to get angry because he’d bring the paper home and I would be hogging it.”

Joe dreamt of one day writing for a newspaper: A dream he chose to pursue at the College of White Plains, shortly following its 1975 consolidation with Pace University. For Joe, the tight-knit community and vibrant campus represented “the quintessential American college experience.” Drawn in from the moment he set foot on school grounds, Joe committed early decision to continue his education at the College of White Plains of Pace University.

“In high school, I was not what you would call an honor student,” Joe reflected. “Truthfully, I was more of a juvenile delinquent. The thing that really saved me was I always did well on standardized tests. When I toured the College of White Plains at Pace and saw Preston Hall, there was something in me that just said, ‘This is the place I want to be.’ And it really changed my life, from the first day I was on campus.”

At CWP/Pace, Joe flourished academically and became deeply involved in campus life. “I went from somebody who was barely passing to somebody who was getting merit scholarships,” Joe said. “Somebody who wouldn’t participate in any extracurricular activities to the vice president of my class and a member of the student senate—and eventually, the features editor for the school paper.” Two weeks before graduating, Joe secured his first job as a reporter for a newspaper in Rockland County.

Joe worked as a reporter for about two years, before making an unexpected professional pivot. During his time at the paper, Joe had the opportunity to write an article profiling Bob Wolff, a legendary television and radio sportscaster, and Joe’s former journalism professor at Pace. After the article came out, Bob called Joe and asked if he would ever be interested in working in public relations. Joe soon found himself working for Herb Falk in Pace University’s PR office, an opportunity he says positioned him for a fruitful career in the field.

Joe went on to work as a press spokesperson for Farleigh Dickinson University and the American Museum of Natural History. Eventually, he landed at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), working for Metro-North. As Metro-North had just recently been formed, following the MTA’s absorption of Conrail, the place was initially “kind of a mess,” according to Joe. “I thought I would just stay there for a year or two,” Joe said. “At first, I hated it. But the president of the company at the time, Peter Stangl, talked me into staying. And I wound up staying for 32 years.”

At Metro-North, Joe had the unique opportunity to combine his journalistic and public relations experience in a dynamic role. His responsibilities included writing employee publications, penning the president’s speeches, managing customer communications, and putting together award ceremonies. Later, as an internet presence began to become essential, he helped put together Metro-North’s early website and started the railroad’s social media presence.

Memorably, he also took over the writing of Metro-North’s customer publication, Mileposts, a pamphlet-newsletter that was both informational and entertaining. “It was this publication we used to drop on the seats,” Joe said. “It had a lot of humor in it; a self-deprecating style of writing. It was a lot of fun to do.”

Fulfilling as his tenure with Metro-North may have been, Joe swore that when he retired, he would never touch social media again. “It took up such a large portion of my life,” Joe said. “As much as I loved working for Metro-North, it was a very demanding job. I was on call 24/7.” Then came a call from previous CWP/Pace Committee Chair, Brian Donlon ’78, inviting Joe to drinks with some fellow alumni after work.

“I said, ‘Yeah, sure, it’d be great to see some of the old guys, right?’” Joe recalled. “So I got over there, and that’s when Brian sprung on me: ‘We’re trying to plan a College of White Plains of Pace University reunion coming up, and we need people reach out to alumni and let them know about it. If we gave you a list of emails, could you help us with the outreach?’ And I was like, ‘Fine, alright, you got me.’”

Alas, in his work with the Pace Alumni Association, Joe has undoubtedly violated his post-retirement social media moratorium. Nevertheless, his involvement has been anything but reluctant. “Seeing everybody again made me realize the importance of maintaining those relationships and keeping that sense of community,” he said. At the end of September 2025, Joe was named the new Alumni Association Committee Chair for the College of White Plains of Pace University, and he immediately began putting his talents to work to continue strengthening ties among CWP/Pace alumni.

“I’m very pleased with the response so far, and the energy and interest shown by the group,” Joe said of his efforts to date. “It’s been very encouraging to see that there’s still interest there, and that people want to be communicated with and reached—and I think the University can benefit from that kind of interest.”

As Committee Chair, Joe hopes to sustain and grow the online engagement he has seen so far, highlight the importance of the College of White Plains of Pace University as a part of Pace’s history, and keep his fellow CWP/Pace alumni informed and connected—both with each other and Pace University.

“I want them to know that the University is thinking about them, and I want to ensure Pace continues to be a part of their lives. There are challenges: We’re a smaller group, we’re dispersed geographically, we’re on the older side… But there’s still a way to keep the sense of community that defined our student experience alive, and I’m going to be working on ways to do that as committee chair.”

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At Pace University, Professor Courtney Gosnell, PhD, is helping students see psychology not only as a field of study, but as a way of understanding the relationships that shape everyday life.

A faculty member in the undergraduate Psychology program, Pleasantville Campus, Gosnell focuses her research on how people navigate close relationships in both joyful and difficult moments. Her work specifically examines social support, emotional connection, and the ways people sustain important bonds even in an increasingly divided world.

Through that scholarship, and through her close mentorship of students, Gosnell reflects the kind of engaged, student-centered faculty expertise that distinguishes Pace’s Psychology program, recently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a Best Psychology program.

Researching the Power of Support in Good Times and Bad

Much of Gosnell’s research centers on social support; however, while many studies in the field of psychology have focused on how people help one another through hardship, Gosnell has also examined how people celebrate one another and what happens when good news is shared.

This area, known as “capitalization support,” looks at how people respond when a loved one, for example, experiences something positive, such as a promotion, engagement, or personal achievement.

“When we think about social support, we often focus on how people show up during difficult moments. But what we’ve found is that how people respond to your good news can be just as meaningful—if not more so—in shaping how supported you feel overall,” she said.

This insight is important to the field because it expands how psychologists understand well-being, resilience, and the role of relationships in everyday mental health.

Addressing Polarization Through Relationship Research

Gosnell has also more recently turned her attention to a timely and urgent topic: how close relationships endure across political differences.

She has explored what it means to maintain relationships with parents, siblings, romantic partners, and other loved ones whose political views may differ sharply from one’s own. Her projects also consider how outside forces, including election outcomes and media messaging, can influence how people feel about those relationships.

This research is especially relevant in today’s period of heightened social and political polarization, and it brings an important interpersonal lens to a subject often discussed only at the group or partisan level. By studying how people preserve connections amid disagreement, Gosnell is contributing to a richer understanding of conflict, communication, and the everyday realities of social division.

Bringing Research to Life for Pace Students

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At Pace, Gosnell helps students move beyond textbook definitions and into experiential discoveries.

She works extensively with students, engaging them in participation both at research conferences and in research-focused settings, including the Psychology Department’s experimental psychology course sequence, in which they spend a full academic year developing their own studies. In the process, students learn how to generate research questions, review literature, submit materials for institutional review board approval, collect and analyze data, and present their findings.

Gosnell also teaches students in mentored lab experiences, that allow them to earn course credit through direct faculty-guided research, often funded by the Provost Office’s Undergraduate Research program. Her hands-on approach gives undergraduates the kind of substantive research training often associated with graduate education, helping them build practical skills in collaboration, communication, leadership, and analysis.

She said, “One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is watching students realize they can ask their own questions and design a study to answer them. That moment of discovery is incredibly powerful.”

Mentorship That Opens Doors

Asked what makes the Pace Psychology program distinctive, Gosnell points to the close faculty-student connections that are possible on the Pleasantville Campus.

For Gosnell, that combination of personal attention, meaningful mentorship, and experiential learning is a defining strength of Pace. It is also what makes the program such a strong environment for aspiring psychologists to grow, explore, and succeed in a wide range of future careers.

“At Pace, students have the opportunity to work closely with faculty and get involved in research early on. That hands-on experience, combined with strong mentorship, really sets our program apart,” she said.

World University Leaders Forum convenes international experts to examine the future of AI in universities

Global leaders in higher education, policy, and technology gathered at Pace University’s New York City campus on Monday for Intelligent Futures: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Universities and Higher Education, a one-day international conference exploring how AI is transforming the future of universities worldwide.

The event, organized by the World University Leaders Forum (WULF) in partnership with O.P. Jindal Global University, brought together university presidents, faculty, and policymakers to explore AI’s impact on teaching, research, governance, and the student experience. A central theme throughout the day was the growing need for ethical frameworks and responsible oversight as institutions adopt AI at scale.

“Artificial intelligence has come to stay, and we cannot ignore it.” said Rajesh Bindal, Judge of the Supreme Court of India. “The challenge before universities is to ensure it is used responsibly, with clear policies and thoughtful governance.”

The conference featured keynote remarks, panel discussions, and the launch of the AI Governance Report 2026 from O.P. Jindal Global University, highlighting emerging global approaches to responsible AI adoption in higher education.

Interdisciplinary perspectives were explored during AI and the Humanities in Higher Education, where panelists examined how AI is influencing fields such as philosophy, law, and social sciences. The discussion featured C. Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University, Mohan Kumar, Dean, Strategic and International Initiatives, Office of the Vice Chancellor & Director General, O.P. Jindal Global University, and Tresmaine Grimes, Dean of Pace’s Dyson College of Arts and Science. The discussion was moderated by Pace University President Marvin Krislov.

“AI is fundamentally reshaping how knowledge is created, shared, and governed,” said Kumar. “Universities must lead with a global vision, developing frameworks that balance innovation with accountability while safeguarding academic integrity and public trust.”

The impact of AI on classrooms and student engagement was the focus of AI and the Transformation of Teaching and Learning, where panelists explored how intelligent technologies are redefining curriculum design, assessment, and accessibility. The discussion featured Norman Eng, EdD, Professor of Education at Brooklyn College, Padmanabha Ramanujam, Dean of Office of Academic Governance at O.P. Jindal Global University, and Michael Wagner, professor and head of digital media department at Drexel University, and was moderated by David Sachs, professor of information systems at Pace’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems and co-chair of Pace University’s AI Committee.

Institutional responsibility took center stage during Governance, Ethics, and the Future of the AI-Enabled University, a panel examining data governance, regulatory considerations, and leadership accountability. The discussion featured Ashwin Fernandes, vice president at QS Quacquarelli Symonds; Ericka Watson, principal and CEO of Data Strategy Advisors, LLC; and Jim Russell, CIO and vice president for digital strategy and planning at Manhattanville University, and was moderated by Li-Chiou Chen, PhD, interim dean of Pace’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

“You can’t manage what you can’t see,” said Watson. “Institutions need clear visibility into what AI tools are being used, how they are being used, and by whom. Before you can govern AI, you need to understand your risk, what tools are in use and whether the right frameworks are in place to manage them.”

Throughout the day, speakers addressed issues including academic integrity, data governance, accessibility, and workforce transformation, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges of integrating AI into higher education. The event was also attended by Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, Consul General of India in New York.

“Convenings like Intelligent Futures show the importance of bringing together diverse global perspectives to tackle complex challenges,” said President Krislov. “At Pace, we are committed to advancing AI literacy, fostering responsible innovation, and preparing our students to lead in an AI-enabled world.”

The conference also created space for networking and cross-sector dialogue, reinforcing Pace University’s role as a hub for global conversations at the intersection of technology, education, and society. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape higher education, initiatives like the new bachelor of science in artificial intelligence (AI), set to launch in fall 2026, reflect the university’s ongoing commitment to innovation, expanded academic offerings, and student success in an AI-driven world.

About Pace University

Founded in 1906 and celebrating 120 years of preparing students for success in 2026, Pace University pairs real-life learning with strong academics to launch meaningful careers. With campuses in New York City and Westchester County, Pace serves 13,600 students across a range of bachelor, master, and doctoral programs through the College of Health Professions, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Lubin School of Business, Sands College of Performing Arts, School of Education, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

About the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems at Pace University

The Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems at Pace University is a leading institute of technology education. Students experience a dynamic and expansive technology education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. One of the first comprehensive schools of computing in the nation, the Seidenberg School is strategically located in the heart of NYC’s tech scene, right on the doorstep of New York’s most promising companies. With access to established tech giants and exciting new start-ups from both the New York City and the Westchester campus, Seidenberg offers the opportunity to connect, intern with, and enjoy lucrative tech jobs following graduation. Through partnerships with leading tech firms, banks, federal agencies, and global institutions, the school’s curricula and programs are designed to ground students in the fundamentals while offering numerous hands-on experiential learning opportunities. The faculty includes numerous experts in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science, game development, software engineering, and much more, who operate labs and centers providing students with practical experience and connections that lead to impressive internships and jobs.

Sierra Vendas

Class of '27
Pronouns: She/Her
Currently Studying: BBA in Marketing, Digital Marketing, Minor in Graphic Design
Member (Clubs): Advertising Club, IDM Lab, Her Campus, Brand Marketing Team

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Why did you choose Pace University and the Lubin School of Business?

While there are several reasons I chose to continue my academic journey at Pace University, I ultimately selected Pace because of its proximity to some of the largest agencies in the marketing industry. The Lubin School of Business has provided me with countless connections and opportunities that have helped me excel both academically and professionally. I knew that, by attending Pace University, I would have professors with a vested interest in my success and a strong support system throughout my professional journey. The Lubin School of Business curriculum, combined with university-offered experiences, has allowed me to get my foot in the door and secure the job opportunities I was looking for. Ultimately, I chose Pace University for its location, network, and opportunities.

How have clubs on campus helped enrich your student experience?

Pace University’s student organizations have shaped—and continue to shape—my college experience into a memorable, community-centered journey. Being involved in a variety of clubs has not only enriched my social life and led to lifelong friendships, but also provided invaluable resources and guidance for professional development. Advertising Club personal branding workshops have taught me how to present myself professionally, the IDM Lab has given me hands-on experience working with real-world companies, and Her Campus has helped me refine my writing and editing skills, which have supported my pitch writing during my public relations internships. While Pace University may be unconventional in that it is a city school, its student organizations make the University feel even more community-focused and interconnected. Student Engagement and each individual club work to create unforgettable experiences for the student body.

What has been your favorite opportunity at Pace?

My favorite opportunity at Pace University has been the chance to participate on Pace University’s Brand Marketing Team. This prestigious team competes in the American Advertising Federation National Student Advertising Competition, creating a well-researched and thoughtfully executed campaign for a new high-profile client each year. Since my first year, it has been a goal of mine to join the team and contribute meaningful work to an influential marketing campaign. This year, the team has been developing our case for the National Football League. I have been able to contribute to research development, media planning, and other key areas of the campaign. This opportunity has pushed me to become more professional by teaching me to meet deadlines, conduct thorough research, and present ideas in a precise yet comprehensive way.

Do you have any advice for other Lubin students?

My advice to students in the Lubin School of Business would be to join every club that sparks your interest and attend on-campus events whenever possible. Joining clubs—even if you are simply curious and want to explore—can help you find your community and enrich your college experience. You never know where you might meet a new friend or gain a fresh perspective.

The Lubin School of Business has made me feel better prepared for life after college, and the people within the program continually inspire me to strive for more.

What does #LubinLife mean to you?

To me, #LubinLife means using the resources within the Lubin School of Business to build a successful life and career. The Lubin School of Business has made me feel better prepared for life after college, and the people within the program continually inspire me to strive for more. I am always looking for new opportunities to expand my network and strengthen my skills, and Lubin has provided an ideal environment for that growth. My professors, peers, and advisors consistently motivate me and have helped create a strong sense of community at Pace University. In short, #LubinLife means being part of a community that encourages you to become the best version of yourself while supporting you along the way.

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