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On Wednesday, September 21, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University held the kick-off event for the recently launched Sustainable Business Law Hub. The well-attended event provided a networking opportunity for like-minded business, environmental and legal professionals dedicated to sustainable business practices in Westchester County, New York City, and beyond.

Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law, Associate Dean for Environmental Law Programs and Strategic Initiatives, and the Faculty Director of the Sustainable Business Law Hub, Professor Jason Czarnezki, welcomed guests with opening remarks, highlighting the rapidly growing field of sustainable business law and the incorporation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) values into the decisions of businesses and investors. Sustainable business law as emerged as a distinct area of law and ESG lawyers exist with increasing frequency in major firms. Of the 2022 Am Law 50 law firms, forty-two firms have a practice group or area of focus on ESG, corporate social responsibility (CSR), or sustainable business, Professor Czarnezki shared with the group.

“As the nation’s #1 program in environmental law, Haub Law continues to successfully train lawyers of the future, and our newly launched Sustainable Business Law Hub now trains the first generation of sustainable business lawyers,” remarked Horace Anderson, Dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. “We are excited about this opportunity for dialogue between the Westchester business and legal communities and we encourage local businesspeople to meet the inaugural cohort of Hub Student Scholars and discover how the Hub can support your business.”

Launched in fall 2021, Haub Law’s Sustainable Business Law Hub will serve as an incubator space, student-training program, research endeavor, and think tank devoted to addressing global sustainability challenges through policy and research projects, relationships with the business community, and capacity building in private environmental governance. The Hub will incorporate the three pillars of sustainability—economic, social and environmental welfare—into global business practices by engaging in research and policy development, improving public law and governance, and working with existing industry, the small business community, startups, and the community at-large to develop and employ innovative private environmental models and sustainability practices, such as those that promote a circular economy. Working hand-in-hand with faculty experts, students participating in the Hub will receive practical training and experience in using the law to foster sustainable business practices.

Notably, the Hub’s Advisory Board consists of Haub Law faculty, esteemed alumni, prominent members of the legal community, including ESG and sustainability leaders in the field. Recent Haub Law graduate, Colin Myers ’21, an Associate (ESG) with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, spoke about his time at Haub Law and his career path towards a career in ESG. He noted that the Sustainable Business Hub is pulling together all the resources and more that he had available to him as he advanced his career, noting that to advance in your niche area you need to network every opportunity you have.

Anna Marciano Romanella ’00, another alumni member of the Advisory Board, also shared her experience of how her education gave her the tools, foundation, and confidence to emerge as the Vice President of Sustainability for Zone North America at Nestle and, most recently, as Head of Sustainability for Nespresso USA. “Companies are inviting lawyers to have a seat at the table, not only for their legal acumen, but their business knowledge and their business insights and often, it is because of the way we think and process information, that we are given a seat at the table to give an opinion on sustainability topics,” said Romanella. “Pace enabled me to be able to think differently. To have an active role at the table with the ability to offer guidance on many different components within a large corporation.”

By working across disciplines, faculty at Pace are turning groundbreaking ideas into reality. Juan Shan, PhD, an associate professor of computer science in the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, is focused on applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyzing medical imaging—things like breast ultrasounds and knee MRIs.

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Professor Sharmila L. Murthy delivered the Annual Lloyd K. Garrison Lecture on Environmental Law on Thursday, September 15 on "Advancing Environmental Justice." The Lloyd K. Garrison Lecture on Environmental Law was established in memory of Lloyd K. Garrison in 1995. Professor Sharmila Murthy is Senior Counsel, White House Council on Environmental Quality Professor and Director of Faculty Scholarship and Research at Suffolk University School of Law.

Haub Distinguished Professor of Law, Katrina Fischer Kuh had the pleasure of introducing Professor Murthy, a respected scholar and attorney. During her introduction, Professor Kuh noted that Professor Murthy’s “work is remarkable for the real world impact it has had particularly with respect to environmental justice.” After the introduction concluded, Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law and Associate Dean of Environmental Law Programs and Strategic Initiatives Jason Czarnezki presented Professor Murthy with the Garrison Award and Medal.

Professor Murthy’s lecture focused on the advancement of environmental justice. She started her lecture by discussing the White House Council on Environmental Quality and explaining the Council’s priority areas, structure of the Office, and the initiatives the Council is tasked with. The overall focus of the lecture covered a variety of significant topics related to environmental justice, including the major executive orders on environmental justice, the key initiatives that have happened in the Biden-Harris administration, tackling the climate crisis at home and abroad, key actors, discussion on how the administration is seeking to advance environmental justice across the entire government. During the lecture, Professor Murthy noted, significantly, that “Our shared mission is to advance environmental justice for all.”

Sharmila L. Murthy is a Professor and Director of Faculty Scholarship and Research at Suffolk University Law School. She is currently on leave serving as Senior Counsel at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, where she supports the Biden Administration’s efforts on environmental justice. Professor Murthy’s scholarship focuses on human rights, access to water, climate change, and environmental justice.

After the lecture, audience members had an opportunity to comment and ask questions and a White Plains Alumni & Friends Reception immediately followed the Garrison Lecture. As in the past, this was an opportunity to reconnect with the superb network of Pace | Haub Environmental Law alums in the Westchester vicinity and beyond.

Watch The 2022 Lloyd K. Garrison Lecture

The Fall 2022 semester kicks off with drama, comedy, and a bit of song and dance from Pace's School of Performing Arts. Here's what’s coming to the Pace mainstage this season:

The Chechens

by Phillip Christian Smith
Schaeberle Theater | October 4–9
Get tickets to The Chechens

In modern Chechnya homosexuals are rumored to be held in camps. Can one family protect their brother suspected of being gay, or will they honor kill him to protect the name of the family? What prevails in the end—religion, politics, or love?

She Loves Me

Book by Joe Masteroff | Music by Jerry Bock | Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Schimmel Center | October 12–15
Get tickets to She Loves Me

Set in a 1930s European perfumery, we meet shop clerks Amalia and Georg who, more often than not, don't see eye to eye. After both respond to a "lonely hearts advertisement" in the newspaper, they now live for the love letters that they exchange, but the identity of their admirers remains unknown. Join Amalia and Georg to discover the identity of their true loves... and all the twists and turns along the way!

Into the Woods

Book by James Lapine | Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
80 Greenwich, Studio A | October 20–23
Get tickets to Into the Woods

The story follows a Baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King's Festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch's curse, the two set off on a journey to break the curse. Everyone's wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results.

IPE New Works

Directed by Julia Cavagna and Ana Cantoran Viramontes | Lighting Design by Rachel Fiorito and Sinjin Reinhard
80 Greenwich, Studio A | November 10–13
Get tickets to IPE New Works

Under the mentorship of established American and international theater professionals, PPA students devise original theatrical pieces through the exploration of design, writing, dramaturgy, and physical performance. The end result is unique experience that features performances of entirely new works.

Urinetown

Book by Greg Kotis | Music by Mark Hollmann | Lyrics by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis
Schimmel Center | November 16–20
Get tickets to Urinetown

In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage caused by a 20-year drought has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides that he’s had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom! Inspired by the works of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, Urinetown is an irreverently humorous satire in which no one is safe from scrutiny. Praised for reinvigorating the very notion of what a musical could be, Urinetown catapults the "comedic romp" into the new millennium with its outrageous perspective, wickedly modern wit, and sustained ability to produce gales of unbridled laughter.

Dance sPace 2022

Directed by Rhonda Miller
Schimmel Center Performances | December 9–11
Get tickets to Dance sPace 2022

PPA’s commercial dance students let it all jazz, tap, and hip hop out for their annual showcase starting Friday, December 9. This annual showcase features a semester’s work of craft and dance.