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The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University has partnered with Legal Hand, Inc., a New York State not-for-profit corporation, to launch the Legal Hand Call-In Center serving Westchester County. The virtual center will be staffed and operated by the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and is planned to open for Visitors in the new year.

The Legal Hand Call-In Center will be an all-virtual resource center for community members, with office space on the third floor of Aloysia Hall at the Law School. Haub Law students, along with college students and community Volunteers, will be trained to assist those who live, work and send children to school in Westchester by phone and online and provide legal information, assistance and referrals. While the Center will not provide legal advice or representation, it will serve as a valuable resource for community members seeking guidance in areas such as employment, housing, family, immigration, domestic violence and public benefits.

The Legal Hand Call-In Center serving Westchester County will function as part of the law school’s broader Access to Justice Project, which incorporates curricular, experiential, research, and policy advocacy components, all designed to increase student, faculty and staff engagement in pro bono and community work, and to support the local community in addressing justice gaps.

“Through our partnership with Legal Hand, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law will serve an important role as a resource for the community, while providing our students with an invaluable opportunity to understand and address access to justice issues,” said Horace E. Anderson, Dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. “The Center’s goals are to empower both Volunteers and Visitors to understand and navigate issues and self-help resources, and to help Visitors resolve issues before they turn into legal action.”

Law student Volunteers will be able to participate by handling shifts during the Center hours as trained Volunteers or through a guided externship for credit, and members of the broader community will be trained as Volunteers and asked to commit to serving a minimum of 3 hours per week for 6 months.

“The Legal Hand Call-In Center partnership is an exciting addition to our Access to Justice Project, which is all about finding innovative ways for our law students to build skills through actual community engagement in identifying and addressing gaps in access to legal information and resources,” said Adjunct Professor Elyse Diamond, Director of the Public Interest Law Center and Access to Justice Project. Professor Diamond is spearheading the Call-In Center partnership and launch, and will serve as the faculty advisor for Haub Law students participating in the program.

With the addition of the forthcoming Legal Hand Call-In Center, Haub Law recently appointed Stephanie Costa, Esq. as the Legal Hand Call-In Center Attorney. In this new role, reporting to Professor Diamond, she will train and supervise the law student and community Volunteers in the Legal Hand Call-In Center operated by Pace as they assist virtual Visitors. Prior to joining Haub Law, Stephanie litigated cases on tenants’ rights and fair housing issues on behalf of individual New Yorkers and tenant associations at Legal Services-NYC. She received her JD at Fordham University School of Law and undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Diego Gomez, a 2022 graduate of the law school, has also been hired as the Center Manager and will assist in the Center’s training and administration.

Haub Law is currently recruiting students and other interested members of the community as Volunteers. Qualifying Volunteers will participate in an intense training program prior to the planned launch of the Center in January 2023.

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Pace University has been recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) as a 2022 ALL IN Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting.

The ALL IN Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting recognizes colleges and universities for making intentional efforts to increase student voter participation. Pace joins a group of 394 colleges and universities recognized by ALL IN for completing these four actions:

• Participate in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
• Shared 2020 NSLVE Reports with campus voting data with ALL IN
• Developed and submitted a 2022 democratic engagement action plan with ALL IN
• Have a current signatory to ALL IN’s Higher Education Presidents’ Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation.

“College student voter turnout has increased since 2016, and this increase has been driven by students,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. ”The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is excited to expand our ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll to recognize these student voting champions across the country. These students registered voters, served on their campus voting coalitions, spearheaded voter education efforts, advocated for campus polling locations and organized other voter engagement efforts to ensure their peers were confident and informed voters.”

At Pace, voter education is overseen by the Center for Community Action and Research (CCAR) which has been mobilizing Pace student voters for over a decade. Through campus and community partnerships, CCAR student leaders register and empower student voters and advocate for institutional changes necessary to eliminate barriers to student voter participation.

“This year, like every year, our Vote Everywhere Ambassadors and Pace Votes Leaders worked tirelessly to get out the student vote,” said Erin Mysogland, assistant director of the Center for Community Action and Research. “They registered peers through class presentations, supported students navigating absentee voting, and walked peers to the polls on Election Day. Pace students care about a myriad of social justice issues and as a result they consistently vote in high numbers.”

In 2020, 66.2% of eligible Pace students voted, according to data from the National Student of Learning, Voting, and Engagement. CCAR staff and student leaders are dedicated to working towards full student voter participation while also providing non-eligible students ways to engage with the political process.

“I was excited but not surprised to see the great voter turnout for the 2022 midterm election at Pace,” said Lauren Shelton ’26, Vote Everywhere Ambassador at CCAR. “As a first-time voter, seeing so many of my peers voting was great!”

About Pace University

Pace University has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success because of its unique programs that combine immersive academics and real-world experiences. Pace is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides.

About CCAR at Pace University

The Center for Community Action and Research (CCAR) supports the University’s commitment to educating for active community participation and social responsibility.

About ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN)

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) is a national nonpartisan initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge strives to change civic culture and institutionalize democratic engagement activities and programs on college campuses, making voter participation a defining feature of campus life. ALL IN, in collaboration with over 960 higher education institutions, seeks to make participation in local, state, and federal elections a social norm; substantially increase the number of college students who are democratically engaged on an ongoing basis, during and between elections, and not just at the polls, and; make educating for democratic engagement on college campuses an accepted and expected part of the culture and curriculum so that students graduate with the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and values needed to be an informed and active citizen.

If there’s one problem the nonprofit world would love to solve, it’s how to increase funding. Organizations go to great lengths to solicit donations for their causes—and one increasingly popular method is by using social media.

“Nonprofit organizations are increasingly using social media for communication and relationship building,” says Dr. Namchul Shin, Professor and Associate Chair of the Seidenberg Information Technology department.

While there has been extensive research in how nonprofits use social media, there has been little research on the impact. Dr. Shin’s research, which he presented at the 33rd Annual IIMA Conference in Seattle on October 24–26, 2022, aimed to address the gap.

There are various topics, technological and social, that we can study and teach. But one of the areas I like most is how to best use technology to create value—not just economic, but social—and how to mitigate harm for society.

—Namchul Shin, Professor of Information Technology

Taking a deep dive into the relationship between social media usage and the impact—that is, the volume of charitable donations—Dr. Shin, alongside Taojin Lou and Mansi Modi, students from Pace’s MBA program, utilized a large data set of the top 100 nonprofits as listed by the Nonprofit Times, ranked by revenue. Various aspects were used to measure social media traction: likes and follower count, for starters.

"It is important to understand how fundraising is influenced by the use of social media," said Dr. Shin. As an information systems professor, his interest is multi-faceted. “We are not just focusing on technology, but also human-centered research. There are various topics, technological and social, that we can study and teach. But one of the areas I like most is how to best use technology to create value—not just economic, but social—and how to mitigate harm for society.”

The results painted an interesting picture. It turns out that social media usage can indeed contribute to charitable giving. "Social media can attract more supporters to nonprofit organizations' social media pages and help promote better communications and relationship building, thereby increasing donations."

But it doesn't end there. Comparing Facebook likes and Twitter followers revealed that different platforms have different impacts on public engagement in fundraising campaigns. "The number of followers on Twitter is highly associated with increased donations, but not the number of likes on Facebook," said Dr. Shin. "The results imply that simply clicking the like button on Facebook might be just self-serving slacktivism."

Dr. Shin is a Wilson Center Fellow in Pace University’s Wilson Center Fellowship program, which supports social change through entrepreneurship and the creation of a diverse body of research that identifies and addresses issues facing nonprofits and social enterprises.

The Lubin Link Podcast

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Ginny King '20 details how she landed her dream role with NBC, after the pandemic crushed her original post-graduation plans. She discusses the importance of working hard and taking advantage of the opportunities that Pace University offers.

This episode was recorded on November 15, 2022.

• Listen to Ginny on Spotify
• Listen to Ginny on Apple Podcasts
• Listen to Ginny on Anchor

Tune into the Lubin Link podcast to hear how guests went from go-getting Lubin students to successful entrepreneurs, social media mavens, directors, CEOs, and beyond. They offer their best tips to students and share how you can make the most out of your #LubinLife.

Pace University unveiled a dedicated Esports arena on 33 Beekman Street, the tallest university residence hall in the world, highlighting the rapidly growing gaming industry. This highly visible and state-of-the-art space will act as a home for the competitive student gamers, combining competition and academics.

The Esports program aims to propel the future of gaming through curricular and vocational pathways, marrying the Pace University Athletics Department and the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. The Esports center was funded by Dov Horowitz ’05, through his company American Technology Services.

“Gaming was a critical element to my early career success and the chance to help others use gaming was a gift I simply couldn’t pass up,” said founding partner, Dov Horowitz ’05, in his remarks at the ribbon-cutting event.

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Pace Athletics announced Esports as its 15th varsity sport in December 2021. Currently, there are more than 500 members across both campuses that are a part of the Pace University gaming community, including players on Pace’s Varsity, Academy, Club, and intramural teams. The program entered its second official season after a successful inaugural year in spring 2022. The goal is for competitive and casual gamers to be able to connect with like-minded peers in online and offline settings. Pace Esports’ Smash Gold 2 team won the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Open Division Grand Finals earlier this year, with just one match loss while finishing in first place out of 76 teams in their division. Pace Esports' All-Women's VALORANT Blue Team ("Pace Blue") recently placed third in the first-ever VENOM LAN event in Columbus, Ohio.

“I’m excited about what Esports, and more specifically this facility will mean for our institution. This space will allow us to reintroduce varsity athletics back to our Manhattan campus and impact that community in real significant ways; ways that only college athletics can achieve with respect to campus life and school spirit,” said Pace Athletics Director Mark Brown.

Pace student-athletes, faculty, staff were joined by Associate Commissioner, Workforce Development and Educational Initiatives at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Alia Jones-Harvey, University President, Marvin Krislov, Director of Athletics, Mark Brown, Director of Esports, Jesse Bodony, founding partner Dov Horowitz, valued donors, and additional supporters of the program.

"Congratulations to Pace University on the unveiling of their new Esports arena, which builds on their work to bring together competitive and casual gamers," said Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, Anne del Castillo. "We are thrilled to see this investment in digital games, which generates $2 billion in economic activity and over 7,600 jobs for New Yorkers."

“Esports is the fastest growing sport in the United States. It’s the fastest growing activity on Pace University’s campus, and why do we care about it? Because we care about you all,” said Pace President, Marvin Krislov, to student gamers in attendance. “We care that you are learning how to work together, that you’re competing, that you’re finding community, and there are going to be opportunities for you professionally and recreationally as well.”

“Esports means a lot to me because of the social freedom. I used to be an introvert before joining the Esports community. Now I feel more open to meeting new people and gave me the opportunity to be more competitive,” said sophomore Information Technology major and a member of the varsity All-Women’s VALORANT Blue Team, Kayla Reaves.

About Pace University

Since 1906, Pace University has educated thinking professionals by providing high quality education for the professions on a firm base of liberal learning amid the advantages of the New York metropolitan area. A private university, Pace has campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, enrolling nearly 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in its Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lubin School of Business, College of Health Professions, School of Education, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

About Pace University Athletics

Pace University Athletics is a member of NCAA Division II, competing within the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10). Pace Athletics sponsors 15 intercollegiate sports, along with cheer and dance teams and a Pep Band. Known as the Setters, Pace’s official mascot is known as T-Bone. In 2021-22, Pace student-athletes posted a cumulative grade point average of 3.33. Additionally, a total of 562 Setters were selected to the NE10’s Academic Honor Roll with 69 student-athletes earning Academic Excellence with 4.0 semester GPAs. Twenty-two student-athletes earned NE10 President’s Award for Academic Excellence, recognizing graduating student-athletes who have attained Magna Cum Laude at their institution, have participated in at least two seasons of NE10 competition and are current student-athletes at the time of graduation.

About The Seidenberg School of Computer Science

At Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, students experience a best-of-breed technology education at one of the first comprehensive schools of computing in the nation. Strategically located in the heart of NYC’s tech scene, the Seidenberg School places students on the doorstep of New York’s most promising companies, whether they are established tech giants or exciting new start-ups. Through partnerships with leading corporations, banks, federal agencies, and global entities, the school’s curricula and programs are designed to give students the latest in computer science theory and invaluable hands-on practice to ground it. The faculty includes numerous cybersecurity experts who operate labs and centers providing students with practical experience and connections that lead to impressive internships and jobs.

About American Technology Services:

American Technology Services was founded in 1994 to serve the IT needs of small and mid‐sized information-intensive organizations by providing a wide range of IT services. The premise for ATS was the notion that smaller organizations often have complex needs in IT, just like large organizations, but lack access to high-quality support. ATS’ objective has always been to provide high-quality IT services for our customers with a consultative approach. ATS’s high-quality technology services help clients tackle a broad spectrum of IT issues, from top-level strategy, managed services and infrastructure support, compliance, privacy, and security, to IT operations in the cloud and on-premises. The company helps clients address existing cyclical challenges, such as managing cloud migration and tackling associated security issues. Focused on IT field services, ATS leverages a detail-oriented solution architecture to aid clients in combating real-world IT problems and innovating and improving their IT operations.