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With the inaugural class of Teaching Fellows, Pace University’s Faculty Center is building upon its strong foundation to become a major hub for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation at Pace.

As the old adage goes, there’s no I in team. Similarly, as Pace’s faculty members are demonstrating through the newly restructured Faculty Center—there is no I in Pace faculty.

For two decades, Pace’s Faculty Center been an important component of the University’s DNA. Its mission has been to provide a place—physically and virtually—for professors to discuss teaching practices and general concerns across disciplines. Whereas a biology professor and a marketing professor may be focused on teaching completely different subject matter, their ultimate objective is quite similar: to share knowledge, innovate in their field, and provide an enriching classroom experience that can prepare each student for future success—whether it’s in the lab or the boardroom.

“As a faculty member, you have a role to play that’s beyond teaching academic content,” said Interim Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Faculty Center Director Joan Walker, PhD. “Each of us has a subject matter expertise. And we teach that, but there’s a difference between—the way I like to frame it—is, do you teach biology to undergraduates, or do you teach undergraduates about biology? Which comes first, the subject matter, or the people?”

Walker, an expert in the learning sciences and the development of professional expertise, is leading the restructured Faculty Center alongside Faculty Center Assistant Director Ally Kimmel. And while they have maintained much of the Faculty Center’s traditional grounding, the pair have presided over the Center’s most significant change: the implementation of the inaugural class of Teaching Fellows.

What does this mean? Traditionally, each school at Pace has had a faculty representative, appointed to serve in an advisory capacity as a member of the Faculty Center Advisory Board. Now, under the new and improved structure, each school is appointed a Teaching Fellow. Each Teaching Fellow has decision-making control over a school-specific budget for faculty development priorities within their school, and is tasked with collaborating with their faculty colleagues to identify common goals and initiatives. Ultimately, Walker, Kimmel, and the Teaching Fellows are envisioning that this structural change will foster exciting University-wide initiatives such as boundary-pushing thematic programming. In turn, increased collaboration across schools will build a stronger, more united, and increasingly innovative faculty body.

"What if we think of ourselves as a University that's training the leaders that we need for the future—whether that's leaders in business, whether that's leaders in the environment, whether that's leaders in questions of racial justice or social justice,” said Kreitz. “I think we could be that institution."

“I’m really happy to be part of this group because it’s interdisciplinary,” said Seidenberg Teaching Fellow Christelle Scharff, PhD. “I’m learning a lot about what my colleagues are teaching in other areas, and what can be in fact integrated in more technical aspects of teaching. What I’m interested in, is to bring to Seidenberg more ideas for teaching at scale.”

Scharff, as part of her role as a Teaching Fellow, organized a virtual event featuring the Associate Computer Science Chair at Stanford University Mehran Sahami, which focused on the very issues she wants to foster at Seidenberg. Scharff’s event, “Scaling Introductory Programming Courses: Harnessing Both the Human and the Humane,” was beneficial not just for Seidenberg faculty members, but for all Pace faculty members interested in effective ways to teach complex topics to introductory, large-sized classes. The ethos of the Faculty Center has made these sorts of conversations—and cross discipline research and teaching possibilities—much more readily possible.

“The Faculty Center enables me to do what I tell my students to do, which is build a network of people who share your values, who you can trust their opinion,” said Lubin Teaching Fellow and Ivan Fox Professor and Scholar of Business Law Jessica Magaldi, JD. Magaldi is continuing her ongoing research focused on “revenge pornography” and the law, looking at the legal remedies women have when confronted with this particular type of malicious online harassment. By working with the Teaching Fellows, Magaldi has been able to get feedback on her own work from academics outside her particular area of study, enabling possibilities for further interdisciplinary perspective and opportunity to build upon her work; while simultaneously offering her own expertise to others.

“It’s a really nice cross-pollination opportunity,” said Magaldi.

Additional Teaching Fellows include Dyson STEM Teaching Fellow Marcy Kelly, PhD; Dyson Humanities Teaching Fellow, Kelley Kreitz, PhD; College of Health Professions Teaching Fellow Sophie Kaufman, DPS; School of Education Teaching Fellow Jennifer Pankowski, EdD; and Elisabeth Haub School of Law Teaching Fellow Emily Waldman, JD. Each Fellow has a specific focus for their individual school—ranging from improving outcomes in STEM Education for underrepresented students, to exploring ways to improve and enhance experiential learning at Pace. Yet all have also been able to draw upon their collective experience as Fellows to improve interdisciplinary communication, and expand the possibilities of teaching and scholarship at Pace.

“Realizing the amount of overlap, and just how we’re far more similar than we are different in a lot of our goals, has been fantastic,” said Pankowski.

All in all, Walker, Kimmel, and the Teaching Fellows are re-envisioning what it means to be a faculty member at the Pace—that it is not just a commitment to your individual research and teaching, but a commitment to a larger quest for shared innovation; a philosophy steeped in the ethos that a rising tide does indeed lift all boats.

"The Faculty Center enables me to do what I tell my students to do, which is build a network of people who share your values, who you can trust their opinion."

“What if we think of ourselves as a University that's training the leaders that we need for the future—whether that's leaders in business, whether that's leaders in the environment, whether that's leaders in questions of racial justice or social justice,” said Kreitz. “I think we could be that institution. But we won't be that institution, unless we find ways of coming together and talking to each other, celebrating the successes that we have in our individual courses and fields—but also the things and the values that we share and the soft skills that we're providing to students that come out of our curriculum as a whole.”

To learn more about the Faculty Center, the Teaching Fellows, and this year's virtual Institute on Teaching and Learning, visit the Faculty Center website.

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1. Unity

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In a time defined by social distancing, mask wearing, and industrial-grade sanitizers to manage the global spread of COVID-19, as well as a time of national reckoning on race and equality in America with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, first-year Pace art majors responded in a big way. Students enrolled in the Fall 2020 ART 169 3D Design class came together to create what they called Unity, a 3D relief mural to be seen and discussed right on the NYC Campus. It stands as a message of hope and solidarity, combining text, structure, and image to celebrate the energy and tenacious spirit of New York City in a time of renewal.

2. Baller Alert

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As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs faced-off for Super Bowl LV, Pace’s Maral Javadifar '12 was right there with them. Not only is she the Buc's assistant strength and conditioning coach, but she's also one of only three women to coach in a Super Bowl. Read more about Maral.

3. Going for It—No Matter What

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Alphur "Slim" Willock ‘19, ’22 knows that dedication in the face of obstacles is what it takes to get ahead. After the death of his wife, he took on the responsibility of caring for his six children while working full-time. Slim was able to fit not one, but two, online degree programs into his life—a BS in Computer Science and now an MS in Computer Science. See Slim’s story.

4. Seeking Justice

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Haub Law alumnus Eric Paulk ‘16 has been awarded a 2020 Soros Justice Fellowship to help build a national network of Black HIV movement lawyers to protect, defend, and support people living with HIV. “This fellowship lets me fulfill the promise for which I decided to attend law school—to use my legal training to empower, protect, and defend marginalized Black communities,” says Eric. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve others, and excited to stand with my fellowship cohort and previous cohorts to advance change.”

5. Driving Change

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This April, film and screen studies student Myles Rowe ’22 hit the track as Force Indy’s inaugural driver in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship. The new IndyCar team was created to help bring diversity to all areas of motorsports—driving, engineering, mechanics, marketing, and more. The car he’s driving? No. 99 to honor Dewey Gatson, who drove a roadster with that number. Gatson, considered one of the first Black racers in America, won events all over the US but never had a chance to compete in the Indianapolis 500. “It’s fate that everyone including me is where we are in the present and it’s our duty to execute to keep the wheels of positive change and influence turning in our world,” says Myles. "I hope this strength and energy we as a team, and not only myself, bring influences consciousness and transparency and love for the world to learn from, thrive from, and share with each other."

6. Funding Equity in the Food and Beverage Industry

The Sands Family Foundation and Constellation Brands have agreed to give an additional $600,000 in funding to Haub Law’s Food and Beverage Law Clinic, bringing their total commitment to the Clinic to $1 million. The Food and Beverage Law Clinic is the first law school clinic in the country entirely dedicated to providing direct, transactional legal services to food, farming, and beverage clients. "I am thrilled to be able to continue supporting this first-of-its-kind endeavor," said Rob Sands, executive chair and former CEO of Constellation Brands and an alumnus of Haub Law. “In these difficult times, farmers and new food and beverage businesses need more help than ever. I am gratified to support this important work while also supporting my alma mater.”

7. Internships for Resilience

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Launched in Summer 2020, the Resilience Internships program has funded more than 100 Pace students to work for nonprofit organizations that are supporting communities in need in and around New York City and Westchester. From data analysis to policy and advocacy, Pace students aren’t letting the COVID-19 pandemic slow down their ability to earn hands-on experience.

8. We did it, Joe!

Or, more, precisely Opal Vadhan ’15 did it. The it in this case was being selected by Vice President Kamala Harris to be her new personal aide. Prior to this new role with VP Harris, Opal served as the executive assistant for US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—her first real job right out of college. Opal’s words of wisdom: “My one piece of advice is to always dream big, work really hard, be grateful, pay it forward, never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something…and remember the world is yours.”

9. Building a Healthcare Hub

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Pace University is poised to transform Lienhard Hall, home to its College of Health Professions on the Pleasantville Campus, into a modernized Healthcare Hub with the help of $1 million in state funding. The grant, awarded as part of the New York State’s Higher Education Capital Matching Grant Program (HECap), is intended to increase preparation, laboratories, and facilities in health sciences throughout the state. “We are profoundly grateful to have the opportunity to expand our state of the art Center for Excellence in Healthcare Simulation to accommodate more students to address the growing shortage of registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing faculty,” said College of Health Professions Dean Harriet R. Feldman.

10. Telling Their Stories

School of Education Assistant Professor Tasha Darbes, PhD, along with Pratt Institute Instructor, Chloe Smolarski, collaborated on a critical media lab that enables Latinx youth to document, analyze, and share their community’s experiences throughout the COVID-19 crisis, with a creative touch. Funded by a grant by the Taconic Foundation, Community Response/La Comunidad Responde comprises a series of media and digital storytelling workshops at Gregorio Luperón, a bilingual STEM high school for immigrant students in NYC. The project will create a scalable curriculum to foster the development of other participatory media labs as well as an interactive digital archive of oral histories that will include interviews with community members and multimedia creations created by the students themselves.