When it comes to academics, Pace University has many student-athletes who raise the bar in the classroom. The Northeast-10 conference remains one of the highest achieving conferences in academics throughout the NCAA, and in the past year, Pace Athletics has earned several academic accolades.

During the 2023–2024 academic year, Pace student-athletes recorded a combined 3.37 cumulative grade point average. Overall, they earned 651 spots on the Northeast-10 Academic Honor Roll, during the fall and spring semesters combined. In the spring semester alone, 45 student-athletes finished with a 4.0 GPA to earn Academic Excellence distinction after 37 recorded a 4.0 for the fall semester.

The Setters also captured 26 Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference awards, with women’s lacrosse and baseball leading the way with four selections each. In addition, the Pace women’s basketball and baseball teams captured the Northeast-10 Team Academic Excellence Awards, given to the NE-10 programs with the highest cumulative grade point average in each sport. Women's basketball held the highest GPA among NE-10 programs with a 3.659 average, while the Setters’ baseball squad had the highest GPA of all baseball teams in the conference at 3.473.

Regarding major awards, two athletes from each school in the Northeast-10 are nominated for male and female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Noelle Meij (field hockey) and Patrick Gleason (baseball) represented Pace for this year's ballot following their impressive semesters. Pace also collected 24 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Honors—five softball, four men’s lacrosse, four women’s lacrosse, four women’s basketball, four football, and three men’s basketball.

In the fall, the Northeast-10 Sport Excellence Award was given to Krista Dietz (field hockey) for her significant contributions on the field and stellar performance in the classroom. The junior managed to take home the award after her All-American season that led the Blue and Gold to an NCAA Tournament bid.

From the softball team, Brianna Shea was selected for the NCAA Division II 50th Anniversary Scholarship. Awarded to student-athletes who have distinguished themselves in athletics and professional achievement, Shea exemplifies an outstanding mentality on and off the field.

Aside from individual achievements, Pace captured an esteemed honor from the NCAA. In January, the NCAA announced the recipients of the President’s Award for Academic Excellence. In another showcase of the Setters’ academic talents, Pace earned the prestigious honor after maintaining an academic success rate of 90 percent.

Overall, Pace continues to solidify itself as one of the leading academic performers in the conference.

Standing before a sea of eager faces at Pace University’s Commencement, Tony Award-winning actor LaChanze addressed the graduating class of 2024 with a message of liberation and creativity.

“Let go of the reins that you have held onto for the past few years,” she urged. “Let go of the impulse to control outcomes. Let go of the voices in your head telling you to worry, to be anxious, and to fear the unknown. This challenge is meant to assure you that by letting go, you make room for this new perspective. For inspiration, creativity, and the energy you will need to keep evolving.”

Before a crowd of nearly 20,000, including 4,093 graduates, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, LaChanze shared her journey from the Broadway stage to other creative endeavors. She reminded students that while the path to their dreams would not always be easy, the rewards would be worth every effort.

Your hard work and dedication have brought you to this pivotal moment. As you embark on your new journeys, I encourage you to stay true to your values, embrace challenges as opportunities for growth, and pursue your dreams with relentless determination.

The day was filled with memorable moments. LaChanze, honored with a Doctor of Humane Letters degree, honoris causa, was one of many highlights in a celebration that featured five ceremonies, student speakers, a vibrant food village, music, and an array of Commencement festivities. Nearly 4,100 degrees were conferred, including 2,382 master’s degrees—the largest number in over five years.

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law, recently ranked No. 1 for Environmental Law by U.S. News & World Report for the fourth consecutive year, graduated 254 students. Chief Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, the Honorable Rowan D. Wilson, received the Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, in recognition of his lifelong contributions to public service and the legal profession.

“Put honesty first, whether you are interacting with courts, clients, adversaries or colleagues,” Judge Wilson advised. “Remember that the historical core of your profession is compassion, not craftiness. Devote some meaningful measure of your time to helping those who cannot afford your assistance but desperately need it.”

Paul Levitz, former president of DC Comics, addressed the joint ceremony for the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Sands College of Performing Arts, and School of Education. He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. David L. Reich, MD, President of The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens, spoke to graduates of the College of Health Professions and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. Pace also honored Angella and Danroy Henry, founders of the DJ Henry Dream Fund and parents of former Pace student Danroy “DJ” Henry Jr., with the Opportunitas in Action Award. DJ Henry’s life was tragically cut short on October 17, 2010, when he was shot and killed by a Pleasantville police officer.

Pace University President Marvin Krislov commended the graduates for their strength and resilience, particularly noting that many did not have a high school graduation in 2020. “Everyone has faced obstacles—a health challenge, a career setback, a loss,” Krislov said. “But I have learned that everyone has kindness, generosity, and unique talents. As you move forward through the world, I urge you to always practice empathy.”

In closing, Krislov asked graduates to remember three things: to commit to being citizens of the world and keep learning; to be open and share their stories with others and learn from their stories; and to remain active members of the Pace Community.

New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters and addressed graduates via video. “Your hard work and dedication have brought you to this pivotal moment,” she said. “As you embark on your new journeys, I encourage you to stay true to your values, embrace challenges as opportunities for growth, and pursue your dreams with relentless determination.”

Relive Commencement 2024! Check out all of our photos from the day. 

Found in a corner of Pace University's Seidenberg Lounge, a retro-style arcade machine invites players to step up and play games made by Pace students. This machine wasn’t just born out of a love for gaming, but also out of a sincere passion for community and inclusivity.

The idea to create and install an arcade machine for Pace students to showcase their work originated from computer science major Andrew Dinspechin ’25. Andrew saw an abandoned cabinet and an empty corner of the Seidenberg Lounge as an opportunity to create something for the Pace Community. “That’s literally what started the idea,” he says. “That there was an empty corner of the room that I thought could be used to make the community a bit better.”

Andrew is president of the club G:AME, which stands for Games: Artists, Makers, Engineers. Like G:AME, his project expanded beyond the realm of game design alone and encapsulated the many trades and skills that the gaming industry requires. To see this machine come to life, Andrew enlisted the help of the club’s vice president Victor Zapata ’25, a first-year grad student in computer science.

That there was an empty corner of the room that I thought could be used to make the community a bit better. —Andrew

With a background in robotics, engineering, and 3D modelling, Victor was the perfect person to make their machine reality. Creating a video game is already an achievement, but an arcade machine that can house several games takes even more consideration. “When you make a game, it's all software,” Victor explains. “You make digital art, digital 3D models, and put it all together in a digital environment…When it comes to an arcade machine, you're dealing with the real world. You can't just edit one number and change something physically.” They had to figure out their operating system, wiring, the casing, display, aesthetics, and more.

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Accessibility, however, was one of the most crucial parts of their machine’s design. “I am disabled myself and I've been in relationships with people who are disabled. I have family members who are disabled as well. It’s always in the back of my mind to ensure the experience is accessible to everyone,” Andrew says. Victor shared this commitment. “Pace has a very diverse community,” Victor adds. “I wanted to make sure as many people as possible can enjoy it, so no one misses out because the machine wasn't designed for them.”

Andrew remembers looking at other arcade machines as he began the project and how many of them had design aspects that could provide barriers for people with disabilities to play. “There’s this quote from Satoru Iwata, a famous video game producer, which says that video games are meant to be fun for everyone,” Andrew noted. “People focus on the fun part and not so much the everyone part.” For video games to be fun for everyone, they must first be accessible to everyone.

Pace has a very diverse community. I wanted to make sure as many people as possible can enjoy it, so no one misses out because the machine wasn't designed for them. —Victor

The machine’s current design includes several considerations. Its height is optimized to be comfortable for various heights and for people who use wheelchairs. Its width allows two people to stand side by side comfortably regardless of shoulder width. The joysticks that control the player movement are not the classic spherical shape, instead a tapered shape that help accommodate people who have disabilities that might impact motor function. Andew and Victor also added storage for two variable-height stools, so people with chronic pain or those who fall outside of average height metrics can sit and enjoy the games.

Andrew and Victor were supported across schools and disciplines throughout the entire process. Seidenberg Professor Carmine Guida, PhD, director of the game programming major, advised both the GAME club and offered guidance. Dyson College of Arts and Sciences’ art studio director, Tommy Nguyen helped build the machine in the Pace woodshop at 41 Park Row, making their game not only a community offering, but also a community effort. “Victor made a great plan. I had to make sure that he knew the reality of the build,” says Nguyen. “We basically built the arcade together, teaching them how to use the tools and help refine the arcade unit for the next round… I am glad to have been there to aid, almost every step of the way.”

There’s this quote from Satoru Iwata, a famous video game producer, which says that video games are meant to be fun for everyone. People focus on the fun part and not so much the everyone part. —Andrew

Nguyen, who also teaches animation and graphic novels, also connected Andrew and Victor to art students Joseph Boumoussa ’24 and Xandria Anderson ’23, who offered their artistic skills to make the machine stand out and look its best. “It was great that students came together to problem solve from different departments,” Nguyen expresses. “At Pace, we talk about thinking differently and find new ways to solve problems. Seeing the students come naturally together out of similar interests was a good way to see it happen naturally.”

Now, this machine, which truly embodied the collaborative spirit of Pace, is a permanent fixture on the ninth floor of 15 Beekman, featuring four games (three of which are created by students) with more to come (including one where players are a skateboarding dog). Not only do Andrew and Victor hope to add more games, but to create other machines across campus of different designs, spreading the joy of gaming.

For Andrew and Victor, and all of the people who helped bring this machine to life, the arcade machine in 15 Beekman is more than just a game. It’s an invitation, a place for the Pace Community to gather around, share, have fun, and (of course) play games.

“I’m looking at the population of students and wanting to see them reflected in the case studies that professors ask them to analyze. It came out of a place of anger and frustration, but where it’s going, is this idea of how we can represent the real world.”

Lubin’s Ivan Fox Scholar and Professor of Law Jessica Magaldi, JD, has spent her professional academic career at the intersection of business and law, traditionally a male-dominated realm. This dichotomy, however, is changing, both on the undergraduate and graduate levels. According to a 2021 study conducted by the Forte Foundation, more than half of business schools now report 40% or more women enrolled. And another study concluded that today’s MBA programs are much closer to gender parity, with 14 of the top business schools having achieved women’s enrollment of at least 45% in their full-time programs, as compared to 27% two decades ago.

Certain aspects of business education however, are in need of an update.

As a 2023–2024 Faculty Fellow at Pace’s Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship, Magaldi has been assessing the gender inclusiveness of case studies. Through her research project, An Examination of How Business School Case Studies Reflect Gender Diversity in Educating Future Business School Graduates, Magaldi and her co-authors are examining the representation of women as protagonists and antagonists in case studies over the past two decades, as well as the gender of case study authors.

What exactly then, are case studies? Broadly defined as narratives and stories that facilitate discussion about a particular issue, case studies are a primary source of curriculum material in business school. As per MIT’s Sloan School of Management, “Case studies give students the chance to be in the shoes of a protagonist. With the help of context and detailed data, students can analyze what they would and would not do in a particular situation, why, and how.”

Through her status as a former board member at the Society of Case Research a journal reviewer, and a case study author herself, Magaldi had a front row seat to how these studies are created. Reviewing case studies, she noticed a continual lack of women’s representation—sometimes conspicuously so. After a particularly egregious example, which was also incorrect on the law, Magaldi and her co-authors decided to take matters into their own hands.

“We all think these this is a worthy goal—wanting to have the materials we use in the classroom, particularly real world examples, to be representative of the real world. While 50% of our students are women, we don’t have anything near 50% of case studies featuring women,” says Magaldi.

Magaldi is still in the process of collecting and analyzing results, but so far has gathered that case studies have about twice as many male characters as women, and that there were no significant year-over-year changes in representation despite the major gains of women enrollment over the past two decades. She also uncovered that when the team of authors is all men, 49% of the protagonists were men, but when the team was all female, only 17% of the protagonists were women.

Overall, Magaldi is excited to continue this work and raise awareness about this discrepancy in order to better reflect the composition of today’s student body, and help promote a more equitable classroom experience that encourages and inspires the business leaders of tomorrow.

“The idea is that if we use case studies to portray the real world, do they?"

For decades, artificial intelligence (AI) has been a cornerstone of industries such as computer science, data analytics, game design, and more. For those outside of these fields, AI has been (until recently) a science-fiction buzzword, a concept tied to the far-off future.

With the introduction of accessible generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT and Claude, AI is no longer reserved for just the highly technical. Now, students and researchers can harness the power of AI tools in their studies; marketers and content creators can cultivate content at incredible speeds; designers can expand their horizons by crowdsourcing inspiration.

AI is no longer a thing of science-fiction. It’s a present-day reality, reshaping industries and revolutionizing the way we learn and teach. In a world where someone can create code without ever learning programming languages, or craft an essay with a few quick prompts, what importance does education hold? What value is there to learning in an AI world?

Standing on the precipice of perhaps the single-most important innovation of the modern era, those in higher education are bracing for impact.

I believe AI will be incredibly transformative, creating as many opportunities (for those that are willing to adapt) as there will be for jobs that may be replaced by AI. —Feyl

James Brusseau, PhD, is a professor of ethics in Pace’s Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, so he’s accustomed to big questions that don’t have answers. “What does it mean to think? What does it mean to be a person? If a machine acts just like a person, does it count as a person?” he asks. “AI allows me to talk about these philosophical questions scientifically.”

Many of the philosophical questions that have arisen with the popularity of generative AI have to do with not only how this will impact careers, but how it impacts career preparation. Are there students getting degrees in fields that will be ‘taken over by AI’? How can educators ensure students are doing their own work and learning the skills they need? What skills can’t AI replace?

Pace has been committed to the study of AI for decades, primarily from a computer science perspective. There are faculty exploring the applications and theory of AI across the fields of healthcare, forensics, UX, fashion, game design, and more. Pace’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems is in the process of getting approval for two graduate degree programs and one undergraduate degree program in AI. Recent initiatives include the Seidenberg AI Internship Experience, and the ongoing Seidenberg Undergraduate Research, where students collaborated with faculty on AI-related projects (with presentations slated for the fall).

Here at Pace, we are focused on reskilling and upskilling our students, emphasizing the development of creativity and emotional intelligence to prepare them for the new opportunities that AI will bring. —Krislov

You can't talk about AI at Pace without mentioning Christelle Scharff, PhD. Scharff has been studying AI throughout her entire career, diving into research topics related to machine learning and bias in datasets, and most recently she became director of the newly launched AI Lab on the New York City Campus.

As someone who has been in the trenches with AI for years, Scharff understands why it’s suddenly become such a buzzword. “I believe that the big deal is that the tools related to AI are now in the hands of everybody, while earlier advances were confined and used by people in tech,” she explains.

This widespread applicability of AI has sparked growing concerns about its far-reaching impact on the job market. The rapid advancements in AI technology are not just theoretical—they are transforming industries and creating new opportunities, as well as challenges, for today's workforce.

AI will transform the labor market by automating routine tasks but also creating new job categories. —Krislov

Opinions on how the workforce will change vary from the cynical to the optimistic, but there is one constant: AI will have an impact, one way or another. “AI will transform the labor market by automating routine tasks but also creating new job categories,” president of Pace University Marvin Krislov says.

Scharff agrees that not only will new jobs arise, but AI will become a standard tool for many industries. “We already see prompt engineer as an emerging job,” she says, referring to professionals who know how to craft effective inputs for these AI models. “Everybody will have to be able to use AI and this will be a differentiator. Large Language Models (LLMs) and image generators will permit professionals to be more productive and be used as supportive tools in all possible sectors.”

Brusseau notes some of the more unique applications of AI to industries some might not expect, indicating that how various sectors might grow or change is still hard to predict. He and Scharff collaborated on a study of AI as it relates to African fashion. “We wrote a paper about how AI can be used to help clothing designers produce new kinds of clothes,” he explains. “This is a terrific opportunity for someone from Pace to find or create a kind of job for themselves, using AI to make fashion.” More recently, he studied how artists are using AI to infuse audience interactions into musical performances, by monitoring audience biometrics and using that to inform the musical piece. “This new way of making music opens opportunities for careers combining AI, music, and performance arts.” And in a way more ethically sourced than silly songs generated solely by AI.

AI tools should permit students to extend their knowledge and infuse curiosity, instead of just providing answers to copy and paste. —Scharff

Considering this, the role of higher education firmly lies in ensuring students understand these tools to better incorporate them into the fields they are preparing to enter. “Here at Pace, we are focused on reskilling and upskilling our students, emphasizing the development of creativity and emotional intelligence to prepare them for the new opportunities that AI will bring,” Krislov explains.

University Librarian Steven Feyl has been watching the expansion of generative AI with interest, curious to see how it impacts learning. Even so, he too shares this optimistic view. “I believe AI will be incredibly transformative, creating as many opportunities (for those that are willing to adapt) as there will be for jobs that may be replaced by AI.”

‘For those that are willing to adapt’ is a key differentiator.

Early adopters who understand the opportunities and limitations of AI are more likely to reap the long-term benefits. Brusseau believes this is also the case when it comes to education. “The big change that we’re going to see from AI is not so much in how education works—it’s going to be that students more than ever are going to be responsible for their own education,” he says. “Students who want to learn a lot are going to be able to learn more information at a quicker rate, while those who are clever and just want to get through will also be empowered to do that.”

The role of higher education is to teach critical thinking, creativity, and ethical decision-making.

Feyl similarly sees the benefits and challenges of AI, especially in higher education, as a double-edged sword. “I characterize generative AI as both a daunting opportunity and a daunting challenge,” he explains. “The potential that AI presents for ideation, information retrieval, resource discovery, and the correlation of ideas is just incredible. This is juxtaposed with the daunting challenge to keep the human component at the center in the research process, to be constantly critical of AI, and to adapt to the speed at which AI tools are developing.”

That is where higher education comes in. Education is not built only on the premise of understand course material. We have Google (and now generative AI) for simple information retrieval. The widespread use of AI is a reminder that the purpose for higher education is in the depths of understanding, the cultivation of the human abilities to learn, think, and reason. “The role of higher education is to teach critical thinking, creativity, and ethical decision-making—I will always preach an emphasis on the humanities,” insists Krislov. “While AI can handle many technical tasks, at Pace, we focus on preparing students to use these tools responsibly and understand the broader implications of their use, ensuring they are ready to navigate an AI-driven world.”

Scharff takes the perspective that AI is not something that will replace learning but is a tool that can be used to enhance it. “AI tools should permit students to extend their knowledge and infuse curiosity, instead of just providing answers to copy and paste.” From a faculty standpoint, these tools can also help educators automate tasks that allow them to instead focus on personalized attention. “AI can help faculty generate slides, quizzes, and even grading, providing them with more time to give individual attention to students and creating engaging experiences.”

The potential that AI presents for ideation, information retrieval, resource discovery, and the correlation of ideas is just incredible. —Feyl

Though he generally considers AI overall positive, even Brusseau acknowledges there will be complications. “The risk of artificial intelligence is that students will become careless. They will let AI, in essence, do their work,” he says. “That’s a legitimate downside. On the other side, AI does allow us to learn about things very quickly. I think the big change will be growing inequality in educational outcomes.”

Studies continue to reveal that AI detection tools do not accurately detect AI use and plagiarism, so the responsibility for educators lies less in policing AI use and more in promoting ethical use and AI literacy. “Ensuring that students are genuinely learning and not just relying on AI for their assignments is a top priority,” Krislov explains. “At Pace, we emphasize academic integrity, so we’re proactive in addressing issues like plagiarism and the misuse of AI tools to maintain the authenticity of student work.”

Scharff’s recent work with AI in African fashion had a deep tie to the truth that these tools have implicit bias that must be accounted for. “The main concerns related to AI and ethics are biased data that do not represent the diversity of our world, even in terms of languages,” she says. “Another concern is about privacy. We want to be sure that our data is used the way we want it to be and be aware of the possible intended uses.”

The main concerns related to AI and ethics are biased data that do not represent the diversity of our world, even in terms of languages. —Scharff

This means that the conversation about AI in higher education cannot just be about plagiarism, but also data privacy, algorithm bias, and the ethical impact of AI on individuals, such as artists whose work was used without their consent to train image generating models. Pace has even formed a dedicated committee of faculty and staff, from AI specialists from the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, faculty within the humanities, and staff across many departments. Staff co-chair Beth Gordon, PhD, Pace’s Chief Information Officer, is helping steer the AI Committee to build on the groundwork laid by her and her colleagues at ITS, focusing on the ethical integration of AI at the University, from academic integrity to AI literacy across the entire Pace Community.

We aim to prepare our students not just to adapt to an AI-driven world but to lead in it, ensuring they are equipped for successful and ethical careers. —Krislov

While the AI Committee is diving into larger, institution-wide questions, there are plenty that staff, faculty, and students can do to equip themselves with AI skillsets and expand their AI literacy. Starting this fall, a six-week module dedicated to AI (designed by AI Committee faculty co-chair and Seidenberg professor David Sachs, EdD) has been incorporated into the CIS 101 curriculum and there are wider plans to expand this content into University-wide training. For faculty concerned about testing student knowledge in this new AI era, Brusseau has a simple, but effective, recommendation. “I think that what universities can do is return to the old tradition of oral exams,” he suggests. “That will help students focus on learning from AI instead of letting AI do the learning for them.”

At the heart of the conversation about artificial intelligence is this concept of learning. AI models learn from data, but their understanding is limited by the data they are given and the fact that they are not human. When a human thinks, information is filtered through their personal perspectives, contexts, and emotions. Further, AI cannot initiate thought. The decision to begin thinking remains uniquely human.

...Students more than ever are going to be responsible for their own education. —Brusseau

As optimistic as Brusseau is about the impact of AI on the world, he still believes there is a value to human thought that AI at present cannot replicate. “AI, more than anything else, is just a tool,” he says. “That is, I do not think it is capable of producing thought as you and I do.”

So long as the cultivation of human thought remains a pinnacle of higher education, universities and colleges still have a crucial role to play. Universities like Pace that embrace AI as a tool of innovation, while balancing the importance of human critical thinking and ethical usage, will equip the never generation of thinkers who will go further, equipped with AI, but not reliant on it. “At Pace, we are committed to integrating AI responsibly into our curriculum and research,” Krislov says. “By doing so, we aim to prepare our students not just to adapt to an AI-driven world but to lead in it, ensuring they are equipped for successful and ethical careers.”

This article was organized, outlined, and edited with the assistance of a custom GPT from OpenAI. However, the content and insights are entirely human-generated.

“We are becoming the premiere school for performing arts in New York City. Our programs and faculty have always attracted top students and collaborators, but the state-of-the-art facility will make us a leader in advancing the field of performing arts,” says Jennifer Holmes, PhD, executive director of the Sands College of Performing Arts.

In Fall 2023, Pace University embarked on an ambitious revitalization of One Pace Plaza East (1PPE), marking the start of a transformative era for both the campus and the Downtown Manhattan community. This comprehensive reconstruction aims to create a modern, inviting building featuring top of the line classroom and creative arts spaces, collaborative areas, and a world-class Performing Arts Center.

Sands College is quickly becoming known for its rigorous training, distinguished faculty, and exceptional alumni who have graced prestigious stages and screens worldwide. With the addition of this state-of-the-art facility, our programs will now have a home that matches their excellence. This investment underscores our dedication to providing an unparalleled educational experience, ensuring our students have access to unparalleled resources and opportunities.

The new Performing Arts Center will fortify the already robust pipeline between Sands and leading roles in the performing arts industry. By enhancing our most competitive program, we are not only elevating the academic reputation of Sands but also positioning our graduates for continued success in their careers. This strategic synergy between top-tier education and premier industry connections will solidify Pace’s standing as a leader in performing arts education, shaping the future of the arts for generations to come.

We are becoming the premiere school for performing arts in New York City. Our programs and faculty have always attracted top students and collaborators, but the state-of-the-art facility will make us a leader in advancing the field of performing arts.

Not only will the new Performing Arts Center support Pace’s esteemed Sands College of Performing Arts programs; it will also act as a central gathering space, welcoming artists, students, faculty, and local residents alike.

The renovations to 1PPE will include a proscenium theater, replacing the Schimmel Center, plus other theater and support spaces. This transformation ensures up-to-date instructional, creative, and performance spaces that a robust Pace experience requires, keeping our large gathering space—used by the entire University and the broader community—at the center of our campus.

"The three new theaters will be able to engage in dialogue with each other, and one theater opens out into our courtyard offering opportunities for audiences to move through the spaces and experience performance in new and dynamic ways," explains Holmes. "This will be exciting for our directors, designers, and performers who can creatively reimagine the audience experience and expand their storytelling."

This project, more than just a physical transformation, also signifies a bold step toward a sustainable future, significantly reducing our carbon emissions and enhancing energy efficiency. The renovation of Maria’s Tower will offer modern residential spaces for our students, fostering a thriving campus life.

“Pace, as an institution, is very outcome-focused; we want students to be learning in environments that are like their work environments are going to be. You can't really put someone in a 50-year-old classroom with a chalkboard at the front and expect them to go on to excel in some really high-tech professional environments,” explains Vice President for Strategy and Partnerships Jean Gallagher. “We want to give our students the space and tools they’ll need to envision themselves where they want to be after graduation.”

"These facilities will support our responsiveness to the needs of the industry. We can ensure that our curricula is forward-thinking, preparing our students for the performing arts industry of tomorrow and for them to be the changemakers for the future of the industry," adds Holmes. "To do that, we need to ensure our spaces are flexible and prepared for new and emerging technologies. These spaces will be able to support our training in VR/AR, video projection, and other areas of growth."

The project builds on the previous reimagining of the West side of One Pace Plaza, work that was completed in 2018, envisioning a more connected campus community. With the recent addition of 15 Beekman to Pace’s footprint downtown and the overhaul of One Pace Plaza East, Pace will, in a sense, bring our community closer together.

One of the key components to re-envisioning a university space is not just the way a building is constructed, but accounting for the ways in which it will be used by the people who inhabit it. “Our team is very focused on creating better connectivity between the East and West sides of One Pace Plaza to improve circulation, wayfinding, and accessibility,” adds Ibi Yolas, vice president of Campus Planning and Facilities.

We want to give our students the space and tools they’ll need to envision themselves where they want to be after graduation.

These renovations, expansions, and revitalizations are wonderful for the Pace Community, but even more importantly, we want the changing shape of campus to benefit our neighbors downtown. “A university should be a community resource. We want to be seen as that by employers, other businesses in the community, and also by people who live here,” asserts Gallagher. “We want our downtown neighbors to know that Pace does events, we do have an art gallery, we do offer performances.”

Holmes echoes the excitement, “Pace is becoming a household name, and we honestly deserve the recognition! Pace is such a bold and dynamic community, and as we grow, more and more people will be able to see, and experience it.”

The new Performing Arts Center will be a place for audiences to see Broadway and Hollywood’s best artists, for a fraction of the ticket cost, engage in new immersive performing arts experiences. Holmes continues "Pace will be part of a thrilling downtown arts corridor that includes PAC NYC, Battery City Dance, and many other organizations that are drawing audiences from around the world to lower Manhattan."

Yolas agrees, “I believe the investment we are making in our campus is a clear indication of our commitment to improve not only the Pace Community experience, but also the experience of the wider community, our neighbors, and Downtown New York City. I firmly believe we can be the leading destination for the arts in downtown.”

Top of the Class!

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Pace University’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law is shining bright, ranked #1 in the country for Environmental Law by U.S. News & World Report. Also, Haub Law’s trial advocacy program is a standout at #13 in the nation, making us proud to be in the top 10% of schools nationwide.

Marching Through History

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A group of 20 students from Haub School of Law and Dyson College took a life-changing journey to Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama. Guided by esteemed professors Randolph McLaughlin, Debra Cohen, and David Dorfman, they immersed themselves in civil rights history at the Equal Justice Initiative and Legacy sites.

Campus Polling Power

For the first time, Pace students cast their votes directly on campus! Thanks to student leaders and the Center for Community Action and Research, Pace is now an official polling place, boosting voter accessibility and engagement like never before.

The 1906 Challenge Triumph

In a whirlwind 1,906 hours, the Pace Community rallied together, raising $279,823—surpassing our $250,000 goal! With 922 generous donors, we’re paving the way for future Pace students.

Navigating NYC Waters

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Pace University is excited to launch "The City and the Sea: A New York City Fellowship in Civics and Public Service," thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Teagle Foundation. This fellowship will empower the next generation of leaders in New York City's waterway governance.

Cybersecurity Champions

Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems signed an Education Partnership Agreement with the National Security Agency. As a re-designated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education, Pace is developing top-tier talent for national security challenges.

Film Debut: Double Feature!

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PaceDocs premiered The Cooper: Crafting the Soul of the Cask at the Jacob Burns Film Center, with a historic debut in both English and Spanish. The Spanish language version premiered in Montilla and Cordoba, Spain, showcasing our global reach.

Tech Visionaries Unite

During NYC Tech Week, Pace’s Front Yard highlighted immigrant startups, with a keynote by Dr. Javier Navarro-Machuca, CEO of IO Connect Services. His inspiring journey and insights on digital transformation and cloud security left the audience in awe.

Marketing Mastery

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Our Brand Marketing Team snagged the “Best Chemistry” award at the 2023–2024 National Student Advertising Competition for their stellar Tide campaign. Big applause for their creativity and teamwork!

$350K for Humanities Excellence

Pace University received a $350,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to enhance experiential learning in humanities courses. This funding strengthens our leadership in experiential education and our partnerships with NYC’s cultural and service organizations.

The Pace University Department of Athletics has selected Joseph R. Ianniello '90 as the newest recipient of the Peter X. Finnerty Leadership Award. Ianniello will receive the award as part of the 2024 Pace Athletics Hall of Fame Brunch and Awards Ceremony, which will be held on Sunday, October 27 during Homecoming Weekend on the Pleasantville Campus.

The Peter X. Finnerty Award is presented to members of the Pace University Athletics community for outstanding leadership and service to the University or to society as a whole. Honorees exemplify those characteristics for which Peter Finnerty was best known: hard work, a spirit of competition, and the ability to serve and lead with integrity and to inspire others to do the same. This will mark the 10th time this honor has been awarded since its creation.

Ianniello earned a Bachelor's of Business Administration at Pace, and was a member of the University's football team and the Alpha Chi Epsilon fraternity on campus. Over the years he frequently mentored Pace students, returning to Pace's Lubin School of Business to share career and industry advice.

In April 2015, it was announced that Ianniello made a $2 million commitment to the construction of a new athletics field house at the University's campus in Pleasantville. Ianniello Field House was completed later that year and became a flagship facility of Pace University Athletics. Ianniello's contribution was a part of the University's Campaign for Pleasantville, which transformed and revitalized the 200-acre campus that also included new residential facilities, an expanded student center, and a new environmental center.

The Ianniello Field House is one of the most heavily utilized buildings on campus, with thousands of visitors per year. Pace athletes and coaches use this facility for practice, conditioning, and meetings, while the space is also used for special events with alumni, family, friends, and recruits. The 14,010 sq. ft. facility includes a strength and conditioning center and a sports medicine component.

Ianniello has also been a member of the Board of Trustees of Pace University since 2014. He joined the Board during a time of great change and significant investment in learning and living facilities at both the Westchester and New York City campuses.

"Over the course of my tenure here at Pace, no other gift has been as impactful as the support of Joe Ianniello," said Director of Athletics Mark Brown. "His visionary gift allowed for the construction of the Joseph R. Ianniello Fieldhouse and that building has transformed our entire athletic operation. In addition to his philanthropy, he also has provided his athletic perspective through his participation on the Pace Board of Trustees and his support of the entire Pace community. I acknowledge and thank Mr. Ianniello for his tremendous leadership and his belief in our athletic department."

Ianniello will be recognized with this year's Athletics Hall of Fame inductees. The newest members to be inducted into the Pace Athletics Hall of Fame will be Jeane Drury (Softball and Women's Basketball '15), Al Elliott (Men's Basketball '02), Casey Gelderman (Women's Lacrosse '18), Brian Pirone (Football '96) and Claudia Stable (Head Softball Coach/SWA). The Pace Athletics Hall of Fame was started in 1997 with this year's ceremony marking the 21st induction class.

Tickets for the event are available for $115 per person. For more information on the 2024 Pace University Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, please contact Director of Athletic Development Drew Brown at (914) 773-3271 or dbrown4@pace.edu. Register for this event.

This past spring, 27 students gathered for a Game Development Playtesting Day, showcasing their in-progress games to peers and visitors. The event featured 19 games created by 8 teams and 11 individual developers.

Playtesting is a key component of any game development, especially for video games where there are more technical variables. Having people test a new game not only helps gauge logistical functionality but also explores the player experience and, most simply, whether or not audiences enjoy the game. For students, it’s an invaluable opportunity to receive feedback and grow more confident in responding to constructive criticism, essential skills for their future careers.

Games are another way for people to express themselves and tell stories, just like film, music, theater. —Guida

Seidenberg Professor Carmine Guida, PhD, head of Pace’s new game development major, highlighted the importance for student’s to showcase their work. "I really want students to see what other students are up to in other courses so they get excited," he said. “Games are another way for people to express themselves and tell stories, just like film, music, theater.”

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The playtesting day also offered students a valuable opportunity to see firsthand how others interacted with their creations. Brennan Moores ’26, a computer science major minoring in game development, shared how valuable it was to see the responses to his game, Trigger Happy. “It felt really good to have others play and test my game,” says Moores. “When each player was done, I received helpful feedback from them, ranging from small aesthetic tweaks to major changes in gameplay.”

It felt really good to have others play and test my game. —Moores

The event not only fostered peer-to-peer learning but also highlighted the collaborative and artistic nature of game development. “Game development is very collaborative,” Guida says. “I'm looking forward to seeing students who are interested in art, music, coding, etc, come together to build great things."

As a child, a rare blood condition changed Pace alumnus Drew D’Auteuil ’21’s life forever. Now, armed with a Pace education, he’s using the lessons of that experience to serve others.

In June 2009, as the end of fourth grade approached and the days warmed with summer’s arrival, ten-year-old Drew D’Auteuil was preparing for the next chapter of his typical Amherst, New Hampshire, childhood. He was a standout student with many friends, an avid soccer player and talented gymnast, a dog lover, a Nickelodeon watcher, and the third child of three.

Another school year was ending, another year passing in what had been a happy, healthy adolescence. But over the next several months, a series of debilitating medical challenges, rare diagnoses, prolonged hospitalizations, and miraculous recoveries would upend Drew’s typical childhood and change his life forever, setting him on a path that would lead him through Pace University’s Biology Department and into a research position at the same hospital where he had received pediatric treatment.

It started with shortness of breath, skin rashes, and the odd bruise after gymnastics practice. “Being young, I didn’t think much of it,” Drew said. “You don’t take those things seriously at that age.”

When his mother, an attentive nurse practitioner, noticed the severity and persistence of his symptoms, she brought him in for blood work. The results were immediately alarming, and Drew was rushed to the hospital for further evaluation.

It wasn’t long before Drew and his family received the diagnosis: aplastic anemia, an extremely rare blood condition resulting from damage to the bone marrow.

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“Basically, your bone marrow ceases to produce the blood cells your body needs,” Drew said. “Even today, we don’t really know what caused it. It could have been a fluke, maybe a virus. Who knows? But my bone marrow stopped producing enough white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.”

Drew and his family spent those first weeks of summer vacation adapting to the new normal of his condition and working with doctors to devise a way forward. The first treatment option involved specialized chemotherapy designed to clear the damaged bone marrow and revitalize blood cell generation. When that failed to produce the desired results, a full bone marrow transplant was scheduled for the fall.

The date was set, a donor was identified, and just weeks after his eleventh birthday, Drew received his transplant. The procedure was a success, and the next 100 days—a crucial period for transplant patients during which the risk of significant side effects is at its highest—elapsed with no sign of major complications. The new bone marrow was doing its job, and while Drew would never fully return to the typical childhood that had been so suddenly disrupted, it seemed that the worst was finally behind him.

But then, just a few months later, he started to develop a cough. “It just wouldn’t go away,” Drew said. “And then I started feeling tired.”

He was taken to the emergency room, where doctors discovered that his oxygen levels were plummeting fast.

“The next thing I remember was waking up and not being able to move,” Drew said. “Then my parents told me I had been in a medically induced coma for a week.”

It was definitely a full circle moment for me.

Drew had suffered from acute respiratory distress syndrome, an often-fatal condition in which the body is deprived of essential oxygen due to fluid in the lungs’ air sacs, likely resulting from the immunocompromising effects of his aplastic anemia treatment. That critical oxygen depletion led to multi-organ failure. His condition quickly turned grave, and his family began to prepare for the worst. Visitors came to the hospital for what they feared might be their final goodbyes. Last rites were given.

And then, one week after arriving at the hospital, he woke up. He didn’t know where he was, he didn’t know what he had experienced, he could not move his neck without extreme difficulty, but he had survived.

“It can be traumatic to think about,” Drew said. “For someone like me, a bone marrow transplant patient, an immunocompromised person, to go through something like that—the prognosis is basically in the negatives. But thankfully, I got through it. It was kind of miraculous.”

Recovery was arduous. The next year was spent relearning to walk, and more than five years of intensive physical therapy were required to regain the majority of his strength. But the unfaltering support of his family and his own inexhaustible perseverance continued to carry him through.

“My own memory is a little hazy, but my parents and my doctors always tell me that I rarely, if ever, complained,” he said. “I guess I realized that this was my new normal. This is how it was going to be, and I was going to roll with it.”

When high school was ending, Drew knew that he wanted to attend college in the big city, and he knew that—inspired by his mother’s success as a nurse practitioner and by his own history of health challenges—he wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. When Pace recognized his record of high achievement with a generous scholarship package, the decision of where to enroll was an easy one.

“It was a great community and great sense of camaraderie in Pace’s Biology Department,” Drew said. “It was very easy to get to know my classmates, and I was able to make connections with almost all the students in my program. My time at Pace cemented for me that, yes, I definitely want to be in a STEM-related field.”

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In 2021, Drew graduated from Pace magna cum laude with a degree in biology and a determination to build vital medical research experience. He immediately began submitting applications to major hospitals in his native New England, including the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, which had played a crucial role in his own treatment as a child.

After emailing the principal investigator of a Dana-Farber neuro-oncology lab about a vacant position, Drew secured a role as a research technician helping to explore novel treatments for brain tumors.

Just over a decade after Drew first began visiting Dana-Farber as a patient, he was now a member of the Dana-Farber team, contributing to groundbreaking research with the potential to change lives.

“It was definitely a full circle moment for me,” Drew said.

Today, while lingering side effects often remind Drew of the health crises that turned his typical New Hampshire childhood upside down, he is driven to use the lessons of those memories and the education he received at Pace in service of those who, like him, have been forced to navigate life-altering illness.

“I think I bring to the table an empathetic approach,” he said. “I know on a very personal level what patients are going through. It’s beyond studying something in a textbook. I’ve dealt with these things myself.”