Pace University staff member answering a phone call.
Strategic Plan

PaceWorks

Through the PaceWorks project, we’re simplifying student administrative processes and we’re making the business of being a Pace student easier.

This 24-month long project will focus on optimizing the administrative processes in departments students most often engage with, such as Auxiliary Services, Bursar, Financial Aid, Registrar, including Academic Scheduling and Advising, Residential Life, Student Accounts, and Student Engagement.

Please check back periodically for project milestone updates, recent communications, and important dates.

Accomplishments

Completed Core Projects Core Project Progress Cornerstone Progress

Quick Links

About PaceWorks
The Importance of PaceWorks
PaceWorks FAQ
Meet the PaceWorks Team
How to Get Involved with PaceWorks

About PaceWorks

PaceWorks is a 24-month project that will focus on optimizing the administrative processes in our student service departments. Our aim is to enhance customer service, student satisfaction, and speed up response time. We will also look for opportunities to further align the systems and tools that support student services and student touchpoints at each stage of the student lifecycle—with the ultimate goal of making it simpler and speedier to conduct the business of being a Pace student.

Important processes within student service areas will be redesigned, streamlined, and made more efficient by providing better support tools for the service teams, and simpler and more transparent procedures for students from matriculation to graduation. We will do this by considering industry best practices and the service expectations of both existing and future students.

Essentially, this project will help University students, staff, and faculty better leverage the tools and systems already in place to streamline processes and allow for better communication between all departments and users.

Introducing PaceWorks

The Importance of PaceWorks

The goal of this work is to increase student satisfaction and improve the student experience. Based on survey data and student feedback, we engaged an outside higher education firm, CampusWorks, to provide support on developing a plan to meet the University’s Strategic Plan goals of committing to student-centric culture to drive student success​ and creating agile and sustainable operations.

Today’s students expect easy and accessible interaction, options, transparency, and quick service. This project will deliver those results—it invests in our employees, commits to a student-centered culture, and supports the retention of our students.

The PaceWorks project will better align people, processes, information, and technology to improve our service models and help the University remain strong, competitive, and positioned for continued growth. Some examples of how this will impact our University stakeholders are:

  • Development of real-time access to student degree planning and processing tools
  • Enhancements to the new student experience
  • Expanded training and development opportunities for staff
  • Defined interdepartmental collaboration processes

PaceWorks FAQ

  • This initiative is focused on process improvements in Auxiliary Services, Bursar, Financial Aid, Registrar, including Academic Scheduling and Advising, Residential Life, Student Accounts, and Student Engagement. These are the areas of the University that students engage with the most during their time at Pace.

  • The goals of this project are rooted in the enhancement of the student experience. The project approach includes the improvement and development of several institutional processes. In addressing specific challenges all stakeholders will experience a more streamlined and seamless experience. Some examples include:

    • Real-time access to student degree planning and progress tools
    • Enhancements to the new student experience
    • Expanded training and development opportunities for employees
    • Defined cross collaboration approaches for departments and employees
    • Systems optimization, automation, and expansion used by students, staff, and faculty
    • Pace has identified priorities with the most significant and lasting impact on both the student experience and improved internal operations.
    • A review of Pace’s technology environment is actively underway.
    • A high-level project timeline and project team structure have been developed.
    • Project teams have been defined and are being staffed.
    • Executive Sponsorship: Guidance for sponsor actions and communications, key decisions, and policy changes (if needed).
    • Core Project Team: Seasoned and certified Pace project managers responsible for overall project direction and activities such as managing resources, tasks, and funding.
    • Business Functional Leads: Directors responsible for championing change, making key decisions, and supporting working groups as changes are implemented.
    • Working Groups: Functional groups responsible for implementing and adopting recommended changes in coordination with CampusWorks teams.
    • Change Management: Cross-functional team to assist with change readiness and adoption activities.
    • Communications Team: Develop community communications related to the PaceWorks project.
    • Student Groups: Provide input and feedback on student needs, obstacles, and ideal situations.
    • Optimize the graduation application process
    • Conduct an enterprise resource planning review of existing Pace technology
    • Optimize the use of Banner across student processes
    • Develop a comprehensive operational calendar
    • Optimize financial services
    • Expand DegreeWorks utilization
    • Create a comprehensive student support framework
    • Develop and train the Pace teams

  • In 2022, Pace University engaged CampusWorks, a higher education firm, to perform a fundamental review of the administrative processes associated with supporting our students from matriculation through graduation. We have now engaged the firm to serve as our partner in executing a project plan that will achieve the improvements identified.

    The CampusWorks team will work alongside the Pace staff to implement redesigned processes and solutions that achieve sustainable results. CampusWorks brings valuable resources with decades of expertise in student operations, a deep understanding of higher education, and proven strategies to improve the student experience.

Meet the PaceWorks Team

The PaceWorks team comprises a wide variety of staff and faculty from myriad departments that are integral to completing the PaceWorks project. If you have questions or feedback, please email the team at paceworks@pace.edu.

  • Robert C. Almon
    Chief Financial Officer and Executive VP, Finance and Administration

    Jeffrey A. Barnett, PhD
    Dean for Students and Vice President, Student Affairs

    Emily Bent, PhD
    Associate Professor, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

    Nila Bhaumik
    VP for Human Resources and Chief HR Officer

    Sarah Burns Feyl
    Head of Teaching and Learning Services, Pace University Library

    Susan Donahue
    AVP for Talent Management and Organizational Effectiveness

    Joseph R. Franco, PhD
    Interim Provost and Executive VP for Academic Affairs

    Jean Gallagher
    Vice President, Strategy and Partnerships

    Beth Gordon, PhD
    Interim Chief Information Officer

    Cindy Heilberger
    Vice President, Presidential Operations and Chief of Staff and Corporate Secretary

    Rostyslaw Robak, PhD
    Professor and Department Chairperson, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

    Robina C. Schepp
    Vice President, Enrollment and Placement Management

    Nicole Thompson Williams
    Senior Vice President, Operations

  • Christopher Elarde
    AVP, Information Technology Services, Operations

    Meghan Lindsay
    Information Systems Project Manager

    Shuana Thompson
    AVP, Enterprise Information Systems

    Nicole Thompson Williams
    Senior Vice President, Operations

  • Christian Bester
    University Registrar

    Melissa Grant
    Associate Dean, Advisement

    Shannon Kowalski
    Assistant Director, Academic Scheduling

    Diego Quante
    University Director, Student Accounts

    Donna Scarano
    Senior Director, Administrative Computing Services

    Mark Stephens
    AVP, Financial Aid

    Jennifer Talbot
    Associate Dean, New Student Experience

    Nicole Thompson Williams
    Senior Vice President, Operations

    Susan Weygant
    Bursar

  • Patricia Boustany
    Executive Director, Provost Operations

    Leila Franchi
    AVP, Marketing and Communications

    Kendra Jo Free
    Assistant Director, Student Communications

    Jesse Oxfeld
    Senior Advisor, Communications

    Robina C. Schepp
    Vice President, Enrollment and Placement Management

    Nicole Thompson Williams
    Senior Vice President, Operations

  • Christopher Elarde
    AVP, Information Technology Services, Operations

    Abdel Gharzita
    Senior Manager/Enterprise Systems Programming

    Beth Gordon, PhD
    Interim Chief Information Officer

    Laura Kern
    Senior Manager, Banner/Oracle/Web App Programming

    Marie Maldonado
    Assoc VP, IT Development/Infrastructure

    Matthew Racioppo
    Senior System Administrator, Linux

    Thomas Reivik
    Senior System Administrator, Linux

    Eric Shirk
    Database Administrator

    Karen Watkis
    Senior Enterprise Systems Administrator

How to Get Involved with PaceWorks

As we engage in this project, we need your continued participation and support. The work many of you have already done has positioned the project for success. We need our community of scholars’ commitment to prioritize this work and accomplish our goals.

If you have feedback or questions, we want to hear from you. Email us at paceworks@pace.edu.