University’s Primary Building to Include New Academic Spaces, Modernized Residence Hall, and State-of-the-Art Performing Arts Center

New York, N.Y. (December 9, 2022) – Pace University is pleased to announce the transformation of One Pace Plaza, its central building in lower Manhattan, to include new academic spaces, a modernized residence hall, and a new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center that will serve its performing and creative arts programs and act as a central gathering space for our community and our neighborhood.

The Board of Trustees approved moving forward with the project at its meeting Wednesday. Once complete, Pace will have a modernized building that reduces carbon emissions and improves energy efficiency while providing faculty, students, and staff with the facilities they need.

“Our Campus Planning and Facilities team has spent many months meeting and consulting with stakeholders while conceptualizing this project,” said Pace President Marvin Krislov. “This project is a major step forward for Pace University. I am excited for this next chapter, and I look forward to continued discussion in the coming days, weeks, and months.”

While the final details of the renovation are still in development, here is the broad outline of the work:

• Reconstruction of the lower floors of One Pace Plaza East, creating an inviting and modern building with classroom and creative arts spaces, collaboration spaces, and a Performing Arts Center that will include a proscenium theater to replace the Schimmel Center plus other theater and support spaces. This provides the up-to-date instructional, creative, and performance spaces we need, and it keeps our large gathering space—used by the entire University and the broader community— at the center of our campus.
• Renovations and upgrades to Maria’s Tower, providing additional, desirable residential spaces for students. This added capacity, when combined with the addition of 15 Beekman, will allow Pace to exit its leased residence hall at 55 John Street.
• When complete, One Pace Plaza will be fully modernized, including its outdated central plant, reducing carbon emissions. All code issues—present and upcoming—will be addressed for the entirety of One Pace Plaza.

Construction is expected to start in the fall of 2023 and be completed in early 2026. Pace’s Campus Planning and Facilities team has spent many months meeting and consulting with stakeholders while conceptualizing this project.

Funding for this ambitious project is coming from a variety of sources, including money set aside in Pace’s construction fund, the ability to issue debt, and fundraising. New York State and the federal funding will also complement a targeted fundraising campaign.

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.

Jillian Houle always had an interest in the law, but what really shifted her gears full-force towards a career in law was her undergraduate education where she studied structural racism, the feminist movement, indigenous rights, food insecurity, and most importantly to her, the climate crisis. “Learning the truths of these matters made me want to explore them further and deeper,” said Jillian. “The more I reflected, the more I came to realize that at the core of each of those subjects is this sense of (what I would consider to be) human rights: the right to not be discriminated against based on race, the right to have affordable access to healthy foods, and the right to live in a stable climate and environmentally just society. The law appeals to me in that it structures the society that plays home to these issues, so I want to spend my life in the realm of the laws, using them, changing them, arguing for and against them in the interests of people and the earth.”

Now a 2L, Jillian has enjoyed her time at Haub Law so far. “I find the Haub Law culture very communal; it is not just an ‘every person for themselves’ atmosphere.” Jillian also has found inspiration in her professors, in particular Professor Greenawalt and Professor Cassuto. “Professor Greenawalt inspired me to be more engaged with politics, SCOTUS, and news generally. I had Con Law with him, and he did a superb job of relating the cases back to present day by bringing in current iterations of issues and fostering thoughtful class discussion about all sorts of prevalent issues.” And, Professor Cassuto’s Environmental Law Survey course was her first “real taste” of environmental law. “The breadth of interesting subjects covered in the course combined with the passion Professor Cassuto imbues into each of his lectures reaffirmed my convictions towards being an environmental lawyer.”

“I find the Haub Law culture very communal; it is not just an ‘every person for themselves’ atmosphere.”

This past summer Jillian interned for the United States Department of Agriculture, Office of General Counsel. With a strong interest in administrative law, Jillian felt this opportunity was a great experience. “I learned so much: big and little picture,” said Jillian. “I learned more in-depth about how federal agencies operate and how to perform legal research on administrative appeals decisions while becoming exceedingly familiar with the Code of Federal Regulations (Title VII, specifically). Additionally, because I was virtually stationed in the Central Region out of the Department’s Little Rock, Arkansas Field Office, I learned that a lot of what the field offices do is based in risk weighing and making critical decisions both based in legal precedent and the CFR, but also in considering less tangible, more subjective factors.” Jillian is grateful for the guidance she received from Professor Elyse Diamond, “I initially found this position on Symplicity, and after receiving an immense amount of help and guidance from Professor Diamond, I was able to secure it.”

While at Haub Law, Jillian is pursuing the Advanced Certificate in Environmental Law. This fall she has worked as an extern with the EPA, Region 2, Office of Regional Counsel in their Criminal Enforcement Division. “My ultimate goal in life is to do whatever I can to help mitigate and reverse the effects of climate change.” Working for the EPA was a dream of hers, so to be able to combine her interests in administrative, public interest, environmental protection, and criminal law all into one experience was very gratifying for Jillian.

In her spare time, Jillian enjoys sunning anywhere she can place her beach chair, going to the beaches on the New Hampshire coast, going on runs and walks daily, exploring NYC, and baking with her roommate. She is also an avid singer – from performing in competitions through college, to now jamming out in her car and in the shower!

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Finding a passion does not always come easy, but all it takes is one experience to change your entire mindset.

Pace University’s College of Health Professions alumna, LaChana Flanders, MS CCC - SLP, found her passion for Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) towards the end of her undergraduate education, and she hasn’t looked back.

LaChana began her education as a biology major, but she always knew she wanted something more. A friend recommended that she enroll in an introduction to communication sciences and disorders course, and it was then that she fell in love with the field of CSD. That semester she changed her major and was ready to learn more. “I couldn't believe that my entire life I had no idea what speech language pathology was, or that there were such passionate, patient human beings in this world doing this type of work,” said LaChana.

Pace University was always one of LaChana’s top choice schools. When she saw that CHP created a Communication Sciences and Disorders master’s degree program, she knew it was where she was meant to be. After completing the program as an outstanding student, she explained that “My education at Pace provided me with externship opportunities that prepared me with real-life scenarios of both providing treatment and communicating with families/caregivers to honor what's best for my patients.”

“My education at Pace provided me with externship opportunities that prepared me with real-life scenarios of both providing treatment and communicating with families/caregivers to honor what's best for my patients.”

In her courses, she learned about all the different environments that speech language pathologists (SLP) can work in. She was most interested in a medical hospital or health care setting, however; she completed externships within school systems to experience everything that the CSD field had to offer. Although she loved her opportunities in education, she knew her heart was set on working within the healthcare industry.

As an established SLP working at Lord Chamberlain Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Stratford, Connecticut, LaChana has learned that when dealing with patients and their families or caregivers, the most important things to have are patience, honesty, and integrity. “While challenges are also rewarding, my biggest one is advocating for my patients and for myself as a healthcare provider and clinician when communicating with families or caregivers. I explain to caregivers why we are completing a particular plan of care, such as dysphagia diets and cognitive strategies, in addition to the evidenced-based support for treatment strategies to do what's best for the patient's recovery. Once that is understood, I remind the caregivers of my personal training and experiences through Pace University's College of Health Professions program.” said LaChana.

LaChana advises all students to find their passion and follow what inspires them. “The most helpful advice I received was from two of my favorite CSD professors, Scott Youmans, PhD, department chair, and Linda Carozza, PhD, associate professor, that ‘if this setting and this specialty is something you are set on doing, do not give up. It is very competitive, but you have what you need and what it takes to make it’”, she quoted. “No matter how challenging it was to secure a position in the medical setting, I never gave up thanks to them!”