Pace University’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law is once again ranked #1 in the country for Environmental Law by the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, released today. Haub Law was also ranked #13 in the nation for its trial advocacy program, placing it impressively among the top 10% of schools nationwide. Several other programs at Haub Law were recognized in the top rankings this year, including Dispute Resolution, International Law, Health Law, Tax Law and the Part-Time Program.

“This year marks the 5th time, and the 4th year consecutively, that Haub Law has received the #1 ranking for Environmental Law,” said Dean Horace E. Anderson Jr. “Our Environmental Law Program has a global footprint and is consistently rated among the very best in the country. We are also tremendously proud of the significant strides and rise in the rankings that our trial advocacy program continues to make. That progress can be directly attributed to both the fundamentals of advocacy we provide in the classroom and the practical opportunities we provide outside of the classroom. At Haub Law, we continue to recruit top faculty, generate top scholarship, and establish leading-edge programs, resulting in attracting students who seek to make positive change as leaders and advocates of the future.”

The Environmental Law Program is widely known for its innovative programs, expert faculty, and renowned scholarship, and for attracting distinguished guest speakers along with an impressive student body. In 2021, the Law School launched the Sustainable Business Law Hub, creating new opportunities for training, policy, and research that address global environmental challenges. The Sustainable Business Law Hub’s advisory board features prominent experts in the field, and the Hub also provides paid internship opportunities for students through partnerships with prestigious firms and companies, and through collaborations with the region’s business community.

In recent years, the environmental law program also initiated the Environmental Law and Policy Hack Competition for law schools throughout the country and the Future Environmental Law Professors Workshop which trains new and aspiring professors pursuing a career in environmental law. Other well-known programs and opportunities at the school include the annual hosting of the preeminent environmental law moot court competition, the Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. The Law School also hosts lectures and panels throughout the year featuring environmental scholars, advocates, and policymakers, and it recognizes leading international environmentalists through the annual presentation of the Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy, considered one of the world’s most distinguished awards in the field of environmental law.

Haub Law offers more than 40 environmental law courses, as well as dozens of internship and externship opportunities. In recent years, the Law School has expanded its environmental law faculty, attracting prominent scholars in the field as full-time and visiting assistant professors. Students have the opportunity to research emerging areas of environmental law alongside experts in the field through the Environmental Law Program’s various centers and institutes, including the Pace Energy & Climate Center and Land Use Law Center, and can directly represent clients through the Environmental Litigation Clinic and the Food and Farm Business Law Clinic. These opportunities provide Haub Law students with the tools they need to be national and international leaders in environmental law.

"At Haub Law, our students are immersed in not just learning about, but actively working to solve, current environmental challenges, both in and out of the classroom,” said Jason J. Czarnezki, Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law and Associate Dean for Environmental Law Programs and Strategic Initiatives at Haub Law. "At Haub Law, through both classroom education and experiential opportunities, we provide our environmental law students with the skills required to make an immediate impact in practice. I am both proud and thrilled that the work of our Environmental Law Program has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report for the fourth year in a row with the #1 ranking. I am confident that here at Haub Law, our educational experience launches our students into successful careers and problem solvers – as environmental lawyers, policy experts, and change makers across not just the United States, but around the globe.”

Successful in providing an international environmental education, in recent years, Haub Law was ranked #1 in the top 50 Environmental Policy Centers of Excellence across the globe by the journal of Environmental Policy and Law (EPL). Haub Law is also a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which provides students with the opportunity to draft memoranda, debate issues, and attend IUCN meetings, including the World Conservation Congress and U.S. National Committee meetings. Additionally, through the United Nations Diplomacy Practicum, students provide assistance to UN country Missions by attending their meetings and preparing research on issues such as climate change, renewable energy, fisheries protection, and forest management.

With a ranking of #24 last year, the trial advocacy program at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law has continued to rise notably each year, ranking #13 in the nation this year by the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings. Over the last year, Haub Law has had 45+ Mock Trial and Moot Court Teams, with an average of over 116 student participants on these teams as a whole. In recent years, the Law School’s Mock Trial and Moot Court teams regularly place at or near the top in competitions. Just in the last few months, the trial advocacy program successes have included winning both the season and championship title in the 2024 National Trial League Competition, taking home the championship at New York Law School’s third annual Soccer Negotiation Competition, winning the invite only Shark Beach Showdown National Trial Competition, along with numerous individual top advocacy awards and recognitions. The Law School also hosts several prominent competitions throughout the year, this year that included hosting the 2024 ABA Representation in Mediation Competition. Further, as a founder of the preeminent International Criminal Court Moot Court Competition (ICC Moot) held annually in The Hague, Netherlands, Haub Law hosted the 2024 Regional Round for the Americas and Caribbean of the ICC Moot.

“Haub Law has remained dedicated to providing our students with a top-tier advocacy program,” said Louis V. Fasulo, Professor of Trial Practice and Director of Advocacy Programs. “Our students have endless opportunities to learn and participate as advocates through top national and international competitions. In recent years, our teams consistently finish at or near the top of these tough competitions regularly, with our advocates regularly receiving individual recognitions for their stellar performances. This latest climb in the rankings is a recognition of the incredible work and talent of our students and coaches and the school’s commitment to our nationally ranked advocacy program.”

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Adjunct Professor of English Carlie Hoffman, MFA, received a 2024 National Jewish Book Award for her poetry collection entitled When There Was Light.

Hoffman was awarded the Berru Award in Poetry in Memory of Ruth and Bernie Weinflash. Now in its 73rd year, the National Jewish Book Awards is a prestigious and long-running program of the National Jewish Council. This year, more than 100 judges reviewed over 650 submissions.

When There Was Light is Hoffman’s second published poetry collection, following her debut This Alaska, and explores themes of identity, heritage, family, and loss.

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“Carlie Hoffman’s When There Was Light shows a mastery of thinking through language,” said Sean Singer, National Jewish Book Award judge. “When There Was Light adds to Jewish poetics not only in its subjects, but in its system of thought: an area of doubts, wishes, and possibilities.”

Hoffman won a Northern California Publishers and Authors Gold Award in Poetry for This Alaska and was a finalist for the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award. She’s also received a 92Y/Discovery Prize and an Amy Award from Poets & Writers.

The Nutrition and Dietetics Teaching Kitchen joins the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative

The Nutrition and Dietetics Teaching Kitchen at Pace University has been accepted into the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (TKC), a leading invitational network of educational, research, and community organizations with teaching kitchens aimed at improving personal and public health.

In being part of the network, Pace joins organizations including Google, Compass Group, and Cleveland Clinic that are leading the teaching kitchen movement to improve health outcomes in the United States and around the world.

“We are thrilled to be accepted into the TKC as an organization member,” said Jessica Tosto, MS, RD, department chair and clinical associate professor, Nutrition and Dietetics. “Joining the TKC allows us to expand our network of innovative, like-minded colleagues, share resources, and collaborate on research and best practices in the field of culinary nutrition to achieve our mission.”

Teaching Kitchen activities take place at the renowned Zwilling JA Henckels Cooking Studio in Pleasantville where faculty teach future Registered Dietitians about the importance of food as medicine, health equity, sustainability, and culinary nutrition skills to future patients and clients. In addition, Nutrition and Dietetics students share their skills and knowledge with other students and members of the Pace community using our on-campus Mobile Teaching Kitchen.

Teaching kitchen programs include collaboration with Feeding Westchester Mobile Market to teach participants healthy cooking techniques, how to prepare unfamiliar foods, and inspire them to try something new.

The Teaching Kitchen also includes nutrition education for student athletes, and culinary nutrition education for the broader student body, which also focuses on utilization of fresh herbs and produce grown in the campus community garden and addressing the issue of food insecurity on campus.

By integrating culinary nutrition education, health, and sustainability, Pace University's Teaching Kitchen initiatives are fostering a new generation of leaders who are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to create healthier communities.

In addition to Tosto, the department chair, three Pace faculty members are members of the TKC. They include: Mary Opfer, MS, RDN, clinical associate professor of Nutrition and Dietetics; Denise Tahara, PhD, MPhil, MBA, department chair and associate professor of Health Science; and Beau Anderson, PhD, MA(Ed), associate dean of Allied Health Programs.

“As a Pace student, I am thrilled to witness and contribute to the blossoming of food equity and outreach within my community,” said Vida Velasco-Popov, a student who is graduating later this year. “It fills me with immense pride to be part of a collective effort that seeks to nourish and bridge the knowledge gap between perceived barriers in the kitchen and empowering others to get curious and learn something new. By sharing our knowledge of nutrition and cooking, we are not just helping today’s students, but we are building a healthier future for the entire Pace community.”

The TKC is a unique collaboration of medical professionals, chefs, educators, researchers, and food system experts dedicated to improving personal and public health. The TKC’s mission is to catalyze and empower a growing network of innovators who are changing lives through food. The TKC was formally launched in 2016 by Dr. David Eisenberg, in partnership with The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, as an invitational network of thought leading organizations using teaching kitchen facilities as catalysts of enhanced personal and public health across medical, corporate, school, and community settings.

In 2020, the TKC became a 501c3 and is now a global network of 58 teaching kitchens. Its members represent a diverse range of organizations, including leading academic medical centers, public youth services institutions, private employers, and public libraries. The TKC functions as a central hub and accelerator to support the reproducibility, scalability, and evaluation of emerging teaching kitchen models and educational programs.

"Pace University's Nutrition and Dietetics Department is teaching a new generation of leaders that food, individual/community health, and the health of our planet are inextricably linked,” said Katie Welch, TKC Executive Director. “The Teaching Kitchen Collaborative is proud to welcome Pace's incredible team to our network, where leaders in the field of culinary medicine share resources, network and collaborate. Through their membership, Pace's innovative collaborations, focus on food equity and sustainability, and robust programs for students and the community, will help inform teaching kitchens around the world."

To learn more about the TKC and for a full list of TKC members, visit their website.

About the College of Health Professions at Pace University

Established in 2010, the College of Health Professions (CHP) at Pace University offers a broad range of programs at the bachelor, master's, and doctoral levels. It is the College's goal to create innovative and complex programs that reflect the changing landscape of the health care system. These programs are designed to prepare graduates for impactful careers in health care practice, health-related research, or as educators, and equip graduates to work in health policy and global health fields. Students in clinical programs receive hands-on training in the College's interprofessional Center of Excellence in Healthcare Simulation and have the opportunity to apply their developing skills in real-world settings at many of the regions' leading clinical facilities. In addition to Nutrition and Dietetics, the College currently comprises several growing and important areas of study, which include Nursing, Physician Assistant, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Health Science, Occupational Therapy, Health Informatics, and Public Health.

About Pace University

Since 1906, Pace University has been transforming the lives of its diverse students—academically, professionally, and socioeconomically. With campuses in New York City and Westchester County, Pace offers bachelor, master, and doctoral degree programs to 13,600 students in its College of Health Professions, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Lubin School of Business, Sands College of Performing Arts, School of Education, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

KPMG, New York Red Bulls, Hachette Book Group USA, ZWILLING JA Henckels, Conair, FBI, and Christian Louboutin among over 115 recruiters

Pace University Career Services on Friday hosted one of its signature events: the spring 2024 Job and Internship Career Fair. With record-breaking student turnout, it was the largest Job Fair in the University’s history.

Over 800 hundred students turned out – including many from Pace’s campus in lower Manhattan -- to the employment fair. Over 115 companies were in attendance including New York Red Bulls, Hachette Book Group USA, ZWILLING JA Henckels, Conair Corporation, FBI, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Christian Louboutin, Conair Corporation, and KPMG — the event was open to all majors.

The event featured free smoothies from one of the University’s student-run businesses, music, and other amenities like a “Quiet Room” for students to prepare. KPMG, one of the world’s leading professional services firms, providing audit, tax, and advisory services to many of the world’s most prestigious organizations, sponsored a coffee truck. Not only did this give students a little caffeine boost but allowed an opportunity for extra networking with this “Big Four” accounting giant.

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“At Pace, we understand the importance of engaging and preparing our students early, and creating impactful employer events that lead to great internships and jobs,” said Phyllis Mooney, assistant vice president of Career Services at Pace University.

Pace’s Career Services is a leader in the region for providing a range of career counseling and programming to ensure that the students they serve are career-ready and know how to articulate the skills employers are looking for in their entry-level candidates. In fact, as Class of 2023 First Destination Survey review comes to a close, Career Services found that 94% of Pace’s Bachelor graduates were employed or continuing their education six months from graduation.

Pace’s Career Services also offers their employer partners a tailored, successful recruiting experience that introduces recruiters to talented students that represent the very best of Westchester, the New York City region, and the world—resulting in extraordinary outcomes. Top brands that employ Pace students include Amazon, American Express, Christian Dior, FEMA, IBM, Mac Cosmetics, The Madison Square Garden Company, Meta, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Pfizer, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Daniella Schneider, a junior majoring in Public Relations, took advantage of the “Perfect Your Pitch” workshop to get ready for the fair last fall and made a great impression on Today Media. She accepted a Marketing Internship with Westchester Magazine this semester and is loving it. “This internship has taught me so much in the marketing, advertising, and PR world as well as event planning,” said Schneider. “I love getting to work on different events that Westchester Magazine holds and seeing what goes into these amazing events.”

For Julia Kalem, a graduate student majoring in Human Resources Management from Cologne, Germany, the packed room provided ample opportunities to land a job or an internship.

“This is my first time visiting the Pleasantville campus, it’s been quite enjoyable,” said Kalem, who was among students from the lower Manhattan campus that attended the Job Fair. “Today, I've had productive interactions with several recruiters who have been very open. Currently, I'm interning at a bank and exploring opportunities to remain in the United States temporarily before eventually returning to Germany.”

Sports marketing major Alexandra Witucki 26’ engaged in a conversation with Marshall Adrian Diaz from the Federal Air Marshal Services. “Today, my aim is to broaden my horizons and establish valuable connections,” said Witucki. ”I’m eager to explore the opportunities available and so far, it's been quite promising.”

About Pace University

Since 1906, Pace University has been transforming the lives of its diverse students—academically, professionally, and socioeconomically. With campuses in New York City and Westchester County, Pace offers bachelor, master, and doctoral degree programs to 13,600 students in its College of Health Professions, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Lubin School of Business, Sands College of Performing Arts, School of Education, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

Experiential learning—immersing students in meaningful opportunities that transcend a traditional classroom model—is at the heart of the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, no matter what discipline a student has chosen to study.

“When we are engaging students in experiential learning, we are giving them the chance to do their own research and learning,” said Kelley Kreitz, PhD, associate professor of English and the director of experiential learning and the Pace Path. “And in turn, those projects become demonstrations of students’ independence, creativity, ability to collaborate, and more.”

In studying media and the arts in particular, an experiential aspect is already inherently present—creating sculpture, editing a film, writing a news article. Beyond this intrinsic hands-on nature, Dyson embraces a deeper approach to the arts and media, focusing on community connection and cultural competence.

Take a look at a few of many examples of how learning comes to life in media and the arts in Dyson College.

Art Gallery Internship: Implementing Bloomberg Connects Audio Guides (NYC Campus)

This fall, art gallery interns Aryana Gandhi ’25, Entrepreneurship (Lubin), and Amaya Washington ’24, Sociology/Anthropology, under the leadership of Art Gallery Director Sarah Cunningham, MFA, spearheaded a project to implement Bloomberg Connects Audio Guides in the Pace University Art Gallery.

Bloomberg Connects is a free smartphone app that enhances the gallery experience through interactive maps and exclusive content. The guide also improves accessibility for gallery visitors with features such as voice-overs, transcripts, and the ability to zoom in on text.

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“Aryana and Amaya were responsible for every aspect of the project—learning the software, drafting the text, gathering images for past and current exhibits, conducting interviews (and arranging transcription), editing videos, etc.,” Cunningham said.

The Pace University Art Gallery launched the Bloomberg Connects Audio Guides for the opening of Mie Yim’s Mother Octopus exhibition, which was on view from November 14, 2023—January 20, 2024, and continues to employ the app for gallery visitors.

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“I decided to work in the art gallery to get as much firsthand experience in the gallery management world as possible,” said Gandhi, whose role in the project focused on learning the Bloomberg Connects content management system. “The most rewarding part was seeing it all come together and being able to have a tangible product to show visitors and University executives.”

CMS 270: Political Communication (NYC Campus)

Taught by Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies Brian McKernan, PhD, the Political Communication course aims to equip students with crucial skills in persuasive communication, including rhetorical appeals, agenda setting, and framing. “Understanding these concepts may also strengthen our democracy by providing us with a clearer understanding of political figures’ persuasive efforts,” said McKernan.

The course employs experiential learning in an innovative fashion—students compose campaign speeches with the assistance of generative AI, evaluating the persuasiveness and accuracy of the AI speech and revising it accordingly. Students complete a similar assignment to create a campaign ad.

“The generative AI component provides students with firsthand knowledge of the benefits and limitations of using generative AI,” said McKernan, “a vital skill given the popularity of generative AI in political communication and other professional fields.”

Gabrielle Preudhomme ’25, Communication and Media Studies, chose to focus her projects on vulnerable LGBTQ+ rights, gun control, and climate change solutions, noting her passion for these issues, as well as their timeliness.

“Our lessons on rhetoric have stuck with me since I completed the course,” Preduhomme said. “The concept of rhetoric has appeared within many of my recent courses in unusual ways, but without the fundamental understanding of rhetoric and persuasion provided by Professor McKernan’s class, I would not have such a comprehensive perception of the concept.”

ENG 326E Topics in Professional Writing: Art of Content Creation (Westchester Campus)

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The Art of Content Creation course, taught by Assistant Professor of Writing and Cultural Studies Dana Cadman, MFA, focuses on business writing and digital communication. Students first analyze texts and content from recognizable companies and popular social media influencers. They then employ the techniques they’ve studied, focusing on creating their own brand based on their personal interests. Projects include business writing (pitches, branding guides, mission statements, etc.), analytical and argumentative long-form pieces, and emerging forms of digital communication, including microcontent and full-length videos.

Cadman said: “The course works to consider essential questions driving the field: What are the newly emerging rules of language in a virtual space? Are we post-grammar? How is identity communicated digitally? How have traditions in professional writing become newly mediated by social networking? How do we connect to the values of our audiences? Is authenticity possible online?”

Mary Duffy ’24, BA Writing and Rhetoric/MS Publishing, enjoyed the opportunity to create work relevant to her own interests and the current landscape. “What you learn in this course is new, updated, and fresh,” she said. “As anyone can see, content, technology, and social media are the new driving forces of culture, and learning how to navigate that world can be beneficial to just about anyone, in any field. This course will absolutely be beneficial for my future endeavors as I work towards a career in publishing and marketing, as well as for establishing my own personal brand as a writer and artist.”

View the videos produced about free activities and Pleasantville on YouTube.

MCA 655: Producing the Documentary (Westchester Campus)

Each year, the Producing the Documentary course, open to both undergraduate and graduate students, and taught by Clinical Assistant Professor Lou Guarneri, MFA, and Professor Maria Luskay, EdD, of the Media, Communications, and Visual Arts department truly embodies the spirit of experiential learning. Students spend the semester working tirelessly to produce a professional documentary on a culturally and globally significant topic and spend spring break travelling to an international destination to film on location. Previous films have won numerous awards and accolades at film festivals across the country.

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This year’s documentary is focused on wine cask making, also known as cooperage, a hallmark of the Andalusian region of southern Spain. Students are learning the history of cooperage—which dates back centuries—as well as the current state of the industry, which is in jeopardy due to digital technologies and declining interest in the profession. During their recent trip to Córdoba, Montilla, and Málaga, the documentarians met with cask makers, local wine experts, and musicians, while immersing themselves in the region’s history and culture.

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“We had busy days [in Spain], but we were still happy to spend dinners and nights together laughing until we cried, dancing, and working together to set ourselves up well for the intense three weeks of post-production work ahead,” Rachel Hutchings ’24, MA Communications and Digital Media, wrote on the group's blog on the final day of their trip. “Having the incredible Professors Luskay and Guarneri was critical to our ability to develop the documentary in such a short amount of time.”

The film will premiere on May 2 at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, New York.

Pace Poetry and Prose Festival (Westchester Campus)

Hosted by the Writing and Cultural Studies department, the Pace Poetry and Prose Festival is an annual two-day event that features guest speakers, workshops hosted by renowned writers, student writing awards, and the launch of CHROMA, the student-created literary magazine.

This year’s event in mid-April included a poetry brunch with Dorothea Lasky, a workshop with and reading from Mahogany L. Browne, and a storytelling session and workshop with Jimin Han.

“The Festival serves as a platform to honor and showcase the diverse and vibrant forms of poetic expression from our own Pace student artists and from our esteemed invited speakers,” said Duffy, who serves as the creative assistant for the Festival. “The event fosters a sense of community among poets, writers, artists, and general art enthusiasts. It brings this diverse group of people together and creates a vital space for dialogue, connection, and mutual appreciation of the arts.”