25 Years: Remembering September 11
Twenty-Five Years of Resilience
The events of 9/11 have had a profound effect on a generation of people around the world, but our University, located mere blocks away from the World Trade Center, felt the impact first-hand. Twenty-five years ago, the Pace Community lost 47 members—students and alumni alike—and was closed for several weeks as we worked toward recovery.
This Year's On Campus Events
Friday, September 11, 2026
8:40 a.m.
Preston Quad Memorial
Friday, September 11, 2026
12:10 p.m.
Student Center, One Pace Plaza
Friday, September 11, 2026
7:00 p.m.
Butcher Suite, Kessel Student Center
Twenty-Five Years of Resilience
This video combines archival interviews recorded in 2011 for the 10th anniversary of September 11 with footage recorded in 2026. In those firsthand accounts, members of the Pace Community who were here in 2001 recall the uncertainty of that day, the University’s role in the immediate response, and the ways students, faculty, and staff came together to support one another.
Twenty-five years later, their stories remain part of Pace’s history and our responsibility to remember.
Pace Periodicals
Twenty-five years later, these scans of The Pace Press, New Morning, and Opportunitas offer a contemporary record of how Pace students and employees reported on and responded to September 11, 2001. Published in the days and weeks after the attacks, they capture the events, emotions, and impact of the moment as they unfolded across the Pace Community.
In Their Own Words
Pace alumni reflect on the moments, images, and emotions that have stayed with them. Their accounts capture the day from many perspectives, from students living and studying in Lower Manhattan to graduates who went on to serve the city in the years that followed.
Drawn from University records and contemporary Pace publications, it documents how the events of that day and their immediate aftermath unfolded across the Pace Community.
Pace University 9/11 Oral History Project
Led by Maria Iacullo-Bird, PhD, the Pace University 9/11 Oral History Project began as an undergraduate history course in 2004, with students ultimately conducting more than 90 interviews documenting firsthand experiences of September 11 and its aftermath.
In 2011, in recognition of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the project entered a new digital phase, preserving these interviews alongside archival materials and making this deeply personal record of Pace, New York City, and Lower Manhattan accessible to a wider audience.
On Campus Memorials
Book of Remembrance
A memorial honoring the 47 Pace alumni and students who died on September 11 was designed by then-Pace University architect Daniel Okoli in the shape of a Book of Remembrance, with their names inscribed on two open pages. The names on the memorial were intentionally arranged out of alphabetical order, inviting visitors searching for a loved one to read through the full list and, in doing so, remember each member of the Pace community who was lost.
The 9/11 Remembrance Quilt
When Pace reopened on September 19, 2001, the Center for Community Outreach invited members of the Pace community to express their feelings about September 11 on fabric squares. A total of 144 squares were stitched together to create the Remembrance Quilt.
“Setting the Pace” Canine Statue
The “Setting the Pace” statue, depicting a German shepherd by artist Mike Neville, was commissioned as part of the American Kennel Club’s DOGNY public art project, developed in collaboration with the City of New York. The DOGNY project honors the canine heroes of September 11 who served as search-and-rescue dogs. The “Setting the Pace” statue was brought to Pace by the Center for Downtown New York.
A Legacy of Service and Remembrance
Honor the legacies of Marijo L. Russell O’Grady and Lynne V. Byrne, two beloved Pace leaders whose dedication to students helped guide the University through the aftermath of September 11. Learn more about their impact and lend your support to the scholarships established in their memory.
Support for Our Community
Anniversaries like this can bring back difficult memories and emotions. Members of the Pace Community have access to resources for support, and additional programs are available for those whose health or well-being may have been affected by September 11.
