Creating Experiences That Launch Careers

Matt Ganis, DPS, wears a lot of hats at Pace University.

The Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems professor teaches, mentors, leads AI initiatives, and somehow still finds time to fire up the grill for Seidenberg's annual barbecue. After decades at IBM, the triple Pace alumnus joined the faculty full time, bringing a wealth of experience in emerging technologies. “I spent 41 years at IBM, but the hardest job I've ever had is this one,” says Ganis. “Hardest but most rewarding.”

For Ganis, the nonstop pace of campus life is part of what makes teaching so rewarding.  “You think industry moves fast, but so much is going on around here,” Ganis says. “Between classes and teaching a new course, or new students coming through with questions, students seeking internships, there’s so much going on.”

At Pace you can almost choose to craft what it is you're working on.

One project fueling that energy this summer was the AI Internship Experience, an immersive program created by Christelle Scharff, PhD. This year, Ganis took the reins after Scharff led the program for its first two years. Students tackled AI challenges with guidance from industry professionals, but, as Ganis explains, "Nobody gives you the directions when you're in a real internship. You just have to figure it out." To his delight, students rose to the challenge. 

Hosted on the Pleasantville Campus for the first time, the internship continued its tradition of bringing together students from both campuses. "I think that's an important aspect of it as well, meeting your fellow Seidenberg students," he says. The cross-campus collaboration continues to reflect one of the key benefits of studying at Pace: access to New York City's global industries alongside the thriving business community of Westchester.

For Ganis, those opportunities are all part of a larger mission. "Quite honestly, I view my sole job as to help you, the student, get a job," he says. "My goal is to help students put something on their resume that allows them to be looked at longer than the other resumes. I can't get a job for you. But what I can do is give you the opportunity to talk about something you've done that's unique and gets you the interview."

There really is a community here.

Helping students succeed also means creating community. "When you come to Seidenberg’s lounge in Goldstein, there's always people hanging out," Ganis says, even non-Seidenberg students. Few things capture that sense of community better than one of Seidenberg's newest traditions.  After Ganis off-handedly mentioned spending the weekend smoking ribs, a student suggested bringing a barbecue to campus. He did, and the idea has become Seidenberg's annual end-of-year barbecue. "There really is a community here," he says.

Whether it's organizing a barbecue or leading an AI initiative, Ganis rarely turns down an opportunity to get involved. "Every time I do something new, I'm learning something new," he says. "The more I get involved and the more things I do, the more I learn, and the happier I become." It's a mindset that's easy to spot across Pace, where students are quick to raise their hands, embrace new challenges, and seek out new opportunities. 

Ganis' impact on students hasn't gone unnoticed. This year, he received the Homer and Charles Pace Faculty Award, which recognizes a faculty member nominated by Pace alumni for inspiring students and going above and beyond to support their success. For Ganis, the recognition was especially meaningful because it came from former students. "The fact that it came from people that I had had in class previously... is very touching," he says.

I'm going to teach [students] the best I can. I'm going to be hard on them because I want them to learn.

As a triple Pace alumnus, Ganis knows the University from nearly every perspective—as a student, an adjunct, a full-time faculty member, and now one of its biggest ambassadors. That breadth of experience has given him a clear sense of what sets Pace apart. "At Pace you can almost choose to craft what it is you're working on," he says. "What kind of project do you want to work on, as opposed to following some professor's path?"

For Ganis, letting students chart their own path also means walking alongside them. At Accepted Student events, he often tells families: "You might be wondering, should I send my kid here? For four years, they're my kid," he says. "I'm going to teach them the best I can. I'm going to be hard on them because I want them to learn. But they're my kid. I care for them."

For Ganis, pushing students and caring for them have never been separate ideas. It's a belief that shapes his teaching, and in turn, the lives of the students he mentors.