Pace University faculty earned national and international recognition this year across the performing arts, artificial intelligence, civic engagement, and global education, underscoring the breadth of faculty work shaping both creative fields and urgent global conversations.
At Sands College of Performing Arts, Clinical Assistant Professor Brendan Patrick Hughes received a 2025 Peabody Award for Divine Intervention, the podcast he wrote, hosted, produced, and directed. The series explores a largely overlooked chapter of the Vietnam War era, following a group of Catholic priests and nuns in 1971 Boston who provided political sanctuary to a draft resister and carried out draft board raids that drew the attention of J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. “The opportunity I have at this school, to work with the young storytellers whose ideas will shape the future of the American narrative, is something I cherish every day.”
Sands faculty also earned major recognition in musical theater writing. Eric Price and Phillip Christian Smith were named 2026 Kleban Prize winners, while Adam J. Rineer received the 2026 Jonathan Larson Grant. Together, the honors recognize some of the most promising voices shaping the future of the American musical.
At the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, Christelle Scharff, PhD, received her third Fulbright recognition through the Fulbright Specialist Program. Her project with Université Numérique Cheikh Hamidou Kane in Senegal will advance AI knowledge exchange, collaborative research, and international academic partnerships.
Seidenberg Professor John Cronin also joined the Millennium Campus Network’s global Civic Learning Council, which supports student-led projects tied to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Cronin has helped guide Pace students through the Millennium Fellowship, including projects focused on water quality, sustainability, and public health.
Together, these accolades reflect the range and impact of Pace faculty whose work reaches far beyond the classroom while directly enriching the student experience.
From celebrating 120 years of Pace pride to earning national recognition, launching new centers, advancing sustainability, and empowering students to lead, this semester offered 10 inspiring reminders of Pace’s momentum—and the community driving it forward.
For Brenda Latham-Sadler, MD, ’78, Pace was more than a place to earn a degree—it was the foundation for a remarkable career in medicine and service. As she celebrates retirement after decades as a physician and professor, Brenda reflects on the close-knit biology program, supportive faculty, and lasting friendships that helped shape her journey.
Through research, teaching, and interdisciplinary collaboration, Pace faculty from Dyson College and the College of Health Professions are helping students understand human trafficking as a complex human rights issue—one that demands knowledge, compassion, and care.