It is a busy time for news at Pace University.
This morning we’re announcing our speakers for Commencement 2023. Telfar Clemens ’08, the Lubin grad and world-recognized fashion designer who’s as well known for his commitment to access and inclusion as he is for his must-have bags, will address all of our graduates and their guests at the main ceremony. At the Haub Law ceremony, Sen. Elizabeth Warren will be the featured speaker, and she’ll be joined by her husband, Harvard Law Prof. Bruce H. Mann. And at the ceremony for the Seidenberg School and the College of Health Professions, Trustee Ivan Seidenberg will speak to mark the 40th anniversary of his namesake school of computer science and information systems. It’s an impressive lineup that speaks to the breadth and ambition of Pace and our Class of 2023 graduates—and it’s just a small part of what I know will be a truly extraordinary day of celebration at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Monday, May 15.
But that’s just our latest news. Yesterday afternoon, the Board of Trustees appointed Prof. Joseph R. Franco as our new provost. Dr. Franco has been serving as interim provost since last summer, and he is doing an extraordinary job. A faculty member since 1987, he is a full professor in the Psychology and Mental Health Counseling Department on the Pleasantville Campus with a deep well of respect across the University. I am excited to continue working with him, as I know so many of us are.
There’s a lot of other news in this edition of Pace Now, from the highly prestigious National Science Foundation grant recently won by Seidenberg Prof. Zhan Zhang to an intercontinental experiential education success story to the little-known story of a tiny Pace library that makes a big impact.
And don’t forget all of the news in my State of the University speech, delivered just a few weeks ago: Our big plans to renovate the east side of One Pace Plaza, the nearly complete 15 Beekman Street, and academic innovations and investments like the Pace Entrepreneurship Studio, the expansion and upgrade of CHP’s simulation labs in Pleasantville, Seidenberg’s forthcoming Cyber Range on that campus, where cybersecurity students will be able to practice defending against the latest threats.
There’s a lot going on, and there’s more to come.
Let’s go get it.
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From inspiring words by Etsy CEO Josh Silverman to powerful reflections from alumni, community leaders, and first-generation grads, Pace University's two-day Commencement celebration was a moving tribute to resilience, integrity, and the promise of Opportunitas. Meet the voices who lit up the stage—and the futures they’re helping to shape.
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