Pace Magazine

Summer 2026: 10 Things to Inspire

By
Alyssa Cressotti
Posted
July 8, 2026
The Helmsley Building in NYC illuminated in blue and gold in honor of Pace's 120th anniversary year.

This semester, Pace’s 120-year legacy came alive in bold new ways—from milestone celebrations and national rankings to groundbreaking research, student advocacy, career momentum, sustainability honors, and standout recognition for our performing arts, law, nursing, technology, and healthcare programs. Across our campuses and far beyond them, Pace students, faculty, alumni, and friends continued to prove what has always defined this University: ambition in action, purpose in motion, and a community built to meet the future.

Pace Celebrates 120 Years

Pace students posing with T-Bone at our 120th anniversary celebration.

Pace celebrated its 120th anniversary with campus birthday parties on April 13 in Pleasantville, New York City, and at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains, honoring co-founder Homer St. Clair Pace with food, fun, prizes, and commemorative giveaways. The celebration continued on June 11, when Pace lit up New York City’s famed Helmsley Building in honor of Alumni Reunion during our milestone 120th year. Want to learn more? Check out our Deep Dive into the history of Pace University.

Pace Rises in the Rankings

Pace University has continued its rise in the national spotlight, earning multiple Top 100 placements in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings—including the #1 Environmental Law program in the country, Top 50 rankings in law and nursing, and three programs among the top 20 percent nationally. From law and nursing to business and technology, Pace has demonstrated growing momentum across career-focused fields that prepare students for meaningful, in-demand work.

PaceDocs Celebrates 24 Years of Storytelling

PaceDocs released its latest film, Stories Come Together, following a successful premiere at the Jacob Burns Film Center that reunited students, alumni, faculty, and supporters to celebrate the program’s legacy of connection and storytelling. Featuring interviews with more than 30 alumni and faculty members, the documentary honored Professor Emeritus Maria Luskay, EdD, and reflected on a program that has produced 23 documentaries across 14 countries and earned more than 30 awards over 24 years.

Pace Launches Environmental Data Lab

Only months after its launch, the Gale Epstein Center for Technology, Policy and the Environment at Pace University is already emerging as a hub for civic innovation, experiential learning, and environmental advocacy. Housed within the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems and made possible by a transformative gift from philanthropist and business leader Gale Epstein, the Center is advancing Pace’s leadership in environmental technology, policy innovation, and public health. Guided by Executive Director John Cronin, the Center is empowering students to tackle real-world challenges in water quality, environmental justice, and the public’s right to know about the water they drink—while expanding its impact through award-winning student projects, sustainability initiatives, youth-led environmental engagement, and Cronin’s appointment to the Millennium Campus Network’s global Civic Learning Council, which advances the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We Are the Drama

Sands College of Performing Arts logo recognized by Hollywood Reporter drama school ranking

Sands College of Performing Arts at Pace University was named one of The Hollywood Reporter’s 25 Best Drama Schools in the World, spotlighting Pace’s growing global reputation for performing arts education. With a new performing arts center opening this fall, alumni like Cooper Koch and Christopher Briney making waves, and a groundbreaking artist-in-residence program with Deaf West, Sands showed the world that this was only the beginning.

Big Returns on the Spring 2026 Job and Internship Fair

Hundreds of Pace students packed the Spring 2026 Job and Internship Career Fair to connect with 100+ employers—including EY, KPMG, FUJIFILM, and Northwell Health—building networks and exploring career paths with top recruiters. It’s one more example of Pace’s career power: the Class of 2024 achieved a 95% employment or continuing education rate within six months of graduation.

Pace Powers the AI Conversation

After hosting its Actionable AI Conference earlier this spring, Pace had continued the momentum with a second major AI conference: Intelligent Futures: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Universities and Higher Education, presented with O.P. Jindal Global University at Pace’s downtown NYC Campus. The event had brought together leaders from Pace, JGU, Columbia, Drexel, Fordham, Hunter, Manhattanville, Marist, and more to explore how AI had been reshaping teaching and learning, the humanities, governance, and ethics in higher education.

Pace Students Take Animal Advocacy to Albany

Pace University students in the Animal Advocacy Clinic meet with Sen. Pete Harckham in Albany.

After three years of student-led research and advocacy, Pace University students in the Animal Advocacy Clinic had helped bring the RAPTORS Act before New York lawmakers, targeting rodenticides linked to the deaths of wildlife and pets. Introduced by Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Chris Burdick, the bill had built on Pace research highlighting the urgent risks these poisons posed to hawks, birds of prey, companion animals, and the broader environment.

Pace Earns National Sustainability Honor

Pace University has received a 2026 U.S. Department of Energy Better Project Award for its transformative energy retrofit initiatives at One Pace Plaza, the University’s flagship campus building in Lower Manhattan. The award had recognized Pace’s comprehensive modernization of One Pace Plaza East, which had combined innovative sustainability strategies with major infrastructure improvements to reduce energy consumption, enhance the student experience, and strengthen long-term operational reliability.

Pace Secures $2.175M for Healthcare Simulation

Overhead look at Pace students working on a medical mannekin.

Pace University received $2.175 million in funding from New York State Senate Majority Leader (and Pace alumna!) Andrea Stewart-Cousins to support capital improvements and technology upgrades at its Center of Excellence in Healthcare Simulation in Pleasantville. The investment expanded hands-on training for students in high-demand health programs, helping Pace prepare the next generation of nurses and clinicians through state-of-the-art simulation experiences.

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