Pace Now

Do the humanities still matter?

That’s been the question in headlines about higher education lately. The New York Times weighed in last week, examining the “existential crisis” facing these classic liberal arts programs nationwide. A big article in The New Yorker early in the year kicked off the serious hand-wringing, arguing that traditional liberal arts study has become the quaint province of a privileged elite, students who don’t require a return on their tuition investment and can afford to spend time on unremunerative pursuits. Next, as if to prove the point, over the summer the University of West Virginia said that in order to cut a yawning budget deficit it would cut a range of programs, from world languages to creative writing. Meanwhile, lower-profile announcements keep coming that smaller colleges facing enrollment challenges are eliminating less-popular majors, often in the humanities, to stay afloat.

This month, Pace is diving deep with Social Justice Week, celebrating our first-generation students and veterans, and developing innovative ways to improve the world around us.

I often say that the Pace Community is a family, and when I glance across this issue of Pace Now—which really means that when I look across our campuses this month—what I see is everyone in the Pace family coming together to celebrate the great things we’re accomplishing.

This year, I’m happy to report, it really feels like we’ve turned a corner. As I see students on campus and run into faculty in hallways, as I chat with colleagues between meetings and hear from students in the class I teach each fall, I’m getting a different feeling than I have in some time. It’s a sense of cautious optimism. A sense that things are different. A sense that we’re all ready to put all the challenges and difficulties behind us, shake off the malaise of the past few years, and dive into something new.

(Watch the interview at 23:46) President Marvin Krislov spoke with Repórter África at the fourth annual Opportunities in Africa Summit this week about how Pace is a proud partner of this conference as it brings connections to the Seidenberg School of Computer Science.

“We've been part of this conference for many years and we have many connections with our computer science program," said President Krislov. “We have a lot of exchanges and collaborations. We think it is to the benefit of the University and our students and our faculty as well as to the people in those countries.”

September is here again and we're looking forward as our campuses and community transform! From lacrosse games and welcome parties, to BBQs and new buildings, we’re kicking off the new academic year in Pace style.

In our partisan and polarized country, education has become disputed territory.

The news is filled with stories about battles and bans. About books that can’t be read, topics that can’t be covered, sensitivities that must be protected. In some parts of the country, curricula are being revised to ensure that American history is presented as only triumphant. Elsewhere, reading lists are being scanned to ensure that all depictions match with today’s mores.

“America’s two great exports are Hollywood and higher education.” That’s what a French friend told me when I visited him recently in Paris. After the end of the academic year is the time when college faculty and presidents can stretch their legs, and I recently spent some time in Europe, attending a conference in Greece, a reunion in England, and seeing friends in both England and France. And everywhere I went, I heard uniform praise for America’s colleges and universities.