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Camila Valenzuela Gonzalez, a Pace University student preparing to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain, during the Fall 2026 semester, has been awarded the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, a nationally competitive award that supports students with financial need pursuing international education opportunities.

Camila will study at La Salle Campus Barcelona, a founding member of the Universitat Ramon Llull, where she looks forward to immersing herself in a new culture while continuing her academic journey abroad.

“I’ve always loved traveling, and I knew Pace had a great study abroad program, so I started looking into it pretty early and attended the study abroad fair to explore all the possible opportunities, but fell in love with the idea of Barcelona,” said Camila. “I was highly encouraged at the fair to apply for the scholarship and by Liz Pizzuti from the study abroad department.”

The Gilman Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, encourages students from diverse backgrounds to study or intern abroad and develop the skills needed for success in today’s interconnected world.

“I’ve always loved traveling, and I knew Pace had a great study abroad program, so I started looking into it pretty early and attended the study abroad fair to explore all the possible opportunities, but fell in love with the idea of Barcelona."

For Camila, the experience represents far more than academics.

“Studying abroad was always super important to me because I wanted an opportunity to immerse myself in a new environment with different cultures and perspectives to learn and grow from them,” she said. “Education to me is so much more than a degree. It’s about gaining cultural experiences, making new connections, and developing a deeper understanding of the world. I know it will help me grow so much, not just academically, but personally.”

Camila credits Pace University’s Education Abroad Office with helping make the process approachable and achievable.

“The first time I showed up to a Study Abroad 101 info session, Liz was super helpful, and all the steps were easy to follow,” she said. “Pace made it so easy to happen with their great advisors, info sessions, and a lot of straightforward information on how to apply.”

Receiving the scholarship is also an opportunity for Camila to inspire fellow students to pursue international experiences of their own.

“Receiving the Gilman Scholarship is a great honor, and I’m very happy to represent Pace as a student abroad,” she said. “I hope to encourage others to take this amazing opportunity as well and get to use studying abroad to see more of the world. Even if anyone is scared because it might be ‘too expensive,’ scholarships and opportunities like the Gilman Program can help make this happen.”

Think studying abroad might be for you? Learn more about study abroad at Pace.

Pace University has received a 2026 U.S. Department of Energy Better Project Award in recognition of the University’s transformative energy retrofit initiatives at One Pace Plaza, its flagship campus building in Lower Manhattan.

The award recognizes Pace’s comprehensive modernization of the historic mixed-use academic building, One Pace Plaza East, which serves as the home of the Sands College of Performing Arts and Pace’s residential community. The project combined innovative sustainability strategies with major infrastructure improvements to dramatically reduce energy consumption while enhancing the student experience and long-term operational reliability.

“This project demonstrates how universities can modernize aging infrastructure and improve campus life, while significantly reducing the environmental impact of our operations at the same time.”

As part of the renovation, Pace replaced aging steam absorption chillers with a high-efficiency heat pump plant, installed advanced insulation to improve the building envelope, upgraded HVAC systems, and implemented energy-efficient LED lighting with advanced controls. Together, the retrofits are projected to reduce district steam consumption by 75 percent and electricity consumption by 32 percent annually.

“One Pace Plaza East is an exemplar in deep energy retrofits and decarbonization for urban institutions,” said Ryan McEnany, director of Energy and Resiliency at Pace. “This project demonstrates how universities can modernize aging infrastructure and improve campus life, while significantly reducing the environmental impact of our operations at the same time.”

The initiative was developed as part of Pace University’s broader sustainability and energy-reduction strategy, while also positioning the institution to comply with New York City’s ambitious building emissions requirements under Local Law 97. University leaders identified One Pace Plaza as the campus’s most energy-intensive building and an ideal candidate for a next-generation retrofit model.

Beyond energy savings, the modernization delivers substantial benefits for students, faculty, and staff. The upgraded systems provide more precise climate control for performance venues, studios, classrooms, and residence hall spaces, while improving system reliability and reducing long-term maintenance costs. Students living in Maria’s Tower will also benefit from individualized heating and cooling controls for the first time.

Pace University’s award-winning project now stands as a national model for how dense urban campuses can achieve deep energy reductions through comprehensive, system-wide modernization.

The Millennium Campus Network has appointed Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems Professor John Cronin to its Civic Learning Council. The leadership body advances the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by supporting student-led projects on 290 campuses across 47 countries.

Cronin has spent nearly four decades at Pace working at the intersection of environmental advocacy, education, and public service. The appointment recognizes Cronin’s longstanding commitment to civic engagement and his work mentoring students through the Millennium Fellowship program at Pace University’s Seidenberg School.

Real-World Impact for Students

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As executive director of the Gale Epstein Center for Technology Policy and Innovation at Seidenberg, Cronin has helped guide 26 Pace students to become Millennium Fellows over the past three years. Pace’s Fellowship applicants under his mentorship have achieved a 100 percent acceptance rate—an extraordinary accomplishment in a program where only 6 percent of applicants worldwide are selected.

For Cronin, the recognition reflects something larger than individual achievement: the ability for students to contribute meaningfully to global challenges while still in college. “Seidenberg students have a unique role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” he said. “One-quarter of the way through the 21st century, with 8 billion cellphones worldwide, we envision a global water network that will provide both a warning and information system regarding water quality and availability.”

A Lifetime of Dedication

A lifelong environmental advocate, Cronin’s connection to Pace dates back to 1986, when he co-founded the Environmental Litigation Clinic at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University while serving as Hudson Riverkeeper. His work on the Hudson River and his partnership with Pace in advancing environmental justice ultimately earned him an honorary JD from the University.

In 1999, he became Pace’s first Resident Scholar in Environmental Studies at Dyson College of Arts and Sciences. While at Dyson, he co-founded the Environmental Policy Clinic (today’s Animal Advocacy Clinic) with Professor Michelle Land.

His next step at Pace was at the Seidenberg School, where Pace’s Assistant Provost for Wellness Sue Maxam introduced him to the Millennium Fellowship program. The opportunity to involve Pace students to a larger international stage was hard to decline, so Cronin jumped at this chance to connect our students with a movement focused on social impact and sustainability.

It is ever rewarding to our students that Pace’s resolute commitment to social good and civic engagement provides a home to imagine, and someday achieve, such an ambitious vision.

Impact on a Global Level

Over the last several years, those student teams have launched ambitious projects with real-world implications as Millennium Fellows, including the world’s first “Right-to-Know H2O” campaign focused on water transparency and accessibility.

Cronin also helped lead a joint program between Pace University and HAMK Häme University of Applied Sciences in Finland that brought together 19 Millennium Fellows representing 16 nations. Together, the students drafted a petition to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres calling for the establishment of right-to-know water quality information as a fundamental human right. Pace students are expected to present the petition at the United Nations later this year.

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For Cronin, projects like these represent the evolving role of technology students in addressing some of the world’s most urgent problems. He added that “it is ever rewarding to our students that Pace’s resolute commitment to social good and civic engagement provides a home to imagine, and someday achieve, such an ambitious vision.”

Through initiatives like the Millennium Fellowship, Pace students are gaining hands-on experience with global collaboration and emerging technology, while also helping shape conversations around sustainability, public health, and human rights on an international stage.