Professor Josh Galperin joined the faculty of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University in 2021. He teaches Contracts, Environmental Skills, and Administrative Law. Professor Galperin also was in a band, likes to bake, and has great advice for law students – learn more in this candid student-led interview.

Can you tell me about your recent work?

I like my work to have two aspects: scholarship and practical projects. In my scholarship, I like to develop baseline arguments for why governments or policies should work in certain ways. My work on harmonic or administrative democracy falls mostly into the scholarship bucket. With this work, I’m exploring the idea that democracy is about more than just voting and elections. Democracy has a bunch of moving parts. My practical projects are typically government oriented. One example is with the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS). I’m looking into regulatory notice and the ways agencies give notice of what they’re doing. This relates to my scholarship because it can affect how people participate in democracy, whether that participation be through voting or engaging with rulemaking, for example. Another example of my practical work is the Farm Bill Law Enterprise, farmbilllaw.org, of which Professor Margot Pollans and I are founding members and Professor Jon Brown is also a member. Started in 2017, FBLE offers insights and proposals from legal scholars for the farm bill well in advance of the legislative debate. We try to put out reports to help congress ahead of time. This also relates to my administrative democracy work, as I am incorporating just, equitable, and inclusive governance in the farm bill context.

How did you become interested in the law?

My dad was a lawyer and he loved his job, but he was a litigator. The schools I went to instilled the importance of the governance process. My dad was non-stop work, so I knew I didn’t want that aspect of law and early on I was interested in policy. I either wanted to run for office or become a professor.

I see your scholarship covers many types of law. What led you to research in all these areas?

I don’t think it’s that diverse. My theme is the core issue of how we structure law so people can participate in the governance process.

Food and ag, Conservation, Human health and the Environment,

Land Use and the Environment – the theme can run through anything!

How has your Master’s degree from the Yale School of the Environment helped with your career in environmental law? Would you recommend the joint program to students?

Yes! It has helped me enormously.

The first reason I recommend it is totally superficial – a degree from Yale looks good on a resume. Although superficial, it’s real and it’s valuable, especially for students who want to leave the normal orbit of their school. For example, I went to Vermont Law School. It helped me get attention outside of Vermont. I moved to Tennessee after school.

The second reason is that law school is very individualistic; it is a good way to think like a lawyer. But that’s not how the world works in any field. It’s not how you will use the tools you learn in law school. The Yale MEM teaches students how to practice in any environmental discipline because everything there is both collaborative and interdisciplinary - that represents the real world more than law school alone.

Do you have any advice for students interested in environmental law?

Don’t feel like you have to over-commit to environmental classes or know everything there is to know about environmental law in law school. Focus on building the infrastructure for working while you're in law school. Find opportunities to do interdisciplinary work. Get involved in clubs. Do some non-legal work. Be curious. Ask why do people you disagree with have different opinions? Curiosity is about having lots of questions all the time. Also, don’t be afraid to be excited about things. The goal should be energy and excitement, not getting the grade or the job.

Don’t feel like you have to over-commit to environmental classes or know everything there is to know about environmental law in law school. Focus on building the infrastructure for working while you're in law school. Find opportunities to do interdisciplinary work. Get involved in clubs. Do some non-legal work. Be curious.

Can you tell me about a non-academic interest or hobby you have that you’d be willing to share?

Two things – baking and drumming.

I love cooking and baking. I am both enthusiastic about them and good at them. However, I’m patient, so I’m better at baking. It also allows me to have some space from my kids. I donated a baking lesson at Pitt, the last school I taught at, for a fundraiser. The winner and I made babka.

I was in a band, I was a drummer. I even played drums at my wedding for a song. I had a cameo for La Bomba. My groomsmen were in my band. I am hoping to be the Recess Appointments drummer.

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Gabriella Mickel, a 2023 JD Candidate at Haub Law, authored this faculty Q&A. Gabriella is a Land Use & Haub Scholar, the President of the Environmental Law Society, a Junior Associate on Pace Environmental Law Review, and on the E-Board for NLG, Lambda, and ACS. Outside of school, she owns three sports supplement stores and is the co-editor of the Law Student Corner section of the NYSBA EELS Journal.

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Jennifer Zaurov

Class of 2022
Dual MBA in Business / Marketing Management with a concentration in Entertainment

Member Of: Co-founder and President of TEAM Pace (The Entertainment and Arts Managers), Member of Lubin Women in Leadership, the Ad Club, and the Marketing Association (PUMA)

Professional Member: American Marketing Association, FUTURE NOW Media Leadership Alumna, One Day Immersion in Media, Entertainment, and Technology, and a T. Howard Foundation Final Talent Pool Member

Why did you choose Pace University and the Lubin School of Business?

I chose to continue my educational journey by attending Pace University's Lubin School of Business in order to make my dreams a reality. My passion lies within the arts and business fields; hence, Pace's Dual MBA program was the perfect fit for me in terms of challenging myself. Pace University's location was also a deciding factor for me because it's in the heart of FiDi (the Financial District).

I never thought that I would be pursuing a Dual MBA in my lifetime, so finding a diverse and amazing educational environment like Pace University solidified my decision and secured my place on campus.

You started the first Arts and Entertainment Management Graduate Club at Pace; tell us a bit about the motivation behind that idea and how it is enriching the student experience on campus.

Yes! TEAM Pace, which stands for The Entertainment and Arts Managers, was started by two other classmates (Shannon Giles and Amanda Larney) and me. We all are passionate about arts management.

Together, we wrote an entire living document of guidelines, essentially making a constitution for the club. We wanted to create a safe space for all graduate and undergraduate students who have an interest in the arts and business as a whole. One of the things I'm most proud of is TEAM Pace's commitment to DEIA initiatives. TEAM Pace is committed to diversity, inclusion, and tolerance across race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, identity, and personal experience.

TEAM Pace's goals include implementing holistic educational programs and fostering networking opportunities with respected alumni and industry professionals to better prepare students for their careers in entertainment and the arts.

Overall, the organization was started from a blank slate in Fall 2020. Three semesters later, we have held a myriad of virtual events such as a women's panel for International Women's Day, where we had an intimate Q+A with female entertainment professionals.

Follow us on Instagram for more information on future events: @lubinteampace

I never thought that I would be pursuing a Dual MBA in my lifetime, so finding a diverse and amazing educational environment like Pace University solidified my decision and secured my place on campus.

What is it like to be a business student in a dual program?

Very Busy. My schedule is super packed. I initially took four courses per semester and summer courses, but now I am taking three classes, which is still considered full-time study. I am also a Marketing Intern at Pace's Small Business Development Center and a member of many professional and student organizations. It is not uncommon for me to have five to six Zoom meetings per day.

That being said, and with my mental sanity at stake, I know that my hard work will pay off in the future.

You say that you are following your dreams; what are those dreams and what does the future look like for you?

That's a difficult question because I have so many goals and dreams. I have a bucket list of things I would like to do before I die and one of those things is moving to New York City. I was supposed to move to the city in Summer 2020, but the pandemic obviously changed so many people's plans.

I have taken three semesters of classes online and would really like to make connections in-person and on-campus. I am excited though because I'm finally moving to New York from my hometown of Toledo, Ohio, in 2022 (Go T-town!).

In regard to my professional dreams, my ultimate goal is to be the CEO of a media or entertainment company. I can picture it now – sitting in my office, on the top floor of a posh brownstone building, with important projects piled on my desk, and me positively reminiscing about the nonstop effort I put in to get to where I am.

I would also like to dip my feet into television and film development, producing, casting, and talent management.

After graduation, I hope to get a well-paying job at a tv/film studio, whether that be in marketing or management (I'm manifesting it!).

Do you have any advice for other Lubin students looking to get involved on campus?

Yes! Getting involved on campus is super easy. Just reach out to people via social media. TEAM Pace has received many DMs from Pace University students and we absolutely adore when people are interested in our club. There are so many amazing clubs and organizations on campus. Simply reaching out to people in class WhatsApp groups or asking your professors for recommendations could change your college experience. I don't know where I would be without campus organizations given that we were remote for so many semesters. I was able to make friends and share similar interests with people all over the nation from the comfort of my own home.

Also, if you don't see a club for something you enjoy doing, create one of your own! Chances are that other students will also want to join you in the venture.

What does #LubinLife mean to you?

To me, #LubinLife means pushing oneself out of one's comfort zone. As a Lubin student, I challenge myself daily and see my fellow classmates working on building better versions of themselves too. I see so much ambition among students and professors. It's invigorating and keeps me going. #LubinLife is reinforcing the principle of aiming high and following up with success.

“I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do something for a community on such a large scale or to meet so many people who were interested in the same things.” So says Aissatou Gningue, one of eight Pace students accepted into the UN Millennium Fellowship Program, a semester-long leadership development initiative designed to increase students’ social impact through a project aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

For her project, Aissatou focused on education. “I looked at the number of students who drop out of school before college, and the data broke my heart. These students don’t have opportunities or expect success. I saw this when I was in public school. I started sixth grade barely speaking English, but still, I wanted to do so much in life. I had so much passion. But I looked around and saw how other students in my classes didn’t have that or simply thought they couldn’t go beyond what they’d been given.”

“I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do something for a community on such a large scale or to meet so many people who were interested in the same things.”

Aissatou’s project was designed not only to help young students recognize the value of a college education but also to see it as an obtainable goal. “For the first part of my project, I talked to students to learn about their aspirations. I created a Google Form to keep track and sent them information about internships, scholarships, competitions, and other opportunities. I wanted to help them advance in their careers and also show them that college could be in their futures.”

“I can’t say how amazing it was not only to see myself grow but also to see how I was able to help younger students and to support other Fellows in furthering their work.”

Aissatou was one of two Millennium Fellows campus program directors. In addition to working on their own projects, she and her co-director held trainings for the other Fellows on goal setting, budgeting, and tracking progress, as well as other skills to help them succeed. “I can’t say how amazing it was not only to see myself grow but also to see how I was able to help younger students and to support other Fellows in furthering their work.”

“I can’t say how amazing it was not only to see myself grow but also to see how I was able to help younger students and to support other Fellows in furthering their work.”

And even though the project has officially ended, Aissatou has stayed in touch with some of the schools, and parents continue to reach out for help with things like completing online registration forms.

Aissatou is continuing to expand her leadership skills as the fundraising and social impact director for Pace’s American Marketing Association Club. And last year, she took on being an orientation leader and had to figure out—during a pandemic—how to make a virtual event as engaging as a live-in-person experience. “That taught me a lot—primarily, that you can never stop learning. You have to stay open to it, or you’ll miss out on new opportunities.”

Her latest venture is recruiting other students to create a new Entrepreneurship Club. “A lot of Pace students have or aspire to have their own businesses and don’t know how to do it. So, I decided to create a resource.” Founding a club is a different undertaking from stepping into a project that already has a blueprint. As part of that process, Aissatou learned even more about herself and what it takes to be a leader. “I had to ask others to go into this journey with me. I have to keep track of it all and make sure that everyone feels welcome and that every voice is heard. And sometimes, I have to be that annoying person who asks if they’ve done what they were supposed to do. But mostly, I get to encourage others to speak and get their voices out there. I’m seeing all the ways I can help people around me grow. And that’s how I’m learning and growing during my college years—beyond the curriculum.”