Through a grant totaling nearly $500,000 Dyson professors Matthew Aiello-Lammens and Erika Crispo are helping elevate Pace to new heights through incorporating data science into the biology and environmental science fields.
It’s no secret that data is king in today’s digitized world. Being able to understand and synthesize data—an increasingly tall order amidst the deluge of information now at our fingertips—is arguably the key to innovation in the 21st century. And it’s something that Dyson Professors Matthew Aiello-Lammens, PhD, and Erika Crispo, PhD, are committed to fostering at Pace to ensure our students are at the forefront of what’s next in the sciences.
“Today we’re able to collect more data more rapidly, collect it on computers, and analyze it on supercomputers,” said Crispo. “It’s becoming more challenging to handle data and analyze it—and it’s becoming increasingly important to give students the skills to be able to do so.”
Aiello-Lammens and Crispo are part of a team that was recently awarded a $499,354 five-year grant for the project RCN-UBE: Biological and Environmental Data Education Network: Preparing Instructors to Integrate Data Science into Undergraduate Biology and Environmental Science Curricula. Their goal? They hope to expand the influence and potential of harnessing data science in biology and environmental science—and ensure tomorrow’s scientists are sufficiently versed in this ever-important field.
“Technology has really enabled data science as a field in and of itself,” said Aiello-Lammens. “But one of the key things that we argue is that data science is often best done when it has a disciplinary connection. For us, it’s biology and environmental science.”
The grant will in part enable the continued growth of the Biological and Environmental Data Education (BEDE) Network, a consortium of professors and data scientists focused on building development opportunities to address unmet needs in data science education. Through the cultivation of skills, workshops, guides, and conferences, the group aims to further integrate increasingly essential data science skills into higher education science curricula—whether it’s an advanced biology course here at Pace, an introductory environmental science course at a local community college, or non-majors biology at a large state university.
“In some ways, along with other major awards at Pace, we’re positioning Pace as a leader in the intersection of technology and computation,” said Aiello-Lammens.
“We are really very focused on making these resources available across institution types—across major and non-major classes,” said Aiello-Lammens. “Any class can be an opportunity to incorporate data science. Any instructor can have an opportunity to incorporate data science.”
Additionally, as an extension of the award, Pace will be hosting a conference bringing together BEDE leaders in spring 2022, which will be focused on incorporating inclusive pedagogy in the data science field. Aiello-Lammens and Crispo believe that through events such as this upcoming BEDE Conference—and through building upon opportunities to empower instructors and student-scientists to analyze data to become better scientists—Pace will further establish itself as a hub for the type of interdisciplinary work that a strong data science tradition helps to cultivate.
“In some ways, along with other major awards at Pace, we’re positioning Pace as a leader in the intersection of technology and computation,” said Aiello-Lammens. “In our case, our goal is to make Pace a place where people know we're serious about advancing educational pedagogy in this field.”
With continued work and dedication, there’s no limit to what Pace’s future scientists can accomplish—and grants and conferences recognizing the University as an emerging leader in the data science conversation only furthers that potential.
As Crispo succinctly noted, “it puts Pace on the map.”
It’s no secret that wellness—physical, mental, spiritual—is a key component to success. At Pace, we’re taking a holistic approach to supporting wellness for all members of our community through the creation of a new role, the Chief Wellness Officer.
At the intersection of Pace’s strategic priorities and opportunities for outstanding academic growth comes the drive to move Pace forward. We're meeting the challenges facing higher education and putting our unique positioning and competitive advantages to work, strengthening our reputation as we move into the future.
Elisabeth Haub School of Law's Nicholas Robinson, JD, has earned countless accolades over his illustrious career; now, he's received a unique global honor.
At the intersection of Pace’s strategic priorities and opportunities for outstanding academic growth comes the drive to move Pace forward. We're meeting the challenges facing higher education and putting our unique positioning and competitive advantages to work, strengthening our reputation as we move into the future.
In 1906, Homer and Charles Pace rented a single classroom to teach 13 men and women accounting and business. One hundred and fifteen years later, Pace is a dramatically different place; instead of 13 students, Pace University now boasts over 13,000; who come from all over the world and will go on to excel in careers ranging from nursing to computer science and nearly everything in between. Instead of a single classroom, there are now two vibrant undergraduate campuses and a law school campus—with ever-improving state-of-the-art facilities that have strategically positioned Pace as one of the New York metropolitan area’s most future-thinking institutions of higher learning. And while our committed faculty and staff steadfastly abide by Pace’s longstanding mission of Opportunitas—cultivating opportunity to transform lives—our diverse faculty and staff bring the know-how and career expertise to provide our students with top-tier mentorship and preparation in dozens of established and emerging fields, equipping students with the tools to succeed in today’s uniquely complex world.
In short, Pace has built itself into the robust institution it is today through maintaining a careful equilibrium—staying true to its values and core mission, while being open to change and embracing the demands and challenges of tomorrow. This, in essence, is the ethos behind Pace’s recently launched Strategic Plan. Developed with input and feedback from the Pace Community, the University has already begun implementing Pace Forward: Embracing and Accelerating Opportunitas—a wide-ranging initiative with actionable objectives, all centered around Pace’s promise to be at the forefront of opportunity.
“This is a plan for change, in the service of advancing our important historical mission,” said President Marvin Krislov.
In the fall of 2019, Vice President for Strategy and Partnerships Jean Gallagher and Dyson Associate Professor of Biology Matthew Marcello, PhD, began to lead the data-driven strategic planning process—meeting and brainstorming with important constituents across the University while overseeing the four groups largely responsible for formulating a cohesive plan. These four groups included the Steering Committee: a collection of faculty, staff, and students engaged in the evaluation and discussion of the strategic plan over the past two years; the Executive Working Group, which served as the liaison to the Board of Trustees special committee; the Transformational Management Office, tasked with defining, maintaining, and governing the implementation process; and seven Initiative Teams, who worked over the past academic year to identify key actions to operationalize the Strategic Plan. All in all, dozens of Pace Community members have been heavily involved in the core aspects of this process.
In short, Pace has built itself into the robust institution it is today through maintaining a careful equilibrium—staying true to its values and core mission, while being open to change and embracing the demands and challenges of tomorrow.
“We’ve been doing this for almost two years—engaging with different stakeholders throughout the University; alumni, students, faculty, and staff. Throughout that conversation, everyone felt really grounded to Opportunitas,” said Matthew Marcello, PhD. “We were trying to think about what makes us a place that provides opportunities for students and how we can continue to do that in the future. Our priorities were aligned to making sure we’re delivering on that promise of those opportunities.”
The plan was beginning to take shape. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, ravaging the globe and dramatically altering life as we have come to know it. For Gallagher, Marcello, and the many members of the Strategic Plan committees, the pandemic also represented a newfound urgency: the world was truly changing in real-time. Given Pace’s mission, a proper response, and one that ensured Pace would emerge from the pandemic stronger and more adaptable than ever-before, was imperative.
“The pandemic was really accelerating a lot of market changes,” said Gallagher. “That was really the impetus for bringing on the Boston Consulting Group, to help us understand where we could be positioned. There was a very strong sense that the time to respond had shortened—and we needed to respond.”
The University decided to work with Boston Consulting Group (BCG)—largely considered one the best consulting firms in the world—to assist with formulating a cohesive and sustainable vision. Through collaborating with BCG, the University was able to build upon the progress already made on the strategic plan and align Pace with both the rapidly changing demands of the general university landscape, as well as Pace’s own branding initiative that launched in 2021. Simultaneously, the continued work of each committee—now conducting their work over Zoom—ensured that the University was making considerable progress in building out objectives and communicating with academic and staff departments to determine how to convert ideas into action. Faculty engagement proved especially critical during this juncture, as professors from myriad departments were able to help frame how certain innovations can extend well beyond a given classroom and germinate into strategic improvement on an institutional level.
The result has taken the form of Pace Forward: Embracing and Accelerating Opportunitas. On a high-level, the plan is designed to meet the challenges facing higher education head-on and put our unique positioning and competitive advantages to work to bolster Pace’s reputation and deliver on our promise of cultivating opportunity. More specifically, the plan is broken down into five strategic priorities to ensure actionable results: Experiential Education, Scholarly and Creative Work, Student-Centered Culture, Anti-Racist Institution, and Agile and Sustainable Operations. These priorities, which you can read about in greater detail, align with Pace’s mission, and build upon what Pace does best to deliver the best outcomes possible for students.
How have these five priorities being put into action? With the guidance of the Steering Committee, faculty and academic leadership of each school and college created detailed plans to develop innovative curricula that build on the strategic priorities and provide the best experience possible for Pace students. They subsequently identified four academic areas of opportunity—Technology and Businesses; Health, Wellness, and Sciences; Sustainability and Justice; and Arts, Humanities, and Media—to focus each schools’ efforts upon.
One example at work is the newly launched master’s program in Human Centered Design, housed in the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. The program blends art, design, psychology, and technology in an academic program that focuses on how people interact with machines. Programs such as this one can make a truly meaningful impact on emerging professions, blending the best Pace has to offer from a multitude of different fields to build a future in which technology is both impactful and thoughtfully considered.
“We are here to help all of our schools—faculty staff and students with their technology needs and to help all of us to come together in meaningful ways, in interdisciplinary ways, for the betterment of our community and the betterment of our society,” said Seidenberg Dean Jonathan Hill, DPS. “Interdisciplinary work, we believe, is our path forward as a University—we believe there is much opportunity to collaborate. The kinds of differentiated programs that infuse technology are a proven winner from a recruiting standpoint, and we are eager to partner with each school to make that happen.”
“Interdisciplinary work, we believe, is our path forward as a University—we believe there is much opportunity to collaborate."
At the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, building upon existing initiatives will enable the school to continue to invest in scholarly work, ensuring the law school maintains its stellar reputation and continues to attract students eager to tackle the thorny legal issues of today and tomorrow. Additionally, through the Visiting Assistant Professor program, the Haub School of Law will further its commitment to building a diverse faculty by strengthening the pipeline that empowers individuals from underrepresented groups through providing opportunities that might otherwise be unavailable—whether that’s in the form of scholarship support, mentorship, or unique teaching experience opportunities. By strengthening this process, Haub Law will be able to build a support that ensures that quality candidates are provided the opportunity to succeed no matter their background.
“We are supporting the development of pipelines that are important for diverse faculty, staff, and students to make their way to Pace,” said Haub Law Dean Horace E. Anderson Jr., JD. “We are committed to helping that pipeline grow even as we’re committed to recruiting a more diverse faculty, staff, and student body.”
Similar initiatives are in the works at each and every school—whether that’s building relationships with companies to create internship-to-job pathways at the Lubin School of Business; the College of Health Professions capitalizing on a $2 million grant to increase opportunities and retention for African-American, Black, and Hispanic nursing students; or fostering robust partnerships with local schools at the School of Education. While there is still much work to be done, the tireless dedication of those who worked on the Strategic Plan; particularly the leadership of Gallagher and Marcello with the support of President Krislov, Provost Quiñones, and the Board of Trustees, have put Pace in a position to not only succeed in the coming years, but to thrive.
“Our vision is for Pace University to be recognized as the premier student outcomes centered institution in the New York metropolitan region, preparing students for lifelong success in the future of work, and to be tomorrow’s leaders and changemakers in solving challenges in our society,” said President Krislov.
“Our vision is for Pace University to be recognized as the premier student outcomes centered institution in the New York metropolitan region, preparing students for lifelong success in the future of work, and to be tomorrow’s leaders and changemakers in solving challenges in our society,” said President Krislov. “That means enabling all of our graduates to realize their full potential as thinkers and problem solvers, uniquely trained to make positive and enduring contributions to our world.”
In spite of the pandemic, Pace is marching ahead. With the continued transformation of the NYC Campus, new interdisciplinary academic programs, and a bright look to the future, Pace continues to thrive.
Through a grant totaling nearly $500,000 Dyson professors Matthew Aiello-Lammens and Erika Crispo are helping elevate Pace to new heights through incorporating data science into the biology and environmental science fields.
Leading the way forward-looking academics, moving up in the rankings, and showing that New York has massive heart, here are our top 10 things to inspire you.
This past summer, 3L Dana McClure clerked at the law firm Shute, Mihaly, and Weinberger LLP based in San Francisco, CA.
This past summer, 3L Dana McClure clerked at the law firm Shute, Mihaly, and Weinberger LLP based in San Francisco, CA. Dana spent the summer working on a variety of substantive projects ranging from researching novel issues in federal environmental law to drafting language for trial briefs. She notes, “Every day I was able to work on something new and interesting. Going into the experience, I hoped to gain hands-on experience with substantive litigation work, which I definitely received.”
Before attending law school, Dana lived in Oklahoma, where she experienced the devastating environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing firsthand. The editor-in-chief of Pace Environmental Law Review, Dana has spent the last two plus years at Haub Law immersing herself in all the environmental law program at the law school has to offer. “I came to Pace specifically for its environmental law program and upon graduating I hope to use my legal education to help transition away from the use of fossil fuels.”
Despite spending more than half of her law school experience amidst a pandemic, Dana feels prepared to graduate in May. “There have been challenges, particularly with COVID, but I have learned and grown a lot in my time here.”
With more than 100 student clubs and orgs at Pace University, there’s something for everyone to get involved in.
The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is pleased to announce that Gregory Antill, a criminal law and philosophy scholar, will join the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Law beginning in Fall 2025. Professor Antill will teach courses in criminal law and tort law while also supervising student scholarship and research projects in the advanced legal writing seminar.
Michelle Novominski, now in her final semester of the RN-4 BS in Nursing program at Pace University, has made her mark through leadership roles in both the National Student Nurses Association and the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. We caught up with Michelle to hear about her journey, her love for nursing, and the impact of getting involved on campus.
The Lubin Center for Sustainable Business is equipping students, faculty, professionals, and communities with education, research, and the job skills necessary for maintaining sustainable business models in the 21st century.
In the 21st century, profitability is only one piece of the business pie. For long-term sustainability, it’s arguably just as important for businesses to advance Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. That’s why our Lubin School of Business, as a means of preparing students for a job market of the future, recently launched the Lubin Center for Sustainable Business.
“The Lubin School of Business has been exploring and contributing to the evolving intersection of ESG and business for some time,” said Steven Mezzio, executive director of the Lubin Center for Sustainable Business. “Given the emerging market-mandate to integrate ESG stewardship and business purpose, we decided that now was the right time to launch a centralized hub dedicated to sustainable business.”
The Lubin CSB—headquartered in the Financial District, just steps away from Wall Street, and operating at the Lubin School of Business at Pace University—is designed to equip students, faculty, professionals, and communities with education, research, and the job skills necessary for maintaining sustainable business models. The new center will also operate as a knowledge hub focusing on engagement, information exchange, and networking that uniquely focuses on the intersection of ESG stewardship and business purpose.
The Center’s first event—the 2021 Renewable Energy Conference: A Leadership Forum on Energy Policy—brought together business leaders, environmental experts, and leading voices in the fields of energy, transportation, technology, academia, and government to discuss ways to effectively put New York and its businesses on a path to green energy.
“With a focus on environmental, social, and governance factors that contribute to driving value and profitability in business, the Lubin CSB will serve as a hub for thought leadership and as a vehicle for educating our students and the broader population in this area of importance to businesses,” said Lubin School of Business Dean Lawrence G. Singleton.
At the intersection of Pace’s strategic priorities and opportunities for outstanding academic growth comes the drive to move Pace forward. We're meeting the challenges facing higher education and putting our unique positioning and competitive advantages to work, strengthening our reputation as we move into the future.
Through a grant totaling nearly $500,000 Dyson professors Matthew Aiello-Lammens and Erika Crispo are helping elevate Pace to new heights through incorporating data science into the biology and environmental science fields.
Local businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and after nearly two years in a pandemic, things are beginning to look up. In fact, a majority of businesses surveyed in the region say they will be stronger after the pandemic. Half say they are feeling pretty good about the future.
I’ve been a mentor, so I understand the advantages of one.” The group has already partnered up with the Haub School of Law at Pace University to assist in providing guidance and, in some instances, internship opportunities.
Budgets for the programs, which are typically self-sustaining, took a beating, too. “Everyone was slashed,” said Lisa Kraft, director of academics and international special programs at Pace University’s English-language institute.
As COVID rates within correctional institutions soared, correctional administrators were tasked with not only trying to protect the health of their incarcerated population but attempting to simultaneously address their programmatic needs.
Are there any advantages/disadvantages to having a credit card made of metal? Most of the metal cards are associated with greater benefits to the holders of the cards. Benefits related to travel and other perks.
Pace University’s Professor Emily Gold Waldman was on Zerlina Maxwell’s show on NBC Peacock, about the most recent court ruling on the Texas abortion law.
Twenty years ago, the Pace Community lost 47 members—students and alumni alike—and was closed for several weeks as we worked toward recovery. To mark the solemn occasion, we asked members of the Pace Community to share their experiences and recollections of the day and the time after.
The events of 9/11 have had a profound effect on a generation of people around the world, but our University, located mere blocks away from the World Trade Center, felt the impact first-hand. Twenty years ago, the Pace Community lost 47 members—students and alumni alike—and was closed for several weeks as we worked toward recovery.
To mark the solemn occasion, we asked members of the Pace Community to share their experiences and recollections of the day and the time after. You can read their stories below. We also invite you to explore the Pace University 9/11 Oral History Project, detailing the timeline from the University’s perspective, housing audio interviews of first-hand accounts, and Pace student publications from the period.
Explore the Pace University 9/11 Oral History Project curated by Professor Maria Iacullo-Bird, PhD, and archivist Ellen Sowcheck. Read the student newspapers from the days following September 11, listen to the interviews conducted by Pace students, and learn more about our on-campus memorials.
See images from this year's on-campus memorials, selected images from the 2001 student periodicals, and images of the National September 11 Memorial and Tribute in Lights captured by Pace student Ibrahim Boran '22. See the gallery.
Twenty years. Each and every moment exists as if it were yesterday. There's the moment I first heard the sirens. The moment I looked out my 13th floor window in Maria's Tower at the crystal clear blue sky and saw cars pulled over on the Brooklyn Bridge, people staring up past my dorm room at something with fright. Then there's the moment I turned the corner on my floor, looked out another window, and set my eyes on that tower—just blocks away—engulfed in flames, debris floating through the sky toward us. Wondering, "What happened?" Thinking, "That's going to be one huge hole tomorrow."
I can never forget the screams of my fellow floormates as the second Tower was hit and running down to the 12th floor, staring out the window in Kristen and Krystal's room. Unable to comprehend all that was happening, I actually shuffled over to my first class of the day— math on the 3rd floor. Students lined the hallway, looking out the windows in disbelief. I soon decided to return to the dorm.
A short bit later, there was Dean Marijo Russell-O'Grady, maintaining her forever calm self, standing at the Security station of the Spruce Street entrance. Krystal and I went to step out onto Spruce Street. We didn't know it then, but at that moment the first tower collapsed. A stampede of people rushing out of Pace combined with a rush of people running down Spruce Street instantly separated us. I can still picture a guy on Spruce Street turning to me and saying "The top of the building fell off," and the one who ran full speed right into a parking meter as he raced against the cloud.
Then the miracle I experienced that day—my guardian angel placing my dad right there, at Gold and Spruce, at the very moment my 17-year-old self arrived at that corner.
Then the miracle I experienced that day—my guardian angel placing my dad right there, at Gold and Spruce, at the very moment my 17-year-old self arrived at that corner. There's the fear I had as we stepped onto the Manhattan Bridge, and the sadness as we watched the second Tower fall. There is the street corner in Brooklyn where we stopped to join a crowd gathered around a car to hear the radio, unsure if more planes were out there. Having walked for miles, the payphone we used to call my grandparents; and the moment they arrived, Nana with tears in her eyes, as they drove us back to their house. Watching the news reports, in total disbelief of what we had been witness to that morning, and then starting to realize that so many heroes ran into those buildings, never to walk out. The shock of hearing how much death and destruction had been caused.
They say never forget. I won't forget. I can't forget. It's there. Seared in my memory. Forever.
I had just started an MBA program at Pace. It was my second day of classes. I got off the subway at Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall on the 4/5 line at around 8:40 a.m. and realized that I took the wrong exit at the platform. It took me a minute to realize where I was. I saw Pace University and was about to cross the street when I heard the explosion.
I immediately looked up and saw what appeared to be an outline of a plane in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. I remember the shocked expressions of those pedestrians around me. I stood there for several minutes just watching papers flying out of the North Tower. I remember hearing sirens and seeing a fire truck go down the street I was about to cross.
I proceeded to Pace University and students in the hallways were talking about the plane that just hit the World Trade Center. I walked to my international business class and then got word that another plane had just hit the World Trade Center. Some of the students seemed calm while others were visibly shaken and left. Then our professor walked in. I don’t remember her name, but what I do remember was that she was trying to stay calm. She told us she would not be teaching today and would just go over the syllabus and the goals of the course. She made it clear to us that we could leave if we want. She ended the class very early.
I walked out of the classroom into the hallway unsure of what to do. Immediately, I saw a student run up to another student and say that a plane had hit the Pentagon. I stopped because I saw people in a room standing around a television. The headline was “America Under Attack.” I started watching amongst the crowd. After a number of minutes, I felt the building vibrate and I could hear someone say “What was that?” Which was exactly what I was thinking. Then someone screamed, “The World Trade Center just fell!” That moment was the most frightful moment of the day for me. I had no idea what was about to happen to the rest of lower Manhattan.
Within a few seconds, a man instructed everyone to head down to the basement and we all started to take the stairs down. To this day, I do not know that man’s role at Pace University but I remember that he was calm and authoritative. We all headed to the basement where I spent the next few hours. There was a television in the basement and we learned the subway lines were all suspended. I wasn’t able to get home to Astoria, so I called home (collect) as soon as I could get to a payphone. My father was home and I let him know that I was okay and would wait until the subway lines were running to head home. I went to the cafeteria to get something to eat for lunch and I remember seeing members of the FDNY quietly eating lunch.
I will always remember Pace University opening up its cafeteria to the FDNY, the moments of silence my professors held almost two weeks later when classes resumed and last but not least, how Pace University helped me feel safe and secure on that terrifying day.
Pace University gave out face masks and I still have mine from that day. I got home around 5:30 p.m. and soon after, my family and I ate our dinner in disbelief and shock from the day that would change our country forever. When I think of September 11, like most New Yorkers and Americans, I think of the fear and shock, the tragic loss of lives, and the subsequent grief. But I will always remember Pace University opening up its cafeteria to the FDNY, the moments of silence my professors held almost two weeks later when classes resumed and last but not least, how Pace University helped me feel safe and secure on that terrifying day.
It was a beautiful blue sky day. I was working for Oxford University Press at 35th and Madison. When both planes hit, I walked down to 5th Avenue to watch the scene unfold, and then solemnly walked over the 59th Street Bridge into Queens.
Walking across the bridge with the smoke of the collapsed buildings in the distance, I looked down at the t-shirt I wore that day after taking my work shirt off. Printed on the t-shirt was the Twin Towers, for the Yankees-Mets Subway Series.
I went to bed that night not expecting to wake up the next day. But when I did, I couldn’t come to terms. On 9/11, I felt out-of-body and dissociated. It didn’t occur to me that people had died, that the planes and buildings were occupied; like no one ever walked into the buildings.
It’s 20 years later, and I just haven’t come to grips with it. I have suffered from survivors’ guilt. I couldn’t listen to planes overhead. NYC is difficult for me to visit. But I have been to the 9/11 Memorial and it’s a beautiful display of emotion. The fountains are a good representation of the people and their memory. I send love to everyone affected, always.
September 11, 2001 was my second day living in NYC and attending Pace. I had spent my freshman year at a rural school in Pennsylvania and transferred to Pace my sophomore year to stretch my life experience and have full access to the city while getting an education. I didn’t get housing, so I commuted from Connecticut my first couple of weeks. My dad and I finished moving me into an apartment on the corner of John and Gold the night of September 9 and so I began my independent journey as a New Yorker.
The morning of 9/11 I didn’t hear a thing but my phone ringing repeatedly. It was a friend checking in to see if I was okay. We got cut off. Phone lines were such a mess that day. I showered quickly and had a rock in my stomach. I didn’t have internet or a TV yet so I had no idea what was going on. I threw on some clothes and went outside to see the Towers standing, but burning. My 19-year-old mind could not comprehend. Could anyone’s?
At first we all thought it was a horrible accident. People who weren’t right there had more access to news and information than we did. I hadn’t made friends at school yet, so I had no one to go to or be with. The impact of being alone and so deeply fearing for my life and the lives of others has stayed with me 20 years later.
The impact of being alone and so deeply fearing for my life and the lives of others has stayed with me 20 years later.
I fled when the Towers fell. Everything went dark and I ducked into a building lobby. Eventually I found my way back to my own building and I stayed there for much of the day. That evening I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to a friend’s cousin’s home, who I had never met. The next morning, my dad came to get me and we stayed in Connecticut until Pace reopened. We were so hopeful that Pace would be used as a triage for survivors. We now know how few were ever found, of course.
I never recovered if I’m being honest. That year I barely went to class, I barely slept, I never took public transportation out of fear of other attacks, and I didn’t make any friends. I’ll never know why and will always regret that I didn’t ask for help at school. Now I know I was experiencing PTSD, but I was full of shame because there were so many others who were impacted more than I was.
I graduated in 2005 and did get myself into therapy to recover from that trauma. My degree was in applied psychology and human relations, and I proceeded to get a master’s degree from Hunter in school counseling. Today I coach districts and schools in Delaware to integrate mental health and social emotional learning into a multi-tiered system of support framework. I collaborate with state leaders to prioritize trauma training to support all students statewide. Thanks for letting me share my story.
I was 11 years into my career with the US Coast Guard Reserve, stationed at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. On September 12, I was called up to active duty which would ultimately last for two years. During that time I was assigned to the new Sea Marshall Program to intercept vessels that may have been involved with illicit cargo, human trafficking, and other security risks to inspect them with a tactical team and either clear them or refuse entry into the Port of NY and NJ.
After being discharged, I was selected for the new Intelligence Specialist rating to use my skills to ascertain various threats to the port. I eventually retired as a Chief Intelligence Specialist after serving 25 years. The last 15 years of that career was changed dramatically due to the events and subsequent reaction to 9/11 in ways that I had never imagined.
I was a police officer assigned to the Bronx. I was off that day living at home when my father came in and said "They crashed a plane into the World Trade Center.”
I got up and put the TV on in time to see the second plane hit. I knew it was bad. I reported to work and wound up going down to the site later that evening. I remember how everything was covered in ash and how quiet it was, like after a heavy snow. I remember looking at Pace Plaza and not even realizing that was where the campus was located (I had been a Pleasantville student).
I remember how everything was covered in ash and how quiet it was, like after a heavy snow.
I can remember that whole day from waking up to going home the next day. Fast forward 20 years later and I am a proud member of the faculty of Pace University, and have been teaching in the criminal justice program for the last ten years.
I was a freshman at Pace University’s New York City Campus and was living in Maria’s Tower. On the morning of September 11, I was asleep when I heard a loud boom. I didn’t think much about it because during the night there were thunderstorms. I began to hear a steady stream of sirens and I was awoken by somebody rushing into my room telling me that the World Trade Center was on fire. We all ran to the lobby of our dorm floor and stared out the windows facing the World Trade Center. The news was on in the background and it seemed that the media was just as confused as we were.
We saw a second plane approaching and my first instinct was that it was going to be pouring water on the tower to stop the fire. As the plane approached we knew that something was off and the next thing you knew, it flew through the second Tower, causing an explosion that looked like it was going to hit our building. At that moment everybody started screaming, running around, not knowing what to do. I quickly got dressed and ran downstairs; some people were running into the building, some people were running out of the building. Outside, everything was covered in dust and people were running toward the Brooklyn Bridge. I witnessed people jumping out of the WTC—it was the most gut-wrenching thing I’ve ever seen.
Once we realized our building was stable, I ran back inside. I found my way into Pace’s Financial Aid offices where I was able to call my mother. On the phone with her, I just cried because I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen to me, but I wanted her to know I was safe at that moment. I told her I would try to call her again once I knew what was happening. Just then, the second tower collapsed.
In the chaos, I saw people coming together to help others; trying to gather supplies and debris to build stretchers.
Everyone around me was going crazy; someone yelled they smelled gas and again we ran outside. It was like the apocalypse. In the chaos, I saw people coming together to help others; trying to gather supplies and debris to build stretchers.
At some point that day, I remember being in the auditorium being told that Pace was trying to get buses to take students to the Pleasantville Campus the next day and if we did not wish to go we had to find our own way out of the city. I went back to my dorm and made arrangements with my step-father to come to the city to bring myself and a few other students back to Pennsylvania.
As night approached and the electricity went out, things seemed to go silent except for a steady high pitched sound that lasted through the night. I later found out that noise was coming from PASS devices, a loud audible alert to notify others in the area that firefighters were in distress.
The next morning I gathered my belongings, found the other students who were coming with me and headed outside in hopes of being able to get out of NYC. Nothing prepared me for what I saw. Outside, there was an army vehicle of some sorts, with an armed man lying on top. As we walked by, we all took in the scene—it did not look like lower Manhattan; it looked like we were transported to a war zone. We continued our walk north to Midtown where we took a Red Cross ferry to New Jersey. We waited there for six hours until my stepfather was able to pick us up.
As we walked by, we all took in the scene—it did not look like lower Manhattan; it looked like we were transported to a war zone.
After several days of being home, we received word that we were allowed to return to campus. I knew that I had to return and so back to Pace I went. The months following were a blur; it seemed like all of my classes all we did was discuss our experiences and listen to one another. I got used to wearing a mask, having air purifiers in rooms, not being able to open windows. There were groups that would go out in the evening and walk down to the fire station and sing and thank them. Eventually, things started to feel like we were getting back to some sort of normalcy. I graduated in 2005 and moved back to Pennsylvania.
9/11/2001 changed me forever. I can close my eyes and relive all of those events. It has been 20 years and I still can’t talk about it without crying. It’s hard for people to understand what it was like for a freshman who was excited to start school and be in a big city with big dreams, and within a few days you are fearing for your life. I know I am extremely fortunate that I am alive and that I wasn’t harmed or lost a loved one.
In spite of the pandemic, Pace is marching ahead. With the continued transformation of the NYC Campus, new interdisciplinary academic programs, and a bright look to the future, Pace continues to thrive.
A return to normal never felt so good! Pace's campuses are buzzing with activity and New York is coming alive after nearly two years of life during a global pandemic.
At the intersection of Pace’s strategic priorities and opportunities for outstanding academic growth comes the drive to move Pace forward. We're meeting the challenges facing higher education and putting our unique positioning and competitive advantages to work, strengthening our reputation as we move into the future.