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

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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 24 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

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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 92% 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

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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 recognized Pace’s comprehensive modernization of One Pace Plaza East, which 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

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Pace University received $2.175 million in funding from New York State Senate Majority Leader (and Pace alumna!) Andrea Stewart-Cousins '86, '08 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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Pace University has elected Lisa Agdern and Lynda J. Hullstrung ’89 to its Board of Trustees, welcoming two accomplished leaders with deep connections to the University and a shared commitment to expanding opportunity for Pace students.

Agdern serves as executive director of the Seidenberg Family Foundation, where she oversees grantmaking aligned with the family’s philanthropic goals and values. Her connection to Pace reflects a remarkable family legacy: her father, Ivan G. Seidenberg ’81, served on Pace’s Board of Trustees for more than three decades and is now a Trustee Emeritus. The Seidenberg family’s generosity helped name Pace’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems and has supported the Seidenberg Scholars Program, advancing opportunities for talented students in technology and computing.

Agdern joined the Seidenberg Advisory Board in 2024 and brings to Pace a strong commitment to philanthropy, education, and mission-driven leadership. She is also active in nonprofit work supporting a variety of healthcare fields and community organizations.

“Pace has a long history of preparing students to succeed, and I’m excited to work alongside such a dedicated and talented Board of Trustees to help build on that legacy,” said Agdern. “As higher education continues to evolve, I look forward to helping identify new opportunities that strengthen the University and ensure students continue to graduate with the education, experiences, and support they need to thrive.”

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Hullstrung, a proud Pace alumna, graduated summa cum laude from the Lubin School of Business with a BBA in Public Accounting before joining Deloitte & Touche LLP, where she is now an audit and assurance partner. Over the course of her career, she has held significant leadership roles in accounting, auditing, risk management, professional practice, and client service, including work with major public companies and SEC registrants.

Her service to Pace has been extensive. Hullstrung currently chairs the Lubin School of Business Advisory Board and previously served as president and board member of the Lubin School of Business Alumni Association. Through her professional expertise, alumni leadership, and philanthropic support, she has helped strengthen opportunities for future business leaders.

“As both an alumna and a longtime member of the Lubin School of Business Advisory Board, Pace has been an important part of my professional journey,” said Hullstrung. “I’m excited to bring those experiences, along with my career in public accounting, to the Board of Trustees to help guide the University through a rapidly changing higher education landscape and position Pace for continued success.”

Together, Agdern and Hullstrung bring experience in philanthropy, finance, education, alumni engagement, and institutional service to Pace’s Board of Trustees. Their election reflects Pace’s continued commitment to leadership grounded in service, opportunity, and student success.

This summer, New York City turned orange and blue.

After the New York Knicks captured their first NBA championship in 53 years, hundreds of thousands of fans packed Lower Manhattan for a ticker-tape parade through the Canyon of Heroes.

The celebration spilled onto Pace's doorstep, with crowds packing the sidewalks around One Pace Plaza and 41 Park Row. Fans climbed street signs, perched atop statues, and squeezed into every available vantage point to catch the festivities unfolding across the street at City Hall, where the team was officially honored.

For a few hours, Pace's downtown campus became part of one of New York's biggest celebrations.

The celebration wasn't Pace's only link to the Knicks. Seven Pace alumni are members of the Knicks City Dancers, bringing a little Setter spirit to Madison Square Garden throughout the team's championship run.

From packed sidewalks in Lower Manhattan to performances at Madison Square Garden, Pace was part of the Knicks' championship season from start to finish.

The confetti has been swept away, but these snapshots capture the excitement, energy, and unforgettable moments of a historic day in Lower Manhattan.

As another academic year comes to a close, we're pleased to share the Summer 2026 edition of Pace Magazine. Looking back over the past year, we've celebrated 120 years of Pace University while continuing to focus on what has always defined us: preparing students to meet the opportunities and challenges of a changing world.

That commitment is reflected throughout this issue.

You'll meet students in the Sands College of Performing Arts as they experience their new home at One Pace Plaza for the first time. Purpose-built studios and performance spaces are giving dancers an environment designed for creativity, collaboration, and growth. You'll also read about faculty whose research is advancing conversations in healthcare, criminal justice, journalism, environmental policy, and artificial intelligence. Across every discipline, our students and faculty are asking important questions and pursuing solutions that extend well beyond the classroom.

This issue also highlights how Pace continues to invest in the future. New academic spaces, expanded research initiatives, enhanced healthcare simulation, and innovative learning environments are creating new opportunities for students to develop the knowledge and experience they'll carry into their careers. At the same time, national recognition for our academic programs and faculty reflects the excellence that defines our University.

While we're proud of these accomplishments, we're even more excited about what lies ahead. Every investment, every discovery, and every student success story strengthens the foundation for the future of Pace and the people we serve.

As we reflect on a year that included the celebration of our 120th anniversary, we're grateful for the alumni, faculty, staff, students, donors, and friends who make this community so extraordinary. Your support continues to create opportunities for today's students while opening doors for future generations.

Thank you for being part of the Pace Community. We hope the stories in this issue leave you with the same sense of optimism we feel every day as we look toward the future of Pace University.

Warmly,

Marvin Krislov
President

Rob Sands, JD ’84
Chair, Board of Trustees

Each semester, Pace University pauses to remember members of our community who have passed away. As students, faculty, staff, alumni, mentors, colleagues, and friends, they contributed to the life of the University in meaningful and lasting ways. We honor their memories, celebrate their legacies, and extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and all who knew and loved them.

Barbara Farrell, EdD, CPA

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Barbara Farrell, EdD, CPA, was a longtime professor in Pace University’s Lubin School of Business and a dedicated educator whose career at Pace spanned more than four decades. A certified public accountant, she brought extensive professional experience in public accounting, private industry, auditing, accounting information systems, forensic accounting, and internal auditing to generations of students.

Professor Farrell earned both her BBA and MBA in Public Accounting from Pace University and later earned her EdD from Columbia University. She began teaching at Pace as an adjunct professor in 1980 and became a full-time faculty member in 1984. Beyond the classroom, she served as faculty advisor to the Robert S. Pace Accounting Society, contributed to key University committees, supported scholarship initiatives, and helped expand opportunities for accounting students. In 2024, she received Pace’s Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her dedication to teaching, service, scholarship, and the University community.

Professor Farrell is remembered as a generous mentor who helped students succeed in their careers and personal lives. She was also devoted to her family and to animal rescue causes. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her son, Brandon Downing, her family, friends, colleagues, former students, and all who benefited from her wisdom, kindness, and guidance.

Richard L. Ottinger, JD

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Richard L. Ottinger, JD, dean emeritus of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, was a public servant, environmental pioneer, and transformative figure in the life of the University. A cofounder of the Peace Corps and a 16-year member of Congress, he devoted his life to expanding opportunity, advancing environmental protection, and strengthening responsible governance.

At Pace, Dean Emeritus Ottinger served as dean of Pace Law School from 1994 to 1999 and founded what is now the Pace Energy and Climate Center. Through his vision and leadership, Haub Law earned national and international recognition in environmental law and climate advocacy. Generations of students, alumni, faculty, and colleagues carry forward his commitment to justice, public service, and environmental stewardship.

We extend our deepest condolences to his wife, June, his children and grandchildren, and all who were mentored, inspired, and touched by his remarkable life.

Steviemarie DeLuca ’27

Steviemarie “Stevie” DeLuca ’27 was a Criminal Justice major in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and a student in the Honors College on Pace University’s Pleasantville Campus. She was also a dedicated member of the Pace cheerleading team and a soror of Delta Phi Epsilon.

Stevie is remembered by coaches, classmates, colleagues, and friends as a bright light who was always smiling, positive, and kind to those around her. Her loss is deeply felt across the Pace Community. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Stevie’s family, friends, teammates, sorority sisters, and all who knew her.

Stephen Brodsky, JD

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Stephen Brodsky, JD, was a longtime general counsel for Pace University, known across decades of service for his dedication, judgment, and deep commitment to the University community.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Stephen built a life marked by devotion to family, meaningful work, and creative expression. Beyond his legal career, he was a photographer, singer-songwriter, and storyteller who brought joy and inspiration to those around him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Mary, his daughter, Katherine, his family, friends, colleagues, and all who knew him.

Florence L. Denmark, PhD

Florence L. Denmark, PhD, Robert Scott Pace Distinguished Professor of Psychology and former chair of Pace University’s Department of Psychology, was a pioneering psychologist, scholar, teacher, and advocate. Her work helped shape the fields of social psychology, the psychology of women, and human rights.

A past president of the American Psychological Association, Professor Denmark was widely recognized for her leadership, scholarship, and commitment to advancing equity in psychology and beyond. She joined Pace in 1988 and had a profound impact on the University community, her students, and her colleagues. We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, former students, colleagues, and all who were touched by her life and work.

Ruis Woertendyke

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Ruis Woertendyke, former Chair of Theatre at Pace School of Performing Arts, was a visionary educator, mentor, and leader whose influence helped shape the performing arts programs that would become Pace University’s Sands College of Performing Arts.

For more than three decades, Ruis dedicated his career to educating artists, mentoring faculty, and building a culture of artistic excellence at Pace. During his tenure, he recruited a new generation of faculty, many of whom remain part of the Sands community today, and oversaw the creation and evolution of several signature programs, including Musical Theater, Commercial Dance, BFA Acting, and BA Acting and Directing.

Ruis also helped expand Pace’s place in the broader performing arts community. He established Pace’s first collaboration with La MaMa, launching repertory seasons featuring one-act plays by celebrated playwrights, and was instrumental in founding Methods: A Journal of Acting Pedagogy, an important forum for scholarship and dialogue on the craft and teaching of acting. In 2017, he received the Kenan Award for Teaching Excellence in recognition of his outstanding teaching, dedication to students, and intellectual leadership.

Those who knew Ruis remember him not only as an accomplished educator and administrator, but also as a generous mentor who nurtured artists with curiosity, rigor, and care. His legacy lives on in the countless students, alumni, faculty, and colleagues he inspired, and in the vibrant artistic community he helped create at Pace. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, former students, colleagues, and all who were touched by his life and work.

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News no longer belongs solely to journalists. Every day, eyewitnesses upload videos of breaking events, social media users share information in real time, and audiences help shape the stories that spread online. But as more voices enter the conversation, distinguishing trustworthy reporting from misinformation has become increasingly difficult.

That's the challenge Mirjana Pantic, PhD, associate professor at the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, has spent more than a decade studying. Her book, Digital News Literacy and Participatory Journalism, draws on years of research into participatory journalism and explores how readers can make sense of today's news ecosystem.

Pantic's interest in participatory journalism began while she was editor in chief of a news website in Serbia. “I noticed was that we started interacting with audiences more than ever before.” Freed from the space constraints of print and broadcast media, digital news can accommodate more voices, allowing organizations to enable comments and even create sections dedicated to stories written by members of the public.

Participatory journalism can take many forms—from reader comments and tips to citizens documenting breaking events as they unfold. "When breaking news events happen, it is not likely that you're going to have a journalist right there when it happens,” she explains. “That's why we rely a lot on citizens to contribute photographs, videos, and information."

We can share whatever we want online, but news organizations carry much more accountability.

Citizen journalism has helped document natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and moments that have shaped public discourse. Pantic points to the police killing of George Floyd as one example. "Without a citizen journalist, we wouldn't be able to see what actually happened. This is why citizen journalism is important."

However, the rise of misinformation has complicated participatory journalism. "When I started doing research on participatory journalism, it was flourishing," says Pantic. "But now it appears as if it is dying." Shrinking newsrooms have fewer resources to moderate comment sections and verify user-generated content, prompting many organizations to scale back reader participation. "Many news organizations simply decided to kill those sections," she explains.

That caution stems from the high stakes of getting it wrong. "They can be sued for what they publish, but they also carry accountability in terms of losing their audiences if what they share turns out to be fake,” Pantic says. “We can share whatever we want online, but news organizations carry much more accountability.”

Pantic explains that not all false content is spread with malicious intent, as misinformation, for instance, is spread unknowingly. According to her, "People see something, they react emotionally, they reshare it right away, and they don't even understand how severe the consequences of that one small act could be.” Rumors spread faster than journalists can verify them, creating a cycle of mistrust. When major news organizations don't immediately report a story, some assume a conspiracy. Pantic states the explanation is usually simpler: “They're not reporting on it because it didn't happen, or they don't have enough evidence to say that things are the way they are.”

That burden of verification, however, is what gives news organizations their value. Pantic recalls a friend who practiced participatory journalism during the Taliban's takeover of Kabul by changing her Tinder location to Afghanistan and speaking with people on the ground through the app. Even as she gathered firsthand accounts ahead of official reports, Pantic recalls, “She didn't believe [what she heard] until the major news organizations began reporting on it.” Even in an age of instant information, people still turn to trusted news organizations to separate fact from fiction.

People see something, they react emotionally, they reshare it right away, and they don't even understand how severe the consequences of that one small act could be.

Digital News Literacy and Participatory Journalism helps readers navigate today’s news landscape with practical strategies, from checking a website's "About Us" page to scanning its coverage for recurring themes. Pantic’s book also explores the left- and right-leaning perspectives of American news outlets, showing readers how to recognize bias rather than avoid it, saying, "You can consult multiple sources and decide what you want to believe."

Pantic's work doesn't end with her book. This fall, she'll launch a new course at Pace based on Digital News Literacy and Participatory Journalism and she is also sharing videos related to digital news literacy on her YouTube channel. The book also introduces the growing role of artificial intelligence in journalism, laying the foundation for future research into how AI is reshaping the field.

As the boundaries between journalists and audiences continue to blur, Pantic hopes her book will empower readers to participate in the news responsibly, recognizing that everyone has a role to play in how news is created, shared, and understood.

The 2025–26 year was another reminder that Pace University student-athletes continue to set the standard far beyond competition.

Across every season, the Blue and Gold delivered in the classroom, earning conference, regional, and national academic recognition while continuing to represent Pace Athletics at a high level in competition. As a department, Pace’s student-athletes posted a 3.45 GPA across the full academic year.

That success stretched across the department, with Women’s Lacrosse leading Pace’s programs with a 3.71 year GPA. The full list underscores just how widespread that success was across Pace Athletics:

• Women's Lacrosse: 3.71
• Field Hockey: 3.70
• Women's Swimming and Diving: 3.65
• Softball: 3.62
• Women's Basketball: 3.61
• Women's Soccer: 3.60
• Men's Basketball: 3.56
• Men's Swimming and Diving: 3.50
• Dance: 3.50
• Men's Cross Country: 3.49
• Baseball: 3.48
• Women's Cross Country: 3.48
• Volleyball: 3.44
• Men's Lacrosse: 3.40
• Cheerleading: 3.40
• Men's Soccer: 3.38
• Football: 3.31
• Esports: 3.15

Pace closed the year with three Northeast 10 Conference Team Academic Excellence Awards, as Men’s Basketball, Women’s Lacrosse and Baseball each posted the top team GPA in their respective sports. Men’s Basketball led its sport with a 3.558 team GPA, Women’s Lacrosse earned the honor with a 3.708 and Baseball finished on top with a 3.483.

The Setters also filled the NE10 Academic Honor Roll throughout the year, totaling 750 selections between the fall and spring semesters. Pace had 388 student-athletes recognized in the fall, including 55 with perfect 4.00 GPAs, 205 with GPAs between 3.50 and 3.99, and 128 with GPAs between 3.00 and 3.49.

That success carried into the spring, where 362 Setters landed on the Academic Honor Roll. The spring group featured 39 student-athletes with perfect 4.00 GPAs, 212 with GPAs between 3.50 and 3.99, and 111 with GPAs between 3.00 and 3.49.

Combined across both semesters, Pace totaled 94 perfect 4.00 GPA selections, 417 Academic Distinction honorees, and 239 Academic Honors selections.

Pace student-athletes continued to balance the demands of training, travel and competition while producing at a high level in the classroom.

The Blue and Gold also continued to earn Academic All-Conference recognition from the NE10. Pace finished the year with 37 total selections across the fall, winter and spring seasons, including 10 in the fall, eight in the winter, and 19 in the spring. Women’s Lacrosse led the spring group with nine honorees, followed by Men’s Lacrosse with five, Softball with three, and Baseball with two.

Nationally, Pace student-athletes continued to stand out through College Sports Communicators recognition. The Setters collected 47 CSC Academic All-District selections across the year, with honorees from Football, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving, Softball, Baseball, Men’s Lacrosse, and Women’s Lacrosse.

Elizjah Lewis highlighted the CSC honors by earning Academic All-America Second Team recognition for Pace Football, adding a national academic award to a standout year for the Blue and Gold. Football also placed eight student-athletes on the CSC Academic All-District list.

The Blue and Gold also continued to earn Academic All-Conference recognition from the NE10.

Field Hockey added another major academic achievement, earning NFHCA National Academic Team honors for the 11th straight year. The Setters posted a 3.733 team GPA, the highest mark among Division II programs, while 17 student-athletes were named to the NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad.

The year’s academic success stretched across the entire department and every season of competition. Pace student-athletes continued to balance the demands of training, travel and competition while producing at a high level in the classroom.

For the Blue and Gold, the 2025–26 academic year was not defined by one award or one team, it was a full department effort.

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Alexandra Witucki’s Pace career has been defined by more than wins, awards, and championship moments.

It has been built through leadership, service, consistency, and a commitment to making an impact in every space she has entered.

That complete body of work earned Witucki one of the Northeast 10 (NE10) Conference’s highest honors, as the Pace University Women’s Lacrosse senior was named the 2025–26 NE10 Woman of the Year. With the selection, Witucki became the first student-athlete from Pace to receive the award.

The honor recognizes a graduating female student-athlete who has demonstrated excellence in athletics, academics, leadership, and service. For Witucki, it serves as a reflection of a career that stretched well beyond the field.

...being a scholar and being involved in the Pace community have shaped me just as much. —Witucki

“Throughout these past four years at Pace, I have accomplished more than I ever imagined academically, athletically, and as a leader within my community,” said Witucki. “Being part of a national championship, an NE10 championship, and three regular-season titles are moments I will always remember, but being a scholar and being involved in the Pace community have shaped me just as much.”

A senior from Rochester, New York, Witucki helped Pace Women’s Lacrosse continue one of the strongest eras in program history. This spring, she started all but one game on defense for a team that reached the NCAA Semifinals and once again placed itself among the final four programs in Division II.

Her role on the back line helped give the Setters stability during another national postseason run. As Pace pushed through a demanding schedule, advanced to the NE10 Championship game and returned to championship weekend, Witucki remained a steady presence for a defensive unit that played in some of the biggest games in the country.

That success was part of a much larger championship career.

[Witucki] is an ambassador for our campus community and has led by example throughout her entire career at Pace. —Molfetta

During her time with the Blue and Gold, Witucki was part of both an NE10 championship team and an NCAA national championship team. She helped Pace grow from a rising contender into one of the premier programs in Division II, contributing to a standard that now includes conference titles, national tournament runs, and a place among the country’s elite.

But her impact at Pace was never limited to game day.

“Alex receiving this award comes as no surprise,” said Pace Women’s Lacrosse head coach Tricia Molfetta. “She is an ambassador for our campus community and has led by example throughout her entire career at Pace. She has set an incredible standard for our team and culture in terms of being a good teammate and taking care of people, and she has left our program better than when she found it."

In the classroom, Witucki earned a 3.76 undergraduate GPA as a sports marketing major and continued her academic path by pursuing a graduate degree in business analytics. She balanced the demands of championship-level competition with academic success, leadership roles, and a wide range of service opportunities.

Across campus, Witucki built a resume that showed the full scope of what it means to be a student-athlete. She took part in multiple community service projects, served as a team equipment manager, worked as the general manager of a student-run small business, and held a supervisory role at Pace’s main athletics facility.

Throughout these past four years at Pace, I have accomplished more than I ever imagined academically, athletically, and as a leader within my community. —Witucki

Each role reflected a different part of her leadership.

She supported her teammates. She represented the department. She contributed to campus life. She found ways to serve the Pace community while continuing to compete and succeed at the highest level.

That balance is what made Witucki’s selection so meaningful.

The NE10 Woman of the Year award is not given for one season or one accomplishment. It honors the full picture of a student-athlete’s career: athletic achievement, academic excellence, leadership, service, and character. Witucki’s time at Pace touched all of those areas.

From national championship moments to daily work behind the scenes, she helped strengthen the program and the university around her.

Her selection also marked a milestone moment for Pace Athletics. As the first student-athlete from Pace to earn NE10 Woman of the Year honors, Witucki added her name to conference history while setting a new standard for future Setters.

As I move into the next chapter of my life, I want to keep using the lessons I learned at Pace to make a positive and lasting impact on others. —Witucki

“Lacrosse gave me a sense of purpose when I was younger, and being able to coach and help younger athletes find that same love for the sport is something I will always cherish,” Witucki said. “As I move into the next chapter of my life, I want to keep using the lessons I learned at Pace to make a positive and lasting impact on others.”

Witucki will now move forward as the NE10’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, extending the recognition of a career built on achievement, commitment, and service.

For Pace, the honor is more than an individual award. It is a celebration of a student-athlete who helped define what it means to wear the Blue and Gold.

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When people picture human trafficking, they often imagine scenes from movies: strangers in vans, international crime rings, dramatic rescues by law enforcement.

Cathryn Lavery, PhD, wants her students to look closer.

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A professor and department chair of the Criminal Justice and Security Department in Pace University’s Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lavery studies officer wellness and resiliency, intimate partner violence, sex crimes and trauma, humane criminology, social media and violent crime, and human trafficking. Her work challenges students and the public to move beyond Hollywood stereotypes and confront a more complicated truth: in the United States, trafficking often happens inside homes, relationships, workplaces, schools, and online spaces.

“It’s a boyfriend doing it to a girlfriend, a husband with a wife,” Lavery explains. “It’s happening in people’s homes.”

For Christen Cooper, EdD, RDN, associate professor in Pace University’s College of Health Professions and founding director of the MS in Nutrition and Dietetics program, that hidden reality raises another urgent question: how do survivors begin to heal after exploitation, deprivation, coercion, and trauma?

For Cooper, nutrition has never been only about food. It is about dignity, trust, health, culture, autonomy, and care. As a registered dietitian nutritionist credentialed by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, she is preparing the next generation of nutrition professionals to think deeply about the people behind the practice.

Together, Cooper and Lavery represent something central to Pace’s academic community: faculty whose research responds to real-world challenges, and whose expertise moves directly into the classroom. Through scholarship, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration, they are helping students understand human trafficking not as an abstract issue, but as a complex human rights crisis that intersects with law, psychology, public health, trauma, technology, nutrition, and survivor-centered care.

Beyond the Hollywood Myth

Human trafficking is not a single, isolated crime. It can involve sexual exploitation, labor exploitation, coercive relationships, online grooming, and hidden networks of control. It also intersects with criminal justice, economics, ethics, organized crime, public health, trauma, and victimization.

“Criminal justice is probably the most multidisciplinary major or field that exists,” Lavery says. “You cannot know criminal justice without knowing psychology or law or economics, history, philosophy, religion, and ethics.”

That multidisciplinary lens is essential, she says, because trafficking is often a thread running through other criminal markets, including drug trafficking, gun trafficking, labor exploitation, illegal mining, wildlife trafficking, and other forms of exploitation. It is profitable, adaptive, and frequently hidden behind ordinary-looking relationships or transactions.

“Academic excellence is at its most powerful when it reaches across disciplines and when it is paired with humanity.”

That is why Lavery pushes back against the idea that trafficking only involves large criminal enterprises or dramatic kidnappings. Those cases exist, but they are not the whole picture. In many situations, coercion is emotional, psychological, financial, or relational.

Victims may be groomed by romantic partners. They may be threatened with shame, deportation, violence, or retaliation against family members. They may be manipulated into believing they are making a choice when, in reality, their options have been carefully narrowed by someone else.

“It’s a phenomenal amount of emotional and psychological abuse,” Lavery says.

That psychological dimension is one reason trafficking can be so difficult for outsiders to understand. Victims may not immediately identify themselves as victims. They may defend the person exploiting them. They may fear that seeking help will bring consequences worse than the exploitation itself.

For students preparing to enter fields such as criminal justice, law enforcement, social services, victim advocacy, public health, policy, or legal work, understanding that complexity matters. A survivor’s first response may not fit the public’s expectation of what a victim “should” say or do. That does not make the exploitation less real.

At Pace, Lavery teaches students to recognize those patterns, challenge assumptions, and ground their understanding in research rather than sensationalized narratives.

“You fight back with the knowledge, the statistics, the data,” she says.

Nutrition as Recovery and Care

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Cooper’s work approaches human trafficking from a different direction, but with the same insistence on seeing the whole person.

Her 2024 article, “Registered Dietitian Nutritionists’ Knowledge, Confidence and Experiences with Treating Human Trafficked Individuals: A Call for Interprofessional Continuing Education,” published through the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior, explores a largely overlooked intersection: how dietitians and nutrition professionals may be positioned to identify, care for, and support individuals who have experienced trafficking.

“It just occurred to me that we could play a really important role in recuperation,” Cooper says.

Human trafficking survivors may experience malnutrition, dehydration, injuries, chronic health problems, disordered eating, and a profound loss of autonomy. Food itself can be used as a means of control, punishment, or manipulation. For survivors, rebuilding a relationship with food can also become part of rebuilding a relationship with the body.

Because dietitians often conduct nutrition-focused physical exams and work closely with patients experiencing dehydration, malnutrition, wounds, disordered eating, or other health concerns, they may be in a position to notice warning signs that others miss. They may also help create a safe, caring environment where survivors feel seen as whole people.

“There’s no better time than when you are in a caring, comforting, empathetic environment to be helped,” Cooper says.

Her research found that registered dietitian nutritionists need more education and training to feel prepared to recognize and respond to human trafficking. Many want that education, including webinars and continuing education opportunities. Cooper is now building on that work by exploring how trauma-informed nutrition can be incorporated into nutrition and dietetics curricula.

She imagines models of care in which survivors are supported through nourishment, cooking, cultural foods, shared meals, and community. Food, in her view, can help restore dignity and connection. It can support physical healing through hydration, protein intake, wound recovery, and adequate nourishment. It can also support emotional healing by helping people regain choice, comfort, and trust.

“We break bread,” Cooper says. “That’s what humans do.”

Research That Reaches the Classroom

At Pace, Cooper brings that expansive perspective into the classroom.

The MS in Nutrition and Dietetics program, which she helped found, combines classroom learning with supervised practice experiences to prepare students to become registered dietitian nutritionists. The program emphasizes scientific rigor alongside culinary nutrition, cultural understanding, and practical care. Students learn not only how nutrients affect the body, but how food traditions, access, trauma, identity, and lived experience shape a person’s relationship with nourishment.

That approach reflects Cooper’s own path. As an undergraduate at Wellesley College, she interned with a federal judge who was studying international data on violence against women and human trafficking. She later worked for the United States House of Representatives and as a management consultant in Latin America. Those experiences helped shape the way she approaches nutrition today: not as a narrow clinical field, but as a discipline deeply connected to public health, policy, justice, and human experience.

Cooper also partners with students on scholarly work, giving them opportunities to explore emerging areas in nutrition and contribute to professional conversations. She recently published an article with a student on energy deficiency in athletes, examining the nutritional consequences of inadequate fueling and strategies to prevent injury. For students considering careers in sports nutrition, public health, clinical nutrition, or community care, those research opportunities offer a powerful glimpse of what the field can become.

For Cooper, the goal is not only to publish research, but to change how future practitioners see their role.

“I was meant to reach across, partner with people, innovate, and create,” she says.

Lavery brings the same real-world focus to her criminal justice courses. She does not soften the realities of the field. Her students sometimes call her a “dream crusher,” she jokes, but the goal is not cynicism. It is preparation.

In courses that address human trafficking, Lavery brings in anti-trafficking professionals, law enforcement specialists, nurses, advocates, and others working directly with survivors. Students learn how trafficking connects to public health, digital platforms, campus safety, gender-based violence, trauma response, and criminal investigations.

“What does criminal justice have to do with nutrition? Nothing, and a lot, apparently. We find bridges to each other.”

Her current and emerging research also examines how digital spaces shape trafficking, sexual violence, and exploitation. Social media has helped bring awareness to human trafficking, but it has also created new pathways for harm. Online platforms can make recruitment easier, normalize transactional relationships, and create anonymous spaces where exploitation is harder to trace.

For college students, Lavery says, the risks are not abstract. Apps, online marketplaces, “sugar dating” sites, and social media can all become sites of grooming or coercion. Young people may believe they are in control of an arrangement, especially when it is framed as entrepreneurial or consensual. Lavery challenges students to ask deeper questions: Who is profiting? Who is vulnerable? Who is being placed in danger?

She is also clear with students about the emotional toll of this work. Criminal justice professionals, advocates, nurses, investigators, attorneys, researchers, and educators may all experience secondary trauma when working with survivors of violence and exploitation. Preparing students for that reality is part of preparing them for meaningful careers.

“If you start to ask for help and learn to deal with it, you’re going to last a lot longer,” Lavery says.

Building Bridges Across Disciplines

Cooper and Lavery recently joined faculty and practitioners for “Nutrition and Dietetics: The Roles of Law and Healthcare in Assisting Victims and Survivors,” a panel discussion hosted as part of the Annual Spring Conference of the Office of Research and Graduate Education at Pace.

The panel brought together Cooper; Lavery; and David Mulcahy, adjunct professor of criminal justice in Dyson College and a supervisory United States probation officer for the Southern District of New York. Cooper also served as moderator.

Together, the presenters examined the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, major United States anti-trafficking initiatives, and the operational challenges law enforcement faces in preventing victims from being prosecuted and instead promoting justice, recovery, and support. The discussion also explored how healthcare providers can offer trauma-informed nutrition care to victims and survivors who have been manipulated, controlled, and deprived during captivity.

For Cooper, that kind of cross-disciplinary dialogue is essential.

“What does criminal justice have to do with nutrition?” Cooper says. “Nothing, and a lot, apparently. We find bridges to each other.”

Lavery sees that same need for broader conversation. In the fall, the Criminal Justice and Security Department plans to host a speaker series exploring trafficking and exploitation from multiple angles, with professionals working in human trafficking investigations, gun violence and trafficking task forces, and animal abuse or illegal wildlife trafficking.

For both faculty members, the goal is not simply awareness. It is deeper understanding. It is better preparation. It is helping students develop the tools to recognize harm, respond with care, and work across disciplines to support survivors.

At Pace, that is what faculty research makes possible. It does not remain confined to journals, conferences, or professional circles. It becomes part of how students learn, how they question, how they prepare for careers, and how they come to understand their responsibilities in the world.

Lavery is preparing students to see what others miss. Cooper is helping students understand that care can begin with nourishment, dignity, and trust.

Together, their work shows that academic excellence is at its most powerful when it reaches across disciplines and when it is paired with humanity.

As more than 4,300 Pace University graduates prepared to begin their next chapter, one message echoed throughout Commencement: opportunity belongs to those willing to embrace uncertainty.

Across two days of ceremonies, award-winning journalists, accomplished alumni, distinguished jurists, healthcare leaders, entrepreneurs, and student leaders challenged the Class of 2026 to take risks, define success on their own terms, and seize every opportunity that comes their way.

Taking the Leap

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Award-winning journalist and Dateline NBC anchor Lester Holt opened the Main Ceremony with a rousing speech that reflected on all of the risks, setbacks, and unexpected opportunities that shaped his own path from aspiring broadcaster to one of the nation's most respected journalists.

Rather than offering a roadmap to success, Holt challenged graduates to embrace uncertainty. As he looked across the crowd of graduates waiting to turn their tassels and throw their caps, he asked, "How far a leap are you willing to make to realize your dream?"

Holt acknowledged that choosing the safe path can often feel like the logical one—but encouraged graduates not to let fear dictate their future. "Playing it safe seems like a smart strategy on the surface, but you will find yourself at moments where the reasonable choice feels unreasonable."

Playing it safe seems like a smart strategy on the surface, but you will find yourself at moments where the reasonable choice feels unreasonable.

Success on Your Own Terms

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Wednesday's undergraduate ceremonies continued that message through the experiences of distinguished alumni and industry leaders.

Pedro Rivera '12, Emmy Award– and LA Press Club Award–winning journalist and co-anchor of ABC7 Eyewitness News, returned to his alma mater to address graduates from Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, the Sands College of Performing Arts, and the School of Education. Reflecting on his own journey from Pace student to broadcast journalist, Rivera encouraged graduates to define success for themselves—not by titles or salaries, but by fulfillment.

"Manifest your success," Rivera said. "Say your goals out loud. Write them down and really embed them into your mind, because everything you do—the jobs you take, the people you surround yourselves with—will lead you toward that success. And success is not about money or status. It's about happiness."

“And success is not about money or status. It's about happiness.

Graduates from the College of Health Professions, Lubin School of Business, and the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems also heard from Dr. Mitchell Katz, president and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals, whose career has been defined by public service and healthcare leadership.

Persistence Builds the Path

Thursday's graduate and professional school ceremonies celebrated another milestone as the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University—recently ranked the No. 1 environmental law program in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for the sixth consecutive year—honored graduates preparing to enter the legal profession.

Hon. Francesca E. Connolly '82, associate justice of the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court, Second Judicial Department, addressed graduates and received a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.

[Success] requires a belief that you are capable of much more than you imagine right now.

Her message focused not on perfection, but perseverance. "Success in this profession does not require perfection. It requires persistence. It requires preparation. It requires integrity. And most of all, it requires a belief that you are capable of much more than you imagine right now."

Graduate and professional school ceremonies also featured Peter Muller, founder and CEO of PDT Partners, who addressed graduates from the Lubin School of Business and the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, while Judith M. Watson '94, RN, BSN, MPH, CEO of Westchester Community Health Center, spoke to graduates from Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, and the College of Health Professions. Pace also presented Cedric Bobo, founder of Project Destined, with the Opportunitas in Action Award.

Student Stories Shine Through

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The themes shared throughout Commencement were already reflected in the accomplishments of this year's graduates, represented through the words and experiences of the Class of 2026 student speakers,

Valedictorian Caroline Zanuto-Winter, who earned a BA in Computer Science from the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, exemplified the impact of a Pace education through innovation, leadership, and global engagement.

As a United Nations Academic Impact and Millennium Campus Network Millennium Fellow, she collaborated with students across 16 nations on a multilingual advocacy campaign spanning nine languages. Caroline also led the development of a mobile application for her capstone project and recently applied her expertise in computer science and generative AI as a product manager intern at WEX Inc.—demonstrating the kind of real-life learning that defines the Pace experience.

Pace not only gave us degrees, it gave us those opportunities and taught us to relentlessly seize them ourselves.

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Student Opportunitas Award recipient Suraj Sharma spoke to the crowds about opportunity.

Suraj earned a combined bachelor's degree in economics and master's degree in applied quantitative economics from Dyson College of Arts and Sciences. As captain of Pace's National Federal Reserve Challenge team, Sharma helped lead the University to a national championship title, outperforming 136 competing institutions, including Harvard and UCLA.

Graduating with a 4.0 GPA and numerous academic honors, Sharma will begin his career as an institutional client management account analyst at PIMCO.

"Every opportunity in life exists because someone else paid a price for it," Sharma said. "Pace not only gave us degrees, it gave us those opportunities and taught us to relentlessly seize them ourselves."

Ready for What's Next

In his Commencement remarks, President Marvin Krislov reflected on the many places where students' education unfolded—not only in classrooms, but through experiences that challenged them to grow.

"Graduates, your education unfolded in classrooms, in residence halls, in internships, in rehearsal studios, in clinics, in courtrooms and labs and communities throughout New York and beyond," Krislov said. "Some of you found your direction immediately. Others discovered it gradually through exploration, through setbacks, through conversations, and seizing new opportunities. That is all part of what higher education is meant to do."

How far a leap are you willing to make to realize your dream? —Holt

The cheers will fade, the gowns will be packed away, and the tassels tucked into keepsake boxes. But the lessons shared throughout Commencement—and the journeys they celebrated—are only just beginning.

As the Class of 2026 leaves Pace as future journalists, nurses, lawyers, educators, entrepreneurs, technologists, performers, economists, and changemakers, Holt's challenge remains: "How far a leap are you willing to make to realize your dream?"