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.

Recently, President Krislov’s Mental Health and Well-being Task Force was charged with developing a set of recommendations for addressing the mental health and well-being needs of Pace’s student body and the overall Pace Community. One recommendation from the Task Force was the appointment of a chief wellness officer. The role was envisioned as providing a high-level, holistic vision for all major wellness efforts at the University, including University Health Care, the Counseling Center, and Human Resources.

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Following her nearly 30 years of service to the University, Harriet R. Feldman, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been appointed as the first Chief Wellness Officer at Pace.

Getting this new office up and running requires expertise on health and wellness, and also familiarity with Pace’s operations, relationships with stakeholders across the University, and the confidence of all University leaders. On all those fronts, Dr. Feldman is exceedingly well qualified.

“I have been conducting a ‘listening tour’ to learn as much as I can about the initiatives and gaps in wellness at Pace,” she wrote in a recent letter to Pace faculty. “I have established an Advisory Committee to work with me on developing a wellness strategic plan and I am particularly interested in focusing on mental health, which affects all members of the Pace community.”

Dr. Feldman will create an audit of our current wellness initiatives and develop a wellness strategic plan, including new initiatives and plans for their implementation. The long-term goal is to improve overall wellness outcomes, with a focus on mental health, among students, faculty, and staff.

Studies have shown a direct correlation between student wellness initiatives and improved student success and retention, which is even more important as we navigate our way to a post-pandemic environment. An increased focus on wellness in our community will ultimately help us do what Pace has always done: create opportunities for our students to succeed.

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.