Holmes to serve as first-ever dean of Sands College

Jennifer Holmes, Ph.D. has been appointed the first ever dean of Pace University’s Sands College of Performing Arts. She has most recently served as executive director of the college since it launched in the fall of 2023 and as executive director of the Pace School of Performing Arts (PPA) since November 2021.

Sands College has achieved a global reputation for cultivating the talent of a new generation of diverse performing artists. Its undergraduate and graduate degree programs in acting, directing, musical theater, commercial dance, production and design for stage and screen, and stage management lead students directly to the highest levels of their industry.

In making the announcement, Pace President Marvin Krislov cited Holmes as an internationally recognized leader in arts education. “It is with great enthusiasm that we announce Jennifer Holmes as the inaugural dean of the Sands College of Performing Arts at Pace University. Jennifer's extensive background and her international recognition in arts education make her the ideal leader for this new college. We are excited to witness her innovative vision and leadership as she guides the Sands College of Performing Arts into a bright and promising future. Her commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment will undoubtedly enrich our community and elevate the already highly acclaimed performing arts at Pace to new heights in the Pace spirit of Opportunitas.”

Holmes is continuing her work at Pace at an exciting time. The Sands College of Performing Arts recently graduated its first class in May after becoming the seventh school and college within Pace thanks to a $25 million gift from Pamela and Rob Sands, J.D. ’84.

The Sands donation is part of a larger campaign for the more than $200 million transformation of One Pace Plaza, its flagship building in lower Manhattan. It will include new academic spaces, a modernized residence hall, and a new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center. Holmes will collaborate in the construction of the Performing Arts Center which will include a 450-seat proscenium theater, 200-seat flexible theater, and a 99-seat black box theater. The new space will also feature scene and costume shops, dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, green rooms, dance studios, and public gathering spaces.

“It’s an honor to continue to work with President Krislov and serve as Dean of the Sands College of Performing Arts at such an exciting time,” said Holmes. “The Sands College of Performing Arts has already helped and enriched the lives of so many. I look forward to continuing and advancing my work here.”

Prior to her appointment at Pace, Holmes served as the Dean of the College of Arts, Communications, and Design at Long Island University (LIU) at both the Post and Brooklyn campuses. She was named the inaugural dean of two new schools at LIU: The Roc Nation School of Music, Sports and Entertainment and the George Polk School of Communications.

Holmes holds a PhD and an MA from New York University and a BA from Vassar College and is an internationally recognized leader in arts education. Her work as a performer and director has been seen in theater, film, and television. She is the founder and director of Global Empowerment Theatre, an international non-profit theater organization. She has devised theater in India, Kenya, Myanmar, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, and the US.

About Pace University

Since 1906, Pace University has been transforming the lives of its diverse students—academically, professionally, and socioeconomically. With campuses in New York City and Westchester County, Pace offers bachelor, master, and doctoral degree programs to 13,600 students in its College of Health Professions, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Lubin School of Business, Sands College of Performing Arts, School of Education, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

About Sands College of Performing Arts

Sands College of Performing Arts is a cutting-edge performing arts school that nurtures artistic innovation and develops future leaders and changemakers in the profession. Renowned for its diverse range of highly-ranked programs, Sands College is committed to cultivating top-talent performers, designers, and production professionals. From Hollywood to Broadway, Sands College students and alumni have appeared in major film and television productions and theater performances such as & Juliet, A Beautiful Noise, A Strange Loop, Almost Famous, Hadestown, Hamilton, Kimberly Akimbo, MJ The Musical, Moulin Rouge, Ohio State Murders, Wicked, and the 2022 Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Recognized by Playbill in 2023 as one of the 10 most represented colleges on Broadway, Sands College continues to inspire the next generation of artists on stage and screen.

Dyson College’s anthem video, Go Further, was recognized by the Telly Awards as the Silver Winner for an educational institution promotional video. It was produced by The Cutting Board, with Jeffrey Johnson as director, and Julia Main as producer. Dyson College’s Angela Nally ‘99, ’06, assistant dean for communications, Antonia Gentile ‘98, ’07, assistant director of marketing and communications, and Amanda Delfino ‘23, communications manager, were also producers.

The video featured students Wes Brown ’24, Digital Cinema and Filmmaking; CJ Hodges ’24, Art, Sociology and Anthropology; Cameron Maruszewski ’23, Art History, Psychology; Danielle Roslyn Shoulders ’25, Environmental Studies; Jeremiah Williams ’23, Political Science, and Madz Zhizai Yu-Phelps ’25, Writing for Diversity and Equity in Theater and Media, all of whom shared their unique experiences on the Pace Path.

Pace’s Public Administration faculty Rebecca Tekula, PhD, and Gina Scutelnicu-Todoran, PhD, will be collaborating with the Hispanic Advisory Board, under the leadership of Westchester County Executive George Latimer, to conduct a new comprehensive survey targeting the Latino community.

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They will gather insights and data from the Latino community within Westchester County, addressing various aspects such as education, healthcare, employment, housing and social services. The last assessment, conducted more than 20 years ago, highlighted the necessity for updated information to better understand and address the evolving needs and challenges faced by the Latino population.

Pace University Professor, Chair of the Public Administration department, and Executive Director of the Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship Rebecca Tekula, PhD, said, “Collaborating on this survey underscores our commitment to community-engaged research in Westchester County. We are proud to partner on this effort to capture the voices and experiences of Latino residents, toward the goal of informing and improving the delivery of services and supports.”

Read more about the Latino survey project at the Westchester County Government website.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement during 2020 forever shaped communities around our nation. Capturing first-hand experiences of how these events impacted people is a critical part of providing primary sources for future researchers, and that’s what Assistant Provost and Clinical Associate Professor of History Maria Iacullo-Bird, PhD, set out to achieve with her Oral History Project.

“Interviews provide a way to center personal human experiences during major historical events,” Iacullo-Bird says, “which become even more important as times of crisis and momentous change recede into history. I am excited that Pace undergraduates have generated primary sources to provide first-hand knowledge about watershed historical events.”

The project was developed as part of Iacullo-Bird’s Honors history course, HIS 196H: COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter: Comparative, Crisis-Based Oral History in the American Experience. The course is designed as a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), which gives students training as oral historians to conduct research. Iacullo-Bird explains that this course in particular “explores the intersectionality between disease and social justice struggles.”

After students gain an understanding of the importance of oral history and develop close listening skills, students are tasked with selecting interview subjects and preparing questions that capture their interviewees’ unique experiences. Recent interviews are stored online on the Oral History webpage as a resource for other students and researchers.

“The interviews I conducted were great experiences,” says film and screen studies major Carter Haskins ’24. He explored the intersectionality between race and the long-term health impacts caused by COVID. “I found that the conversation came naturally. I ended up going to interviews with a prepared list of questions but not using them, and the outcome was fantastic.”

I feel like I will be able to engage in more meaningful research now that I understand the importance of considering how a historical event affects those experiencing it.

Jillian Igneri ’26, added, “During the early stages of my interview preparation, I was excited by the prospect of exploring aspects of recent crises, namely the COVID pandemic and the matters of racial injustice throughout 2020, that I had not experienced through my own eyes as they occurred.” This led Jillian to explore how educators dealt with the disruptions to learning caused by the pandemic as well as how educators’ roles in helping students grapple with social change evolved.

“Oral history has allowed me, as a history major, to engage with my community outside of the traditional academic space,” shared Natalie Filkins ’25, who focused her research on the impact COVID had on the unhoused population of New York City. “I feel like I will be able to engage in more meaningful research now that I understand the importance of considering how a historical event affects those experiencing it.” She adds, “As a historian, I found this project to be incredibly engaging, requiring me to exercise skills I haven’t used in other history courses.”

Na’Mya Sinclair ’26, a nursing student, who researched the Black Lives Matter movement and the function of higher education learning experiences for people of color, plans to continue studying nursing. However, she shares that “this project has significantly informed how I aspire to participate in the Pace University, New York City, and global communities. I am inspired to actively participate in discussions and initiatives that address racial inequalities, particularly within the university setting.”

Iacullo-Bird hopes that students will “deepen their understanding of how to be engaged citizens and problem-solvers in community-building projects.” The skills they develop through the research-based course also enable students to clarify career goals and apply what they have learned both in their studies and the workplace.

Siwa's perceived lack of authenticity and ignorance of queer history has turned members of the LGBTQ+ community against her, experts say, and for tangible reasons.

"At its core, JoJo’s pop music rebrand exclaims obnoxious 'pick me' behavior, prompts cringe-worthy audience embarrassment and displays an underdeveloped queer-baiting model curated by record executives," says Melvin Williams, PhD, associate professor of communication and media studies at Pace University.

Read the full article about JoJo Siwa at USA TODAY's website.

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A single mom with two children, Haub Law student Samantha Mariano describes her path to law school as “unconventional at best.” Following her decision to leave an abusive situation, Samantha was referred to Connecticut Legal Services through a local domestic violence organization. “I was represented by an attorney who not only helped me regain my independence but inspired me to dedicate my life to helping others. Through a series of small yet significant steps, I went from homelessness and poverty following my divorce and a horrific custody battle - to going back to school, to finishing my BS, and then to being accepted into law school at almost 40.”

The first in her family to go to law school, it was her grandparents who raised her who instilled in Samantha the importance of hard work and pursuing her dreams. “No matter what challenges I faced, my grandfather, and later my grandmother, would always tell me ‘good thing you’re tough!’ and that became my battle cry which allowed me to persevere through many of life’s challenges.”

At Haub Law, Samantha found her community. “Everyone – from the students to the professors, advisors, and Deans - are genuinely supportive and encouraging. Haub Law is its own little family and it’s extremely obvious when you step foot on campus that you belong. I found a wonderfully accepting and enriching arena in which to grow during my time at Haub Law, one that surpassed my expectations upon entering law school.”

Despite all her responsibilities outside of being a law student, Samantha has immersed herself in all law school has to offer. She serves as the FLEX representative for both Phi Alpha Delta and the Older Wiser Law Students (OWLS) group. Most recently, Samantha has achieved another dream of hers – she was accepted and will participate in Haub Law’s Study Abroad Program at Oxford. “At 41years old, I have the opportunity to fulfill a lifetime dream of traveling to England.”

For Samantha, working full-time as a Trusts and Estates paralegal while pursuing her law degree is a challenge, but also a dream. With her two young children watching her chase her dreams, she just completed another year of law school. “I am looking forward to what the future holds. Balancing motherhood, a full-time job in a busy legal practice, and the rigors of law school has not been easy, but it has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime.”

With graduation on the horizon, Samantha intends to focus her practice primarily on Trusts, Estates and Elder Law, but notes that she will never forget where she came from. “My goal is to return to Connecticut Legal Services eventually and dedicate my pro bono work to helping other survivors of domestic violence. I am always grateful for the opportunities that come my way, and stay active in several Bar Associations, volunteering my time regularly in Free Legal Advice Clinics for vulnerable populations and with the Legal Services of the Hudson Valley. I will never forget what it felt like to be in that position, and the relief I felt in having such an incredible advocate. While my path to law wasn’t exactly paved with gold, I wouldn’t change a thing. The struggle gave me purpose; it gave me a passion that propelled my own life forward in ways I could never have even imagined.”