Stephen Apkon, Executive Director of the Jacob Burns Film Center and Media Arts Lab
Westchester Undergraduate Ceremony: Friday, May 11, 2012, 11:00 a.m.
As Founder and Executive Director of the Jacob Burns Film Center, Stephen Apkon has combined a lifelong passion for film with his desire to revitalize Pleasantville, NY.  His vision and leadership of the Jacob Burns Film Center has brought national and international acclaim to Pleasantville and the Media Arts Lab, which opened under Apkon’s leadership in 2009, has served as a creative and educational community for storytellers in the digital age, offering one-time workshops, intensive courses, and weekend programs.

Pace President Stephen J. Friedman said: “Steve Apkon is a former Wall Street merchant banker who left the world of finance to follow his passion for film and education and brought leadership, vision, and direction to a burgeoning arts organization. In the past ten years, over one million people have seen more than 4,000 films at the JBFC, whose mission is to bring a diversity of film and educational programs to Westchester County and its surrounding communities. The JBFC is recognized nationally as a model for effective arts and education programming and management. Steve’s story is a powerful example to our graduates that one can achieve great things by following one’s passions.”

Read more about Apkon here.

Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group
New York Undergraduate Ceremony: Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 10:30 a.m.
Danny Meyer is a restaurant industry icon. As CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, Meyer oversees some of the most successful and lauded restaurants in NYC, including Union Square Café (voted Zagat Survey’s Most Popular Restaurant in New York City an unprecedented nine times), Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke, Jazz Standard, Shake Shack, The Modern, Maialino, Untitled, North End Grill, Union Square Events, and Hospitality Quotient, a learning and consulting business. Meyer, his restaurants, and chefs have earned an unprecedented 24 James Beard Awards, including: Outstanding Restaurant of the Year; Outstanding Service; Outstanding Wine Service; Humanitarian of the Year; Who’s Who of Food & Beverage; Best Restaurant Design; and Best Restaurant Graphic Design. Four of USHG’s restaurants have earned three stars from The New York Times and in 2009, Eleven Madison Park was upgraded to four stars.

An active national leader in the fight against hunger, Meyer has long served on the boards of Share Our Strength and City Harvest.

Read more about Meyer here.

Donna E. Shalala, President of the University of Miami and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
Graduate Level Ceremony: Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 4:00 p.m.
Donna E. Shalala has more than 30 years of experience as an accomplished scholar, teacher, and  administrator. She served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) under President Clinton from 1993-2001, becoming the longest serving HHS Secretary in U.S. history. Shalala became Professor of Political Science and President of the University of Miami on June 1, 2001 and during her tenure, has led U of Miami to solidify its position among top U.S. research universities and successfully executed Momentum: The Campaign for the University of Miami, one of the first billion-dollar capital campaigns completed in the United States, which raised $1.4 billion in private support for the university’s endowment, academic, and research programs and facilities.

She was named one of “America’s Best Leaders” by U.S. News & World Report in 2005; was handpicked in 2007 by President George W. Bush to co-chair with Senator Bob Dole the Commission on Care for Returning Wounded Warriors, to evaluate how wounded service members transition from active duty to civilian society; awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008, the nation’s highest civilian award; and received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights in 2010, which recognizes individuals for outstanding dedication to improving the health and life chances of disadvantaged populations in South Africa and internationally.

Read more about Shalala here.

The Honorable Andrew L. Carter Jr., U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York (SDNY)
Law School Ceremony: Sunday, May 20, 2012, 10:00 a.m.
Nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate in December 2011, the Honorable Andrew L. Carter Jr. is the youngest sitting judge in the Southern District of New York and has also served as United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York. He began his career as a public defender representing those who could not afford legal counsel, and worked as a staff and supervising attorney with the Federal Defenders of New York and with the Legal Aid Society in the criminal defense and federal defenders division.

As a student at Harvard Law School, Carter co-founded the BELL Foundation, an organization that provides educational summer and after school activities for students from low-income communities. He continues to serve on the Foundation’s board of directors.

Read more about Carter here.

Summer’s right around the corner. This year, hit the beach and the books!

Give a tough subject like accounting or chemistry or calculus your undivided attention; indulge your inner artiste with sculpture, ceramics, drawing, painting, or photography; write until your fingers hurt with creative writing: fiction or screenwriting; learn French, Italian, Spanish, or even American Sign Language; get political with Hip Hop Politics: A Music Movement, Civic Engagement, and The Road to the White House. These are just some of the more than 600 undergraduate and graduate courses Pace offers during its two summer sessions on the NYC and Westchester campuses and online. Summer courses are available at a discounted rate and housing is available on both campuses. Summer I begins on Wednesday, May 30 and Summer II on Friday, July 13. And you don’t have to choose; you can enroll in both.

Registration is open now, so whether you want to catch up or get ahead, it’s time for you to make the decision to take the summer on! Learn more about summer session and view the summer class schedule.

On the NYC Campus, the fun starts in the Bronx as SDACA hosts a trip to see the Yankees take on the Rays on May 8 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets cost $10.

If you’re more interested in Broadway than baseball, then let us sing you a little Unchained Melody on May 9. And by us, we mean the cast of Ghost: The Musical, as students head to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre for this brand new show on Broadway. In case you missed the 90s, Ghost follows a young couple, Sam and Molly, who get  mugged while walking home to the New York apartment. Sam is murdered and becomes trapped between the real world and the next as a ghost, unable to leave Molly, who he learns is in grave danger. With the help of a con-artist “psychic,” Oda Mae Brown, Sam tries to communicate with Molly to save her. Discounted tickets available for $40.

You kicked off your Pace career on boats, so what better way to end it? Hop on the boat cruise at Pier 16 at South Street Seaport for drinks, hors d’oeuvres, a DJ, and some pretty incredible views on May 20. $20 for Pace students under 21; $35 for Pace students 21+, which includes three alcohol drink tickets; and $45 for non-Pace students 21+.

Spend your Saturday swinging…at Six Flags Great Adventure, as the park opens its latest thrill ride, SkyScreamer. You may feel like your life is a roller-coaster, but you’ll probably stop thinking that if you take on Green Lantern, Bizarro, Superman, and Kingda Ka in one out of control afternoon on May 12. The cost of admission and transportation is $30. Buses leave the Schimmel Theatre at 9:30 a.m.

Finally, if the you’re not a fan of the Bronx Bombers, maybe it’s all about the Amazin’ Mets for you. Catch the New York Mets in action against the Brewers at Citi Field on May 14 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets cost $10.

To register for Senior Week events on the NYC Campus, click here.

On the PLV Campus, Senior Week kicks off on Friday, May 4. If you’re looking to just kick back with friends and play some games and eat food, stop by Miller Lawn from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

On Saturday, May 5, head to the home of the Jersey Shore. The Jersey Shore! Between the beaches and the boardwalk (not to mention the chance at a Situation sighting), the trip to Seaside Heights is sure to be a blast. And don’t forget to pick up your GTL shirts at the Shore Store. Students may register up to two guests. Registration limit is 80 students and the cost is $15!

Want some cheese with your wine? Sample some of the Hudson Valley’s finest wines at Millbrook Winery located in a renovated Dutch-hip dairy barn in Dutchess County. Enjoy a wine tasting and cheese as you overlook the Catskills on May 6 for $25.

Prefer a pale ale to a pinot? Pass up the wine tasting for a $25 brewery tour and tasting at Westchester’s only microbrewery, Captain Lawrence, on May 6. Meet brewmaster/owner Scott Vacarro and learn all about the brewing process as you taste some delicious micro-brewed ales.

Boat cruises for everyone! On Tuesday, May 8, sail on the Hudson in your own private boast as you enjoy a delicious Hawaiian buffet and drinks. Transportation will be provided and students may register up to two guests. The cost is $75 and the registration limit is 200 students.

Finally, on Wednesday, May 9-Thursday, May 10, the craps table is calling from Connecticut as SDCA sponsors a trip to Foxwoods Resort and Casino. With more than 380 gaming tables, 38 restaurants, a variety of nightlife to choose from, plus a spa, shopping, and gorgeous rooms to stay in, there’s no better way to end your Senior Week. Buses leave Kessel at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday and return at noon on Thursday. Registration limit is 80 students and the cost is only $65 so act fast.

To register for Senior Week events on the PLV Campus, click here. And remember, if you attended four Senior Transition series events, you’re entitled to a $50 credit for Senior Week.

My gift won’t make a difference.

Since 1993, the Senior Class Campaign at Pace University has been a student-led initiative that raises funds in support of Pace’s Annual Fund. The Annual Fund provides vital resources and flexibility to address our university’s most pressing needs including: student financial aid, faculty recruitment, curriculum development, technology upgrades, library acquisitions, career services, and much more. Your gift will directly benefit current and future Pace Setters!

When you make your gift to the Senior Class Campaign, you will receive a vinyl cut out of the Pace Paw that you can hang on a designated space in One Pace Plaza in New York and in the Kessel Center on the Pleasantville Campus. Sign your name and/or honor someone who’s made a difference in your scholastic career; your paw is yours to personalize!

You can choose to participate individually or as a group with your favorite club or organization. When you participate as a group, you will receive a larger paw that proudly displays the name of your club or organization.

Think of the impact you can make if every senior gives $20.12. A gift that costs about the same as a cup of coffee, a slice of pizza, and a couple of cans of Red Bull can make a huge difference. Help us cover Pace with our paws!

You know the saying, some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave pawprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.

Start your legacy today by contributing to the Senior Class Campaign. Visit http://www.pace.edu/seniorcampaign to put your paw on Pace!

This means you, yes you, will have the opportunity to be paired up with a faculty member according to interests and background to work on a research project from September 2012 until March 2013. And when we say research project, this could mean anything. Last year’s 15 awardees ranged from the scientific (mercury contamination and enzymes associated with HIV) to the imaginative (pairing horror stories with web-based artwork and Star Trek with history) to sex (Literacy and the Gender Gap), drugs (TB, mycobacteria and vaccination development), and even rock and roll (Bring on the Velvet Revolution: The Politics of Individual Subjectivity in Tom Stoppard’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll”).

All research initiatives will be recognized at end-of-year showcases on both campuses and two award winners (one on each campus) will be announced and receive an award and funding to attend a regional or national conference. In addition to recognition, you’ll gain hands-on experience and a deeper appreciation of your field, work closely with world-renowned faculty, and strengthen your research, critical thinking, analytical, and writing skills.

What you need to do by May 30 is fill out the application here to get started on what could be the beginning of something huge!

Earlier this month, the 15 Undergraduate Research Initiative awardees for 2011-2012 presented their findings through poster sessions and formal presentations at showcases held on both campuses. The winning pair on the PLV Campus was Seidenberg student Mark Kowtko and Seidenberg Professor Jean F. Coppola, PhD, who presented on Open Source Assistive Technology Website and Application Development. The honorary mention went to the Dyson student Boyan Robak/Dyson Professor Paul Griffin, PhD, team, whose research was on Recovering from a Romantic Break-up: Examining the Influence of Attachment, Rejecting Sensitivity, and Gender. On the NYC Campus, the winning team was Dyson student Megan Kenny and Seidenberg student Christelle Scharff, who brought their different backgrounds together for Mobile Technology and the Environment. The honorary mention went to Dyson student Neil Patel and Dyson Professor Marcy Kelly, who presented on the Effects of Glutathione and its Derivatives on the Survival of Mycobacterium bovis-BCG Vegetative and Persistent Organisms. You can read more from the 2011-2012 awardees on the Undergraduate Research Initiative blog at http://ugresearch.blogs.pace.edu/.

For more information about the program, contact Sue Maxam, University Director for Student Success, at (914) 522-7913 or smaxam@pace.edu.

From face-to-face encounters with a Great White Shark in Gansbaai, South Africa, to helping victims of sex trafficking in Bangladesh to getting a taste of business in Brussels, Pace students, faculty, staff, and alumni are learning and living all around the globe.

Last summer, we brought you 80 different stories, photos, and videos of Pace around the globe (and even out of this world!) and this summer, we’re bringing you more.

If you’ve participated in a travel course or semester abroad, are interning or participating in a Fulbright overseas, or have any story you’d like to share, e-mail us and we’ll add them to our map, which is featured in the Pulse, on the website, in printed materials like Pace Magazine and our viewbooks, and more!

And the Pawscars goes to…

Best Place to Eat Off-Campus
Chipotle (NYC) and Jerry’s Pizzeria (PLV)

Best Place to Eat On-Campus
Spotlight Cafe (NYC) and Pace Perk (PLV)

Best Coffeeshop or Sweets Shop
Starbucks (both campuses)

Best Place to Shop
SoHo (NYC) and The Westchester (PLV)

Best Place to Volunteer
New York Cares (NYC) and Pleasantville Cottage School (PLV)

Best People Watching Spot
Courtyard (NYC) and Shirley Beth’s Way (PLV)

Favorite Place On-Campus
Courtyard (NYC) and the Townhouses (PLV)

Best Student Organization/Club
Sabor Latino (NYC) and Colleges Against Cancer (PLV)

Best Professor
Emilie Zaslow, PhD (Assistant Professor, Communication Studies–NYC) and Marie Werner, EdD (Associate Professor, Criminal Justice and Human Services–PLV)

Best Park/Green Space
Central Park (NYC) and Kensico Dam (PLV)

Best Class
Reacting to the Past

Best Dorm to Live in
Maria’s Tower (NYC) and Dow Hall (PLV)

Best On-Campus Event
Spring Fest (NYC) and Relay for Life (PLV)

Best Internship/Co-op Experience
MTV

Best Thing About Being a Pace Student
NYC and Career Services (“Career Services, hands down, has been my favorite and most worthwhile experience at Pace. I have eight incredible internships under my belt–including with Tyra Banks, NBC Universal-Oxygen, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and more! What other school can say its students are placed in jobs with the best companies? Whatever school they are, they can’t top Pace,” says English Language and Literature major Kaitlynn Blyth ’12, winner of our two movie tickets!)