Building on the Legacy of the Society of Fellows

Under new leadership, the Society of Fellows is eyeing the future and building on four decades of scholarly excellence.
In her first year as chair of the Society of Fellows, Judi Pajo, PhD, is focused on honoring tradition and embracing innovation.
For four decades, the Society of Fellows has been a cornerstone of student scholarship and research as the premier honors organization in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences. In the 41st year of the Society of Fellows, and her first year as chair, Associate Professor of Anthropology Judi Pajo, PhD, has begun to bring her vision for the Society’s future to life, building on long-standing traditions while incorporating discoveries and innovations made during the pandemic and evolving the Society’s interdisciplinary approach to research.
A cultural anthropologist by trade, Pajo is focused on breaking down the inherent barriers among the four distinct academic “cultures” housed within Dyson—the social sciences, mathematics and the natural sciences, the humanities, and the fine and performing arts—as well as across the schools at Pace. Her hope is that Fellows can all communicate, collaborate, and learn from one another without feeling boxed in by their field of study.

“We want to help students develop fluency in their own field’s language and culture, their own academic background,” said Pajo, “but we also want them to learn tools from others, because combining things in unique ways, that’s when the research and creative process lead to new insights.”

This spring, 19 students and two faculty were inducted into the Society of Fellows of Dyson College, as members of the Robert L. Chapman Class of Fellows. Each new class is named for a long-standing fellow who has made a significant contribution to the ideals and activities of the Society. Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and Environmental Studies Robert L. Chapman, PhD, who served for many years as editor of Transactions, the peer-reviewed journal of the Society of Fellows, and who is retiring this year after 29 years of service to Pace University, was recognized as the 2022 class honoree.

2022 Society of Fellows Inductees

Sarahlouise Baldwin ’22, Biology (PLV)
Emilija Blozyte ’22, Neuroscience (NYC)
Tyler Burenbadrakh ’21, Chemistry (NYC)
Baylee Caudill ’22, Forensic Science (NYC)
Casey Cloutier ’22, Economics, Modern Languages and Cultures (NYC)
Ethan Grimes ’23, Biochemistry (NYC)
Alanis Howard ’22, Film and Screen Studies (NYC)
Silouani Kostits-Pasiali ’23, Business Economics (NYC)
Kailey Liddell ’23, English Language and Literature (NYC)
Yuwei Liu ’22, Economics (NYC)
Charlotte MacNeal ’25, Psychology (NYC)
Everton Mendoza-Holmes ’22, Business Economics (NYC)
Angel Ordonez Flores ’22, Forensic Science (NYC)
Lawrence Phillips ’22, Forensic Science (NYC)
Shayan Saniei ’22, Biology (NYC)
Carly Sullivan ’23, Forensic Science (NYC)
Lindsay Varzarevsky ’22, Business Economics (NYC)
Fiona Waterman ’22, Economics (NYC)
Jiajia Wu ’22, Fine Arts (NYC)

Faculty inductees

Brian Evans, EdD, Mathematics (NYC)
Mary Kaltenberg, PhD, Economics (NYC).