Alumni
Mikelle Adgate ’07, Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies, was featured in City & State New York’s “Who’s Who in Government Relations.”
José Luis Castro ’88, Political Science, was appointed by The World Health Organization (WHO) as WHO Director-General Special Envoy for Chronic Respiratory Diseases.
John Ewen ’19, MA Media and Digital Communications, was named to the College Sports Communicators 30 Under 30 list.
John Giordano ’18, Film and Screen Studies, starred in the short film Another Man’s Trash, which raised awareness for the unhoused population in Philadelphia and fed more than 3,000 families through charitable partner Philabundance. The film won best comedy at the Tarzana International Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Pedro Rivera ’12, Communications, joined ABC7 Eyewitness News as its weekend morning anchor. His career in news broadcasting has taken him around the country—from Connecticut, to Arkansas, to Sacramento and Los Angeles in California. Over the course of his career, Rivera came to learn that all communities need an advocate. “Everywhere you go, every problem, whether big or small, it is important to the people who live there,” Rivera said. “You need to be the voice for the community’s concerns.” Rivera credits Pace, saying the technical skills (editing and shooting) he learned at Pace helped him get a foot in the door at his first job. “Pace gave me an opportunity when a lot of other schools didn’t. And now I’m at the desk with people who went to top schools from around the country. Pace is at that desk, too.”
Camden Robertson ’23, Peace and Justice Studies, was awarded the 2023 Best Undergraduate Thesis of the Year by the Peace and Justice Studies Association for “Extinction Rebellion: A Case Study of Nonviolent Climate Activism.” Robertson’s work was a case study on Extinction Rebellion NYC, an environmental movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to advocate for government action.
Alumni Bring Home Awards at New York State Communication Association Conference
Five student groups from the Communications and Digital Media graduate program completed timely research studies with topics ranging from the impact of communication on romantic relationships to how social media influencers affect consumer decisions. In fall 2023, as alumni, all five groups were accepted to present their work at the New York State Communication Association Conference, with three presenting and two receiving awards for first- and second-place graduate papers.
Three alumni who presented at the conference were:
Samuel Aikins ’23, Research Project: “America’s Trust in the Electoral System: How Party Affiliation and Media Consumption Affect Electoral Trust”
Brianna Civitano ’23, Research Project: “Motivations and Consumption of Streaming Services: Millennials and Generation Z” (Second Place Graduate Paper)
Erin Flynn ’23, Research Project: “Social Media Influencers: Impact on Consumer Purchasing Decisions” (First Place Graduate Paper)
Students
Murtaza Shuaib ’25, MPA, Receives Prestigious Scholarship
As the only candidate from Pace University and one of two students from New York State, Murtaza Shuaib ‘25, was selected for a competitive graduate scholarship award from The National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA). Shuaib represented Pace’s Master of Public Administration at the Hall of Fame Awards 2024 at the NFBPA’s 41st annual conference, FORUM 2024, held in Baltimore, Maryland, spring 2024.
Lauren Shelton ’26: A Catalyst for Change
As the Center for Community Action and Research’s student outreach and social media coordinator, Lauren Shelton ‘26, BS Criminal Justice/MS Homeland Security, was named to the 2024 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Role, a national recognition for students who show an exceptional commitment to nonpartisan student voter outreach. She is one of 137 students nationwide selected for this honor.
Dyson Students Honored at 2024 Commencement
Alicia Bennett ’24, Criminal Justice, English Literature, was honored with the Community Service Award, presented to the “graduating student whose active contributions to the life of the University community and to the endeavors of our neighbors in the surrounding community most admirably embody an appreciation for social responsibility.” Bennett’s tireless commitment to social responsibility and community service has made a tangible difference in improving the world around her.
She spent the last three years as an indispensable volunteer for the Parenting, Prison, and Pups program—an evidence-based parenting curriculum that employs the use of therapy dogs to help incarcerated individuals develop and cultivate healthy bonds with their children. She also served as a research assistant for myriad related initiatives, including Puppies on the Block, a puppy fostering program for incarcerated mentally ill chemically addicted clients; Finding Peace Within, a trauma-based yoga program; and the Medical Assistance Treatment program, which works with incarcerated clients seeking treatment for opioid and alcohol disorders.
James Kennedy ’24, Psychology, received the Charles H. Dyson Award, given to the graduating senior and Fellow who best embodies the ideals and values of the Dyson Society of Fellows.
Mikayla Meachem ’24, Peace and Justice Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies, was honored with the Trustee Award, presented to the “student whose positive contributions to University life and whose academic accomplishments exemplify the highest level of achievement attainable for an undergraduate.” During her time at Pace, Meachem has distinguished herself as a gifted student with a strong commitment to advocacy and a steadfast dedication to justice.
While maintaining an impressive 3.98 GPA and balancing two majors alongside two minors (Criminal Justice and Non-Profit Studies), she has taken an active role in advocating for reproductive justice. Among other initiatives, she’s presented on a campus-wide panel with faculty members on reproductive justice as a form of peace-building, as well as completing an extensive senior capstone titled “Doula Activism: Navigating Social Justice in Harmful Systems.” As her mentor, Associate Professor Emily Welty, PhD, noted her enthusiasm and dedication has inspired many other students to follow her lead in advocacy within the peace and justice realm.
Saloni Shah ’24, Economics, delivered the Opportunitas student address.
Students Take Home Biology Awards at William Paterson University Undergraduate Research Symposium
Three Pace University students earned awards for their work at the 17th Annual William Paterson University Undergraduate Research Symposium this spring.
Zoubeida (Zouzou) Fliesen ’24, Biology, also with faculty sponsor Buraei, took home first place in the category, “Cell and Molecular Biology (Group C),” for his poster, “Optimizing In Vitro Transcription to Study PQ Channel Mutations Implicated in Epilepsy.”
Wenkai (Kevin) Huang ’25, Childhood Education (School of Education), won a pair of second-place awards: one in the category, “Physiology, Behavior and Toxicology” for his poster “Analysis of Shoot Circumnutation Developmental Profile in Arabidopsis Thaliana,” under the mentorship of Associate Professor of Biology Eric Brenner, PhD, and one in the category, “Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Science,” for his poster “The Bacterial Symbionts of the Parasitic Plant Rafflesia—Microscopic Partners for Conserving the World’s Largest Flowers?” with Sara Musovic and Associate Professor of Biology Jeanmaire Molina, PhD.
Sam Kurtin ’24, Biology, won a first-place award in the category “Cell and Molecular Biology (Group B)” for his poster, “The Role of the Unfolded Protein Response in the Malfunction of a Human PQ-Type Calcium Channel.” Kurtin’s research was done under the mentorship of Associate Professor of Biology Zafir Buraei, PhD.
Faculty
Michelle Chase, PhD, Selected as a Periclean Leader
Associate Professor of History Michelle Chase, PhD, was selected as a Periclean Faculty Leader by Project Pericles and has received a $4,500 grant from the organization to create a new humanities course that incorporates a community-initiated project. With the funding, Chase launched HIS 134: Modern Latin America, a course that satisfies Pace’s civic engagement requirement. Through the course, Chase and her students partnered with a local nonprofit, the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA), dedicated to advocating for social justice throughout the Americas, focusing specifically on Latin American migration to the United States, and US foreign policy toward Latin America.
S. Perl Egendorf, PhD, Receives the 2023 Women in Science Incentive Prize
Assistant Professor S. Perl Egendorf, PhD, was named a grant awardee for the 2023 Women in Science Incentive Prize from the Story Exchange for her contribution to developing New York City’s Clean Soil Bank.
Carlie Hoffman, MFA, Earns a National Jewish Book Award
Adjunct Professor of English Carlie Hoffman, MFA, received a 2024 National Jewish Book Award for her poetry collection titled When There Was Light. Hoffman was awarded the Berru Award in Poetry in Memory of Ruth and Bernie Weinflash. Now in its 73rd year, the National Jewish Book Awards is a prestigious and long-running program of the National Jewish Council. This year, more than 100 judges reviewed over 650 submissions.
Public Administration Professors Gina Scutelnicu-Todoran, PhD, and Rebecca Tekula, PhD, Receive Grant
Professors of Public Administration Gina Scutelnicu-Todoran, PhD, and Rebecca Tekula, PhD, have been awarded a nearly $30,000 grant by the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies to assess the financial status of approximately 75 New York State agencies under its umbrella. These agencies provide child welfare services, including foster care, preventive services, and juvenile justice services. “We are honored to receive this grant,” said Tekula, who is the director of Pace University’s Master of Public Administration program and the executive director of Pace’s Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship. “This work is not just about financials; it’s about ensuring that agencies providing essential services to our most vulnerable populations—children in foster care, preventive services, and juvenile justice—are financially equipped to meet their needs effectively.”
Shamita Dutta Gupta, PhD, Receives Kenan Award for Teaching Excellence
Shamita Dutta Gupta, PhD, is a professor and associate chair of the Department of Mathematics on the New York City campus. She received her PhD from Brown University in 1995. Her main areas of research are number theory, actuarial science, financial mathematics, and mathematics education. She has been awarded internal and external grants and authored 30 publications. Professor Gupta is passionate about curriculum development. She has created Learning Communities in partnership with the English department, titled Crossing the Divide: The Art of Mathematical Thinking and the Science of Rhetoric, and with Women’s and Gender Studies, titled Culture and Math: The Intersectionality of Gender, Race and Class. In her service-learning calculus course, Teach and Learn Calculus, she partners with neighborhood high schools, where her students tutor high school students in algebra and pre-calculus. Recently, she launched Embedded Mini Boot Camps to identify and address students in need of immediate remediation in her calculus sequence courses. She has created special online study modules that provide custom-made remediation, promoting student success. She has been recognized for her commitment to her students with an Excellence in Teaching Award at Florida International University in 2000 and the Mathematical Association of America Metro New York Section Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2023.
Vyshali Manivannan, PhD, Receives Multiple Awards
Assistant Professor of English, Writing, and Cultural Studies Vyshali Manivannan, PhD, earned several impressive accolades. She received honorable mention for the 2023 Kairos Best Webtext Award for “Hollow Me, Hollow Me, Until Only You Remain,” published in Spark: A 4C4Equality Journal. She was also honored with the 2023-24 Computers and Composition Michelle Kendrick Outstanding Digital Production/Scholarship Award for her co-edited special issue on “Carework and Writing During COVID,” Part I and Part II, published in the Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics. Manivannan received the 2023 Technology Innovator Award, given by the Conference on College Composition and Communication Committee on Computers in Composition and Communication (7Cs), which recognizes long-term, innovative contributions to the computer and writing community that push the field regarding excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service, and which call our assumptions into question.
Professor of History and Women’s and Gender Studies Nancy Reagin, PhD, Honored as Distinguished Professor
Since receiving her PhD in History from Johns Hopkins University and joining Pace University in 1990, Professor Nancy Reagin, PhD, has made significant contributions to the academic community, shaping the trajectory of interdisciplinary studies and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. As a prominent faculty member in the departments of History and Women’s and Gender Studies, she has consistently demonstrated a profound commitment to academic excellence and institutional advancement.
Reagin also served as Interim Associate Provost for Academic Affairs from October 2017 to January 2019. During that time, she coordinated a substantial revision of the academic scheduling process, which resulted in significant improvements in classroom utilization and course capacity.
Reagin’s experience in pedagogy development and teaching has been recognized in teaching awards, including the Kenan Award for Teaching Excellence, the LGBTQ Educator of the Year Award, Pace’s Undergraduate Student-Faculty Research Initiatives Award, and two grants for curriculum development and student mentoring programs. Recently, she was granted Pace’s President’s Award for Scholarly Leave through the US Fulbright Program, spending the spring 2024 semester in Romania studying gender in fascist movements, teaching a history course and a gender studies course, and consulting on curriculum.
Professor Adelia Williams, PhD, Honored with the Joseph E. Houle Award
Professor Adelia Williams, PhD, is the recipient of the 2024 Joseph E. Houle Award, given in recognition of “Sustained Dedication, Service, and Commitment to the Society of Fellows.” Since the award was created in 1990, there have been only three previous recipients: Dean Emeritus Joseph Houle, Dean Emerita Nira Herrmann, and Professor Emerita Rebecca Martin. Inducted as a Fellow in 1991, Williams has been very engaged in the Society, serving as co-leader of the Society’s 1990 weekend seminar, as director of the Society of Fellows for four years, and on its executive board for two terms. She sponsored dozens of students for the annual meeting, and had the Fellows Class of 2013 named for her. Williams has been a true inspiration to both students and colleagues alike, and her commitment to the Society of Fellows is unmatched.
Farewell Setters
We send our best wishes to these dedicated faculty on their retirement!
Martha Driver, PhD
40 years of service
distinguished professor, English
Erna (Melanie) Dupuis, PhD
10 years of service
professor, environmental studies and science
Daniel Greenberg, PhD
34 years of service
professor, history
Beth Hart, PhD
47 years of service
professor, psychology
Eve Andrée Laramée, MFA
11 years of service
professor, art
Charles North, MA
31 years of service
poet-in-residence, English
Joshua Schwartz, PhD
23 years of service
professor, biology
Adelia Williams, PhD
35 years of service
professor, English, writing, and cultural studies