Welcome to the Fall 2022 semester, and welcome to what is shaping up to be our first post-pandemic academic year at Pace University.
I hope I’ll see you at our Welcome Back celebrations coming up in the next few weeks. We’ll be at the Kessel Student Center in Pleasantville for Common Hour on Monday, September 12, and at the One Pace Plaza Student Center in New York City for Common Hour on Tuesday, September 20. (Plans are in development for Haub Law.) Expect food, music, and a chance to catch up with University leaders, faculty and staff, and your fellow students.
But now I want to welcome some important new student-facing leaders who started at Pace over the summer.
Joseph R. Franco, PhD, is serving as our interim provost. Many of you already know Dr. Franco as a longtime professor in the Psychology and Mental Health Counseling Department on the Pleasantville Campus. Vanya Quiñones, PhD, our former provost, has moved on to be president of Cal State Monterey Bay, and we wish her all the best there. Dr. Franco, who was previously associate provost for academic affairs, will lead all our efforts to drive academic success as we launch a national search for a new provost.
Jeffrey A. Barnett, PhD, joined Pace as our new vice president for student affairs and dean for students. He most recently served as interim associate dean of students at Stony Brook University. He’ll work together with our excellent student affairs team, including senior associate dean Todd Smith-Bergollo and associate dean Alerie Tirsch, to make sure our students are supported and engaged as they pursue their studies.
I know you’ll find Provost Franco and Dean Barnett dedicated leaders committed to helping you succeed.
I also must announce the departure of our chief diversity officer and associate vice president for diversity and inclusion, Tiffany S.W. Hamilton. Ms. Hamilton has accepted an important new role as CEO of the YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester. In her three years at Pace, she built a new and vibrant DEI organization at Pace, and she became a valued and deeply respected member of our community. We are sad to see her leave us, but we are excited for the opportunity in front of her. We will announce interim leadership for the DEI division soon.
As you settle into the new year, I want to ask each of you to do your part to take care of yourselves and take care of our community. Make sure you are up-to-date with your COVID-19 boosters—the new covalent booster, protecting against both omicron strains and the original virus, is available in the New York region, with appointments readily available at pharmacy chains like CVS and Duane Reade/Walgreens and at your healthcare providers.
I’m looking forward to embarking on this new year together, and I hope I’ll see you at the Welcome Back celebrations.
