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Rise Up! Cultivating a Diverse Vision of Resilience

The yearly Institute for Teaching and Learning (ITL) promotes faculty excellence through dialogue with others throughout the University, encouraging collaboration from all disciplines and levels.

This year’s ITL celebrates a diverse vision of our resilience during a challenging time and provides the opportunity to share how we have risen through these difficulties to highlight positive outcomes, featuring three keynote addresses:

Tuesday, May 17 | Cultivating Wellness

Keynote Speaker: Estela Lugo will highlight her work as a disabilities advocate and provide attendees a motivational perspective on wellness and the forces that drive us to find purpose.

Wednesday, May 18 | Cultivating Career Resilience

Keynote Speaker: Laura Tamman, a veteran political strategist who has advised hundreds of candidates, brings her expertise in ways to support the ���ҹ����� Community in shining a positive light on our work from a more public perspective.

Thursday, May 19 | Cultivating a Resilient Vision of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice

Keynote Speaker: Bryan Dewsbury, PhD, will discuss his team’s research projects that investigate the social context of teaching and learning, as well as his work helping faculty transforming their practice pertaining to inclusive education.

Call for Proposals

Consistent with the theme of cultivating a diverse vision of resilience, this call for proposals invites interactive workshops and presentations that address any of the following topics:

• Wellness and how success is defined. What have you done to improve your own wellness and the wellness of members of the ���ҹ����� Community?
• Addressing wellness during the pandemic or other stressful events.
• Sharing scholarship publicly in formats beyond traditional academic journal articles.
• Advancing your career: What is successful for you, how do you define success?
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Success: How have you created DEIJ success, how have you defined this success, what were the outcomes, what can we still do?
• How have you changed the definition of success in light of the pandemic?
• How have you changed the definition of resilience in light of the pandemic?

Submit Your Proposal

Please use this link to . Your proposal should be 150-words describing a 45-minute session that demonstrates innovative and unconventional efforts that faculty, staff, and/or students can use to advance the ITL’s overall theme of a diverse vision of resilience. If you have any questions, please email facultycenter@pace.edu.

The deadline to submit a proposal for ITL is Sunday, February 27. Responses to proposals will be sent out by March 31.

Julian Alston ’18 values his tight knit-community at ���ҹ����� Pleasantville—a smaller university setting full of unique opportunities and experiences in the heart of a campus that has fostered his immense pride for ���ҹ�����.

My favorite thing about being a ���ҹ����� student is the diversity of my campus. Pleasantville is smaller but it still feels big because of all the different people we have here from across the country and the world.

As a junior, Alston has already explored a wide range of organizations, internships, and job opportunities on campus to help him reach his goal of leaving a positive legacy on the Pleasantville Campus.

He currently serves as Student Government Association (SGA) Vice President of Administration, he is a mentor in the African American, Latino, Asian, and Native American (AALANA) program, and he is a member of the Lambda Sigma National Honor Society, the Urban Male Initiative, and the Black Student Union.

After getting elected to SGA and considering ways he could positively impact the community, Alston realized there was a need for better transportation to help make getting around the community easier and safer, he says.

“I want to leave my mark in a positive way and have my community taken care of,” he says. “On campus, there are a lot of parking and driving issues, so I thought, is there a possibility to have a partnership with Lyft?”

Instead of driving your own car, waiting for a bus, or calling a cab, Lyft users can request a ride through an app on their phone and be taken to their destination by a local driver in a matter of minutes—providing an easier way for students to go to and from the airport, bars, grocery store, and more.

He pioneered and pitched an idea for a partnership between Lyft and ���ҹ����� through which students would be able to score special discounts and Lyft would provide more drivers in “hotspots”—popular pick up and drop off locations such as Shoprite in Pleasantville and Grand Central in NYC.

“I want to keep my campus safe, and I know the NYC Campus could really benefit from it too,” Alston says.

As a Lyft Campus Ambassador, he executes marketing campaigns on the Pleasantville Campus and the New York metropolitan area and works closely with the Lyft NYC headquarters. He says he is hoping for a launch of the partnership in the near future on both campuses.

His skill for navigating the business world landed him an internship at the global headquarters of Comcast in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a summer business operations and strategy analyst. In his role, he oversaw national supply chain and logistics flow, worked with five warehouses across the country, participated in brand strategy, reconciled financial statements, and managed the upkeep of weekly financial reports.

“The most useful tip I learned at this internship was my networking skills—I learned that your network is net worth,” Alston says. “I have taken many of the lessons I have learned at my internships and applied them into real life situations, such as how to carry one’s self in a business-like setting.”

When he is not working 10 hours per week in the SGA office or working 16 hours per week at his two on-campus jobs at the College of Health Professions Center of Excellence and the Goldstein Fitness Center, he is building connections that will continue to lift him toward success.

“The best part is connecting with professors and the relationships I have with my advisors and my managers at my three on-campus jobs,” Alston says. “���ҹ����� is a great community—it feels like a home away from home. You can’t find that at a lot of universities.”

In a to the ���ҹ����� Community, Executive Director of Emergency Management and Environmental Health and Safety Brian Anderson shared updated guidance regarding health and safety as we return to campus.

Here are the most important things you need to know about what to expect for the Spring 2022 semester:

Remote Learning

• ���ҹ����� will begin the semester as planned on Monday, January 24. However, we will conduct the first two weeks of classes remotely, through Sunday, February 6.
  • At Haub Law, the semester begins on January 18 and classes will begin meeting in-person on January 31.
• Some programs with necessary in-person components will continue in-person, and clinical experiences and other off-site activities may continue, depending on the procedures at the sponsoring institution. Your faculty or staff will contact you with information on whether your in-person activities will continue.
• Communication is key, so please continue to check your ���ҹ����� email for communications from instructors, students, etc.

Masking

• Masks will continue to be required in all public indoor spaces on campus (e.g., classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, lounges, common areas, libraries) and on ���ҹ����� transportation. Face coverings are strongly recommended outdoors when distance cannot be maintained.
• Due to the Omicron variant’s exceptional transmissibility, we recommend wearing high-quality, well-fitting masks, such as KN95s, or double-masking.
  • Using a cloth mask over a disposable mask improves the fit and adds layers.

Booster Requirement

• As we have previously announced, anyone coming to a ���ҹ����� campus will be required to be both vaccinated and boosted once they are eligible (subject to approved medical and religious exemptions).
• If someone is not eligible to receive a booster yet, they may still return to campus. Members of the ���ҹ����� Community have 30 days after they become eligible to receive their vaccine booster and upload proof to the .
• To continue to access campus, you must upload a record of your booster within 30 days of when you become eligible. You will not receive a confirmation email for loading your booster record; instead, we will randomly audit booster records to ensure compliance.
• We recognize there may be extenuating circumstances, including for international students who did not receive their initial vaccine in the United States, and we will issue extensions where appropriate. You may apply for an extension via the beginning January 17.
• If you have already received an approved medical or religious exemption for ���ҹ�����’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement, you do not need to apply for a separate exemption to the booster.
• If your healthcare provider has determined that you should defer the booster to a later date, you must apply for a temporary medical extension with supporting documentation from your healthcare provider. Complete the medical extension request found on our Immunization page and upload it to the .

Testing

• We strongly encourage everyone returning to campus to take a COVID-19 test within 72 hours before returning to campus. If you test positive with a new infection, please complete your isolation period before coming to campus.
  • If you test positive, you MAY NOT come to campus until you have completed a period of isolation, 5 days if asymptomatic, or 10 days if demonstrating symptoms. If a fever persists after 10 days, you should contact your healthcare provider or University Health Care for more guidance.
  • People with a history of COVID-19 may continue to test positive on a PCR test within 90 days of their initial infection. It is recommended that you take a rapid antigen test to determine if you have a new, active infection.
• We will not require entry tests for residential students, but we continue to strongly encourage a negative test before arrival, and all students will be part of the community testing program.
• Community testing will begin the week of January 17. Once again, we are requiring weekly testing for certain communities (including those exempted from the vaccine requirement and certain high-risk groups) and a randomly selected sample of the population coming to campus. For the first two weeks of the semester, we will randomly test 20 percent of our on-campus community.
  • As a reminder, any member of our community can participate in community testing if they wish.

Positive Tests Over Break

• If you had COVID-19 over winter break, please by January 17.
• Those who had COVID-19 will be excluded from our community testing program for 90 days after their illness.

Residence Halls and Campus Life

• The residence halls are open, and students may begin moving in on the weekend of January 22; however, returning to the residence halls during the two weeks of remote instruction is not required.
  • An email was sent by Residential Life to all residential students so that they may schedule their move-in.
  • Please note that at this time, our Visitor Policy from Fall 2021 will continue. No guests or visitors will be permitted in the residence halls. That means only students assigned to live in a space should be in that space. No other ���ҹ����� students (residential or commuter) or outside guests are permitted.
• Dining halls will be open starting January 23, with full service. On the Haub Law Campus, dining service will be grab-and-go only until January 30 when full-service will resume. See the hours and menus.
• On-campus events will continue, but with 50 percent capacity limits. For the safety of everyone, no food will be served at in-person events. See what’s on the schedule.
• ���ҹ�����’s libraries will be open for use starting Tuesday, January 18. You can see this semester’s online.
• ���ҹ�����’s main gym and fitness facilities will be open for use as they were during the Fall 2021 semester. The fitness centers inside our residence halls will be closed for the start of the spring semester. Additionally, on the Pleasantville Campus, there have been updates to ���ҹ�����’s .

Isolation Protocols for Residential Students

Due to the limited availability of designated isolation spaces, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to place students who test positive for COVID-19 in a designated isolation space on campus.

• Students who test positive, whether at the start of the semester or at a later point, will be required to go home to complete their isolation if they live within 150 miles of campus and it is possible for them to do so. If it becomes necessary for you to isolate on campus, be aware that:
  • We cannot guarantee where you will complete your isolation period. Students may be transported to another campus to complete their isolation, and may even need to isolate off campus, which will be coordinated by the University.
  • Our isolation process separates you from others who are not COVID-19 positive, but it does NOT guarantee that you will complete your isolation period alone. Students who isolate in designated isolation spaces on campus should expect to share those spaces with other students who have tested positive.

Quarantine Protocols for Residential Students

In addition to isolation for those who test positive for COVID-19, some students, per the criteria below, will be required to quarantine. As with isolation, students who live within 150 miles of campus will be required to quarantine at home, if possible. Students who quarantine on campus may be required to quarantine in their own room, or in a designated space with other students who are required to quarantine.

• Students who are vaccinated and eligible for a booster but who have NOT received a booster, AND who are exposed to a positive case of COVID-19, will be required to quarantine for 5 days (from the date of exposure) and will need to test again after day 5.
• Students who are NOT vaccinated, AND who are exposed to a positive case of COVID-19, will be required to quarantine for 10 days (from the date of exposure), and will need to test after day 5.
• In cases where a student is fully vaccinated and boosted, and they are exposed to a positive case, they will NOT need to quarantine, but they should wear face covering in all settings and take a COVID-19 test between 5 and 7 days after exposure.

Welcome to the Spring 2022 semester, and welcome to ���ҹ����� Now.

This new year isn’t kicking off as we’d all hoped. We’re saddened to see Omicron surging, and we’re disappointed to be returning in a time of heightened precautions.

But I know that we’re also charging forward at ���ҹ�����, and making positive changes for our students, our campuses, and our community. Our move to remote learning for the first two weeks of the semester will help us de-densify our campuses to keep people safe, even while allowing for some parts of normal college life to resume.

We’re welcoming a big new group of spring semester students—on top of the biggest incoming class in years that joined us in the fall.

We’re moving ahead on ���ҹ����� Forward, our powerful new Strategic Plan, identifying opportunities for new and interdisciplinary investment that will serve our students, our community, and local employers. ���ҹ����� Forward is guiding us as we embrace changes in the worlds of education and work so that we can continue delivering on our historic mission of Opportunitas.

Later today we’re holding a Community Conversation for staff and faculty, to keep everyone updated on everything going on at ���ҹ�����, including our return-to-campus plans. And next month, on February 14, I’ll be delivering the annual State of the University address to the full ���ҹ����� Community, going into detail about where ���ҹ����� stands today and where we’re headed. This year I’ll speak from Pleasantville, livestreamed to all three campuses.

It makes me proud, humble, and grateful to be part of this community.

I spent our recent break exploring some of the many things there are to do in and around our campuses. Thanks to our ever-changing weather, I got to see the year’s first snowfall in Central Park one day, while I played tennis in Riverside Park on another. I visited the home of the great American painter Edward Hopper right across the river from our Westchester campuses in Nyack, and (with my vaccine card, booster, and proper distance!) I tried out new restaurants in Lower Manhattan.

As I reflected on the semester we ended, and have watched the new one taking shape, I remain so appreciative of the extraordinary effort so many here at ���ҹ����� make every day, especially during these unpredictable times. It makes me proud, humble, and grateful to be part of this community.

I hope you were able to relax during the break, too, and I hope you’re as excited as I am to be back. We’re a strong and resilient community. And we’re going to have a great semester.

Science class.

For some of us, it may conjure up memories of vinegar-and-baking soda volcanoes or the oft-repeated and meme-worthy phrase: the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

But for the School of Education students in Linda Carlson’s Science Methods class, science class has taken on a whole new meaning. They spent last semester investigating methods and approaches for developing an integrated science curriculum for elementary school students.

“The purpose of the endangered species project was three-fold,” explains Professor Carlson. “It was a chance to learn about endangered species as a culminating unit of classwork, it was an opportunity for students to display their creativity, and lastly, it was multi-layered.”

“Science is a fantastic part of a child's education, and a science curriculum that develops these skills will create lifelong learners that are curious about the world around them.”

Students in Professor Carlson’s class chose an endangered animal to research, then produced a 3D project with important facts about their animal and wrote a persuasive letter from the point of view of their chosen animal. The project culminated with the development of a rubric that would be used to grade each component of this elementary-level science project.

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“Students learn different skills in science, such as how to speak and write like a scientist. They also learn how to conduct research and experiments,” says SOE student Sara Birdsall ‘22, who focused her project on the Steller sea lion. “Science is a fantastic part of a child's education, and a science curriculum that develops these skills will create lifelong learners that are curious about the world around them.”

For SOE student Sasha Sackichand ‘23, the project was a way for her to explore her creative side and connect more deeply with the experiences she had as an elementary school student. For her project, she chose the pangolin and created a model with wire, modeling clay, and individually applied cardboard scales.

“After learning more about integrating a science curriculum into elementary school classrooms, I definitely do appreciate the science projects I completed in elementary school,” Sasha says. “I did not realize their significance at the time, but now I recognize how each project expanded my understanding of scientific inquiry.”

“Children are naturally curious about the world and want to learn more about their discoveries."

Introducing future teachers to the theories and methods used to learn, teach, and assess science and technology in the elementary school and show how investigative science can be used to answer questions and solve problems is critical for preparing future educators.

“Children are naturally curious about the world and want to learn more about their discoveries. Having a solid science curriculum fosters this curiosity by having them learn and make connections through scientific inquiry,” says Sasha. “The skills involved in the science curriculum can also be translated into more advanced abilities, such as conducting and writing about research.”

Through these innovative teaching methods, both future educators and elementary students alike will be able to continue to explore the sciences in an effective and impactful way. Science education will most certainly not end with the baking soda volcano.

Professor Josh Galperin joined the faculty of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at ���ҹ����� in 2021. He teaches Contracts, Environmental Skills, and Administrative Law. Professor Galperin also was in a band, likes to bake, and has great advice for law students – learn more in this candid student-led interview.

Can you tell me about your recent work?

I like my work to have two aspects: scholarship and practical projects. In my scholarship, I like to develop baseline arguments for why governments or policies should work in certain ways. My work on harmonic or administrative democracy falls mostly into the scholarship bucket. With this work, I’m exploring the idea that democracy is about more than just voting and elections. Democracy has a bunch of moving parts. My practical projects are typically government oriented. One example is with the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS). I’m looking into regulatory notice and the ways agencies give notice of what they’re doing. This relates to my scholarship because it can affect how people participate in democracy, whether that participation be through voting or engaging with rulemaking, for example. Another example of my practical work is the Farm Bill Law Enterprise, farmbilllaw.org, of which Professor Margot Pollans and I are founding members and Professor Jon Brown is also a member. Started in 2017, FBLE offers insights and proposals from legal scholars for the farm bill well in advance of the legislative debate. We try to put out reports to help congress ahead of time. This also relates to my administrative democracy work, as I am incorporating just, equitable, and inclusive governance in the farm bill context.

How did you become interested in the law?

My dad was a lawyer and he loved his job, but he was a litigator. The schools I went to instilled the importance of the governance process. My dad was non-stop work, so I knew I didn’t want that aspect of law and early on I was interested in policy. I either wanted to run for office or become a professor.

I see your scholarship covers many types of law. What led you to research in all these areas?

I don’t think it’s that diverse. My theme is the core issue of how we structure law so people can participate in the governance process.

Food and ag, Conservation, Human health and the Environment,

Land Use and the Environment – the theme can run through anything!

How has your Master’s degree from the Yale School of the Environment helped with your career in environmental law? Would you recommend the joint program to students?

Yes! It has helped me enormously.

The first reason I recommend it is totally superficial – a degree from Yale looks good on a resume. Although superficial, it’s real and it’s valuable, especially for students who want to leave the normal orbit of their school. For example, I went to Vermont Law School. It helped me get attention outside of Vermont. I moved to Tennessee after school.

The second reason is that law school is very individualistic; it is a good way to think like a lawyer. But that’s not how the world works in any field. It’s not how you will use the tools you learn in law school. The Yale MEM teaches students how to practice in any environmental discipline because everything there is both collaborative and interdisciplinary - that represents the real world more than law school alone.

Do you have any advice for students interested in environmental law?

Don’t feel like you have to over-commit to environmental classes or know everything there is to know about environmental law in law school. Focus on building the infrastructure for working while you're in law school. Find opportunities to do interdisciplinary work. Get involved in clubs. Do some non-legal work. Be curious. Ask why do people you disagree with have different opinions? Curiosity is about having lots of questions all the time. Also, don’t be afraid to be excited about things. The goal should be energy and excitement, not getting the grade or the job.

Don’t feel like you have to over-commit to environmental classes or know everything there is to know about environmental law in law school. Focus on building the infrastructure for working while you're in law school. Find opportunities to do interdisciplinary work. Get involved in clubs. Do some non-legal work. Be curious.

Can you tell me about a non-academic interest or hobby you have that you’d be willing to share?

Two things – baking and drumming.

I love cooking and baking. I am both enthusiastic about them and good at them. However, I’m patient, so I’m better at baking. It also allows me to have some space from my kids. I donated a baking lesson at Pitt, the last school I taught at, for a fundraiser. The winner and I made babka.

I was in a band, I was a drummer. I even played drums at my wedding for a song. I had a cameo for La Bomba. My groomsmen were in my band. I am hoping to be the Recess Appointments drummer.

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Gabriella Mickel, a 2023 JD Candidate at Haub Law, authored this faculty Q&A. Gabriella is a Land Use & Haub Scholar, the President of the Environmental Law Society, a Junior Associate on ���ҹ����� Environmental Law Review, and on the E-Board for NLG, Lambda, and ACS. Outside of school, she owns three sports supplement stores and is the co-editor of the Law Student Corner section of the NYSBA EELS Journal.