Pace University Holds Commencement Ceremony

From Pace University: This year’s commencement speakers and honorary degree recipients at Pace University are driving forces in business, law, and science. A total of 1,141 Westchester students walked in Pace graduation ceremonies at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels this year.

At Pace University in Pleasantville, Undergraduate Commencement was held on Thursday, May 18 at the Ann and Alfred Goldstein Health and Fitness Center at 861 Bedford Road, Pleasantville, NY.

Ingrid Burke, Dean of Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree and spoke to graduates about how they can have a positive impact on the rapid changes faced by our planet both socially and environmentally. Burke, an ecosystem ecologist whose research has focused on carbon and nitrogen cycling in dryland ecosystems, told students that while population growth and environmental changes pose some daunting challenges in the years ahead, they also present a multitude of opportunities.

“This is a unique time: Unique in all of history. You graduate today into a world that is changing more rapidly than at any other time in the history of our planet. It’s unique for the planet, and it’s unique for the United States of America and our culture and our political future. You are launching out into a world that is far less predictable, because it is changing so fast,” said Burke.

She added, “While we worry about the changes that are occurring, we recognize that smart college graduates have an unparalleled opportunity at this moment to make a difference, and to take advantage of the rapidly changing arena for careers. You will want to stay on your toes, because I’m sure that there will be job needs in the next few years and decades that we have yet to imagine.”

Burke cautioned students not to fall into the trap of partisanship, saying that there are good people across the political spectrum who care about preserving our world for future generations.

“I hope you can work to find common values, appreciate diverse perspectives, and communicate respectfully with others. I know that’s not easy, and it’s never been harder than it is now with the divisions in society, and the shouting and the social media blasts. Still – you are smart, you are strategic, you have seen respectful engagement here at Pace, you have phenomenal energy, and have shown yourselves here to be adept at your learning and engaging with teams.”

Burke earned her B.S. in Biology from Middlebury College and her Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Wyoming, and has taught at Colorado State University and the University of Wyoming. She teaches environmental science, ecosystem ecology, and biogeochemistry. Burke was the Dean of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming. She went to Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 2016. She has received over $20 million in grant support for research, and published over 150 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, books, and reports. Commencement at Pace University’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law was held on Sunday, May 14 at Pace Law School, 78 North Broadway in White Plains.

Roberta A. Kaplan, Partner in the Paul, Weiss Litigation Department, was the keynote and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Kaplan, among the nation’s premier commercial litigators, having represented an array of Fortune 100 companies, is best known for her pro bono work on civil rights and public policy matters from marriage equality to the rights of same-sex couples to adopt children to fighting so-called religious “freedom” laws that violate the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. Kaplan’s successful arguments in the landmark Supreme Court case United States v. Windsor advanced the civil rights of this generation and impacted millions of Americans by making same-sex marriage legal across the country.

Image Courtesy of Pace University