One of the first of several milestones in Pace University’s transformation of its Pleasantville campus, administrators, students, faculty, staff and alumni earlier this week celebrated the grand reopening of the newly renovated and expanded Jeanette and Morris Kessel Student Center.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in the new Boudreau lounge attended by President Stephen J. Friedman and Senior Vice President and COO William J. McGrath along with donors and other members of the Pace community.
“The formal reopening of Kessel Center is both a conclusion and a beginning,” said Pace University President Stephen J. Friedman. “Years of planning and hard work come to an end and a new era of satisfaction and success for Pace students in Pleasantville begins.”
“My Pace experience was life-changing,” said James Fernandez, an alumnus and generous Pace benefactor for whom the new Fern Dining Hall is named. “It is very fulfilling to contribute in a meaningful way to the future experiences of Pace students.”
From the aesthetically pleasing façade to the expanded and contemporary interior, the new Jeanette and Morris Kessel Center is designed to serve as a hub for student activities and events on campus. The 57,000- square foot center, which has been expanded by 9,500 square feet, includes new student lounges, larger dining and servery area, a multi-purpose room, student government offices and dean’s suite. The enlarged dining area features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the heart of the campus and Choate Pond which has been environmentally restored and enhanced to include several new features and landscaping. The larger dining area will accommodate the additional students on campus who will reside in Alumni Hall which is scheduled to open in the fall.
The new Fern Dining Hall was made possible by the generous financial support of Jim and Dolores Fernandez, while the new Boudreau Lounge was made possible by donors Don and Susan Boudreau.
The reopening of the Kessel Student Center is one of the first of four major elements scheduled for completion this year as part of the transformation project to modernize and revitalize the 200-acre campus. In the fall Pace will celebrate the new Environmental Center complex, new home to Pace’s environmental programs, and Alumni Hall, the first of the news residence halls on the Pleasantville campus. A new Athletics complex is expected to also be complete in the fall. Completion of these new facilities will enable Pace to consolidate functions that are now split between campuses in Pleasantville and Briarcliff.
Photo caption:
Left to right: Adelia Williams, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs; Clare van den Blink, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer; Nira Herrmann, Dean, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences; Dolores Fernandez, Donor; James Fernandez, Donor; Stephen J. Friedman, President; William J. McGrath, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Westchester Campuses; Jennifer Bernstein, Vice President, Development and Alumni Relations