Pace Awarded $476K Mellon Grant for Environmental Justice & Humanities

Pace University was recently awarded $476,000 from the Mellon Foundation to support a three-year interdisciplinary initiative, Islands, Archipelagos, and Cultural Ecologies. The project will advance environmental justice and the environmental humanities at Pace, building on the university’s strengths in experiential learning and place-based education.

The initiative will focus on developing an institutional identity for Pace’s lower Manhattan location as an island campus in New York City while connecting with other archipelagos in relationship with the United States. Through comparative studies of the islands of New York with the US legacy in the Marshall Islands and the territory of the US Virgin Islands the program will explore themes of vulnerability, responsibility, resilience, and decolonization.

“This grant provides an extraordinary opportunity for Pace University to deepen its leadership in environmental justice and interdisciplinary scholarship,” said Pace University President Marvin Krislov. “The Mellon Foundation’s support will enable us to harness the collective expertise of our faculty and students, bridging the humanities and environmental sciences to address urgent local and global issues.”

Led by a team of Pace faculty, the initiative includes Erica Johnson PhD, associate chairperson and professor of English; Emily Welty PhD, department chairperson and associate professor of the Peace and Justice Studies program; Matthew Bolton PhD, Political Science professor; Melanie DuPuis PhD, Environmental Studies and Science emeritus professor; and Katrina Fischer Kuh, Haub Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law.

“The Mellon Foundation grant underscores the humanities’ essential role in addressing critical global challenges,” said Tresmaine R. Grimes, Ph.D., dean of the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education. “This initiative highlights Pace’s leadership in experiential humanities, empowering students to explore resilience, decolonization, and cultural ecologies through innovative, place-based learning.”

The project is motivated by Pace’s recent participation in the Climate Exchange, a multi-institution initiative addressing climate challenges, and faculty research in environmental law, justice, and humanities. It will support activities such as faculty-mentored student research, curriculum development, and public engagement projects to address issues like waterfront planning, cultural production, and nuclear justice.

“The Elisabeth Haub School of Law has long been a leader in environmental law and justice,” said Horace Anderson Jr., J.D., dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. “This initiative builds on our expertise in addressing the complex relationships between law, policy, and the environment, and it offers an unparalleled opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration.”

“These themes—climate justice, creative interventions, and decolonization—reflect the core strengths of our faculty and the mission of Pace University,” said Johnson. “This initiative will amplify Pace’s role as a leader in environmental humanities and justice.”

The initiative aligns with Pace University’s commitment to experiential learning and interdisciplinary collaboration, creating opportunities for students and faculty to explore pressing global challenges while contributing to local communities.