Pace President to Leave at End of Current Term

Pace University President Stephen J. Friedman confirmed Wednesday that he will not request reappointment at the end of his current term in June 2017.

Friedman will have served 10 years as University president upon the conclusion of his second term.

In a letter Jan. 27 to the entire Pace community, Friedman said he was pleased about the major strides Pace has made during the past nine years and the very bright future that lies ahead for the university. The process of selecting the University’s next president will begin shortly.

Friedman became the seventh president of Pace University in June 2007. He was reappointed for a second, five-year term by unanimous vote of the University’s Board of Trustees in 2011. Prior to being named president, he served for three years as dean of Pace University School of Law.

Mark Besca, Chairman of Pace University’s Board of Trustees, praised Friedman’s leadership in a statement:

“Stephen Friedman is a transformational figure who, from day one, had a keen sense of the University’s potential and a visionary plan to achieve it. Throughout two remarkable terms as president, he has demonstrated passionate advocacy for our students and worked tirelessly to position Pace for a bold and bright future.”

Text of Friedman’s letter:

Dear Friends,

I have decided not to request reappointment as President after the conclusion of my current term on June 30, 2017. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve this university that I have come to love so much for the past 12 years and for the advice and support that so many of you have provided during my presidency. As a community, we have come a very long way together in renewing and strengthening virtually every aspect of the academic, physical, and student life of Pace University, as well as its management and administration, and I am very proud of what we have achieved.

I have been fortunate to work with so many talented, dedicated and wonderful people in the administration, the faculty, the students, the staff, and the alumni. They contributed so much to what has occurred at Pace during these years and they have my deep admiration and respect.

As much as has been accomplished, more remains to be done. We now have a strong base in curriculum, strategic initiatives, faculty and administration that will be a springboard to what I firmly believe will be a truly great future for Pace University. My intention is to leave to my successor a firm foundation on which to build the next layers of growth and success for this wonderful university.

You will be hearing about the Presidential search process from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

My time at Pace as Dean of the Law School and President has been the most challenging and rewarding period of a long and varied professional life. As I reflect on the reasons for that conclusion, they come down, as do all important decisions here, to our students and our mission – to the truly magical transformation in the still unformed young men and women who enter our doors to begin a process which is embodied in the theme of Opportunitas. It has been a privilege to be part of their lives and the life of Pace University.

Sincerely yours,

Stephen J. Friedman