ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ

Deep Dive

A Timeline of Transformation

Posted
March 25, 2026
Archival image of the groundbreaking of One Pace Plaza

Homer St. Clair Pace and his brother Charles Ashford Pace founded ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ in 1906 with a mission to provide high-quality accounting education and prepare students for the rigorous New York CPA examination. Starting with just a $600 loan, a rented classroom in lower Manhattan, and a class of 13 students, the Pace brothers built an institution grounded in practical business education. Over time, their vision expanded beyond accounting to include a broader academic structure, ultimately evolving into a degree-granting college and, later, a full-fledged university recognized for its professional and experiential learning focus.

Pace Through the Years

1906 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” Pace School of Accountancy founded
Thirteen students. One rented room. A belief that opportunity could be taught. From those first lessons, generations of Pace alumni stepped forward ready to make their mark.

A 1916 Pace Institute classroom
A look inside a Pace Institute classroom in 1916

1933 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” Institute reorganized into three professional schools
As the world of business grew more complex, so did Pace. The curriculum evolved, and so did its graduatesÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ”adaptable, ambitious, and always a step ahead.

A black and white photo of a Pace classroom from 1930
Secretarial and typing students practice their craft in 1930.

1948 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” Pace gains degree-granting status (BBA)
A defining moment. Pace becomes a college, and its students become graduates with credentials that opened doorsÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ”and kept opening them for decades to come.

A Pace student from the 1940s stands near a sign advertising a coffee bar
Some things never change, coffee was powering student success even back in 1948.

1950 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” Launch of liberal arts programs (future Dyson College)
Not just careers, but perspectives. Pace expands into the liberal arts, shaping thinkers, creators, and alumni whose impact reaches far beyond any single field.

ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ's 1950 Commencement
The class of 1950 celebrated their Commencement at the iconic Waldorf Astoria.

1963 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” Pace expands to Westchester
Following a gift from Helen and Wayne Marks, Pace expands to Westchester with the addition of the Pleasantville Campus.

1963 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ Westchester students
These 1963 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ students took full advantage of being a two-campus university with a 50 mile hike between both locations.

1966 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” Nursing School founded (Later named Lienhard School)
A different kind of calling takes root. Compassion meets expertise, and Pace alumni begin changing lives not just through work, but through care.

Nursing students in 1967 celebrate the holidays together on the Westchester Campus.
Nursing students in 1967 celebrate the holidays together on the Westchester Campus.

1966 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” Pace breaks ground downtown
Pace makes a permanent mark in New York City's financial district as it breaks ground on the site that would later be called One Pace Plaza.

Archival photos of One Pace Plaza models
From a one-room accountancy school to becoming a major permanent landmark in the heart of New York City.

1973 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” Pace becomes a university
The name changes. The momentum does not. ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ emerges, carrying forward a legacy its alumni continue to define every day.

ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ physics students in 1970
As students like these in a 1970 physics class pushed boundaries, university accreditation was inevitable.

1976 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” Law School established (now the Elisabeth Haub School of Law)
New voices enter the conversation. Pace graduates rise as advocates, negotiators, and defenders, shaping law, policy, and the future.

Pace president Ewers and others wear hard hats at the Haub Law groundbreaking
Law School Dean Richard L. Ottinger, Trustee Aniello (Neil) Bianco ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™61, and Pace President Patricia Ewers breaks ground for new facilities at the Haub Law Campus in the early 1990s.

1983 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” Computer science programs consolidated (foundation of Seidenberg)
Before the digital age had a name, Pace was already there. Alumni stepped into a world being built in real timeÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ”and helped build it.

An excerpt from a Pace yearbook showing a computer conference
Pace was already leading as a computer science expert, as evidenced by this excerpt from the 1976 yearbook showing Pace's first computer conference.

2003 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” Pforzheimer Honors College established
A community for those who ask more, push further, and expect better. A place where PaceÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™s most driven students become alumni who lead with purpose.

ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ honors students work and study together
This image from 2014 shows a glimpse into the life of PforzheimerHonors College students.

2014 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” Pace School of Performing Arts established
The spotlight finds Pace. On stage and on screen, alumni bring stories to life, carrying their training into moments seen and felt around the world.

ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ performing arts students gather around a piano
Before its official founding in 2014, the Pace School of Performing Arts was already taking shapeÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ”captured here in 2012.

2023 ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ” PPA becomes Sands
A gift from Pamela and Rob Sands, JD ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ™84, establishes the Sands College of Performing Arts as Pace's newest college.

Professor April Bartlett in the workshop with a Pace student.
At Sands, faculty are active creative professionals committed to sharing real-world insight with their students.

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Collage featuring headshots of sixteen different Pace alumni.
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Alumni Who Lead

For 120 years, ÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ graduates have shaped industries, influenced public life, and pushed innovation forward. From a U.S. Secretary of the Navy to Olympic medalists, global health leaders, and cultural trailblazers, explore the alumni whose impact tells the story of PaceÌÇÐÄvlog¶ÌÊÓƵ”past, present, and future.

Artistic blend of a vintage 1938 photo of the Pace Library remixed with a current photo of students studying in One Pace Plaza.
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Learning to Shape the World

In 1906, with a $600 loan and a single rented classroom on Park Row, Homer Pace launched an entrepreneurial idea that would become a model for the future of higher education.