W W W . P A C E . E D U / D Y S O N
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Living, Learning,
and Serving Together
For Dyson Scholars in Residence, unconventional residence life
fosters academics and community outreach.
L aunched in fall 2017 on the Pleasantville campus, the Dyson Scholars in
Residence (DSIR) program is a yearlong living-learning community experience.
It's the first program of its kind at Pace and reflects a national movement
that reconsiders the traditional paradigm of education. DSIR participants
room together in a dedicated block of suites, take two classes together, and
collaborate on a community service project.
The goal is to promote student retention and foster a sense of
community by developing students' commitment to each other, their faculty
mentors, and the larger community. For example, Associate Professor of
English Jane Collins, the program's creator and director, teaches in the student
lounge rather than a four-walled classroom. In addition, through a collaboration
with Westchester's Successful Learning Center, participants mentored and
connected with college-aged students with developmental disabilities during
a weekly poetry workshop. It culminated in a community poetry reading and a
published book of student poems.
