Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

"CCAR changed my entire life," said Kerriann Stout '09, '13, Modern Languages and Cultures, JD. For the past 25 years, The Center for Community Action and Research has been transforming the lives of members of the Pace University community—like Stout's. "I don't think I would have changed my minor to political science or gone to law school if it weren't for CCAR," said Stout, who was a founding pa ner of the immigration law firm Darian Stout, LLC, and now works for Vinco, an organization that helps prepare aspiring lawyers for law school and the bar exam. Stout's journey with CCAR has come full circle—as an adjunct professor at Pace, she teaches a civic engagement course in political science that pa ners with CCAR for the community-based learning component of the course. "You can't help but be proud when you work with someone as a student and they become a future colleague," said CCAR's Director Heather A. Novak '05, MPA. "There are so many stories like that at Pace." Novak has worked at Pace since 1999—nearly as long as the Center has been in existence. She began teaching civic engagement courses in 2006 and was promoted to CCAR director in 2019. "The impact of CCAR's work over the past qua er century cannot be understated," said Dyson College of A s and Sciences and School of Education Dean Tresmaine R. Grimes, PhD. "The Center's tireless commitment to serving our surrounding communities and providing life-changing oppo unities for our students makes it one of Dyson's distinctive hallmarks." The Center for Community Action and Research: Changing Lives for 25 Years and Counting For a qua er century, CCAR has been the cornerstone of civic engagement and experiential learning at Pace. VIA PACE (Volunteers in Action; the original name for CCAR) is founded under Dyson College Dean Charles Masiello's leadership with suppo from a Learn and Serve Grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service. (Pictured: Students volunteering in 2002.) Under Pace University President Patricia Ewers, Pace becomes a founding member of Campus Compact, "a national coalition of colleges and universities commi ed to the public purposes of higher education." CCAR TIMELINE Since its founding in 1997, the Center for Community Action and Research (originally VIA PACE) has continued to evolve in its commitment to advancing civic engagement for the entire Pace community. D Y S O N Y E A R I N R E V I E W 2 0 2 1 – 2 0 2 2 10 1 9 9 7 1 9 9 8

• Cover