UNITED NATIONS MILLENNIUM FELLOWS NAMED

Arecord number of 30 Pace University students have been accepted into the 2023 class of the United Nations Academic Impact and Millennium Campus Network Fellowship Program. In this semester-long leadership program focused on making a social impact, students convene with the cohort of fellows from their institution to lead projects that advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals — a list of 17 objectives focusing on areas such as social justice, sustainability, poverty, equity, education and economic growth. 

While leading projects on their own campuses and in their own communities, students in the program also collaborate with fellows at peer institutions around the world, creating a global network of students working toward a better world by addressing problems facing societies around the globe.

One of Pace University’s teams is the Blue CoLab’s Right-to-Know H2O team, which is comprised of 6 students from Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Services, Lubin School of Business, and the School of Education. Blue CoLab’s focus is better water quality and the ability of people to know the quality of their drinking water. 

Under the guidance of Professor John Cronin, their project includes a three-step action plan: petition the U.N. to add right-to-know water quality to its Sustainability Development Goals; propose an amendment to the federal Safe Drinking Water Act spurring the technological innovations that will guarantee the public’s right-to-know water quality; and develop a campus information system that will deliver timely information to the Pace community about their drinking water quality.

“People should be informed of the quality of their water before they drink it,” said Meryl Mizell, Right-to-Know H2O team coordinator and computer science major at the Seidenberg School of CSIS. “Because they are not, tens of millions are made ill, and some even die. Our team’s job is to advocate for the innovations that will make the public’s right to know the quality of their drinking water a reality.”

Sue Maxam, Ed.D., assistant provost for special programs and retention and Pace Millennium Fellow liaison, notes that the university’s largest-ever cohort represents Pace’s different colleges, “demonstrating the breadth and depth of our talent pool.” 

The Millennium Fellowship program set its own record this year, as over 44,000 students applied for the program, and those accepted hail from more than 260 campuses across 38 nations. A graduation ceremony will be held on Friday, Nov. 17.