Sands College Vision and Values

Community Values


Mission Statement

The Sands College of Performing Arts’ mission is to foster a visionary and diverse community of dedicated practitioners, bold leaders, and inspirational changemakers. We cultivate individuality, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We nurture a community of courageous and empathetic artists. We are a community that is constantly reflecting, engaging, and taking action as we evolve as artists and world citizens.

Core Values

  • Integrity
  • Courage
  • Accountability
  • Inclusion
  • Collaboration
  • Curiosity
  • Individuality
  • Creativity
  • Empathy

Lead with Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

  • Ensure that diverse voices from the global majority are represented in course work, readings, and productions.
  • Encourage artistic and personal integrity through performance, pedagogy, and production.
  • Engage with respect and curiosity in challenging conversations with students, faculty, and staff.
  • Inspire open and transparent communication.

Cultivate Individuality

  • Incorporate innovative curriculum that energizes students to embrace new advances in the arts.
  • Advise students on their individual paths to achieve their goals.
  • Foster faculty and student collaboration through course work and production.
  • Provide classes that prioritize individual attention, feedback, and collaboration.

Foster Community Collaboration

  • Create opportunities for faculty-to-faculty, faculty-to-student, and student-to-student mentorship.
  • Inspire cross-program experiences that allow students to investigate other disciplines.
  • Cultivate networking opportunities through alumni and industry relationships.
  • Engage with the university community through interdisciplinary projects and curriculum.
  • Partner with local downtown arts organizations to further support the growth and health of performing arts in New York City.

Inspire Courage and Bravery

  • Push boundaries and develop new works to ensure that we stay cutting-edge.
  • Inspire a willingness to risk failure and be open to new ideas.
  • Examine, reflect on, and actively question our biases.
  • Challenge our students to investigate the social, political, economic, and cultural contexts of the works we explore.

Promote Mentorship and Empathy Between Students and Faculty

  • Actively create a professional and academic space that is safe, inclusive, and equitable.
  • Promote a healthy balance between academics and life.
  • Develop supportive relationships and networks within the school and university.
  • Build a network of alumni and industry professionals that creates connections for students and faculty.

Land Acknowledgement

The Sands College of Performing Arts at Pace University acknowledges it stands on the unceded land of the Munsee Lenape people. We pay respect to the elders, past and present. We acknowledge the truth of violence perpetrated in the name of this country and make a commitment to uncovering that truth. Since our activities are often shared digitally, we also consider the legacy of colonization embedded within the technology, structures, and ways of thinking we use every day. We are also conscious that New York City has the largest urban Native population in the United States. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. Let this acknowledgement serve as an ongoing reminder to remember, honor, recognize, and reconcile with the Indigenous people whose lands we benefit from today. This statement is one small step in acknowledging the history that brought us to reside on the land and to help us seek understanding of our place within that history. For more information on the Lenape community and its history, visit the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribe website.