The President’s Advisory Council for Engagement (PACE) is a new initiative for SM students.  

PACE is made up of students working together, independently of their faculties, programs, and the university administration.  &Բ;

SM provides the space, time and facilitation to students to come up with their own proposal for how best to help students engage in respectful dialogue.  &Բ;

PACE will begin meeting in November 2024 and meet at least once a month until May 2025.  &Բ;

A proposal written and presented by PACE students providing recommendations to SM for encouraging respectful dialogue on campus. &Բ;

Once the PACE students present their recommendations, the university works together with students to implement them.

  Frequently Asked Questions

What is PACE?

The President’s Advisory Council for Engagement (PACE) is a new initiative for SM students. Its focus is on further strengthening our capacity for respectful dialogue, while promoting civic engagement and relationship-building across social and ideological differences. Students selected to be part of PACE will work together over the course of one academic year toward creating and presenting a proposal providing recommendations to SM for fostering respectful dialogue. As part of this endeavour, students in the initiative will participate in a series of workshops to enhance skills such as communication, conflict resolution, and problem solving.  &Բ;

Who can participate in PACE? &Բ;

PACE is an initiative for SM students – invitations to participate have been sent to a randomized selection of undergraduate and graduate students, representing 1% of the SM population. Students were asked to complete and submit a one-page form to indicate their interest.   &Բ;

What are the upshots of participating in PACE?  &Բ;

For their annual commitment to the initiative, students selected to be part of PACE will receive a $3,000 stipend, participate in tailored professional development to enhance leadership skills, and work as part of a multidisciplinary team of students to make recommendations to the President of SM.  &Բ;

Will I get credit to participate in PACE? &Բ;

PACE is not part of any course, program, or degree requirement and, therefore, participation does not count toward academic credit.  &Բ;

Who facilitates the PACE workshops?  &Բ;

To support students in PACE, SM has engaged a with extensive experience as a conflict resolution coach, mediator, speaker, and dialogue facilitator.  &Բ;

What is the level of commitment for participating in PACE?  &Բ;

Students selected to participate in PACE will engage in a commitment starting November 2024 until Summer 2025, which includes participating in one info session, a series of facilitated workshops held once per month from November to May, and working collaboratively as a cohort to produce a final proposal for SM with support from the facilitator.  

I’m interested in participating but I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it to all the meetings. &Բ;

PACE will run from November 2024 into Summer 2025 with the expectation that students participate in the monthly meetings happening in person. Every effort will be made to schedule according to the best availabilities for the group.  &Բ;

I’m interested in PACE. How do I get involved? &Բ;

Invitations to participate have been sent to a randomized selection of undergraduate and graduate students. If you received this invitation to your SM email address, then you can confirm your interest by completing and submitting the form linked in the email.  &Բ;

How are PACE participants selected? 

A committee of SM students, staff and faculty review all submissions and welcome a maximum of 15 students to participate in PACE. &Բ;

How will you make sure that the SM student community is accurately represented in PACE? &Բ;

The selection committee reviewed submissions based on the following criteria: &Բ;

  • The submission responds to the question: “What do you think is the purpose of dialogue in a university and how do you think that universities can encourage engagement across our differences?”
  • The submission demonstrates understanding of why dialogue is important. 
  • The submission addresses the importance of dialogue in the SM context.   &Բ;

Membership strives to reflect representation across disciplines, degree cycle (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, continuing studies), and social demographics. &Բ;

I have a question about PACE – who can I contact?  &Բ;

Members of the SM community with any questions about PACE can submit them using . The form is regularly monitored, and inquiries should expect a response within one or two business days.  &Բ;

Will there be a similar initiative to PACE for faculty and staff? &Բ;

PACE is an initiative for students, but other events to enrich respectful dialogue on campus for faculty and staff are planned and will be organized via Human Resources and the Academic Personnel Office. &Բ;