On Wednesday April 1, an email was sent out on behalf of the Deans for Students on both campuses and the university’s Provost, informing the Pace community about the death of Debbie Levesque. According to the email, she passed away during the week of March 29. However, her death was not Coronavirus-related.

After coming to Pace from the University of Kentucky in 1982, Levesque had worked on all three campuses in a variety of different capacities. In her most recent position, she was the assistant dean for Community Standards and Compliance since 2014. She was also a Pace alumnus, earning her Master’s degree in Counseling from the university in 1995.

Levesque was also the faculty advisor for Gamma Sigma Sigma service sorority on campus. That is how Jacqueline Bethea, junior at Pace, met and got to know her.

“[The sorority’s] whole focus is service, and no one embodied that better than Debbie,” Bethea said.

According to her, Leveque’s sense of positivity and kindness towards others was truly unmatched, she cared deeply for so many people and she would always go out of her way to help others.

“I knew if I ever was having a rough day, she was the type of person who could listen and knew the right thing to say,” Bethea said. “I’m really going to miss her so much.”

The interim Dean for Students on the Pleasantville Campus, Rachel Carpenter, has known Levesque since her first day on campus ten years ago, when she was the Director for Student Development and Campus Activities (SDCA) and Levesque was the Director of Residential Life and Housing.

“[Levesque] has always been such a wealth of knowledge, kindness and humor [on campus] . . . and my journey will not be the same without her in the Dean for Students office,” Carpenter said.

Several people have already reached out to Carpenter’s office to express their sadness or just share with her some  memories of Levesque.

“I believe her reach and impact is what makes this loss particularly difficult,” Carpenter said. “My heart will be heavy without her for a while, but I will always remember Debbie’s guidance and advice.”

Carpenter added that even though she and Levesque may not have agreed on everything all of the time, Levesque was always willing to engage in dialogue and conversation.

The Division of Student Affairs is developing ways to celebrate her life and support her family through this very difficult time.  If students, alumni or friends of Levesque would like to send messages of sympathy and condolences to her family, they are invited to send them to the care of Dean Carpenter at the following address:

The Levesque Family

C/O Rachel Carpenter

Pace University

861 Bedford Road

Pleasantville, NY

10570