Dr. William G. Sharwell, fourth President of Pace University, was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1920. A graduate of Bloomfield High School, he received a B.A. degree in accounting from Seton Hall University in 1941 before joining the accounting firm of Brief, Linn and Brief in Newark. During World War 11, Dr. Sharwell was a fingerprint analyst for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Following the war, from 1945 until 1950, he was a faculty member and department chairman at Seton Hall University. While at Seton Hall, Dr. Sharwell earned an M.B.A. in Accounting and Finance at New York University. In 1952 he received an M.B.A. in Administration from Harvard, University and in 1960 Harvard awarded him a D.C.S. in Corporation Finance. Dr. Sharwell's long and distinguished career at Bell and AT&T had begun in the meantime.

     Commencing in 1953 when he joined the Personnel Department of Bell Telephone Laboratories, Dr. Sharwell quickly advanced through a series of increasingly demanding positions at Bell Labs and AT&T where he became Personnel Research Supervisor in 1955. After serving as Director of College Employment at AT&T from 1959 until 1961, Dr. Sharwell became Division Manager and subsequently General Manager of New York Telephone's Northern Area in Upstate New York. In 1962 he was appointed Gowal Manager of New York Telephone in Westchester. From 1965 until 1966 a series of Vice Presidencies followed and in 1971 Dr. Sharwell became Executive Vice President of Operations of the New York Telephone Company. Five years later, he joined AT&T as Vice President of Planning and Administration. In 1980 he became Vice President of Staff, and two years later as Vice President of Divestiture Implementation and Staff, he played an important role in the reorganization of the world's largest corporation. Before retiring from AT&T to join Pace in 1984, Dr. Sharwell was named, Senior Vice President-Staff.

     Hardly a newcomer to either Pace or the management of higher education when he was named President of Pace University in 1994, Dr. Sharwell had served on the University's Board of Trustees since 1973 and was Chairman of the Board since 1983. He had also been a trustee of Westchester Community College. As Pace President from 1984 and President and Chief Executive Officer from 1987 until 1990, Dr. Sharwell applied his considerable business expertise to stabilizing enrollment and funding both existing and new programs. The Graduate Center in downtown White Plains was completed during his tenure. Graduate law programs were expanded and the University's newest component, the School of Computer Science and Information Systems, achieved international recognition. Despite the considerable attainments, Dr. Sharwell will probably be best remembered for his unwavering support of student activities, ranging from theatrical productions to proms. Above all, he was a sports fan who rarely missed games of Pace's men's and women’s championship basketball teams. A strong supporter of feminism, Dr. Sharwell served on the board of the National Organization for Women Legal Defense and Education Fund both before and during his tenure as Pace CEO. During his years at Pace he was also co-chairman of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Leisure time activities include collecting and flying unusual kites, producing videotapes and films and enjoying music, especially jazz.

     The creativity exhibited by Dr. Sharwell in his avocational pursuits was reminiscent of Homer and Robert Pace's strong interest in photography. Dr. Sharwell's abiding concern for the institution he headed for six years was also in keeping with the example set, by previous Pace Presidents. In an interview with, the Pace Press a year before his retirement from the University, Dr. Sharwell spoke about the Pace tradition and the institution's special niche in higher education. "You know," he said, "there are eighty universities in New York, but wherever I go people come up to me and say ‘my kids go to Pace,’ or 'my uncle went to Pace’,' or 'I work with Pace people.' This university touches an awful lot of lives; and it touches them very well. Pace is a human institution that serves a great purpose very well" (Pace Press, May 11, 1989, P. 8.).