What does it mean to lead a life of purpose?
The Center for Leadership and Emotional Intelligence, housed in Pace University’s Lubin School of Business, just completed its inaugural program designed to help students answer that question.
The six-session, non-credit initiative merges the science of happiness with leadership education. Created in partnership with Harvard professor and Kennedy School professor Arthur Brooks, who also runs the Leadership and Happiness Laboratory, the program teaches students to lead with purpose, resilience, and self-awareness.
Ipshita Ray, PhD, the academic lead for the initiative, has spoken passionately about her motivations to bring this initiative to Pace. She adapted tools and exercises developed by Brooks and combined them with her own insights to create a happiness-forward curriculum.
"Our students are learning how to lead by example." —Braun
“This program provides a 360 view of leadership based on a foundation of self-discovery, interrogation, analysis, hard work, and hope for the future,” says Ipshita. “It provides students with the right tools to create their own framework or a plan to build the lives they envision based on a value system and a foundation of positive emotional health.”
It's more important than ever to help students connect. “The data about Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and millennials suffering from depression, anxiety, and loneliness is very clear,” says Ray. That urgency showed in the program’s launch: though capped at 50 students, more than 100 signed up—underscoring a real need for experiences that foster meaning and growth.
The program has received significant support from across Pace University. Ray invited Neil Braun, Lubin dean emeritus and former NBCUniversal president, to co-teach the curriculum with her. “Our students are learning how to lead by example,” Braun says. “With compassion, clarity, and the ability to turn challenge into opportunity.” Braun believes so strongly in this initiative that he’s also pledged funding support.
"This program is more than curriculum—it’s a head start." —Krislov
The Center has galvanized momentum across the Pace Community. Pace alumni Thomas Quinlan III ’85, president and CEO of R.R. Donnelley, came to the New York City Campus to address students at the final session, which was attended by over 180 students. “You can’t lead alone—and you can’t lead without emotional intelligence,” he told them. “What makes teams work is not just skill—it’s trust, empathy, and the way you show up.”
Dean of the Lubin School of Business Ajay Khorana echoed the importance of resilience in the face of change, especially as technology and policy continue to reshape the future of work. “Even as the workplace transforms, emotional intelligence endures as a defining strength,” Khorana said. “Your capacity to lead, adapt, and build meaningful connections will set you apart.”
President Marvin Krislov affirmed the program’s long-term value to students and the University alike. “This program is more than curriculum—it’s a head start,” Krislov said. “Emotional intelligence is the skill that sets great leaders apart, and what students gained here will give them an edge when it matters most.”
"Even as the workplace transforms, emotional intelligence endures as a defining strength"
The Center for Leadership and Emotional Intelligence’s inaugural cohort has finished, but the Center is just getting started. The New York City spring program will begin on January 26. And, according to Ray, “Students are already clamoring to register!” Efforts to expand the program to the Pleasantville Campus will begin in April with a preview session.
Ray anticipates that this program will continue to grow, hoping to bring it not just to both campuses but also to high schools and CUNY schools. “I want to make this a major movement,” says Ray. “My hope is to expand the program University-wide, which would allow Harvard to list us on their website, invite us to symposia, and co-lead research.”
"This program is more than curriculum—it’s a head start." —Krislov
The clearest reflection of the program’s impact? The words of the students who lived it.
“This program changed how I think about leadership,” said Muskan Kumari ’26, a Business Analytics graduate student from Karachi, Pakistan. “It gave me real tools to manage stress, lead with empathy, and grow with purpose. I walked away more confident—not just in my career path, but in who I want to be.”
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