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I write to you today with gratitude, excitement, and a deep sense of purpose. It is the honor of my professional life to be named the ninth president of Pace University, and I cannot wait to get to work alongside each of you on January 1.
Let me start with something personal. I was born in New York City and grew up in Jackson Heights and Douglaston. My parents each came to New York from Iran as young adults, in search of educational opportunities they could not find elsewhere. Education, in turn, became the connective tissue of everything our family believed in and accomplished. My father became an educator and opened a school in Harlem; my mother became a doctor and teacher of young physicians, and my sister and I became professors. The opportunity that New York offered my family is not lost on me, and explains why coming back to lead Pace feels less like a career move—and more like coming home to fulfill a mission.
I chose Pace because of what this university stands for, what it is, and what I know it can be. Pace has always been committed to creating opportunity: setting students up for success regardless of where they started, and opening doors that would not have opened up for them otherwise. With Opportunitas at the heart of everything we do, Pace is the right institution to serve as a bold leader at a moment of change in academia.
Higher education is at an inflection point. The questions we are wrestling with—who we are, who we want to be, and what should be our impact—are not new ones, but they have never been more urgent. What I have seen during my years at Emory and Texas A&M is that those institutions that are willing to engage those questions honestly and to pursue transformational change with courage and care emerge stronger, whether as measured by character, quality, or impact. That is the work to which I have devoted my career, and the work that I hope to do together with you at Pace.
I want to say three things to the Pace Community as we begin:
First, I am deeply excited to be here. There is something infectious about this place—about your ambition and your energy—that I felt from my very first conversations during the search process. That excitement is something I hope we can build on together.
Second, I want to recognize that times of change can be challenging, and I do not expect every decision we make together to be without debate. That is a sign of a community that cares. What I can promise you is that we will navigate this moment together, as a community, with all voices at the table. I want to hear from you, learn from you, and work with you. The wealth of opportunities ahead belongs to all of us.
Third, I look forward to advancing our shared commitment to excellence. The academic programs, faculty, staff, students, and administration at Pace represent a foundation that I am genuinely proud to build upon. My intention is to deepen and expand that excellence in ways that are felt in our outcomes, our reputation, and our rankings. This is a university on the rise, and I intend to make sure the world knows it.
As I join you at this important moment, I want to recognize President Krislov’s impactful tenure at Pace over the last decade. I have tremendous respect for what Marvin has accomplished on behalf of this university and the communities that it serves, and I am grateful that he has agreed to work closely with me through this transition.
I am excited to come home to New York, to help ensure Pace lives up to its promise for every student who walks through our doors. I look forward to meeting you, hearing from you, and building something extraordinary together.
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