On May 4th, 2011, His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama returned to UC Irvine as a part of the Living Peace Series and engaged students and the community in a discussion about compassion, happiness, interfaith harmony, and global leadership. 

Wearing his traditional red and saffron robes, the Dalai Lama spoke about how the goal of education should be to "develop sensible, compassionate leaders who are realistic and warmhearted." He also stressed the importance of respect for all religions, and nonbelievers as well, which elicited cheers from the audience.