Almost a year after its completion, the Nobel Peace Laureates Conference still is benefiting the University.
The Dalai Lama, who spoke at the Conference, recently gave $10,000 to the University to help implement a program in Tibetan studies.
Although the program is far from being a reality - organizers said they still need to raise at least $6 million - the donation is an important first step.
Religious Studies Prof. Jeffrey Hopkins said the Dalai Lama decided to donate money for the program after meeting with University professors at last November's Conference. After the conversation, Hopkins said he wrote the Dalai Lama a letter asking him to help provide funding to implement a Tibetan Studies program.
He said the Dalai Lama "answered very positively," and gave the money to the University Committee for the Trans-Regional Interdisciplinary Study of Tibet and the Himalayas.
He added that the money comes from the Dalai Lama's personal fund.
"It's his own money," Hopkins said.
Hopkins and Religious Studies Prof. David Germano are the co-chairmen of the Committee, which is based in the Center for South Asian Studies.
Germano said he hopes the proposed Tibetan Studies program would allow students to consider all aspects of Tibetan culture, rather than just the religious practices in the country.
He said he hopes a new program will help "get Tibetan culture out of the Shangri-La vision we have of it."
The new program should integrate history, anthropology and other disciplines to emphasize the Tibetans' "own history and diversity of experiences," he added.
The program will "not just focus on Tibet," Hopkins said, but also will examine Tibet's relationship with its surrounding areas, such as China, the Himalayas and Burma.
Religious Studies Chairman Harry Gamble said the Religious Studies department attempts to "engage our subject from several points of view," but programs such as Tibetan Studies can help present a broader view of a subject.
The program is "a very complimentary addition" to the University curriculum, Gamble said.
Despite the Dalai Lama's initial contributions to the program, there still is an extensive amount of fundraising that must be done before the Tibetan Studies can be developed fully. About $6 million is necessary to start the program, including a $1.5 million endowment to maintain it, Hopkins said.
Gamble said the fundraising will "have to be a joint effort" among various professors and departments at the University.
Hopkins said he hopes to target "friends of the University who have seen the kind of work we have done" in Tibetan studies.
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