Thursday, June 23, 2016
It is my great honor and pleasure to welcome you to the University of Colorado Boulder. We are very excited to have His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, with us on campus.
The Dalai Lama’s visit today has been two years in the making. His appearance shows the creativity and perseverance of our students when they flew to Santa Clara University in February 2014, alongside representatives of the Tibetan Association of Colorado, to personally ask the Dalai Lama to come to CU-Boulder. His appearance here today is a result of that meeting and we are of course thrilled that he accepted the invitation.
It has been nearly 20 years since the Dalai Lama has been on campus, and I am proud that our students showed such initiative and gumption in bringing him here, so His Holiness could share his message with us today.
I would like to thank the Tibetan Association of Colorado, CU Student Government and the CU Cultural Events Board for hosting the Dalai Lama’s campus visit.
CU-Boulder consistently strives to be a crossroads for a diversity of ideas, perspectives and inspiration and the Dalai Lama’s visit certainly embodies that ethic.
It’s a long-standing tradition at CU-Boulder to host the world’s best and brightest achievers, intellectuals and inspirational leaders. The Dalai Lama is a global ambassador for compassion, tolerance, self-discipline and harmony. We will all benefit from his wisdom.
Colton Lyons will now introduce the Dalai Lama. Colton is CU Student Government President of Student Affairs. He hails from Aurora, Colo. Colton is a senior, majoring in political science. Please welcome CU Student Government President Colton Lyons.