Tickets go on sale later this week to see the Dalai Lama speak at the University of Northern Iowa. Jan Hanish, U.N.I.’s assistant vice president for outreach and special programs, says the man who is both the head of state and the spiritual leader of Tibet will visit Cedar Falls in mid-May.
“There are two different events,” Hanish says. “There’s one in the morning, a panel discussion promoting non-violence, and all tickets for that event are $15, all reserved seats. The afternoon session is the keynote by His Holiness and there are three ticket prices available for that event, $15, $25 and $50.”
U.N.I. students can apply for free tickets. She expects ticket sales to be brisk as this will be the Dalai Lama’s first-ever visit to Iowa. “We think that bringing someone of his caliber to the university, there are a lot of people,” Hanish says. “We certainly have received a lot of inquiries about tickets and how to get them. I expect we’ll see some pretty good ticket sales starting right away on Friday.”
She says the keynote address, “The Power of Education,” will focus on the importance of education in an increasingly global society, the role of education in developing socially responsible citizens and the impact an individual can have on the world. Hanish says this event has been many years in the planning.
“We have a relationship and have worked with an organization called the Tibet Fund for a number of years,” Hanish says. “Through that group, we have Tibetan students who study at UNI and then, working with that organization, came up with the idea of inviting His Holiness on one of his scheduled visits to the United States, to see if we could be a scheduled stop.” Each of the two events at UNI’s McLeod Center is expected to seat between 4,500 and 5,000 people.
Tickets go on sale Friday January 8th. For more information on the May 18th visit, visit “www.uni.edu/dalailama” or for tickets, call (319) 273-4TIX.