About the Visit

The visit by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Emory University will be a historic event for Emory University, the City of Atlanta, and Georgia. The only stop in the southern United States on His Holiness' 2007 tour, the visit will take place immediately following another historic occasion in Washington D.C. when Congress presents His Holiness with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. Congress.

Much more than a weekend of events, this visit highlights the unique relationship between Emory and His Holiness made formal with his recent appointment as Presidential Distinguished Professor.

See the links on the left to learn more about His Holiness, the Professorship, and the Emory-Tibet Partnership.

Emory is recognized as one of the leading centers of study of Tibetan philosophy and religion in the West, primarily due to the university's extraordinary relationship with Tibetan Buddhist institutes of higher learning based in India, including the Drepung Loseling Monastery and the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile. One of the most ambitious projects of this partnership is an historic initiative to develop and implement a comprehensive science education curriculum for Tibetan monastics.

"I deeply appreciate that Emory University has made a commitment to fully collaborate with the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives to develop and implement a comprehensive and sustainable science education program for Tibetan monastics," says the Dalai Lama.

Many of Emory's university-wide strategic plan initiatives address the interface between religion and science. His Holiness has pioneered in promoting a genuine and substantive dialogue between science and spirituality. Emory's commitment to developing and implementing a science education program for Tibetan monks and nuns will help realize the Dalai Lama's vision of offering comprehensive science education within the monastic
curriculum. Throughout Emory's strategic plan, it has committed its unique combination of resources to address some of the world's toughest challenges and greatest opportunities—from religion, conflict, and peace building, to race and social difference, to issues of global health and new understandings of what makes us human. Implementation of Emory's strategic plan will transform its campus and positively influence local and global communities.

The University consists of two liberal arts colleges located in Atlanta and Oxford, GA; a graduate school, professional schools of medicine, theology, law, nursing, public health and business, and one of the leading health care systems in the Southeast.

Emory is enriched by the legacy and energy of Atlanta, whose downtown area is just 15 minutes away. Through collaboration among its schools, units, and centers, as well as with affiliated institutions such as The Carter Center and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory is committed to working for positive transformation in the world.

One of Emory's most compelling features is its location in the vibrant, international city of Atlanta. The University's campus master plan outlines a bold vision for campus development, while retaining its distinctive sense of place and a commitment to sustainability. This commitment is evident through the Clifton Community Partnership, which provides a framework for building and enhancing a vibrant living-learning-working environment in and around Emory's Druid Hills campus. In recognition of its connection to the community, Emory was one of sixty schools in the U.S. recognized as an "Engaged Institution" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Emory maintains an uncommon balance: it generates more research funding than any other university in Georgia, while maintaining a rich tradition of outstanding teaching. This year acclaimed novelist Salman Rushdie and His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama joined the faculty ranks. Rushdie placed his archives in the University's Woodruff Library and began a five-year appointment as Distinguished Writer in Residence.

Located just 15 minutes from downtown Atlanta in the tree-lined suburban neighborhood of Druid Hills, Emory University is positioned along the Clifton Corridor, which also includes the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Emory University is home to nine major academic divisions, numerous centers for advanced study, and a host of prestigious affiliated institutions. In addition to Emory College, the University encompasses a graduate school of arts and sciences; professional schools of medicine, theology, law, nursing, public health, and business; and Oxford College, a two-year undergraduate division on the original campus of Emory in Oxford, Ga.

Emory was founded at Oxford by the Methodist Church in 1836. Led by President James W. Wagner, the University has 11,300 students and 2,500 faculty members who represent all regions of the United States and more than 100 foreign nations.