As announced by Chancellor Robert Birgeneau last Thursday, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama will be visiting UC Berkeley next month to speak to students, faculty and the Berkeley community on his vision of "peace through compassion."

The campus is already abuzz over the Dalai Lama's planned appearance, which will take place on April 25 at the Greek Theatre. Students may line up to purchase tickets-$20 for a reserved seat and $15 for a lawn seat-starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The Dalai Lama, who serves as Tibet's exiled political and spiritual leader, was invited to campus by the UC Berkeley Blum Center for Developing Economies and the American Himalayan Foundation.

In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to achieve nonviolent self-determination for the state of Tibet.

Other Bay Area groups that follow the teachings of the Dalai Lama have expressed excitement for the religious leader's April visit.

"We're eager to work with him," said John Isom, executive director of the Tibet Justice Center in Berkeley. "We have worked with his government in the past on projects that are important to his middle pathway, in particular in articulating what a concept of general autonomy would mean to all Tibetans within Tibet and exiled … we're looking forward to his visit and we're standing by waiting to help."