LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE WELCOME,

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY,

ROBERT BIRGENEAU. (APPLAUSE)

THIS IS GREAT. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T KNOW ME, I’M ROBERT BIRGENEAU,

BOTH A PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS AND MATERIAL SCIENCE AND

ENGINEERING AND ALSO CHANCELLOR HERE AT UC BERKELEY.

I HAVE THE GREAT PRIVILEGE TO WELCOME ALL OF YOU TODAY ON THIS

VERY SPECIAL OCCASION TO HEAR HIS HOLINESS, THE XIV DALAI LAMA,

HEAD AND SPIRITUAL LEADER OF THE TIBETAN PEOPLE. (APPLAUSE)

HIS HOLINESS HAS TWICE BEFORE VISITED OUR CAMPUS IN 1994 AND 1997.

HIS HOLINESS IS HERE TODAY THROUGH THE SPONSORSHIP OF THE

AMERICAN HIMALAYAN FOUNDATION

AND THE RICHARD C. BLUM CENTER FOR DEVELOPING ECONOMIES. (APPLAUSE)

THE FOUNDATION OF WHICH RICHARD BLUM IS FOUNDER AND CHAIR

PROVIDES HEATH CARE, EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL AND

CULTURAL PRESERVATION THROUGHOUT HIMALAYAN REGION.

THE CENTER, LOCATED HERE ON THE BERKELEY CAMPUS, IS DEVOTED TO

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION FOR THE ALLEVIATION OF GLOBAL POVERTY

IT IS TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF GLOBAL LEADERS TO MAKE

LASTING CHANGE FOR THE POOR.

HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA HAS OFTEN SPOKEN OF THE SUFFERING

OF POVERTY AS A GLOBAL ISSUE THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED FROM THE

ONENESS OF HUMANITY.

HIS HOLINESS’ CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIAL JUSTICE, HUMAN RIGHTS,

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND PEACE HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED

ACROSS THE GLOBE, INCLUDING WITH THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE. (APPLAUSE)

TODAY HIS HOLINESS WILL ADDRESS US ON

PEACE THROUGH COMPASSION.

I WOULD FIRST LIKE TO INVITE SHARON STONE TO THE STAGE.

MANY OF YOU WILL KNOW SHARON STONE AS AN ACCOMPLISHED --

AND IN THE RIDE HERE WE WERE TRYING TO GET THE

RIGHT NOUN TO DESCRIBE SHARON.

SHOULD IT BE ACTRESS, ACTOR OR ACTIVIST?

AND SO SHARON SAID I SHOULD INTRODUCE HER

AS AN ACCOMPLISHED ACTORAVIST,

WHO IS A GOLDEN GLOBE AND EMMY AWARD WINNER

AND AN ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE

SHE’S ALSO A FRIEND OF THE AMERICAN HIMALAYAN FOUNDATION

AND MEMBER OF ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

AND HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN MANY WORTHY CAUSES.

SHE IS A FRIEND OF TIBET AND OF THE DALAI LAMA.

SHARON (APPLAUSE)

HEY, GOOD AFTERNOON. HOW ARE YOU?

I SAID IN THE CAR OVER THAT I HOPED HIS HOLINESS WOULD GO

“HELLO BERKELEY”

SO I WILL, HELLO BERKELEY.

IT’S JUST WONDERFUL TO BE HERE IN THIS BEAUTIFUL OPEN-AIR

THEATER TODAY ON THIS GLORIOUS, GLORIOUS DAY

FOR SUCH A WONDERFUL AND GREAT OPPORTUNITY

WOW. IT’S A GREAT FEELING.

WE’RE HERE AT A TIME WHEN THE WORLD IS FULL OF SO MANY

DIFFERENT EMOTIONS AND THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND CHANGING

TIMES, CHANGING OPINIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS OF THOUGHTS,

FEELINGS, EMOTIONS.

AND WHEN WE’RE TOLD THAT THERE IS A STRUCTURE OF FEELINGS,

EMOTIONS AND CHANGING TIDES

IN FACT, WE’RE TOLD THAT WE’RE IN A TIME OF SCARCITY.

BUT IF WE LOOK TO OUR GENUINE SELVES, OUR GENUINE TRUTHS AND

DEPART FROM THE ILLUSIONS OF THAT WHICH IS PUT UPON US

TO THAT WHICH IS IN US, OF COURSE, WE KNOW THAT

THERE IS NEVER A SCARCITY

BUT THAT THERE IS A WEALTH OF GREATNESS

AND THAT WITHIN US THERE IS MUCH.

FOR EVERY ONE OF US HAS A DREAM, EVERY ONE OF US HAS A DESTINY,

EVERY ONE OF US HAS A GIANT OPPORTUNITY.

IT IS UPON US TO FOLLOW OUR DESTINY AND TO FULFILL THAT DREAM.

IT’S OUR CHOICE WITH HOW MUCH INTEGRITY WE MEET THAT DESTINY.

THERE’S A GIANT PUZZLE IN THE WORLD, AND IT IS OURS TO TAKE OUR

PIECE AND FULFILL THAT PARTICULAR PIECE OF THE PUZZLE

AND GLORIFY THE DESTINY OF THE UNIVERSE.

I’M SURE EACH OF YOU SITTING HERE HAS SOME BEGINNINGS OF THE

UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT YOUR DREAM IS.

AND THAT’S WHY YOU’VE COME HERE TODAY.

IT’S THE COMPASSION WITHIN YOUR HEART WITH

WHICH YOU’RE REACHING OUT.

IN THE HOPES THAT YOU CAN SIMPLY LET GO AND END THAT BIT OF FEAR

THAT IS RESTRAINING YOU FROM THE POWER OF YOUR GENEROSITY

AND WHOLENESS TO FULFILL YOURSELF AS A WORLD CITIZEN.

BECAUSE WE’RE NO LONGER INDIVIDUALS.

NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO YOU’RE NO LONGER AN INDIVIDUAL ALONE IN YOUR TINY SPACE.

WE NOW KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT WE’RE WORLD CITIZENS WALKING

TOGETHER HAND IN HAND TO FULFILL OUR DESTINY AS ONE.

AND THE DAY IS UPON US.

SO I WELCOME YOU, UC BERKELEY COMMUNITY,

FRIENDS OF THE AMERICAN HIMALAYAN FOUNDATION.

EXACTLY.

IN PARTICULAR, THE STUDENTS AT THE BLUM CENTER FOR DEVELOPING ECONOMICS.

(APPLAUSE)

AND IT’S A GREAT PLEASURE TO ASK CHANCELLOR BIRGENEAU

TO PRESENT SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL

TO MY FRIEND, YOUR REGENT OF BERKELEY, ALUM AND

PASSIONATE FRIEND TO THE TIBETAN PEOPLE,

RICHARD BLUM

AND BEFORE I GO I HAVE ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO SAY,

GO BEARS. (APPLAUSE)

BEFORE I START MY NEXT REMARKS, HIS HOLINESS SAID HE COULDN’T WAIT.

HE WANTS TO SEE ALL OF YOU. SO HE’S ABOUT TO COME OUT.

(APPLAUSE)

(APPLAUSE)

YOU ALREADY JUST SPOKE?

SHARON JUST INDICATED I NOW HAVE A VERY PLEASANT TASK TO PERFORM

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DOES NOT CONFER HONORARY DEGREES

IN 1981 THE BERKELEY MEDAL WAS ESTABLISHED AS THE UNIVERSITY’S TOP HONOR

IT IS BESTOWED ON INDIVIDUALS OF EXCEPTIONALLY DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENTS

WHOSE WORK AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY

ILLUSTRATE THE IDEALS OF THE UNIVERSITY

AND CONTRIBUTE TO ITS GOALS IN WHOSE CAREERS HAVE MANIFESTLY BENEFIT THE PUBLIC.

A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO,

I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF AWARDING AN HONORARY DOCTORATE

TO HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA AND HOPE TO DO THE EQUIVALENT HERE.

TO MY CHAGRIN DISCOVERED THAT HE HAS ALREADY RECEIVED THE BERKELEY MEDAL BACK IN 1994.

HOWEVER, THERE IS A SECOND PERSON HERE WHO’S ALSO HIGHLY DESERVING OF THIS RECOGNITION.

AND BOTH OF YOU WILL KNOW IN THE LAST MONTH

I HAVE HAD THE SINGLE PRIVILEGE OF BESTOWING

THE BERKELEY MEDAL ON BOTH THE PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA,

PRESIDENT JOHNSON-SIRLEAF, VERY INSPIRING WOMAN.

AND JUST TWO DAYS AGO AT THE DEDICATION OF THE BLUM CENTER

I WAS PRIVILEGED TO PRESENT THE BERKELEY MEDAL TO A PERSON WHO

TWICE WITH ONE OF MY WORST FREUDIAN SLIPS EVER I REFERRED TO AS “PRESIDENT GORE.”

THAT’S BECAUSE IN THE YEAR 2000

(APPLAUSE)

AND I DIDN’T WAKE UP UNTIL JANUARY 20TH, 2009. (LAUGHTER)

SO, I NOW, HOWEVER, HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF PRESENTING THE

BERKELEY MEDAL TO ANOTHER GREAT PERSONAGE

NONE OTHER THAN RICHARD C. BLUM.

(APPLAUSE) RICHARD, WON’T YOU PLEASE COME FORWARD.

(APPLAUSE)

SO I HAVE A VERY GOOD STRING, JIMMY CARTER, JOHNSON-SIRLEAF, AL GORE AND NOW RICHARD BLUM.

YOU ELEVATE THE COMPANY, RICHARD.

RICHARD BLUM IS A MAN DEEPLY COMMITTED TO ALLEVIATING HUMAN SUFFERING

WHO REGARDS THE HIMALAYS AS HIS SPIRITUAL HOME.

WE CAN OFFER HIM NO GREATER HONOR THAN TO AWARD HIM

THE BERKELEY MEDAL AT THIS VERY SPECIAL OCCASION

IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS DEAR FRIEND, HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA.

(APPLAUSE)

RICHARD BLUM HAS LONG HAD PHILANTHROPIC INTERESTS PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON GLOBAL POVERTY AND EDUCATION.

25 YEARS AGO HE FOUNDED AMERICAN HIMALAYA FOUNDATION,

WHICH PROVIDES SERVICES TO 25,000 PEOPLE

EVERY YEAR THROUGHOUT THE HIMALAYS.

ITS PROJECTS ARE FOCUSED ON BUILDING SCHOOLS, TRAINING DOCTORS,

FUNDING HOSPITALS, TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN AND ELDERLY

AND RESTORING SACRED SITES.

RICHARD’S SUPPORT EXTENDS TO PROJECTS IN AFRICA WITH THE CARTER CENTER,

THE GLOBAL POVERTY CENTER AT THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION

AND EFFORTS HERE IN SAN FRANCISCO, HIS HOMETOWN.

RICHARD’S VISION FOR ADDRESSING POVERTY IS PRACTICAL AND ENGAGED.

HE HAS BEEN THE VISION AND DRIVING FORCE BEHIND

THE BLUM CENTER FOR DEVELOPING ECONOMIES,

ALL THE BLUM CENTER PARTICIPANTS OUT THERE.

WHICH IN THREE SHORT YEARS HAS BECOME A REMARKABLE SUCCESS.

HIS PHILANTHROPY HAS FUNDED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CENTER

AND IS NOW FUNDING A NEW HOME ON CAMPUS FOR THE CENTER

IN THE REFURBISHED NAVAL ARCHITECTURE BUILDING.

THE CENTER HAS BEEN A RESOUNDING SUCCESS.

OVER 1500 STUDENTS AND 50 FACULTY MEMBERS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN ITS PROGRAMS.

STUDENTS HAVE BEEN SENT TO 25 COUNTRIES TO PARTICIPATE IN FIELDWORK TO ALLEVIATE POVERTY.

THE MINOR IN GLOBAL POVERTY AND PRACTICE IS THE FASTEST GROWING MINOR ON CAMPUS.

RICHARD’S VISION, GENEROSITY AND CONFIDENCE

IN WHAT OUR STUDENTS AND FACULTY CAN ACHIEVE IN THE WORLD HAS

ALREADY HAD AN INDELIBLE EFFECT.

LET ME QUOTE FROM ONE OF OUR STUDENTS, UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF THE ONES SITTING OUT THERE.

“THE BLUM CENTER GAVE ME AND COUNTLESS STUDENTS

THE OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

NECESSARY TO SERVE AS RESPONSIBLE GLOBAL CITIZENS.

BY INVESTING IN US YOU ARE DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF

LEADERS WHO SHARE YOUR PASSION FOR CREATING A WORLD FREE OF POVERTY.”

WE ARE ESPECIALLY PROUD THAT RICHARD IS A BERKELEY ALUMNUS

I WON’T GIVE THE YEARS. GO BEARS.

HE’S CURRENTLY CHAIR OF THE UC BOARD OF REGENTS.

HE IS AN EXEMPLAR WHO HAS PASSED ON BERKELEY’S TRADITION OF

PUBLIC SERVICE TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS OF STUDENTS.

IT’S NOW, THEREFORE, MY VERY GREAT PLEASURE TO BESTOW

THE BERKELEY MEDAL, THE UNIVERSITY’S TOP HONOR, ON RICHARD C. BLUM

IN RECOGNITION OF HIS OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST.

HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY ILLUSTRATE THE PUBLIC SERVICE IDEALS TO WHICH BERKELEY ASPIRES.

NOW I INVITE RICHARD TO STEP TO THE PODIUM.

(APPLAUSE)

THANK YOU, BOB. I WONDER WHERE THE FUNDING CAME FROM FOR THIS. IT’S PRETTY NICE.

WITH THE BUDGET CUTS, PROMISE IT’S NOT FROM TUITION INCREASES? (LAUGHTER)

AT ANY RATE, I HAVE BEEN COMING HERE REALLY SINCE I WAS 17 YEARS OLD.

A COUPLE WEEKS AGO.

AND THIS IS REALLY A GREAT DAY

BECAUSE IT’S A MERGER OF THE TWO THINGS I PROBABLY CARE THE MOST ABOUT,

WHICH IS THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AND THE TIBETAN PEOPLE

AND THEIR PLIGHT AND WHAT THEY STAND FOR AND WHAT THEY REPRESENT

AND WHAT THEIR VALUES CAN MEAN TO THE REST OF US.

LOOK, NONE OF THIS IS DONE BY ANY ONE INDIVIDUAL.

AND I WANT TO THANK CHANCELLOR BIRGENEAU FOR HIS LEADERSHIP

AND HIS DESIRE TO MOVE THE CENTER AHEAD.

WITHOUT HIM IT WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED.

AND I’D WANT TO ASK SHANKAR SASTRY TO PLEASE STAND.

SHANKAR AND ANANYA ROY.

(APPLAUSE)

I GOT TWO MORE. MARYANNE MCCORMICK AND ERICA STONE.

SHANKAR, WHILE HE’S RUNNING THIS LITTLE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

WITH 5,000 STUDENTS, YOU WOULDN’T KNOW BECAUSE HE SEEMS TO

SPEND ENDLESS HOURS ALMOST DAILY ON OUR CENTER AS BEING THE KEY DEAN.

WE HAVE A MULTI-DISCIPLINE GROUP OF SOMETHING LIKE NINE DEANS.

AND, YES, THEY CAN WORK TOGETHER AND, YES, THINGS CAN MOVE RAPIDLY.

THIS CENTER HAS GREATLY EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS.

AND ANANYA ROY, AS SO MANY OF YOU KNOW,

AND ACTUALLY THE BLUM CENTER STUDENTS

A SHOUT OUT AND FOR YOU AND FOR YOUR LEADER ANANYA. (APPLAUSE)

AND ERICA, WHEREVER SHE IS, IS OUR LEADER AND WE NOW HAVE 175.

SHE DESCRIBES HERSELF AS SHARON STONE’S YOUNGER SISTER. (LAUGHTER)

AT ANY RATE, WE WOULDN’T BE HAVING THESE PROJECTS IF IT WASN’T FOR THEM.

AND BRUCE MOORE IS AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE,

IS IN FROM KATMANDU, RUNS A LOT OF THE PROJECTS FIRSTHAND.

HIS HOLINESS IS BEING EXCEEDINGLY KIND

BECAUSE HE’S ON A SHORT TRIP TO THE UNITED STATES,

AND HE HAS VISITED TWO CAMPUSES.

WE WERE AT UC SANTA BARBARA WHERE THEY HAD SELL-OUT CROWDS

JUST AS WE DID TWO LECTURES YESTERDAY.

THE LUNCH AND HE’S SUFFERING A LITTLE BIT FROM THE FLU

BUT NONETHELESS HAS CARRIED ON.

AND I’M SURE HE WILL BE INSPIRATIONAL WITH WHAT HE HAS TO SAY.

BUT LET ME SAY A FEW THINGS ABOUT THIS.

IT IS EXACTLY 30 YEARS AGO THAT HIS HOLINESS FIRST CAME TO THE UNITED STATES.

MY WIFE DIANE FEINSTEIN AND -- THAT’S OKAY.

(APPLAUSE)

THANK YOU. I’LL LET HER KNOW YOU CARE.

(LAUGHTER)

WENT TO SEE HIS HOLINESS IN 1978.

AND HE CAME HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN SHE WAS MAYOR

SIX MONTHS LATER 1979.

30 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH, 15 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH

HIS HOLINESS LAST SPOKE IN THIS THEATER, THE GREEK THEATER.

SO, THANK YOU, YOUR HOLINESS, FOR YOUR LONG FRIENDSHIP.

LET ME JUST SAY A FEW THINGS ABOUT THAT.

THE INTEREST THAT I DEVELOPED WHEN YOU SAT

AND MET TIBETANS FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT

THE SPIRITUALITY AND THE KINDNESS

THAT THEY HAVE IS REALLY RATHER UNIQUE.

AND I THINK THIS IS ANOTHER REASON THAT WE NEED TO HELP THEM

LEARN ABOUT THEIR CULTURE AND PRESERVE ALL THIS.

I HAD AN INTEREST IN HIS HOLINESS FROM THE TIME WE WERE BOTH SMALL CHILDREN.

AND, IN FACT, WE WERE BORN, SHALL WE SAY IT THIS WAY,

WE WERE REINCARNATED TOGETHER WITHIN THE SAME MONTH.

AND I WANT TO PASS IT OFF AS 1955 BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY EARLIER.

AND THE ONE THING WE DO KNOW ABOUT HIS HOLINESS

THAT IN HIS LAST LIFE HE WAS THE XIII DALAI LAMA.

AND THE XIII DALAI LAMA WAS A WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING

AND SO HIS REINCARNATION, OF COURSE, IS MORE OF THE SAME.

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW IS WHAT I WAS IN MY LAST LIFE.

AND CLEARLY THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM

BECAUSE I WAS REINCARNATED AS AN INVESTMENT BANKER.

(LAUGHTER)

SO, WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE UP FOR IT EVER SINCE THEN.