Dalai Lama, Branson, Theron on deck at UCI

UC Irvine announced this week the addition of three events in the coming months that will surely draw crowds.

Charlize Theron, (“Monster” and “Cider House Rules”) will speak at UCI on Dec. 4. The Academy Award winner and United Nations messenger of peace will discuss her Africa Outreach Project, which raises awareness for children and families struggling with poverty in her native South Africa.

Businessman Richard Branson will spend a night away from his private island Jan. 25. The businessman will talk about his nonprofit, Virgin Unite, which brings people together to deal with environmental and social problems. Virgin Group is composed of more than 360 companies, such as Virgin Records and Virgin Atlantic Airways. With a net worth of $4 billion, Branson is ranked by Forbes as the 212th richest man in the world.

No stranger to the UCI campus, the Dalai Lama will make his second appearance May 4. The Nobel Peace Prize winner and the inspiration for UCI’s XIV Dalai Lama Endowed Scholarship will converse with listeners regarding global leadership, ethics, compassion and personal responsibility.

Tickets to the December and January events will be free to students and staff. Public tickets are $10. Pricing for the Dalai Lama event will be released in March. For more information, visit uci.edu.

—Joanna Clay