On Friday, April 4, MTSP hosted a luncheon at Columbia University's Faculty House to celebrate its 25th Anniversary. Guests included several long-time supporters and the heads of several organizations with whom MTSP partners. Program Director Lauran Hartley opened the lunch with an overview of the Program and its current priorities. Recent graduates, Dr. Tenzin Yewong Dongchung and Dr. Riga Tsegyal Shakya spoke on how MTSP supported their studies and its importance for engaged scholarship. Other presenters included Professors Gray Tuttle (EALAC) and Dominique Townsend (Dept. of Religion) and Kristina Dy-Liacco (Tibetan Studies Librarian, C.V. Starr East Asian Library).
In addition to the luncheon, MTSP also hosted a range of events this year to mark the milestone, including film events, a three-part series on Tibetan cultural production in the diaspora, a climate-focused workshop and talk, and six additional guest lectures. These included a talk "Befriending the Mind" by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche on April 29, co-hosted with the Khorlo Tibetan Studies Student Group and the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia University. MTSP closed the year by featuring a book launch discussion with New York Times diplomatic correspondent, Edward Wong, on May 2. Both talks are available on the MTSP Video Library of past events.
In its 25th year and looking forward, the MTSP also launched a five-year project "Expanding Tibetan Studies: Indigenous Knowledge & Climate Change Research." With generous support from the Henry Luce Foundation, the project provides for a Postdoctoral Research Scholar to help lead the project. A call for applications was announced in February 2025, and the Scholar will join the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University in September.
