An inauguration ceremony was held on the 14th October 2013 at the KIBI auditorium to mark the commencement of KIBI’s new academic curriculum 2013. Although the classes for the academic course has already started, the inauguration ceremony was conducted on this day as it was an auspicious day and H.H. Gyalwa Karmapa was able to take time out from his schedule to grace the occasion. The inauguration ceremony was attended by a score of guests and students. The ceremony started with lamp lighting, where the Chief Guest H.H. Gyalwa Karmapa, Ven. Professor Sempa Dorje and KIBI’s principal, Professor Lara Braitstein, lit lamps while the venerable monks made auspicious prayers. After the lamp lighting ceremony, Professor Sempa Dorje addressed the gathering by welcoming everyone and wishing good health for all. He also explained that from this year onwards the academic course at KIBI has taken a more definitive structure with the academic council deciding various rules and regulations for the course. He also informed everyone that KIBI is now legally authorized to provide diploma certificates to students and also mentioned the future plans of upgrading the diploma course to a bachelor degree course. With this, he closed his speech by wishing all the students the best in all their endeavours.
After Professor Sempa Dorje’s warm welcome, Professor Lara Braitstein, who is a professor at the McGill University, Canada and the principal of KIBI addressed the audience. She expressed her gratitude for being appointed the principal of KIBI. She also praised the quality of education in KIBI and said that she was very happy with the development that KIBI had made in a short period of time such that it now functions as a full-fledged institution for higher education in Buddhist Studies under the education branch of KIBS. Explaining the course structure, Professor Lara mentioned that the current curriculum has been set up with four major subjects. She also mentioned that this year, KIBI has 18 students from ten different countries and this was a good beginning for the new semester. She then thanked and congratulated all the teachers, administrators and volunteers for their efforts in this task. Professor Lara Braitstein also shared her own story about being a KIBI student once and her journey ever since. She expressed great hopes for the future of the institution and especially for the academic courses offered in KIBI.
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