From Dharma Realm Buddhist University
Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU), the Northern California university and community dedicated to liberal education in the broad Buddhist tradition, will host its first in-person commencement ceremony since 2019, on Saturday, May 21, at 2 p.m.
DRBU graduates from 2020 and 2021 will join this year’s commencement, creating the largest in DRBU’s history, where they will celebrate their achievements with classmates, staff and fellow alumni. The ceremony will feature an address by Dr. Theodore Tsukahara, AFSC, from Saint Mary’s College of California.
“We are so proud of our students, who have demonstrated their commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and self-understanding throughout their studies at DRBU,” said President Susan Rounds. “The completion of their studies at DRBU marks a special moment in their education and a milestone in their lifelong journey of learning. We are delighted to congratulate them and to extend well wishes to all of our DRBU graduates!”
Graduates and their families from the classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 will be traveling from across California and the wider United States to attend the ceremony. In addition, DRBU’s first international undergraduate student will graduate from the BA program this year. It will be the fourth cohort for the BA in Liberal Arts, eighth cohort for the MA in Buddhist Classics and fourth cohort in the Certificate in Buddhist Translation to graduate from DRBU.
DRBU Commencement keynote speaker, professor Ted Tsukahara, has been a faculty member at Saint Mary’s College of California for over 20 years, at the School of Liberal Arts, overseeing the Integral Program and Collegiate Seminar. He is also an Affiliated member of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. His perspectives toward program texts, senior essay advising, and pleasure reading are influenced by personal history. Being sent to an American internment camp, living under Jim Crow laws, learning foundations of bioethics during a post-doctoral fellowship, and helping to create a philosophy, politics, and economics program at Pomona College have focused his reading shelf on history, moral and political philosophy, and Catholic Social Teaching.
DRBU will continue to implement health and safety measures to ensure the well-being of students, faculty, and those living in the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Full vaccination and booster (if eligible) are required for all attendees. Masks are required indoors and recommended outdoors at the ceremony and reception. Guests will also be asked to take an antigen test on the day of the event before attending, and will need to submit their vaccination status and antigen test result prior to attending. On-site testing will also be available from 1 to1:45 p.m.
Dharma Realm Buddhist University is a small private university and community dedicated to liberal education in the broad Buddhist tradition—a tradition characterized by knowledge in the arts and sciences, self-cultivation, and the pursuit of wisdom.
The university offers two degree programs centered around reading and discussion of classical primary texts at its Ukiah, California campus: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Master of Arts in Buddhist Classics.
Dharma Realm Buddhist University is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). For more information, visit www.drbu.edu.
View more on The Willits News