Ven. Geshe Thupten Dorjee, University of Arkansas Professor Sidney Burris, and others are in the process of founding the Tibetan Heritage Institute of Arkansas.  The Institute is devoted to education and the preservation of Tibetan culture.  The following excerpt is from their new web site, located at http://www.tibetanheritageinstitute.com/ :

The Tibetan Heritage Institute of Arkansas is dedicated to helping the Tibetan people preserve their culture within the emerging global village. This is a task that requires both a facility with the technology that supports such a village and the practical hands-on management skills that characterize the most productive relief efforts. We are convinced that the preservation of Tibetan culture is more than an act of historical preservation.  The Tibetan voice has proven itself over the millennia to be a vital voice, and one whose counsel and vision should be a major component of our attempts to solve the unique problems that confront us as we enter the 21st century.

The Institute believes that the most effective way to accomplish our purpose is through education, through providing the public with teachings, demonstrations, exhibits, lectures, films, study trips — in short, with any activity that artfully showcases one of the world’s oldest and most comprehensive civilizations. Accordingly, we share many of the same goals of similar organizations both in this country and around the world, and we are convinced that, working together, we can make real progress in reaching those goals.

We are currently a fledgling organization. But with our two resident monks, Geshe Thupten Dorjee and Rinzin Dorjee, who are teaching at the University of Arkansas and working both within the larger community of Fayetteville and the state of Arkansas, we believe that we are establishing a firm foundation on which to grow.

For more information about the Institute and to learn about ways you can support their work, visit http://www.tibetanheritageinstitute.com/