In less than two weeks, SMU will have a very important guest coming to campus.

Unlike the sleazy performance we were graced with last Thursday (glitter and all), this presence is sure to enhance campus-life in a more long-lasting ­— even metaphysical ­— way.

No, I don’t refer to this year’s commencement speaker, the Honorable “Big” John Corynyn, but rather to His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama. The Tibetan Buddhist leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner is slated to speak May 9.

While most of us aren’t likely to see him speak or witness him receiving an honorary degree, his presence on our campus will have an effect on each of us and on the history of this university.

His visit alone will gain significant notoriety for our university, placing it on the national news agenda without the words “student death” or “Bush Center” accompanying the letters S-M-U. Indeed, honoring such a magnanimous peacemaker is a momentous stride in the history of our university.

In academia, we often honor brilliant intellectuals for their theoretical and analytical breakthroughs. Similarly, we revere successful businesspeople who revolutionized the markets or grossed impressive earnings. We even congratulate political leaders who have wielded massive amounts of power and force.

These individuals — successful in their own right — receive most of the glory, notoriety and recognition in public life. Far too often, the peacemakers are forgotten.

Peace is not glamorous. It is not easy to accomplish. It is hardly ever convenient or simple. Rather, the work of peace is a daily struggle, requiring long-term dedication, conviction and perseverance. It is a prophetic, transformative work.

It is essential that we as a university honor peacemakers.

As an institution charged with promoting the common good, cultivating a benevolent citizenry and the developing of the human person, the university must take time to praise those who accomplish the same aims peacefully.

In honoring the 14th Dalai Lama, we as a university endorse the Dalai Lama’s message of peace. Our university expresses solidarity with those persecuted in Tibet, especially the Tibetan Buddhist monks. Moreover, we extol the Dalai Lama’s model of leadership.

His leadership is a kind that is communicated just as much with actions as it is with words. Despite being a man possessing significant power, the Dalai Lama displays exceptional humility and kindness. His intensive contemplation, solidarity with the poor and oppressed, and his dedication to human values are both exceptional and admirable.

Furthermore, his commitment to the difficult work of inter-religious harmony and the protection of the Tibetan culture and religion will be forever remembered in history.

So, on May 9, when SMU hosts this remarkable peacemaker, our university will not just be the proud recipient of a lecture from a notable leader or simply a provider of an honorary degree.

Rather, SMU will participate in history. Both in a history that goes back to 1391 when the first Dalai Lama was born and in the history of a modern peacemaker who has transformed his homeland and the world alike.

Drew Konow is a senior religious studies, foreign languages and literatures major. He can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].