DANBURY, CONN. — A Fulbright scholar, Harvard Law School graduate and the elected leader of tens of thousands of people fighting for freedom, Prime Minister of Tibet Lobsang Sangay will lecture next month at Western Connecticut State University.

Sangay will deliver the President’s Lecture Series address at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, in Ives Concert Hall in White Hall on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The lecture, entitled “Democracy in Exile: the Case of Tibet,” will be free and the public is invited.

“We are honored that Kalon Tripa Lobsang Sangay will deliver this spring’s President’s Lecture,” said WCSU President James W. Schmotter. “Dr. Sangay will provide insights about the political and human rights dimensions of Tibet’s complex status today.”

Sangay replaces the Dalai Lama as political leader. The Dalai Lama gave up his role as leader of the Tibetan exile movement last year and Sangay was elected by the people in August. Born in a refugee settlement in Darjeeling, India, the 43-year-old Sangay has never visited Tibet, but his expertise on the country and its relationship with China has earned him worldwide respect.

An expert on Tibet, international human rights law, democratic constitutionalism and conflict resolution, Sangay has lectured at various universities, think-tanks throughout Europe, Asia and North America. He has organized conferences with scholars from China, Tibet, India and the United States in an effort to promote democracy, and orchestrated unprecedented meetings between the Dalai Lama and Chinese scholars.

For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities