Richard Branson to visit UCI

Sir Richard Branson, the British tycoon who created the Virgin Group of companies, is scheduled to appear Tuesday night at UC Irvine, where he will talk about how entrepreneurial ideas can help solve the world’s problems, UCI officials said in a news release. Branson will be talking about the work of Virgin Unite, the nonprofit he started with the aim of changing the way the private and governmental sectors “can work together as a force for good,” the release said.

His appearance at UCI is part of the campus’s Living Peace Series, sponsored by the school and the Center for Living Peace, Orange County.

The Center for Living Peace is a nonprofit founded by Kelly Smith, a Newport Beach resident.

The series features celebrities and other noted personalities who have demonstrated a commitment to making the world a better place. In December, actress Charlize Theron opened the series with a program about her work to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. Branson is the series’ second scheduled speaker. The series will close May 4 with an appearance by the Dalai Lama.

Tuesday’s event is set for 6 p.m. in the Pacific Ballroom at the Student Center, Building 113, grid E-8 on the campus map. Admission is $15, but free for UCI students, faculty and staff, the release said.

Imran Vittachi