Celebrating 20 Years of
Courage * Wisdom * Compassion
Daisaku Ikeda, Founder of Soka University of America,
stated in a message at Teachers College, Columbia University, on June 13, 1996:
"I think I can state with confidence that the following are essential elements of global citizenship:
The wisdom to perceive the interconnectedness of all life and living.
The courage not to fear or deny difference, but to respect and strive
to understand people of different cultures, and to grow from encounters with them.
The compassion to maintain an imaginative empathy that
reaches beyond one's immediate surroundings and extends to those
suffering in distant places."
Soka University of America started with a bold ideal to make the
world a better place. Make it smarter. More peaceful. More sustainable.
More attentive and compassionate.
We make the world better with every graduate because we admit
top students from around the world, committed to our mission,
regardless of their ability to pay tuition costs. Then we challenge them
intellectually. Send them abroad. Have them live on campus to gain
a sense of a global community. The result is a deeply felt wisdom -
together with knowledge - generating a uniquely global perspective
few other universities can match.
One hundred percent of our students receive financial aid. We could
not offer this if not for generous donors like you who support our
vision of peace. We are deeply grateful for your gifts that allow us to
continue turning our bold ideals into courageous, compassionate
global citizens using their wisdom to improve society.