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.