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by Mitch BogenSpecial to the Tribune  In the fall of 1996, Daisaku Ikeda, founder of the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue, delivered a lecture at Teachers College, Columbia University, titled “Thoughts on Education for Global Citizenship.” Thirty years later, on Sept. 25, the Ikeda Center’s 22nd annual Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue revisited

Soka University of America’s new Monterey campus brings together two educational traditions rooted in global citizenship, peace and practical engagement.

ALISO VIEJO, Calif.—Soka University of America (SUA) announced a major expansion of the Soka Opportunity Plan, its undergraduate financial aid guarantee. Beginning with the 2027–28 academic year, total family income of $200,000 or less annually will qualify for 100% tuition coverage, more than doubling the previous $90,000 threshold for full-tuition eligibility. Every admitted undergraduate will

by Mitch BogenSpecial to the Tribune  A recent Dialogue Nights gathering asked participants to engage in dialogue connecting two topics of vital concern to the Ikeda Center. The first was Daisaku Ikeda’s conviction that developing the wisdom to perceive and honor our interconnectedness is a core attribute of the global citizen. The second commemorated the

We offer our sincerest condolences to all who were impacted by the recent devastating earthquakes in Venezuela and Colombia and are offering prayers for their safety, well-being and earliest possible recovery. Ikeda Sensei encouraged victims of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Northeastern Japan, saying, “I can only imagine your exhaustion.” He continued: “Nothing

SUA establishes a second campus in Monterey, with select graduate programs continuing in fall 2027.

A new digital map is helping members and guests across the Caribbean find their local organization, creating new opportunities for connection and growth.

The following is an excerpt from the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) Global Perspectives Committee statement issued on July 23, 2026, ahead of the Seventh Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons that is scheduled for November 2026. The committee issues statements suggesting approaches for the resolution of pressing global challenges, building upon ideas

by Mitch BogenSpecial to the Tribune  Now in its sixth year, the Ikeda Center’s Global Citizens seminar series was founded to bring emerging scholars from diverse fields into dialogue across disciplines to reckon with the most pressing issues of our time. This year’s seminar, held on June 20, was called “Becoming Human Together: Hope, Healing,

by Mitch BogenSpecial to the Tribune  In May, the academic publisher Routledge released Daisaku Ikeda, Transnationalism, and American Literature: Dialogues of the Heart. Edited by Anita Patterson, professor of English at Boston University, and developed in association with the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue, the multiauthor volume features nine scholars exploring how American

NEW YORK—“The world is not healed by cynicism,” said Andrea Bartoli, member of Soka University of America’s (SUA’s)board of trustees, addressing a packed Milbank Chapel at Teachers College, Columbia University, on June 13. “The world is not transformed by resignation. The world changes because people are willing to imagine something better, and they dedicate themselves

by Lillian KoizumiSpecial to the Tribune  The second annual Educating for Peace Conference was held April 25–26, 2026, at the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue. Co-organized with the Soka Institute for Global Solutions at SUA (SIGS), the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) at the Middlebury Institute, and EdEthics at the Harvard

As Soka University of America (SUA) celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Aliso Viejo, Calif., campus on May 2, 2026, Katherine King had witnessed nearly every chapter of the university’s journey firsthand. From helping open the graduate school at the Calabasas, Calif., campus in the early 1990s to now serving as executive vice president for

On May 11, 2026, Soka University of America (SUA), shared exciting news regarding the potential purchase of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) campus. The boards of trustees of SUA and Middlebury have authorized a letter of intent and are currently working toward finalizing the agreement. SUA and Middlebury have already shared a three-year

Scholar and author Sarah Ann Wider delivered the keynote address at the Soka University of America Class of 2026 commencement ceremony. In the following excerpt, Wider encourages graduates to inspire hope through imaginative empathy, heartfelt contribution and the shared work of building a world in which all can thrive. by Sarah Ann Wider I am

Soka University of America graduates the Class of 2026.

A celebration of Lawrence E. Carter Sr.’s legacy inspires a renewed commitment to dialogue, dignity and everyday action for peace. ATLANTA—On April 24, 2026, members and guests gathered at the Atlanta Buddhist Center for a celebration honoring Dr. Lawrence E. Carter Sr., founding dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College,

This spring, students at Soka University of America (SUA) are demonstrating that the path to a meaningful career begins not after graduation but from the moment they step onto campus. Through initiatives like Career Week and the Bridges to Business (B2B) Leadership Circle, SUA students are gaining real-world experience, deepening their sense of purpose and

A quiet bench near the student center at Soka University of America (SUA) bears a powerful reminder of history: a cast bronze plaque commemorating the meeting between civil rights leader Rosa Parks and SUA founder Daisaku Ikeda on Jan. 30, 1993. During that visit to SUA’s former graduate campus in Calabasas, California, Parks and Ikeda

Ikeda Sensei gave the following speech at a general meeting of Toshima, Taito, Sumida and Meguro Wards in Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 12, 1987. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, chapter 24, installment 2, pp. 110–13. In Buddhism, functions that direct people toward goodness and Buddhist