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Soka University of America celebrates 20 years in Aliso Viejo, Calif.

Soka University of America was recently awarded a $1 million John Stauffer matching endowment, which will fund student summer research programs in chemistry and biochemistry. This comes on the heels of SUA’s new life sciences concentration and its state-of-the-art Marie and Pierre Curie Hall (pictured above).

SUA celebrates its 20th anniversary on May 3! Ikeda Sensei established its undergraduate program in 2001 in Aliso Viejo, California, based on the Buddhist principles of peace, human rights and the dignity of life. Stay tuned for special coverage of the anniversary in an upcoming World Tribune issue.

by Mitch Bogen Special to the Tribune The Ikeda Center’s newest book, Hope and Joy in Education: Engaging Daisaku Ikeda Across Curriculum and Context, launched in virtual but grand style on April 15. Nearly 300 attendees from 20 countries heard editors Isabel Nuñez and Jason Goulah offer thoughts on their motivations and hopes for this

The American Educational Research Association honors his efforts in peace building, human rights and education.

The nation paid tribute to SGI-USA member and civil rights icon Alvin Sykes, who passed away on March 19, 2021. He was 64. Mr. Sykes, a self-taught legal defender, was best known for launching the Emmett Till Justice Campaign in January 2003 with Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, just days before her death. The campaign sought

On April 1 in Tokyo, Ikeda Sensei and Mrs. Ikeda conducted gongyo at the Soka Gakkai Headquarters honoring the anniversary of second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda’s passing on April 2, 1958. They also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Soka University, praying for the university’s development and the happiness and victory of

SGI-USA member Tricia Elam Walker, of Maryland, won the 2021 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award for her children’s book Nana Akua Goes to School, which teaches that differences can be wonderful and celebrated. This is a national literary award that honors early career authors and illustrators for their achievements. Ms. Walker is a district women’s

March 4—The Back from the Brink national grassroots campaign and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, convened a virtual policy briefing with interactive workshops, themed “Ending Nuclear Weapons Before They End Us: Opportunities Under the Biden Administration to Take Action.” The SGI-USA is a member of the

In January and February, many subscribers experienced delays in receiving the World Tribune and Living Buddhism as an uptick in holiday packages and the COVID-19 pandemic slowed periodical mailings to a crawl. We truly regret these delays and thank you for your patience at this challenging time. The SGI-USA Member Services Department is working closely

Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, recited the following original piece, “Believer’s Hymn for the Republic,” at the 35th Annual Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which was co-sponsored by the SGI-USA at the World Peace Ikeda Auditorium on Jan. 20, 2020, in Santa Monica, Calif. 12 score

The Town of Greenwich, Connecticut, celebrated the 46th anniversary of the SGI’s founding with a proclamation declaring Jan. 26, 2021, Founding Day of the Soka Gakkai International in Greenwich. The citation praises the efforts of SGI members worldwide who strive each day “for the genuine happiness and true prosperity of their respective countries and local

KTLA 5 News reporter Gene Kang captured the hearts of viewers throughout Los Angeles during his morning news segment on Feb. 7. Mr. Kang, who is also an SGI-USA men’s region leader, was covering the topic of domestic violence and went on to share his own experience of how he used his Buddhist practice to

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Jan. 22—Is it possible to melt the icy walls of distrust between people? “Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.—A Conversation” was a timely and important event that reinforced Dr. King’s bold vision of human harmony and the steps we must take to achieve it. Held in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day,

by Mitch Bogen Correspondent Cambridge, Mass.—The first “virtual” Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue demonstrated the very concept it explored: value creation. With an in-person gathering not possible, the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue took the Dec. 10 event online—the positive result being that more than 300 global citizens from 27 countries were able

The following report was adapted from sokaglobal.org. In his 39th annual peace proposal, SGI President Ikeda calls for increased global cooperation on the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and the elimination of nuclear weapons. TOKYO, Jan. 26—SGI President Ikeda released his 39th annual peace proposal, “Value Creation in a Time of Crisis,” marking the anniversary

The new dawn blooms as we free it For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it If only we’re brave enough to be it. Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, closed her poem “The Hill We Climb” with these words on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20. On this same

The Jan. 21 issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, reported that SGI President Ikeda sent a congratulatory message to Joseph Biden, who was inaugurated on Jan. 20 as the 46th president of the United States. In his message, President Ikeda noted that the Japanese people will never forget how, 10 years

Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California, began serving as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site on Jan. 23. The campus became Orange County’s second Super Point of Dispensing location, following Disneyland. Orange County residents must register at othena.com and confirm an appointment time for the SUA site. On May 3, 2001, SUA opened its

A U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons is now international law. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) went into effect on Jan. 22 for the more than 50 member states that had ratified it. Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada issued a statement, on behalf of SGI members worldwide, welcoming this unprecedented milestone. Nuclear