![]() |
|
Motto |
Be philosophers of a renaissance of life; |
---|---|
Type | Private |
Established | 2001 |
Endowment | $1.01 billion |
President | Daniel Y. Habuki |
Provost | Tomoko Takahashi |
Academic staff
|
67 |
Undergraduates | 412 |
Address |
1 University Drive Aliso Viejo, CA 92656, Aliso Viejo, CA, USA |
Colors | Blue, white and gold. |
Nickname | Lions |
Website | www.soka.edu |
Coordinates: 33°33′17″N 117°44′07″W / 33.554722°N 117.735361°W
Be philosophers of a renaissance of life;
Be world citizens in solidarity for peace;
Be the pioneers of a global civilization.
Soka University of America (SUA) is a four-year liberal arts university located in Aliso Viejo, California, the United States. The university's mission is to "foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life," with an emphasis on principles of pacifism, human rights, and the creative coexistence of nature and humanity. It has a graduate and an undergraduate program.
A much larger and older sister school, Soka University of Japan, is located in Hachiōji, Tokyo. SUA encompasses both a four-year liberal arts college and a graduate school offering a Master's program in Educational Leadership and Societal Change. SUA hosts the Pacific Basin Research Center and the academic journal Annals of Scholarship. The school is noted for being in the top three in terms of first-year student happiness in the United States as measured by retention rates.
SUA is a secular and nonsectarian university founded by Daisaku Ikeda, the President of Soka Gakkai International (SGI). SUA's philosophical foundation originated in the work of Tsunesaburō Makiguchi, who was the first President of Soka Gakkai (previous name Soka Kyoiku Gakkai) and created a society for educators dedicated to social and educational reform in Japan during the years leading up to World War II. Makiguchi was an elementary school principal, strongly influenced by John Dewey and American educational progressivism.