Pacific Alliance of Liberal Arts Colleges

Soka University of America is leading the development of the new Pacifi c Alliance of Liberal Arts Colleges (PALAC), which currently includes 8 top liberal arts institutions in 4 countries.

The PALAC institutions are mostly young and innovative new liberal arts universities pioneering new models of global liberal arts that promote deeper understanding about the interconnectedness of all the cultures and societies in the Pacific Region. Below is a current list of PALAC member institutions including their year of founding and number of students.

Canada Quest University Canada (2007; 600 students)

China NYU-Shanghai (2012; 2000 students)

Hong Kong BNU-HKBU United International College (2005; 6000 students)

China Duke Kunshan University (2013; 1000 students)

USA Pomona College (1887; 1650 students)

USA Soka University of America (2001; 450 students)

USA University of Puget Sound (1888; 2650 students)

Vietnam Fulbright University Vietnam (2016; 500 students)

We are actively discussing PALAC with additional institutions in other countries, such as Japan and Australia, and hope to add new institutions to the alliance in the coming months. The alliance is in its fi rst year and we look forward to hosting a meeting at Soka University of America in June 2022 for the PALAC institutions and other global liberal arts institutions to discuss new models of global liberal arts education, and how our institutions can together advance global citizenship education and research and teaching to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. We are also working with the PALAC institutions this year to discuss some interesting new programs for the PALAC alliance, which might include programs for collaborative faculty and student research, initiatives to help build faculty leadership and teaching, and new programs to provide students with exciting opportunities for cultural exchange and experiential learning.