A Message from the President

Dear Friends and Supporters,

On behalf of the students, staff and faculty of Soka University of America (SUA), welcome to SUA Founders newsletter filled with exciting updates for our donors and friends.

With the conclusion of the academic year, I would like to express my appreciation to the entire campus community, our generous donors, precious alumni, and all of our supporters for your efforts and assistance during the past year. As we faced a global pandemic that impacted the way we functioned as a community, I was deeply moved by the genuine care that our community shared for one another during this time.

In May, we celebrated SUA Aliso Viejo campus’ 20th anniversary with a virtual celebration focusing on our recommitment to the founding principles and mission with many donors in attendance. During the event, SUA’s Board of Trustees bestowed two major honors on the university founder, Daisaku Ikeda: the establishment of an endowed chair in his name and naming the undergraduate program, Daisaku Ikeda College. At the event, our alumni and student speakers expressed their appreciation to our donors for providing financial support which gave them the opportunity to study at SUA.

Despite the many challenges, our graduates persevered and successfully finished their capstone and master’s thesis. To recognize the accomplishments of our undergraduate students completing the bachelor’s degree program in Liberal Arts, and the graduate students completing the master’s degree program in Educational Leadership and Societal Change, we held the Class of 2021’s virtual Commencement ceremony on May 28th. Though it was our first time holding a virtual Commencement, the video and slides of each graduate were beautifully assembled to honor our precious students.

The World Summit of Educators commemorating the 25th anniversary of Mr. Ikeda’s address at Columbia University on education for global citizenship concluded with a rousing success in the middle of June. With the theme, “Educating for Global Citizenship: Building an Equitable, Peaceful, and Sustainable World,” the variety of panels addressed the important issues in the realm of education. We were honored to welcome Ms. Wanjira Mathai, vice president and regional director for Africa at World Resources Institute (WRI) and daughter of 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai, as our keynote speaker.

After a year of remotely working, our staff and faculty will transition back to campus in preparation for the return of students for the 2021-2022 academic year. We are looking forward to welcoming our students back to SUA and reconnecting as a community in the Fall semester.

In closing, I would like to again express my appreciation to you, our sincere donors, for your support during the past year. All of us at SUA feel your generous spirit to help actualize SUA’s mission of fostering global citizens committed to living a contributive life. We will continue to make even greater strides in this endeavor.

Sincerely,

Ed Feasel, Ph.D. President

“I would like to express my appreciation to you, our sincere donors, for your support during the past year.”