Soka University...Ever Hear of It?

A few weeks ago Kay and I went up to Irvine to play in a bridge tournament. We were on the campus of Concordia University, a beautiful little college in the middle of a residental neighborhood in Irvine. I told Kay I had never heard of Concordia.I also mentioned that I frequently passed a sign on the freeway showing the location of Soka University and that I had never heard of it either. Kay told me she had recently gone on a tour of the campus and learned a great deal about the university. I was intrigued, she sent me some information and I did a little research to learn more about it.

Soka University of Japan has been around a long time. I don't know when, but those running the Japanese university decided they wanted to offer their education and philosophy of life to students from around the world and base their university in America. It is located on over 100 acres in Aliso Viejo, Orange County. They offer a 9:1 student/faculty ratio. The average class size is 13, and their program includes a study abroad program for undergraduates. It is a liberal arts undergraduate and graduate school. The university is founded on Buddhist principles of peace, human rights and the sanctity of life. SUA offers a non-sectarian curriculum that is open to top students of all nationalities and beliefs. About half of the students come from the US and the rest are from more than 40 countries.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the university to me was they they offer generous financial aid to both US and International students, with free tuition available to eligible admitted students whose earned family income is $60,000 or below. The mission of Soka University is to "foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life". They have huge endowments which enable them to offer so much financial aid.

In a world that is getting smaller everyday and where understanding and cooperation between people of all nations is imperative for our survival, Soka seems to be on the right track. They stress love of humankind, character development and inspire contribution to society.

In a business class, twelve students traveled to New Orleans to learn about micro-finance and micro-credit and the extent to which these community uplift strategies were being employed in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. What a great, hands on way to learn first hand about economics and interact with the people from that community.

I for one would like to hear more about Soka University and make take one of the free campus tours that they offer. Education is near and dear to my heart and it's wonderful to see there are universities that are offering students alternative ways of learning, which they hope in the end will make them more productive members of the global community.