Global peacemaker Daisaku Ikeda receives honorary degree from DePaul

The Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., president of DePaul University, (center) presented the honorary degree to Hiromasa Ikeda, who accepted the award on behalf of his father, Daisaku Ikeda. Jason Goulah (fourth from left), associate professor of Bilingual-Bicultural Education and director of the Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education at DePaul, also attended the ceremony. (DePaul University/Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education)

In late December, DePaul University presented an honorary degree to Daisaku Ikeda, a global peacemaker and president of Soka Gakkai International, a community-based Buddhist organization. The university honored Ikeda for his life's work, which focuses on finding peace, advocating for education and eradicating the fundamental causes of human conflict.

Inspired by Ikeda's work, in 2014 DePaul created the Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education, the first university-affiliated institute of its kind in the United States. The institute follows a Japanese education model called Soka, meaning "value creating," which complements the university's Vincentian values. Through its initiatives, research and programs, the institute aims to bring awareness to the ideas of Japanese educators such as Ikeda and his mentors.

Formed in the 1970s, Soka Gakkai International is a grassroots movement with more than 12 million members in 192 countries and territories around the world. The organization promotes peace, culture and education centered on respect for human life. As a nongovernmental organization with formal ties to the United Nations, Soka Gakkai International also collaborates with other civil society organizations and intergovernmental agencies in the fields of nuclear disarmament, human rights education, sustainable development and humanitarian relief.

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