Soka University, spin off from SAT thread

[AustenNut]

In a different thread, this topic came up:

@ColdWombat

If I’m not mistaken, I believe that some people claim Soka (CA) is run by a cult

There are some unusual things going on there, regardless. I think the student body has a large number of wealthy Japanese international students whose families are acolytes of their movement’s leader. I’m not sure what accounts for the SAT scores.

From a few minutes of internet searching, these are some things that I found out:

• Daisaku Ikeda is the founder of Soka. Here’s the brief bio from U. of Minnesota which granted him an honorary doctorate which mentions him as a recipient of various peace/humanitarian awards, including from the UN: Daisaku Ikeda | University Awards & Honors which generally makes things appear to be on the up-and-up.

These are Soka’s mission & values, which sound admirable:

Mission and Values | Soka University of America

• The lyrics of the student songs, however, could be used by supporters of the cult belief as possible evidence, however (the lyrics seem…unusual to me, at least for university songs): https://www.soka.edu/about/proud-heritage/logo-colors-mascot-and-songs. The info on the founder also seems unusually extensive.

• An article from 20 years ago raises concerns: Soka University Under Fire

• According to Wikipedia, it has the 2nd largest endowment/student of any college in the US.

• The particular Soka Gakkai branch associated with the university: Soka Gakkai International - Wikipedia

• Soka Gakkai generally, including information on proselytizing, public perception, and cult appellation: Soka Gakkai - Wikipedia

[ucbalumnus]

@ColdWombat

If I’m not mistaken, I believe that some people claim Soka (CA) is run by a cult

@AustenNut

I never knew that Soka had that reputation.

Given that “cult” is commonly defined as “a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious”, the difference between a cult and a religion may be a personal viewpoint on whether it is “unorthodox” or “spurious”.

So it depends on how one views Soka Gakkai International in this context.

[ColdWombat]

Yeah, that’s why I was careful to use hedging language. I’m not too familiar with that religious movement. I am not personally calling it a cult, because I don’t know enough about it.

There have been former faculty and students who have spoken out about some of the things they didn’t like there. The complaints differ from the typical complaints about colleges.

One common complaint seems to be that domestic students don’t realize what they are getting into when they go there. Other colleges that are run by high-demand religions seem to be pretty transparent about their rules, intentions, etc. Students choose to attend with eyes wide open. That seems like it might not be the case for some students and employees at Soka.

Here is one person’s account. And yes, it’s just one person:

https://www.reddit.com/r/orangecounty/comments/s1ow0a/a_former_faculty_members_take_on_soka_university/

[twoinanddone]

I used to drive by the campus every Sunday morning (taking my daughter to hockey nearby). I never saw anyone on campus. I know most campuses are quiet on Sundays, but this was beyond that. Not a soul out and about. No one walking, jogging, playing sports. No one. Beautiful, modern campus, but empty.

[merc81]

A front-page article in the New York Times covered Soka’s nascency. At that time the school was portrayed as having essentially conventional aspirations:

On a lavender-covered hilltop halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, in the midst of miles of look-alike red-roofed tract houses, an architectural and educational marvel reaches skyward above the Pacific, waiting to spring to life next month as the first new private liberal arts college to be built in California in 25 years.

Soka University of America has a grand dream: to join the ranks of venerable institutions like Pomona, Haverford, Hamilton and other small but respected colleges. . . .

New West Coast College, Born of the Far East (Published 2001)

[UnsentDementor]

Good idea for a thread, AustenNut. I first heard of Soka on College Confidential 4 years ago. I have never met anyone else who has even heard of it, except someone who had reason to drive by the campus (as mentioned by someone else upthread). Since then I’ve found that it is occasionally on “lists” here but there’s generally very little CC traffic, and I can’t remember seeing very much (or any) from parents of students, current students, or former students. Not even many or any threads where the OP has it under consideration. And all this despite a solid USNWR spot (driven by endowment I’m sure). I hope some firsthand information lands here!

[Eijiro_Kirishima]

Here’s an interesting and very comprehensive thread from a past faculty member on Soka Univeristy - definitely shady.
reddit/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/s1ozi3/a_former_faculty_members_take_on_soka_university/

can’t post links for some reason but just add a .com after the “reddit”