DePaul University College of Education Dean Paul Zionts and Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education Director Jason Goulah visited Soka University and Soka High School in Tokyo, Japan. During their visit December 7-11, 2015, they met with Soka University Provost Hirotomo Teranishi, Education Department Dean Masashi Suzuki, and Soka Education Research Institute Director Koichi Kandachi, among other faculty and students. They discussed developing faculty and student exchanges and other collaborative activities between DePaul’s College of Education and Soka University.
Dean Zionts and Professor Goulah also toured Soka High School and met with Shigeo Nakagawa, General Director of Academic Affairs for the Tokyo Soka Schools, and with Messrs. Izumi Katagiri, Seiichiro Shioda, and Seiichi Kinoshita, respectively the principals of Tokyo Soka Elementary, Junior High, and High Schools. Dean Zionts addressed 9th and 10th grade students and engaged in a thoughtful Q&A session about the true purpose of education.
Dean Zionts and Professor Goulah also met with representatives from the Makiguchi Foundation for Education, including General Director Kumao Fukase, and with representatives from the Soka Gakkai. Dean Zionts delivered a talk at the SOKA Youth Peace Forum, where he addressed how the Soka youths’ peace activities affect Japan and the Globe; how their values resonate so closely with DePaul University’s and the work of the College of Education; and how they resonate with him on a personal level. The DePaul delegation visit, excerpts from Dean Zionts’ presentation, and an interview with Dean Zionts were featured in the Japanese daily newspaper Seikyo Shimbun (circulation 5.5 million) on December 9, 12, and January 1. His speech was also covered in the January issue of monthly magazine Daisanbunei.
Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education 