Peter Burns

Donor Spotlight

Peter Burns writes on a whiteboard

It gives me great satisfaction to think that my money may have helped some of the brightest and kindest students attend such a great place.

Soka University of America is fortunate because generous people around the world believe in our mission and support us with their hard-earned money. Some donors have the fortune of wealth and are able to donate large sums. Many others are everyday people who, while not affluent, chose to give what they can so SUA can continue “to foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life.” All donations matter regardless of the amount.

Peter Burns, one of our precious donors who also happens to be a professor of political science at Soka, shares why he chooses to donate to the university where he teaches.

“Soka has a spirit of generosity and gratitude that permeates it. These spirits moved me to donate in the first place, and to continue to donate. The students compelled me to donate. Soka students are the brightest and the kindest. It gives me great satisfaction to think that my money may have helped some of these spectacular people attend such a great place.

“I feel like I am giving back to the world when I donate to Soka. I have the advantage that I can see my donation at work every single day. Giving to Soka is the best thing that I do.

“I believe that Soka students show great courage. They show great courage by going to law school or taking a job in order to protect the environment. They show great courage by starting non-profits that help people marginalized by society. They show great courage by making their homes and the world better places in which to live.

“Many Soka students show great courage by attending Soka in the first place. They travel thousands of miles to live in a country where they have never been and take classes spoken in a foreign language.

“They do so because they want to improve the lives of their families and friends and, ultimately, the countries they call home.”