HONORARY DOCTORATE CONFERRAL UPON SGI PRESIDENT IKEDA

Cagayan State University, one of the leading institutes of higher education in the Cagayan Valley Region, conferred its honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters upon SGI President Daisaku Ikeda on February 7, 2018. Present at the ceremony were SGI-Philippines Vice-General Doctor Dr. Eduardo C. Tan, who received the honor on his behalf, National Youth Division Chief Manuel Ang, and Young Men’s Division Secretary Nobuyuki Ota. The academic honor signifies the university’s recognition of the contributions of SGI President Ikeda for the betterment of the world based on the Buddhist philosophy of humanism. The conferment is noteworthy because it marks the first time that the university decided to present the honor to a foreign national and to hold its convocation in the middle of the school year. Dr. Florentina Dumlao, former president of the Nueva Vizcaya State University and consultant to Cagayan State University, attests that the conferment of an academic honor from a Philippine university requires that the university be stable and self-sustainable for at least 20 years. She added that without a solid foundation in the university’s curriculum and support from the local community, it would be impossible to conduct such ceremony. In that sense, the honorary degree from Cagayan State University expresses its unwavering support and respects for the actions and achievements of SGI President Ikeda. In his acceptance letter dated November 2017, SGI President Ikeda shared his commitment to education, saying: “I believe that education is a sacred task that paves the path leading humanity to a better future. That is why I have long determined that education would be my consummating endeavor in life. I pledge my continued commitment to advance in my own modest way, the causes of education, peace, and humanism, hand in hand with you, President Tejada, and with the members of your illustrious university.”