Investing Early in Peace: How Steven MacDonald Found Purpose in Philanthropy

October 08, 2024

• Campus News

"In Silicon Valley, people talk about being early investors with a kind of reverence," said long-time SUA donor Steven MacDonald. "Well, I'm an early investor in SUA-and I consider it one of the best investments I've ever made."

To understand why MacDonald feels this way, it's important to explore his deep regard for education and how he came to appreciate the mission of SUA. Growing up on Long Island, New York, his path to success was far from linear. After securing a full academic scholarship to Fordham University in New York City, he got kicked out three semesters later.

Still grappling with this setback, MacDonald decided to move to California. "After getting kicked out of school, I figured I'd have to work for the rest of my life," he said. "I'd rather work in an environment that was pretty like San Francisco, surrounded on three sides by water and filled with pastel-colored buildings."

He hitchhiked to the City by the Bay in the summer of 1969, a 21-year-old dreamer determined to make something of his life but without a clear idea of what that might look like. However, military service loomed on the horizon for MacDonald's future. "I didn't want to go to Vietnam," MacDonald recalled. "I'd met some people that had come back and the stories they told were horrible." MacDonald was drafted in 1972, and sent to Europe after basic training. "They found out I could type," he said, "so they made me the company clerk."

For MacDonald, Army life proved more interesting than anticipated, largely due to the individuals he encountered. As a clerk, he often assisted soldiers in urgent situations. For instance, if a soldier needed to return home after a parent's death and lacked a passport, MacDonald would draft the necessary paperwork, ascend the base's hill to obtain the commander's signature, and promptly return with the signed orders. "They'd look at me like 'Wow, man, that was magic,'" MacDonald said. "And a little light bulb went off in my head: isn't that what a lawyer does? Facilitating between the common person, the power structure, the authority figure, the paper signature?"

This realization led him to pursue law, inspired by the idea that he could help people navigate systems of power. Becoming a lawyer wasn't easy-he worked by day, finished college and attended law school at night, all while raising a young family-but he never looked back.

MacDonald's varied experiences of failing, overcoming challenges, and eventually finding his professional calling helped shape his views on the importance of education. "I felt intuitively that not functioning at your potential is a special kind of suffering," he explained. "Education gives people a way out of that."

His connection to Soka University of America dates to the early days of Soka University in Japan, which he visited in 1971, shortly after it opened. Years later, when he learned about the establishment of Soka University of America, he was overjoyed, as the university's mission of fostering global citizens resonates with his own values. "Driving down the 101 a few months before SUA opened in 2001, there was so much excitement," MacDonald said, recalling his first visit to the Aliso Viejo campus.

While it was through his friendship with Luis Nieves, fellow SUA donor and founder of the Luis & Linda Nieves Family Foundation, that MacDonald became more closely involved with supporting SUA, it was the students who inspired him to contribute most.

"When you meet the students, you realize just how serious they are about becoming world citizens and leaders," he said. "They take their education so seriously-more seriously than I ever could have at their age."

A Commitment to SUA's Mission

MacDonald's interactions with SUA students, including those who have interned at his law firm, reinforced his belief in the university's mission. "Meeting them made it real for me," he added. "This isn't just a noble concept-it's happening."

As is true for many SUA donors, philanthropy is about more than financial contributions for MacDonald; it's about finding meaning and purpose. The return on his investment is not financial-it's the impact Soka students will have on the world. "Later in life, you need something more than just chasing a buck or prestige," he reflected. "You need to know that you're contributing to something bigger."

Discussing the urgency of peace and global citizenship in today's increasingly volatile world, he recalled university founder Daisaku Ikeda's tenacious efforts as a citizen diplomat to restore ties between Japan and China in the 1970s. "Mr. Ikeda once said that peace treaties are meaningless without trust," MacDonald said. "SUA is building that kind of trust among its students who hail from many countries, and that's exactly what the world needs right now."

Looking ahead, MacDonald remains committed to supporting the university's mission. Whether through financial contributions, professional mentoring, or attending the annual Peace Gala, his involvement with SUA continues to provide him with a sense of purpose and fulfillment. "SUA is making a difference," he said. "And I'm proud to be a part of it."