AIIAS had its beginning in a
realization that leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist
(SDA) Church in Asia needed and desired graduate preparation in such
areas as teaching, management, health education,  evangelism,
and theology. To be most effective, such an education needed to be offered in
quality, affordable programs infused with Bible principles and truths.
Beginning in 1957, several such
graduate programs, primarily in the area of religion, were offered on the
campus of Philippine Union College (PUC), now Adventist University of the
Philippines (AUP). These programs were organized into a Theological
Seminary, which became a Far Eastern Division institution in 1978. The
success of the Seminary led to the expansion of graduate programs into
other areas, such as public health. Thus, on May 5, 1987, when AIIAS came
into being by Presidential Decree 2021, it was composed of two schools:
the Theological Seminary
(ThS) and the School of Graduate Studies
(SGS). These schools were joined by the Distance
Education Division (DED), offering courses leading to graduate degrees
at Distance Learning Centers (DLCs) located strategically throughout Asia.
In 1991, AIIAS was moved to the
present campus near Silang, Cavite. On October 6, 1996, by action taken by
the Annual Council of the SDA Church, AIIAS became an institution of the
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Concurrently, its mission
expanded to incorporate a more global dimension.
|
|
