The Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) was established by the Seventh-day Adventist Church because of its commitment to meet the growing needs of the church for college teachers, theologians, church leaders, health professionals, and treasurers with international level, graduate education.

 

Beginning in 1956, the church offered graduate extension courses from the Theological Seminary (then located in Washington, DC) on the campus of Philippine Union College (PUC), now the Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP). By 1965, PUC had added a degree in Religious Education to their MA offerings, and in 1971, offered an MA in theology.

 

On March 21, 1972, the Division approved the use of the name “Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Far East” for the new institution, thus creating a Division seminary.

 

Four years later, in January of 1978, the Seminary and the Graduate School at PUC became the first programs to move from Baesa to the new PUC campus in Puting Kahoy. That same year, the Seminary became an institution of the Far Eastern Division of Seventh-day Adventists. The Division had been financially supporting PUC’s graduate programs, and now took up the decision-making and administrative authority.

 

The establishment of the Division seminary in 1972 constitutes the founding date for AIIAS, which at first consisted of just the Division seminary. There had been talk for many years of the Division also running certain graduate programs for the workers across the region, but there was no legal means to do so in the Philippines until Presidential Decree 2021 established AIIAS on January 31, 1986. Henceforth, the institution was called AIIAS, and came to be composed of two schools: the Seminary (now called Asia Adventist Theological Seminary), and the Graduate School, which began in 1988 and produced its first graduates in March 1991.

 

In 1991, AIIAS moved to its present campus near Silang, Cavite. When the Asia-Pacific Division was divided in 1996, AIIAS came under the administration of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, becoming the first General Conference educational institution outside North America.

 

From its early days, in addition to its campus programs, AIIAS has offered programs at off-campus locations to facilitate the graduate-level educational needs of the church throughout the region. More recently cohort programs expanded to South America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

 

AIIAS Online was established in 2001 to offer quality, Christian-oriented graduate education to dedicated professionals wherever they may be in the world. In 2007, AIIAS distinguished itself as one of the first Adventist educational institutions to graduate students with master’s degrees from an online learning program entirely on the Internet.

 

In 2007, AIIAS began the first Seventh-day Adventist Doctor of Philosophy in Business program.

Notable Alumni

Class of 1992. President of Far Eastern Division, 1993-1994; President of Asia Pacific Division, 1995-1996; President of Northern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists. 

Class of 1975. Director of Publishing Ministries Department, General Conference World Headquarters, 2010-2015.

Class of 1980. Director, Department of Education, General Conference World Headquarters.

Class of 1988. President of Pacific Adventist University, 2007-2010.

Class of 1993. Associate Director for Health Ministries, General Conference World Headquarters, 2000-2015.

Class of 1985. Executive Secretary of Southern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists, 2007-2008; Director of Sabbath School and Personal Ministries, 1997-2007.

Class of 1991. Associate Director of Youth Ministries (2008-2015); Associate Director of Stewardship (2015-2022), General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists; Director of Youth Ministries, Southern Asia-Pacific Division, 1996-2006).

Class of 2002. Logistics Support Superintendent, PT. Freeport Indonesia.

Class of 2002. Director of Youth Ministries, Southern Asia Pacific Division, 2006-2018.

Class of 2004. Interdivision missionary Montemorelos University.

Class of 2007. President of Universitas Advent Indonesia.

Class of 2008. President, Chilean Adventist University; Dean, AIIAS Theological Seminary.

Class of …. Associate Director of Education, General Conference World Headquarters; Director of Education, Northern Asia-Pacific Division.

Class of 1995. President, Universitas Klabat.

Class of 2017. President of Southern Asia-Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists.

Nominate an AIIAS Alumnus

We would like to feature some of our alumnus who are, or has has served in leadership roles, or have made a significant contribution to the communities that they serve.

 

QUICK FACTS

PRESIDENT: 

Ginger Ketting-Weller, PhD

FOUNDED:

January 31, 1986 by the Seventh-day Adventist Church by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 2021

ENROLLMENT:

Approximately 200 on campus, 200 DLC and 250 Online

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED BY STUDENTS:

123

CAMPUS AREA:

20 hectares

LIBRARY HOLDINGS:

The Leslie Hardinge Library has holdings of more than 80,000 volumes of reference and circulating books, hundreds of print journal titles, and a growing collection of multimedia and electronic resources. It also subscribes to a number of powerful databases, providing online access to over 14,000 full-text journals. In addition, the library is affiliated with local and international library association and consortia and maintains inter-library loan agreements with libraries around the world providing hard-to-find resources for its patrons.

 

The Leslie Hardinge Library has 159 journal titles. At present, the library subscribes to a total of 39 print only journals, 28 print + online, and 4 online only titles. The library has exchange agreements for 37 titles (print only) and receives 51 free journals/news letters (print only), except for 2 online only and 1 print and online.

FACULTY:

There are more than 40 full-time faculty representing 18 countries

IDENTITY COLORS:

Green, Gold, and Black