Asia-Pacific International University

Asia-Pacific International University is a private Christian university located in Saraburi, Thailand. Its main campus is in the rural town of Muak Lek, Saraburi Province and the nursing school is located on the grounds of Bangkok Adventist Hospital in downtown Bangkok. It is the only tertiary education institution serving the Southeast Asia Union Mission of Seventh-day Adventists. Asia-Pacific International University was formerly called Mission College (Thai: วิทยาลัยมิชชัน) until mid-2009 when it was granted university status. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system.

The university is a union of three former institutions: Southeast Asia Union College in Singapore, Bangkok Adventist Hospital School of Nursing, and Mission College, Muak Lek Campus. It also contains a heritage research center of the Ellen G. White Estate and a translation and language research center that focuses on translating material into ethnic minority languages such as Hmong and Karen.

History

Southeast Asia Union College

Southeast Asia Union College (SAUC), the oldest of the three former institutions was first established as Singapore Training School (a secondary school) by G F Jones, the first Adventist missionary in Southeast Asia. In the early 1920s, the school moved to a larger site on Upper Serangoon Road where it continued to operate until the late 1990s. During the 1950s, the school introduced tertiary level studies and gained Junior College status in 1956. A two-year program was offered in Ministerial Training was followed soon with similar programs in education and business. In the late 1960s the institution expanded into a small liberal arts college and offered its first bachelor's degree programs in Education and Theology. The development led to a significant rise in enrolment although the college still lacked accreditation because of government regulations. SAUC began developing its teaching faculty and resources and explored partnerships with other Adventist institutions overseas. In 1984, the college began offering fully accredited American degree programs through an affiliation with Walla Walla College, Washington, US. By the mid-1990s the college's offerings had grown to include business administration, computer information systems, office administration, religion, and the teaching of English as a second language (TESOL).

In 1996, the Singapore Government announced its intention to expropriate the college property for a major urban transport development project, thus suspending further development. Church leaders were obliged to look into relocating its center of higher education in Southeast Asia. By July 1998 remaining students had been transferred to other institutions and the college activities were terminated in Singapore. Moveable assets were sold or transferred to Muak Lek, Thailand. The Seventh-day Adventist School, which was co-located with the college, merged with San Yu High School to form the present-day San Yu Adventist School at Thomson Road and some of the college's property, such as its auditorium seats, was donated to the school.

Mission Faculty of Nursing

The first attempts to initiate a School of Nursing in Bangkok occurred in 1941 in connection with the establishment of the Bangkok Adventist Medical Clinic. The outbreak of hostilities in the South-east Asia region during World War II, however, led to the evacuation of overseas medical personnel after a few months and the project was suspended.

The cessation of hostilities in 1945 enabled the re-establishment of medical work. Bangkok Adventist Hospital relocated to a new site in central Bangkok on Pitsanulok Road, purchased in 1946. A year later a School of Nursing was opened on the hospital compound under the leadership of Mrs Ellen Waddell as Chief Nurse at the new hospital and Ruth Monroe as Director of the School of Nursing. Their mission, "To train competent, caring nurses, and to teach young people about God's love." Dr & Mrs Waddell personally interviewed and chose the first 33 students for the program. Three years later in 1950 the School celebrated its first graduation awarding diplomas to 25 nurses.

Academics

Asia-Pacific International University (AIU) offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs across various faculties. Instruction is primarily delivered in English, with the exception of select programs offered in Thai. The university follows a semester-based academic calendar and has a holistic, Christian approach to education consistent with the values of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Faculties and programs

AIU is organized into the following faculties:

Faculty of Arts and Humanities – Offers the Bachelor of Arts in English for Professional Purposes, with emphases in Business, Communication, and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).

Faculty of Business Administration – Offers the Bachelor of Business Administration with majors in Accounting and Management.

Faculty of Education – Offers a Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education. ( Also used to offer Bachelor Education & Psychology )

Faculty of Information Technology – Offers a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.

Faculty of Religious Studies – Offers a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies.

Faculty of Science – Offers a Bachelor of Science in Bioscience with emphases in Biology, Clinical Lab, and Community Public Health.

Mission Faculty of Nursing – Based in Bangkok, this faculty offers the Bachelor of Nursing Science (B.N.S) degree.

International program

The international program is open to international and Thai students who meet the standard requirements, including proficiency in English, which is the medium of instruction.

Undergraduate

Bachelor's degrees are offered in business, biology, nursing, education, religious education and theology. There is an ESL (English as a Second Language) option to assist students who do not speak English as a native language in transitioning to university-level competency.

As part of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist education system, the university has transfer agreements with affiliated colleges and universities such as La Sierra University, Griggs University and Loma Linda University in the US and Avondale College in Australia. Asian students thus have a financially viable option of beginning their degree at AIU before transferring overseas.

Graduate Programs

Graduate-level offerings include:

Master of Business Administration (MBA) with emphases in Accounting and Management

Master of Education (M.Ed.) with emphases in Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Administration, and TESOL

Thai program

Students in the Thai program have the same degree options (except Education) as international students, the only exception being the medium of instruction. However, the Bachelor of Nursing degree is taught on both English and Thai.

Accreditation and affiliations

AIU's academic programs are accredited by Thailand's Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation (MHESI) and recognized by the Thai Civil Service Commission. It is also accredited by the Adventist Accrediting Association (AAA) and is part of the global network of Seventh-day Adventist educational institutions.

The university maintains academic cooperation agreements with international partners including Loma Linda University, La Sierra University, Andrews University (USA), Sahmyook University (Korea), and Adventist institutions in the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Peru.

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)