La Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico / The Inter American University of Puerto Rico is a private university with a Christian heritage and an ecumenical tradition. It was founded in 1912 by the Reverend J. William Harris in the city of San Germán. Originally known as the Polytechnic Institute of Puerto Rico, the school began offering college level courses in 1921 and graduated its first bachelor degree students in 1927. In 1944, the institution was accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the first four-year liberal arts college outside the continental limits of the United States to be so accredited by that body.
Today the University has 43,000 students studying on 9 campuses in Puerto Rico and extensions in Florida and Panama, making it a cultural bridge between North America and Latin America. The Metropolitan Campus in San Juan, which is hosting Decolonizing Churches, is one of the most culturally diverse in the university, drawing students from a number of cultural and national backgrounds. Instruction on the Metropolitan Campus is offered in both in Spanish and English.
Religious Life
Inter American University of Puerto Rico is an ecumenically oriented institution, but does not adhere to any one particular theology or ecclesiastical body. Founded by Dr. John William Harris, a minister of the Presbyterian Church, the University maintains a historic, friendly and enriching association with that communion as well as with other Christian groups in accordance with its ecumenical spirit. As a community of higher education, the school is dedicated to a comprehensive search for truth within an environment of responsible freedom and through the encouragement of a mature academic life which guarantees true freedom of investigation. Within this context, religion is studied in the University as an academic discipline designed to engage in fruitful dialog with other university disciplines.
In affirming its commitment to the Christian ecumenical ideal, the University dedicates itself to the renewal and reaffirmation not only of its own Christian heritage, but also the culture within which it is situated and which it serves. The ecumenical posture of the University involves openness to society, science, technology and a plurality of faiths; an integral education of each individual so he or she may exercise a vocation within his or her community in a responsible and productive way; a commitment to serve though not to dominate society; and the development of friendship, fellowship, and understanding to bridge human barriers.
School of Theology
The School of Theology offers a religious studies major at the undergraduate level and several graduate degrees, the highest being the PhD in theology. The approach of the School is both interdisciplinary and ecumenical in nature, emphasizing the analysis of the theological foundations of Christian faith and the essential role that they play in the formation of ethical values. Students are challenged to understand historical, social, economic, political, cultural and religious structures, situating them in the changing context of a globalized world.