The Inter American University of Puerto Rico (Spanish: ''Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico''; often abbreviated to ''UIPR'' or ''Inter'') is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

university with its main campus in

San Germán, Puerto Rico San Germán (, ) is a historic town and municipality located in the Sabana Grande Valley of southwestern region of Puerto Rico, south of Mayagüez and Maricao, north of Lajas, east of Hormigueros and Cabo Rojo, and west of Sabana Grande. S ...

. It also has campuses in

Aguadilla Aguadilla (, ), founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city and municipality located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla i ...

, Arecibo,

Barranquitas Barranquitas (, ) is a small mountain town and municipality located in the Cordillera Central region of Puerto Rico, south of Corozal and Naranjito; north of Coamo and Aibonito; west of Comerío and Cidra; and east of Orocovis. Barranquit ...

, Bayamón,

Fajardo Fajardo (, ) is a town and municipality -Fajardo Combined Statistical Area. Fajardo is the hub of much of the recreational boating in Puerto Rico and a popular launching port to Culebra, Vieques, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It is ...

Guayama Guayama (, ), officially the Autonomous Municipality of Guayama ( es, Municipio Autónomo de Guayama) is a city and municipality on the Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 36,614. It is the ce ...

, Ponce, and

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

. The university also has three professional schools:

School of Optometry A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

, School of Law, and the School of Aeronautics. The Inter offers academic programs in 11 teaching units. It was founded in San Germán in 1912. The San Germán campus is also the home to the Inter American School, a private co-educational college-preparatory school.

History

The Inter American University was founded as Polytechnic Institute of Puerto Rico in 1912 by Rev. John Will Harris and his brother Clarence Harris. It was founded as an elementary and high school in the Lomas de Santa Marta sector of the town of San Germán in land now occupied by the university's San Germán Campus. In 1927, the first high school class graduation took place. In 1944, the institute was accredited by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional accreditation of public and private schools in the Mid-Atl ...

, thus becoming the first liberal arts college to receive such accreditation in Puerto Rico, as well as the first outside the continental United States. This accreditation has been maintained over the years.

Governance

The governing body of the Inter American University of Puerto Rico is its self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. The faculty and administration of the Faculty of Law and School of Optometry determine their own programs and rules subject to approval by the president and trustees.

Religious life

Parroquia Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Santurce

Although Inter American University maintains a historic relationship with the

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...

, it does not adhere to any one particular theology or ecclesiastical body.

Accreditations

The eleven academic units of Inter American University of Puerto Rico are authorized by the Council on Education of Puerto Rico and accredited by the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

to offer university studies of the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels, as the case may be. Likewise, the university is committed to the professional accreditation of its academic programs. For this reason, some academic units have programs accredited by organizations, such as: * Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Bayamón Campus * Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) School of Optometry * American Bar Association (ABA) School of Law * Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Program (CANAEP) Arecibo Campus * Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Arecibo and Fajardo campuses (B.A.) Metropolitan Campus (B.A., M.S.W.) * International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) Aguadilla, Arecibo, Barranquitas, Bayamón, Fajardo, Guayama, Metropolitano, Ponce and San Germán campuses, School of Law and School of Optometry * International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE) San Germán Campus (B.B.A., M.B.A, PhD) * Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) San Germán Campus (A.A.S., B.S.) * National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) Metropolitano and San Germán campuses (BS, Professional Certificate) * National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) Aguadilla and Arecibo campuses (B.S.N.) Recinto Metropolitano (A.A.S., B.S.N.) * Network of International Business Schools (NIBS) Metropolitan Campus (Division of Economic and Administrative Sciences) * Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) Barranquitas, Fajardo, Metropolitan, Ponce and San Germán campuses (Teacher Education Program)

Campuses

* Aguadilla * Arecibo * Barranquitas * Bayamón * Fajardo * Guayama * Metropolitano * Ponce * San Germán

Academics

Inter American University offers pre-university, undergraduate, graduate and professional academic programs for obtaining certificates and Associate, Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees in subject matters normally offered by institutions of higher education of a nature, educational mission and goals similar to those of this university. The School of Law of Inter American University grants the Juris Doctor degree and the School of Optometry, the Doctor of Optometry degree. Graduate courses may be taught in Spanish.

Notable alumni

Yiye Ávila José Joaquín Ávila Portalatín (September 11, 1925 – June 28, 2013), better known as Yiye Ávila, was a Puerto Rican Pentecostal Evangelist and writer of Sephardic origins. His preaching and messages were characterized in proclaiming that ...

– Pentecostal evangelist, writer and former bodybuilder *

Jaime Fonalledas Jaime Fonalledas (born 1946) is the President and CEO of Empresas Fonalledas Inc., which owns Plaza Las Américas, the largest shopping mall in the Caribbean and one of the top retail and entertainment venues in the world. Empresas Fonalledas Inc. ...

– businessman and President of Empresas Fonalledas, which owns Plaza Las Américas *

Alejandro García Padilla Alejandro Javier García Padilla (; born August 3, 1971) is a Puerto Rican politician and attorney who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2013 to 2017. Prior to this position, García Padilla held various roles in the political la ...

– Former

Governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico ( es, gobernador de Puerto Rico) is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and commander-in-chief of the Puerto Rico National Guard. The governor has a duty to enforce local laws, to co ...

Noemí Ruiz Noemí Ruiz is a Puerto Rican painter, graphic artist and teacher. She is said to be a pioneer of abstraction in Puerto Rico. Her works can be found in many significant collections, and she has represented Puerto Rico in many international exhibit ...

– artist *

Antonio Sanchez Anthony Sanchez, Antonio Sanchez or Tony Sanchez may refer to: Sports * Antón (footballer) (1914–2005), Spanish footballer born ''Antonio Sánchez Valdés'' * Antonio Sánchez (boxer) (1905–?), Spanish boxer * Antonio Sánchez (footballer, ...

- Puerto Rican television and radio personality * Tony Santiago - military historian * Luguelín Santos – Dominican sprinter * Joan Smalls – Supermodel *

Raymond Dalmau Raymond Dalmau Pérez (born October 27, 1948) is a retired Puerto Rican professional basketball player and coach. Dalmau played in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN), the top tier basketball league in the country, for 20 seasons with the Pir ...

- basketball player * Rubén Colón Tarrats – orchestra director * Wanda Vazquez Garced - Governor of Puerto Rico

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Inter-American University Of Puerto Rico Liga Atletica Interuniversitaria de Puerto Rico Air traffic controller schools Educational institutions established in 1912 1912 establishments in Puerto Rico Universities and colleges affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA)