Administrators, faculty, staff and students of Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) gathered on August 10, 2015, to break ground for the Scholarship Tower that will be constructed in the southern part of the AIIAS campus. The building will feature 15 housing units and a multi-purpose lobby, which will provide housing for approximately 30 more students.
“This tower is a little bit different than the others,” stated Dr. Stephen Guptill, AIIAS president, in his remarks, “not so much about its size and its shape but its purpose."
Through the years, many students at AIIAS have been aided by scholarship funds. As the number of self-supporting students grows, there is an increasing need for more scholarship funds. The AIIAS administrators thought about different ways to generate enough scholarship funds, including financial endowment, but soon realized that it was not a sustainable option.
“The unique feature of this scholarship tower is that all the proceeds from this building will be dedicated to worthy student scholarships at AIIAS,” said Dr. Guptill.
AIIAS Student Association president, Alvaro Rodriguez, expressed how important this project was. “We are not only building a tower but preparing new missionaries to go all around the world. Thank you to all the donors.”
Funds for the building project comes from the Crocodile Foundation, Southern Asia-Pacific Division, Northern Asia-Pacific Division and other private donations. Presently, almost all of the funds for the project have been raised.
Located in the Philippines, AIIAS is a graduate institution of higher learning owned and operated by the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and offers programs in the areas of business, education, health and religion.
BY Bruce Sumendap, Director of Public Relations at AIIAS