Adventist University of Africa
Mission
The mission of the Adventist University of Africa is to deliver dynamic postgraduate education in selected fields, in a Christian context, to prepare graduates to provide competent leadership and service based on integrity, respect, and love, to meet the needs of church and society.
History
In 1994 the General Conference Department of Education commissioned a study to determine the best way to provide postgraduate education for all of Africa. Traveling abroad, spending several years in Europe or America, was not a viable option for most African pastors, church administrators, and prospective professors. To solve their problem, a few African Adventist institutions negotiated affiliation agreements with Andrews University and Loma Linda University, but even these arrangements proved unsatisfactory because the cost was high and contextualization could not be achieved.
In 2003, a consultation requested by the three African divisions, with representation from the divisions, from Adventist colleges and universities in Africa, and from the General Conference, took place in Arusha, Tanzania. The consultation ended with the recommendation to establish a new institution that would offer only postgraduate programmes, in comparatively short sessions each year (to enable potential students to attend without having to resign from their work and move their families). Classes would be taught at Extension Centres on the campuses of selected, existing Adventist universities/colleges. The divisions chose Solusi University in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division, Babcock University in the West-Central Africa Division, and the University of East Africa-Baraton in the Eastern-Central Africa Division. Since then an Interim Management Committee has been working on the development of the curriculum, on obtaining a charter from the Commission of Higher Education of Kenya, and arranging for the beginning of classes in 2006.
Headquarters
On September 13, 2005, representatives of the General Conference, the three African divisions, of Ministry of Education and the Commission on Higher Education of Kenya met for the groundbreaking ceremony. The administrative office or headquarters of AUA is located in the Kajiado District, adjoining the new headquarters of the East-Central African Division, about 45 minutes from Nairobi, and near the campus of Maxwell Adventist Academy. The building contains offices for the vice-chancellor and the deans, as well as for supporting staff. No classes will be offered at the central office of AUA. Construction of houses for administrators and supporting staff has already begun. AUA is in the process of securing a charter from the Kenya Commission for Higher Education
Check them at http://aua.adventist.org/index.php
