Formation of mission schools Adventist education in Brazil began in the southern region at the end of the 19th century. At the time, the leadership of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) created the first elementary schools in the cities of
Curitiba and
Gaspar to support the development of Adventist work in Brazil. Faced with expansion, the SDA decided to establish a preparatory school to train the future leaders and missionaries of the church who would serve throughout Brazil. On October 15, 1897, the first SDA school was founded in the city of Gaspar Alto under the name
Colégio Internacional de Gaspar Alto (
English: Gaspar Alto International School). On August 19, 1903, on the recommendation of the SDA, the college was transferred to
Taquari with the name
Colégio Superior de Taquari (Taquari High School). In 1904,
John Lipke assumed the directorship and in 1910, the institution closed.
Establishment in Santo Amaro The property of the
Colégio Superior de Taquari was sold by the Adventist Church of Rio Grande do Sul for
Rs$11, which would be used to find a new school. On April 28, 1915, the Association of Seventh-day Adventists in Brazil purchased a 145-hectare property in the district of
Capão Redondo, in São Paulo, for Rs$20. On May 6, 1915, the area was occupied and activities began. Tents were assembled to provide the missionaries and students with a place to sleep, eat and store materials until the first building was constructed. On July 3, 1915, classes began in improvised structures with 12 students. On August 1, 1915, the cornerstone was laid for the first building of the
Colégio da União Conferência Brasileira dos Adventistas do Sétimo Dia (Brazilian Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Union School). It had John Lipke as headmaster, John Boehm as manager and Paulo Hening and Augusta Boehm as teachers. In 1922, the school celebrated the first graduation with nine students from the ministerial and normal courses. From 1925, the school's management invested in an agro-industrial boarding school with the breeding of
Dutch dairy cattle imported from the United States. In 1932, it began producing juices and whole foods, which later became the Superbom food company. In 1937, the high school was formalized and in 1942, it received the name
Colégio Adventista Brasileiro (Brazilian Adventist School - CAB). Between the 1940s and 1960s, the main secondary-technical courses were made official.
Creation of departments and institutes In 1940, the
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists authorized the creation of a nursing course in Brazil. However, the difficulties of forming a teaching staff delayed the launch of the course until 1943, when it began classes on the premises of the Casa de Saúde Liberdade (now the
São Paulo Adventist Hospital). The first class graduated in 1945. At the time, the course lacked organization and was not part of a faculty. In 1971, the SDA in São Paulo started a pedagogy course linked to the Faculty of Theology in order to train teachers for the Adventist schools that existed in Brazil. In 1973, through Decree No. 72.610, the
Faculdade Adventista de Educação (Adventist Faculty of Education - FAEd) was authorized to operate legally. The IAE Deliberative Council voted in favor of converting the IAE into the
Universidade Adventista do Brasil (Adventist University of Brazil - UAB/UNABRA), but the project fell through.
Expansion In 1979,
São Paulo City Hall expropriated the IAE area (currently the São Paulo campus) and reduced the size of the land by 80%. In 1983, the Adventist Church bought a farm in
Engenheiro Coelho to create the "new IAE". The São Paulo campus began to offer courses in the areas of Exact, Natural and Health Sciences, while the Engenheiro Coelho campus focused on the areas of Theology, Humanities and Technology. Between 1988 and 1989, new higher education courses were introduced, and between 1997 and 2007, they were expanded.
Elevation to university center In 1992, the institution considered the possibility of converting it into a university, but did not get a response from the National Education Council (CNE). Since then, the SDA leadership dedicated efforts to the project of a university center. On September 9, 1999, the
Ministry of Education authorized the operation of the
Centro Universitário Adventista de São Paulo (Adventist University Center of São Paulo - UNASP), which is maintained by the
Seventh-day Adventist Network. In 2002, the Seventh-day Adventist Network incorporated the
Instituto Adventista São Paulo (Adventist Institute São Paulo - IASP), founded in 1949 in
Hortolândia, which covered elementary and higher education through the
Faculdade Adventista de Hortolândia (Adventist College of Hortolândia). UNASP was recognized by the National Council of Education (CNE) through Ordinance No. 1,655 of June 3, 2004. In 2018, UNASP was composed of the São Paulo, Engenheiro Coelho and Hortolândia campuses. == Campuses ==