In 1965, the Summer Educational Media Institute (SEMI) opened as a specialized program in educational media and technology for educators all over the Philippines. Masteral and doctoral students from the
Ateneo de Manila University, the
University of Santo Tomas, and
Philippine Christian University became the first learners of educational media and technology at SEMI. In 1972, Sr. Jacqueline E. Blondin, MIC, the founding director of SEMI, made the decision to redirect SEMI's focus from education to
organization development. In this newly proposed program, systems theory, previously used as a foundational principle for instruction development, was adapted for organizational applications. For its initial eight years, SAIDI was located in Arzobispo, Real, and General Luna Streets in Intramuros, Manila. However, in June 1983, the school moved to Antipolo in the province of Rizal. ==Student population==