Spicer Adventist University is a

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbat ...

institution of higher learning in Aundh,

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is considered the church's

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

provider of higher education in India. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian school system.

History

Spicer University Administration Building

Founded as the South India Training School in

Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...

, Spicer Memorial College began its journey with a modest start. Under the leadership of Gentry G. Lowry, the institution underwent significant growth and development, including a relocation to

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

in 1918. It was during this period that the institution was renamed Spicer College in honor of William A. Spicer, a missionary and former General Conference president, who served in India and contributed significantly to global mission efforts. Lowry's vision extended beyond mere training for Bible workers and literature evangelists. He advocated for Spicer College's transformation into a senior college, aligning with Spicer's emphasis on advancing indigenous talent in missionary work. Despite Lowry's sudden demise in 1942, his vision persisted, leading to the college's elevation to senior college status in 1946. It was known as Spicer Memorial College until 2014. The college was granted University status by the Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra on 16 June 2014.

Campus

Some of the major structures in the campus include the administrative building, which houses offices and classrooms. There are separate buildings for the library, the sciences, education, religion, agriculture, the cafeteria, boarders, the college press, industrial arts, Spicer Memorial College Higher Secondary School, Spicer Products and Services.

Student life

The majority of the student body are members of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...

, and weekly church services are held at the campus church with regular

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...

observance starting from the time of sunset on Friday to the sunset on Saturday. Friday evening vespers services (AYS) are held weekly as are Religion & Theology Forums. Basketball and football are the major sports on campus. The college also hosts a local research centre of the Ellen G. White Estate. The college celebrated a centenary from 28 January – 1 February 2015.

Controversy

In 2018, a case was filed against the vice chancellor and two officials of the university for allegedly forging their

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

certificates. In February 2019, the

Maharashtra state Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to the sou ...

cabinet ordered action against the university for alleged irregularities by its officials in connection with the admission process.

References

External links