On May 10, 2019 at 10:00 am, at the campus of the Nazarene Seminary of the Americas (SENDAS), a historic agreement was signed between the SENDAS Association and the Methodist University of Costa Rica (UNIMET).

The two documents of this agreement were reviewed in the first instance by several legal advisors, then unanimously approved by the Executive Board and SENDAS Board of Trustees, and the General Assembly of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Costa Rica, the International Board of Education (IBOE), the General Board of the Church of the Nazarene, and the Board of General Superintendents.

The signers of the final documents were: on the part of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Costa Rica (known as IEMCR for its Spanish-language acronym), Dr. Oscar Aguilar, rector of UNIMET, Dr. Luis Fernando Palomo, bishop of the Methodist Church; and on the part of the Church of the Nazarene Dr. Rubén Fernández, rector of the SENDAS association and Dr. L. Carlos Sáenz, regional director for Mesoamerica.

The agreement establishes the constitution of the Nazarene University College for the American Continent (UNINAZ) and that it will function as a «college» associated with the UNIMET, a university recognized by the National Council for Higher Education in Private Universities (CONESUP), under the Ministry of Public Education in Costa Rica. In addition to theology, UNIMET is accredited in the fields of administration, education, psychology and law.

Once all the corresponding procedures have been completed before CONESUP, UNINAZ can use the UNIMET programs or develop their own. The courses will be taught virtually, so that once approved, UNINAZ students will be able to access a university degree regardless of where they are in the world.

SENDAS has maintained collaborative relations for several decades with the IEMCR, and in 2013 a comprehensive collaboration agreement was signed between SENDAS and the IEMCR that opened the door to a university-type agreement that was signed in May.

In the meetings prior to the signing of the agreement, it was evident that neither UNIMET nor SENDAS are driven by profit, but the transformation of Costa Rican and Spanish-speaking society beyond Costa Rica, through the teaching and implementation of the values of the kingdom of God. Therefore, the principle that governs the agreement is the “free” which is to say that UNIMET will not charge UNINAZ in any way for giving it its university support. For its part, UNINAZ will support UNIMET with advice in the area of ​​educational technology and didactic materials.

The Board of Directors, faculty and staff of the SENDAS Association celebrate this new academic achievement that certifies the quality of the institution and will result in invaluable benefits for thousands of students in the years to come.