The Inter American University of Puerto Rico is a private institution with a Christian heritage and an ecumenical tradition. The Reverend John William Harris founded it in 1912 as the Polytechnic Institute of Puerto Rico. In 1944, the institution was accredited by The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and has been maintained since then. Inter American University is the largest private institution in the Puerto Rico States enrolling about a third of all the Island’s college students. It has eleven autonomous academic units. The Inter American University of Puerto Rico; School of Optometry was founded in 1981. In 1992, the School became a separate autonomous academic unit within the University. The School of Optometry has received a license and approval from the Puerto Rico Council on Higher Education (CEPR), the accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the accreditation of the American Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) of the American Optometric Association