The founders of the Intercultural Open University Foundation (IOUF) swung open the virtual doors of learning three decades ago with one mission in mind: make graduate school education available globally to people focused on improving the planet we all call home.
It’s been an interesting 30 years.
As a unique foundation occupying an unusual seat at the table of higher learning we bring a remarkable degree of caring mentorship to the people who choose to pursue their graduate and post-graduate degrees with us. We maintain rigorous standards of academic integrity and our faculty and staff are all selected as much for their knowledge of distributed learning practices and procedures as they are for their academic credentials. Our goal today is to provide a customized learning experience for our learners, one that shines a light on their intelligence and humanity. We’re proud of what we do.
You’ll find ample information about our programs and procedures elsewhere on our website – but here are some of the accomplishments that helped make 2011 an abundant and exciting year for the IOUF:
1. Academic Partnerships. The biggest news for us came in the Fall when we confirmed an academic partnership with the Universidad Azteca and Universidad Central de Nicaragua. As an international university foundation we are subject to the academic laws of no one country and this has sometimes made accreditation issues more complicated than necessary. The agreement with our new academic partners means our learners are awarded the IOUF degree as well as accredited dual degrees from our two partner universities.
2. Academic Fellowship for Dr. Bremley Lyngdoh. Dr. Lyngdoh has been working tirelessly for many years to promote sustainable ecological initiatives around the world and he has developed a profound reputation for excellence in all he does. As a committed social change agent, he brings IOUF the benefit of his extensive experience in many arenas, including his work as CEO of Worldview Impact and Co-Founder of the Youth Action Network. He will be representing the IOUF at the UN’s Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil this June.
3. Office Relocation. As a global foundation that grew out of meetings held in the Netherlands between founders Jan R. Hakemulder, Fay A. C. DeJonge and numerous other academics, the IOUF has built a network of learners and supporters throughout the world. In the interests of diversity, we sold our original office property in the Netherlands last year and established administrative offices in Delaware, USA, and Granada, Spain.
4. 2011 Peace Award. The IOUF presented the 2011 Peace Award to Dr. Gulab Kothari, Group- Editor-in-Chief of Indian news organization Rajasthan Patrika. Rajasthan Patrika has a daily circulation approaching 2.5 million people. Dr. Kothari has been tireless in his efforts to further human rights and the cause of world peace, and he has been particularly focused on enhancing global consciousness for a non-violent world.
We’ve swept into 2012 on a strong current of positive energy and our efforts this year will be largely focused on continuing to make degree programs available to eligible candidates. If you or anyone you know would like to pursue a graduate degree that focuses on creating the kind of social change that will make people’s lives richer, and our highly inter-connected world more peaceful, we invite you to get in touch. We have the capacity to take on additional students this year and bursaries are available.
Comments? Questions? Please leave us a note and we’ll be glad to respond!