The Intercultural Open University Foundation (IOUF) is an international non-profit charitable foundation that provides a mentored educational experience for post-graduate and graduate learners involved in social change programs around the world.
All IOUF staff and faculty contribute their time on a volunteer basis and a limited number of scholarships and subsidies for learners from developing countries are available where necessary, thanks to an endowment provided by the founder of the Intercultural Open University Foundation, Jan R. Hakemulder, PhD. Jan Hakemulder was a respected scholar with a global outlook who devoted his career to the development of programs designed to help the world's poor. He and his wife, Fay A.C. DeJonge, PhD, were educational consultants for UNESCO who wrote prolifically about journalism, the media and ethics, alternative education, distance education,i and peace and non-violence studies.
The Intercultural Open University Foundation is registered as a non-profit foundation in the United States and maintains offices in Arden, Delaware and Granada, Spain. Although it originally obtained registration as a foundation (stichting) in the Netherlands, it no longer maintains offices in that country, having transferred its European headquarters to Spain in August, 2011, but still remains registered as a Dutch juridical person.
In October 2011, the IOUF signed an academic cooperation agreement with the Universidad Azteca (UAzteca), a university with full Mexican accreditation that is also listed in the International Handbook of Universities, 2012.
The agreement means IOUF PhD learners will have access to an international double degree program offered jointly by the Universidad Azteca and its partner, the Universidad Central de Nicaragua (UCN). Upon successful completion of the program, participants will be awarded a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD degree from UAzteca and UCN in addition to the IOUF degree.
The IOUF has been assessed and validated by the European Commission's HEXTLEARN Peer Review and Study (particularly in respect to its use of ICT) and it is a member of numerous international educational organizations.
As a charitable foundation, the IOUF is an independent legal entity with a stated mission of serving the public interest through higher education and research. Its status as a not-for-profit organization confers favorable tax status on activities undertaken in pursuit of Foundation goals.
Read more about Intercultural Open University Foundation: History, Professional Memberships, Academics, Notable People
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