Euclid Consortium - Accreditation Process and Institutional Evolution

Accreditation Process and Institutional Evolution

This inter-university initiative was originally named "Pôle d'Extension Universitaire Euclide" and the name "Euclid University" was initially used as a short translation of the French name, hence giving the unintentional impression that the extension consortium was intended to be a free-standing, degree-granting institution. This technical and legal issue led to recognition problems in the English-speaking world. In order to correct this situation, the official English name was amended to "Euclid University Consortium" to emphasize the fact that Euclid was originally designed as a consortium, not a free-standing university with its own charter and degrees. In January 2009, the name was further changed to "Euclid Consortium."

Because the international directory of UNESCO does not list inter-institutional consortia, the registration of the extension initiative was done under the entry for the universities of N'Djamena and Bangui.

Hence, the Consortium's recognition is tied to the recognition of the member universities, two of which are the actual degree granters, since the consortium itself has no direct degree-granting authority.

In December 2006, IOSD signed an agreement with the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an affiliated institution of the 57 member-state Organisation of the Islamic Conference, establishing the recognition of its programs and applicable accreditations.

In 2008, the need for the consortium to obtain an autonomous charter and direct governmental accreditation led to the introduction of a multilateral Memorandum of Understanding which was approved by four initial Participating States. This intergovernmental agreement formalized the constitution of EUCLID (University) as an intergovernmental university framework with legal personality. This initial agreement was succeeded by a revised framework agreement, and both indicated that EUCLID would also become a member of the Euclid Consortium which remains an active partnership.