Intercultural Open University Foundation is presently going through a transition period in its offices.  Our headquarters at Bosk House in Opeinde, The Netherlands is being sold.  Currently, we have temporary offices in The Netherlands.  In keeping with IOU Foundation's traditions of innovation in education and social responsibility in learning, we located our United States office in Arden, Delaware.  The town of Arden is an intentional community founded over 100 years ago to experiment with the economic principles expounded by Henry George in the conviction that they offer the only true basis of Economic Freedom and Social Justice.

The contact address for the United States is Dr. Sandra Hurlong, 2401 Woodland Lane, Arden, Wilmington, DE 19810 (USA).

The Foundation is in full operation during this transition in offices.

Intercultural Open University Foundation is honored to announce that our notable scholar and member of the Board of Governors, Dr. Muneo Yoshikawa will be a keynote speaker at The 2ND World Conference of Thinking in a Turbulent Age sponsored by Chukyo University (Japan). The purpose of the World Conference is to develop  a thinking paradigm to help the human race to face problems that have never been encountered in the past. Dr. Yoshikawa will speak on the 21st Century Paradigm and Integrative Thinking. For additional information and updates go to http://www.bttnet.com/World_Congress/index_e.htm

Download the program here

Global Philosophical and Ecological Concepts: Cycles, Causality, Ecology and Evolution in Various Traditions and their Impact on Modern Biology

Dr. Jansma's new book is a two volume study in which fundamental concepts concerning our views of nature are discussed on a deep level from the philosophical backgrounds of various cultures the world over, ancient and modern.

The book explores the development of our understanding of and approach to nature and life in general.  For the centuries to come it is of utmost importance not only to rely on the findings of the cultures which seem to dominate the world at present, but to understand much more about the total heritage of human thought at large from ancient times to present.

The President and Board of Governors of IOU Foundation congratulate Dr. Jansma on the publication of his new book.

WORKSHOP ON TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN TO IOU FOUNDATION STAFF AND FACULTY PRESENTED BY ANTON PIETERS ON NOVEMBER 21 AND 22, 2009

M. A. DEGREE AWARDED TO MICHAEL CURTIS OF THE HENRY GEORGE SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS (NEW YORK, USA) ON NOVEMBER 21, 2009

Mr Curtis is also pictured  at a recent function in Arden, Delaware with Vice President Joseph Biden.

April 20, 2009

Dr. Sandra Hurlong Appointed President of the Intercultural Open University Foundation

The Board of Governors of the Intercultural Open University Foundation is pleased to announce that Dr. Sandra Hurlong, Interim President, has been appointed President. Since August 2008, Dr. Hurlong has been leading the Foundation in an interim position. During this period, she has been able to develop a notable faculty and highly respected external scholars. She has established membership for IOU Foundation with European Distant Education and E-Learning Network (EDEN) and the Observatory of Borderless Higher Education (OBHE). Dr. Hurlong has completed faculty governance policies along with quality controls. The Board is honored to have Dr. Hurlong assume the Presidency of IOU Foundation because of her notable career, accomplishments, and strong vision for adult-based distance education. The Board will continue to offer her its complete support.


Board of Governors

John M. Toothman, PhD
Sohan L. Gandhi, PhD
Anton Pieters, MS
Muneo Yoshikawa, PhD
Rudi Jansma, PhD

Sandra Hurlong, PhD, President
June 2010

Welcome and thank you for visiting our virtual campus. It is an honor and pleasure for me to introduce you to the Intercultural Open University Foundation. We are a distance learning institution that was founded in 1981. We are registered in the United States and The Netherlands with offices in both countries.

We are a unique institution of higher learning providing a personalized, mentored educational experience for graduate students as well as functioning as a charitable educational foundation for social change. In August 2008, the Intercultural Open University Foundation was reorganized in order to better reflect our original philosophy of education.

The idea for our foundation degree began at a 1980 colloquium with Dutch, German, and English professors at Bosk House (original headquarters of the Foundation). At this meeting, Dr. Jan R. Hakemulder, proposed that an open university be established to provide an innovative, learner-centered educational environment devoted to social change and research in a global perspective. From this meeting, Intercultural Open University Foundation was established.

The Intercultural Open University Foundation is one of a small number of alternative educational institutions which began In the 1960s when the learner-centered, self-directed orientation of education movement emerged in the US and UK. Roy P. Fairfield, a Harvard University Professor of Education, was among the founders of this movement. His book, Person Centered Graduate Education(1977) chronicles his pioneering efforts at the Union Graduate School to create a self-directed graduate program and explores the paths and pitfalls of alternative modes of education. Much of the non-traditional educational philosophy in the 1960s incorporated the ideas of humanistic psychology, such as those of Carl Rogers' Client-Centered Therapy, Arnold Mindell's Process- Oriented Psychology and Clark Moustakis' Transpersonal Psychology.

The beliefs of the pioneers in non-traditional education were that study is more an attitude than a system. That attitude puts the learner first and the institution second. It concentrates more on the learner's need than the convenience of the university, encourages individual opportunity rather than uniform prescriptive learning, and de-emphasizes time, space, and even course requirements in favor of competence and performance.

Intercultural Open University Foundation subscribes to two fundamental educational ideologies: (1) learner-centered, self-directed learning, and (2) socially relevant graduate programs for adults. Our learner-centered approach derives from the progressive thinkers in adult education in the US and Europe. We encourage an intellectual setting in which disciplinary boundaries are easily crossed and collaborative learning is emphasized. Our learners are encouraged to develop programs focusing on social relevance and the ways in which the world’s peoples, with their multiple and conflicting interests, are to live together peacefully and justly.

Among the most prominent graduate institutions founded on these principals were, The Open University in the UK, The Union Institute and Graduate School, Fielding Institute, Saybrook Institute, California Institute of Integral Studies, The New School in California, and Antioch University in the US. Regional accrediting associations eventually accredited all of these institutions. Today, Antioch has closed it doors, as well as The New School of California. Intercultural Open University Foundation remains one of the few global institutions still supporting self-directed, non-traditional adult graduate education.
We are a community of individuals connected by a shared educational philosophy and a shared belief in the best process for engaging in learning; we are not connected by any geographical place. We form a social network of board members, faculty, learners, alumni, and staff who communicate by email, telephone, video conferencing, and/or in person.

Intercultural Open University Foundation maintains records and the registrar in The Netherlands and  records in the United States, and we operate as an international educational foundation.  Our faculty consists of accomplished mentors in distance education for adults and all hold doctorates from well-known universities. Our degree programs are not course based. In consultation with faculty members, learners create a self-directed curriculum of areas of proficiency and a thesis appropriate to their field of study, along with a specified means of scholarly evaluation of their studies.

I hope this brief introduction to the Intercultural Open University Foundation helps give you a context for our educational programs. You will find details about our degrees, faculty, governance system, and scholarships on our main web page.

Mobius Human Capital Graduate School and Intercultural Open University Foundation renew Institutional Affiliation.

The interim President, Dr. Sandra Hurlong and the Board of Governors of the Intercultural Open University Foundation take great pleasure to announce the appointment of Anton Pieters to the Board of Governors.

Mr. Pieters brings to IOU over a decade of involvement in the development of the IOU Foundation for social change. In addition to his board membership, he will serve the university as the registrar.

There are numerous reasons why the Board of Governors and the President of Intercultural Open University Foundation want to make the world a better place for humankind. Our main goal is to help our learners succeed in life so that they can achieve their goals. We want our learners to take active roles as social activists in improving the community in which they live. Through the educational process at IOU Foundation, we want to assist in enabling our learners to believe that they can make a difference working as forces for good.

The Dr. Jan R. Hakemulder Social Change Scholarships, the Dr. Fay Hakemulder Gender Issues Scholarships, and the Dr.Sebastian Devasia (Asinanda) Peace and Non-Violence Studies Scholarships have been established in their honor because of their dedication and devotion to Intercultural Open University Foundation and to the world community. These three individuals dedicated their lives to help and empower the lives of so many deserving people.

Scholarships

Pictured above is Dr. Sandra Hurlong Interim President of Intercultural Open University Foundation and Lic. Lucero Topete, Director of Institutio Cultural Oaxaca

On October 31, 2008 in Oaxaca, Mexico the Intercultural Open University Foundation and the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca jointly sponsored a day long symposium on Cultural Continuity in the midst of Social Change. Presentations focused on the maintanence of indigenous cultural traditions in modern urban settings, the effects of migration on cultural continuity and change, ecological consciousness and cultural tradition, and the pedogogy of place in building community.

Meeting with Dr. Kothari on September 25, 2008

The Economics of Education and Social Progress,

sponsored by Intercultural Open University Foundation, and The Henry George School of Economics, NY: Sept. 20,2008

Left to right: Michael Curtis, Director: Henry George School of Social Science,NY; Roxanne Toothman, Special Assistant to the President of IOU Foundation; Dr. John Toothman, Board of Governors of IOU Foundation, Dr. Lisa Shaffner, IOU Foundation’07, Counselor, Connections Community Service Program, DE; Dr. Sandra Hurlong, Interim President of IOU Foundation; Linda Eaton, Professor of Textile Conservation, Winterthur Museum, DE

Pictured above are the participants in a recent symposium, sponsored by IOU Foundation and the Henry George School of Social Science in Arden, Delaware. The presentations and discussions were organized around the theme of affordable education and the need for accessible graduate education and scholarships in continuing economic and social progress in both the developed and developing world.

I am committed to Intercultural Open University Foundation. I am a product of traditional and non-traditional higher learning in the US. I received my B.A. and M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in Anthropology. I received my Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the Union Institute and University, Cincinnati Ohio, the first university without walls in the US. I have spent my career in non-traditional education, principally The Union Institute and University in the US.

I met the IOU Foundation's founders, Professor Dr. J.R.Hakemulder and Professor Dr. Fay A.C. Hakemulder in 2005. Discovering that we shared a philosophy of education, we began a long discussion about alternative education, distance education, culturally and socially relevant education, and the role of IOU Foundation in global education.

IOU Foundation is one of a small number of alternative education institutions which has its beginnings in the open education movement of the 1960's. This learner centered, self-directed orientation of education emerged in the US and UK in the mid1960s. Roy P. Fairfield, a Harvard University Professor of Education was among the founders of the movement. His book, Person Centered Graduate Education (1977) chronicles his pioneering efforts at the Union Graduate School to create a self-directed graduate program and explores the paths and pitfalls of alternative modes of education. Much of the non-traditional educational philosophy in the 1960s incorporated the ideas of humanistic psychology, such as those of Carl Rogers' client centered therapy, Arnold Mindell's Process Oriented psychology and Clark Moustakis' Transpersonal psychology.

The beliefs of the pioneers in non-traditional education were that study is more an attitude than a system. That attitude puts the learner first and the institution second. It concentrates more on the learner's need than the convenience of the institution. It encourages individual opportunity rather than uniform prescriptive learning, and de-emphasizes time, space and even course requirements in favor of competence and performance.

Among the most prominent US graduate institutions founded on these principals were, The Union Institute and Graduate School, Fielding Institute, Saybrook Institute, California Institute of Integral Studies, The New School in California and Antioch University. Regional accrediting associations eventually accredited all of these institutions. Today, Antioch has closed it doors, as well as The New School of California. The remaining institutions have transformed over time into institutions offering more fixed curricula at the expense of self-directed study. The changes in alternative education in the US have had little to do with accreditation lapses, but everything to do with the need for government money.

Accrediting bodies are generally capable of understanding the language of non-traditional education. Government bodies have more difficulty doing so. They prefer external evaluation, grades, and commonly accepted standards of progress. In the US, learners are forced to seek government grants to pay the high cost of university tuition. The need for government money has led to greater conformity among US educational institutions and less emphasis on alternative education philosophy.

IOU Foundation remains one of the few global institutions still supporting self-directed, non-traditional adult graduate education. I believe the Foundation is positioned to play an important role in contemporary adult education. Part of IOU Foundation's philosophy is to maintain modest tuition fees and to have tuition fees from the developed world subsidize tuitions fees for the developing world countries. The Foundation will continue to embrace non-traditional education, maintain quality assurance, and present graduate study programs for adults in a variety of fields with special emphasis on social change.

The specific purpose of the Intercultural Open University Foundation is the issuing of post doctorate academic degrees and certificates, diplomas, fellowships, and also other academic awards and qualifications as well as scholarships, awards, and other awards for academic accomplishments. 

By emphasizing adult education, concentrating on specific programs and continuing appropriate accreditation, IOU Foundation will continue to consolidate its role in alternative education.  Many educators, scholar-practitioners, and diplomats have had their IOU Foundation credentials accepted in academic and work environments throughout the world.

Intercultural Open University Foundation Non-discrimination Policy: 

The Foundation is committed to equal employment opportunity and equal admissions consideration for all qualified persons. No learner, employee, or applicant for employment at Intercultural Open University Foundation shall, on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, or age, to the extent required by law, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any employment or educational program or activity.  This applies to all admissions policies and employment practices, including hiring, promotions, training, disciplinary action, termination, and benefits.

We expect all employees and learners to show respect and sensitivity toward all other employees and to demonstrate a commitment to the Foundation'ss equal opportunity objectives. If a violation of this policy is observed, it should be reported immediately to a supervisor, academic advisor, or an officer of the Foundation.  Violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including possible termination.

An Obituary

At 00.30 hrs on Sunday 10th February Dr Sebastian Devasia (Asiananda) left his body. His death was the result of a massive heart attack. Sebastian who was Professor of Philosophy at the Intercultural Open University Foundation will be greatly missed by the foundation for all his invaluable work. He will be missed also by all who came to know him as a friend. Sebastian was born to a poor Syrian Catholic Christian family in a village in Kerala, India, at the beginning of the 1950’s. As a child he knew very well what it was like to go to bed hungry. In his mid-teens he went to Ahmedabad, Gujarat for work. There he found employment with a kindly manufacturing mogul and studied in his spare time. He obtained his MA (English Literature) from Gujarat University in 1967 and his first doctorate in English Literature on a thesis “Indians Writing in English” from Calicut University in 1975.

A Ph.D. degree has been awarded to

As had been planned in June, 2007, there has been a second mission to Croatia (September, 7 to 23). Based on evaluation of the IOU Foundation web site and the first report, the Ministers of Health and of Education had discussed several options in meetings with Dr. Joseph Rendulich, the Croatian Resident Representative for the Intercultural Open University Foundation. 
Although the authorities mentioned above appreciated the choice of Ogalin as centre for the project, their advice was to first explore the situation and research possibilities in the district of Kvarnar in general and the town of Opatija in particular. This advice was followed by the 6-persons Dutch team chaired by Dr. Fay Hakemulder, the foundations Vice-Chancellor for Europe and America.

Opatija is a wonderful small city at the Adriatic Sea. Some parts are well known as tourist attraction, but in general it is a centre of natural beauty and cultural history. For obvious reasons it is correctly called the Opatija Riviera. It is also called the Adriatic Pearl.

At the moment ABCD is in its early stages. We are a start-up organization which is aimed at developing Africa. We are currently not in the position to focus on Africa as whole, and are therefore researching the possibilities to focus on projects on a small scale. We are willing to help in any way that may be needed, whether it be finding financial backers, consultation, contacts etc. Alternatively, you might be aware of projects that need doing but are currently out of the scope of your organization.

ABCD is currently made up of a small team of dedicated individuals who are very strong in their own respective fields. If there are any issues on which you feel we might be able to help, whether it is as a group or through the individual experiences of our board members feel free to contact us. For a brief introduction on who we are I advise you to take a look on our website, www.abcdcorp.net on the “who we are” link http://www.abcdcorp.net/aboutABCD.html to see the credentials of our board members.

Dear readers,

Please find enclosed the August 2007 Newsletter of the BMW Group Award for Intercultural Learning. This edition focuses on ways in which educational institutions and teachers can contribute towards a better understanding of foreign cultures.

There are six million children and adolescents from immigrant families living in Germany today. One of the keys to their successful integration lies in their education and professional qualification. Not only their families and the society they live in but also their schools and nursery schools are greatly responsible for encouraging this process. Our newsletter explores this aspect in detail and describes the tasks that teachers fulfil in the context of intercultural learning.

Jury members Dr. Peter Meinel and Dr. Peter Igl of the Bavarian State Institute for School Assessment and Educational Research (ISB) in Munich explain in an interview how teachers can be prepared for the challenges posed by the growing number of pupils from immigrant families.

And in our series ‘What became of...', the 1997 prize-winner Waltraud Lucic, who was lauded for her project ‘One class - ten nations', presents her current projects on intercultural communication.

Perhaps you know of someone who initiates dialogue between cultures, or you yourself are committed to promoting intercultural learning? If so, the invitation in our current newsletter to participate in the 2007 competition will surely be of interest to you.

I wish you enjoyable reading!

Best wishes,

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft

Konstanze Carreras
Head of Social Responsibility

Some of the regular visitors of the website might have noticed that not everything was working like it was intended. There were two reasons for that. The first reason was that the server with the database was broken. The server was replaced and a backup of the database was put back on the server. This explanes some of the unusual characters in some articles. We change them as soon as we track them down.

Second of all there was a premature upgrade of the websoftware with new pasword encryptions (passwords are hidden in several characters. The webteam can not see the passwords that visitors are using). The site has been brought back to the situation before the upgrade.

A Ph.D.  degree has been awarded to

Today we received the Global Institutes Letter with the appointment of Prof. dr. Hakemulder as Honorary Patron. Please follow the link to see the letter.

I. Introduction

In my opinion, Croatia is a pearl in the European crown. Where Mediterranean and Central Europe meet, and also the Alps and the Pannonic lowlands, we can discover this country of unbelievable beauty. It offers on a relatively small surface a large number of different landscapes. Politically and economically it starts to recover from difficult years of war. It now is developing again in a good and popular holiday destination. Next to the beautiful coast areas, the inland is also in a cultural and natural way very attractive. Personally I found the following things most striking:

• Ecological cleanliness: the Adriatic Sea is very clean. One can see the bottom for tens of meters. The same is true for rivers and streams. The water is completely unpolluted and is even potable. Population and government are very conscious to protect the environment.
• The population is extremely kind and helpful.
• Traffic is well organised. Because of the civilised way of driving, everybody can safely walk and make use of rented cars. This is very much different in comparison with the aggressive way of driving in countries in Western Europe

Evaluation of Ph.D. Dissertation

Emancipation Therapy; Alternative Intervention for "At Risk" Adolescents

by

Lisa Shaffner

.

Primary Evaluation Criteria

• The relation between the initial concept and the final result
  The research proposals of the dissertation show a good relation to the final version of the dissertation submitted by the student.
  
  
• The answers to the research questions posed by the student.
  The quality of the answers of the student to the central question of the dissertation is very good. Most of the questions have been answered. The student explicitly relates the results of the study to the initial problems that led to this study.
  
  

• Internal consistency
  The chapters and sections in the thesis lead up to answering the central research question
  The student uses the terms of her research problem and questions consistently.
  

• Theoretical depth
  The student relates the results of her study to the theories that were introduced in the thesis.
  
  
• Scope
  The scope of the problems is not too wide; in fact, it has exactly the right format.
  
  
• External consistency
  The student relates the research problem to relevant theories and research. This is indicated in the list of references.
  
  
• Main versus side issues
  In general, the student clearly separates main issues from side issues.
  
  
• Relation representation and own comment
  The student goes beyond paraphrasing theories and summarizing research results of others. Her own comments and critical reflections determine to a large extend the quality of the dissertation. The students' reflections concern issues of conceptual, internal and external validity of the studies cited. The students could have more critically have evaluated theories and research from the perspective of own research problems.

• Criteria specific to the field
  The study as contributes to empirical and applied studies. It adds extremely good aspects of approach to the group of adolescents. An addition of quantitative material of the experiments in accordance in accordance with standards experimental research would have strengthened the results of the dissertation. However, the qualitative material is analysed according to the standards relevant to qualitative research.
  
  
• Scientific relevance
  The study approaches and solves a problem that other researchers may find very interesting.
  
  
• Relevance for society
  The results of the study will be potentially of interest to people outside academia.

• Independence
  In our opinion, the student has worked independently. It has been a very positive point in this evaluation that the student did not require much supervision; she was going her own independent way.
  
  
  

Secondary Evaluation Criteria

Annotation

Foot or end notes, the bibliography, the in-text references is not always in accordance to commonly accepted conventions in the relevant scientific community, e.g. those of APA for the Social Sciences, MLA for Arts. However, these inadequacies are acceptable because it made the text more readable. .

• Spelling and grammar
  Spelling and grammar are without mistakes.
  
  
• Readability
  The text is very pleasant to read.
  
  
• Attitude, enthusiasm
  The student reveals a personal commitment with her research subject.

Final Remarks

The target group, called "at risk" adolescents by Ms. Lisa Shaffner, is showing problems in many countries especially in the Western world. The approach of her towards this group of young persons is humane, excellent and innovative. Consequently, we wish that many professionals in this field not only will get to know this methodology, but also will try to include partly or in total the described approach.

We would like, therefore, to advise Ms. Shaffner to make use of the Internet to make her experience and vision known to colleagues and the academic world. We advise her to make use of the web site of the Intercultural Open University Foundation: www.ioufoundation.org

Furthermore, we would like her to find ways and means to exchange experiences with national and overseas professionals and organizations.

Conclusion

On behalf of the Faculty and Board of Governors of the Intercultural Open University Foundation, it is a pleasure for the International President to announce that Ms. Lisa Shaffner has been awarded with the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, emphasis Psychology.

Ph.D.  AWARD

To

Christopher Mathew Thomas

the following degree has been awarded

Doctor of Philosophy: Human Rights

Title of the dissertation:
A Study on the Impact of Religions in Promoting Human Rights for Dalits in Chennai

The dissertation was written with guidance from:
Prof. Dr. John Toothman, USA
Prof. Dr. Jan Hakemulder, Netherlands

Opeinde, 14^th of March 2007

The Respect Age International Organisation gave a warm welcome to a 25 members delegation from Mauritius. They stayed for 10 days on the hospitality of Respect Age International.

Today we decided that the courses section will be made available for students. If you are registered and a student you can click on the courses button in the students menu. Mind you; we are still busy filling the courses section...

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are contacting you with information which might be of interest to you, your colleagues and students. We would greatly appreciate if you could forward this message to interested persons and help us recruit students for European Summer School 2007:

Today we have altered a few things on the website. Instead of a list of articles you will find a number of catagories into which the articles are divided.

Not visible for everyone are the courses. We are working on completing the courses to share them with the student by means of the website.

For the publishers there is a "How to" button with a short direction for use behind it.

Fastly the number of registrations is growing. It is a pleasure to see well known people giving their attentention to the site.

Besides professor Hakemulder we see professor Toothman, Prof. Sandra Hurlong and Dr. Dagmar Vermeer appearing in the userslist.

It is an honor and pleasure for me to introduce to you the Intercultural Open University Foundation and it's related specialized agencies. The headquarters of this network of departments and branches is based in Bosk House, situated in the province of Friesland, in The Netherlands.