Ignita Veritas University (IV University) is the namesake non-profit educational institution established as an autonomous official body of the intergovernmental organization (IGO) Ignita Veritas United (IVU), which serves as the host institution providing supporting infrastructure.
IV University provides internationally licensed and governmentally accredited higher education, holding licenses and accreditation from the Ministries of Education and Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the collective Member States of the host IGO institution (IVU Sovereign Charter, Article 31.5-6).
Its official powers and authorities to grant academic degrees are thus fully licensed and accredited at the supra-governmental level, not subject to influence or regulation by any particular country, with inherent legal authorities directly backed by conventional international law.
The authorities of IV University as an academic and educational institution are protected by international law, under the 1966 Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (Articles 13.1, 13.2(c), 13.4), with a mandate for promoting the rights of access to and quality of education supporting human rights, under the 2008 UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution 8/4: Right to Education (Article 7:(a),(e),(f),(i)).
These legal authorities in education are âbinding uponâ all countries as a ârecognized customary ruleâ under the 1969 Convention on Law of Treaties (Article 38).
IV University is thus fully authorized to officially issue legal diplomas and grant all levels of academic degrees, including the Bachelorâs, Masterâs, Doctorate and Post-Doctorate levels.
Ignita Veritas is among only 5 universities in the world to be established as an intergovernmental (IGO) university with diplomatic status, after the United Nations University (UN 1973, Japan), European University Institute (EU 1976, Italy), Academy of European Law (EU 1992, Germany), and Euclid University (Treaty 2008, West Africa).
IV University developed from 2007, was originally licensed and accredited in 2013, and became intergovernmental in 2016.
For detailed information on IV University teaching methods and faculty studies of classical scholarship, see the Educational Methods and Faculty Studies reports.
All net proceeds from Ignita Veritas University are used to fund the non-profit humanitarian operations of the host IGO institution Ignita Veritas United (IVU), including the Sovereign Court of International Justice (SCIJ).
The Latin name âIgnita Veritasâ, (pronounced ‘Ig-neet-a‘), meaning âFire of Truthâ or âLight of Truthâ, represents an institutional dedication to applying a strict discipline of academic scholarship, to develop and promote factual bases of empirical, historical and practical Truth, providing verifiably truthful information, empowered by academic freedom. This is a basic human right, and also serves as the necessary unifying fabric of civilization.
This foundational emphasis on objective Truth in academia also expresses the core principle of academic freedom, that education and scholarly discourse must never be compromised by political agendas, as the accuracy, reliability and transparency of factual bases for public policy and socio-economic development are most essential to the collective welfare of humanity.
Accordingly, IV University preserves and continues the classical tradition of informational education, promoting independent and penetrating factual research, logical analysis and critical thinking, enhanced by the basic human rights of freedom of thought, and freedom of expression.
This is further supported by encouraging diversity of academic opinions, and diversity of disciplines contributing different aspects and developing alternate solutions to the shared problems and issues of human society.
The word âUniversityâ, from the 13th century medieval Latin âUniversitasâ, means literally a âuniversalâ institution, defined as a âcommunity of scholarsâ operating diverse programs through a centralized academic institution âunder its collective aspectâ.
Historically, universities provide the host infrastructure for multiple academic faculties, and various non-profit institutes, research and development centers, and even law centers for non-profit legal services. [1]
True to this time-honored tradition of a university being literally âuniversalâ in its functions, IV University operates a wide spectrum of academic Faculties, and direct partnerships with multiple official institutions, including a Think Tank developing public policy, and a Law Center providing legal services.
As an IGO official body, IV University applies all of these collective resources to support the host IGO institution Ignita Veritas United (IVU) and its humanitarian missions, including Diplomacy and Justice Courts.
The educational programs of IV University are divided into two separate primary spheres of (1) private internal studies, and (2) public external studies, as follows:
Academic degrees may be earned through classical Faculty Course Studies of traditional degree programs, by completing customized Faculty Study Modules in connection with mentorship and apprenticeship.
Academic degrees may be earned by consolidating and legalizing Transfer Credits from external institutional studies, recognizing prior completion of equivalent Faculty Study Modules, through accreditation and examination by the separate and autonomous Inter-Governmental Accreditation Commission (IGAC) of Ignita Veritas United (IVU).
IV University provides classical Interactive Education, with mobility for activity-based studies enhanced by traditional Distance Learning through Multimedia Telecommuting. These Educational Methods are designed to maximize direct professional mentorship by Faculty Professors, structured by established Montessori teaching methods.
However, the inclusion of accepted Distance Learning methods, for the mentorship component of otherwise traditional Faculty Course Studies, does not reduce the university to the modern âdistance educationâ category associated with âonlineâ institutions.
The majority of campus-based universities in Western countries have a âMinimum Residency Requirementâ, that a percentage of course credits must be completed by studies while in âAcademic Residencyâ, during periods of attending the university faculties on-campus.
The most widely recognized American and British universities generally require 25% of course studies by residency for Bachelors or Masters degrees, and 12% or less for Doctoral research degrees.
Many fully accredited and well recognized universities in North America, Western Europe and Asia have a âLow-Residency Programâ for research-based degree programs, which requires attending on-campus lectures and academic activities for 1-2 weeks every 6 months.
Such programs allow a substantial amount of Distance Learning by independent study in correspondence with faculty mentors. All such programs from conventional universities result in full diplomas issued for campus-based academic studies.
IV University degree programs have an Academic Residency requirement of double the international standards, established at 50% of Faculty Study Modules for Bachelors or Masters degrees, and 25% for Doctoral research degrees.
Although IV University does not rely on centralized local campuses, Academic Residency is provided through a decentralized network of private offices, working facilities, project sites, affiliated and recognized institutions, available worldwide.
Ignita Veritas University (IV University) represents the highest levels of academia, and upholds the highest international standards of education worldwide.
The codified international standards of objective criteria have legal supremacy over the political standards of subjective criteria as legislated by various individual countries.
The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) established standards for educational qualifications defined by âlevelsâ of âlearning outcomesâ, determined by âknowledge, skills and competenceâ, based on âwhat a person⊠actually knows and is able to do.â [2]
The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) established standards for âtransferring credits, on the basis of workload and achieved learning outcomesâ between equivalent degree programs [3].
The United Kingdom Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) adopted and consolidated all of the European standards for degree qualifications and transfer credits between institutions [4] [5], providing a reliable and universal codification of objective international standards.
The United Nations Guidelines for Cross-Border Higher Education supports the international use of the European and British standards, and established a mandate for âfacilitating the recognition or equivalence of each countryâs qualificationsâ, promoting âcross-border education⊠ensuring that standards are transparent, consistent⊠and enhance mutual understanding of different systemsâ (Section 2) [6].
The 2010 Lisbon Convention Criteria for Assessment of Foreign Qualifications mandates that âforeign qualificationsâ for diplomas âof approximately equal levelâ should be transferrable âin a flexible wayâ (Article 36), and that âRecognition of foreign qualifications should be granted unless a substantial difference can be demonstrated.â (Article 37) [7]
In most Western countries, accreditation is provided by non-governmental private organizations which have no official authority, but are sometimes politically ârecognizedâ by the government [8]. In the United States (US), even the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is only another non-governmental private corporation ârecognizedâ by the US Department of Education.
Despite popularized claims of presumed superiority of Western accreditation, the US Congress has officially criticized the American accreditation system as âfailing to ensure academic qualityâ while inflating costs [9]. Evidencing that such quasi-governmental unofficial accreditation is unnecessary, the British Commonwealth country of Canada has no accreditation system at all [10], and in international education rankings 35% of the leading countries, many of which have no formal accreditation system, have a higher quality of education than those claiming dominant authority of Western education [11].
The US Department of Education (DOE) publicly admits that it âdoes not evaluate foreign degreesâ, and that âThere is no single authority in the United States for the recognition of foreign degreesâ, which can be freely accepted by independent employers or licensing boards based on âcomparabilityâ of equivalency of diplomas [12]. Such equivalency is conclusively established by the official and objective criteria of higher international standards as codified by the EU and UK and recognized by the UN.
The Western âPh.D.â is not the highest degree in international academia: In many countries it is called a âCandidateâ (Kandidat) qualified only to begin post-doctorate studies for a Professional Doctorate (Doktor), leading to the highest âProfessorshipâ degree (Professor). As the Western educational system generally does not include the two highest levels of academia, it cannot claim any authority or superiority in education by international standards.
Ignita Veritas University represents the highest levels of academia worldwide, providing the highest degrees by all international standards.
It is intergovernmentally licensed and accredited at the highest supra-governmental level of international law, backed by the Ministries of Education and Ministries of Foreign Affairs of multiple governments of the Member States of its host IGO institution (IVU Sovereign Charter, Article 31.5-6).
IV University is thus exempt from needing any further approval or recognition from any particular country.
Any State which might claim to assert its own regulatory authority would thereby violate the mandate of international law for ânon-interferenceâ in the sovereign affairs of States (1981 Declaration on Internal Affairs of States, Preamble; Article 2: 1(a), 2(j)), which fully applies to an IGO as a sovereign âsubject of international lawâ (1969 Convention on Law of Treaties, Articles 3, 38).
Any statement by a private entity, claiming that any such regulatory approval is supposedly required, would thus be both legally and factually false.
All Ignita Veritas University academic degree programs meet or exceed all international standards of the EU European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), UK Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ), UN Guidelines for Cross-Border Higher Education (Section 2), and 2010 Lisbon Convention Criteria for Assessment of Foreign Qualifications (Articles 36-37).
All IV University academic degrees are earned by completing modular course credits, and scholarly research and academic writing of professional Thesis or Dissertation works, which meet or exceed all customary international standards for the relevant diplomas.
All IV University degree programs require partial Academic Residency of double the international standard (25%-50% of credits during residency), available through a decentralized network of Faculty offices and facilities worldwide, fulfilling customary standards for resident studies as provided by conventional campus-based universities.
All Transfer Credits are accepted only from institutional academic studies including research and writing, under qualified instructors at recognized educational institutions, which are relevant as equivalent Faculty Study Modules towards completion of the degree program.
[1] Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, New York (1911), Volume 27, âUniversitiesâ, p.748.
[2] European Union, European Qualifications Framework (EQF), Directorate General of Education and Culture, 23 April 2008.
[3] European Union, ECTS Usersâ Guide, EU Publications Office, Luxembourg, 2015, Introduction, p.6.
[4] UK Quality Assurance Agency, UK Quality Code for Higher Education: Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ), Part A: âSetting and Maintaining Academic Standardsâ, October 2014, Chapter 3, Table of Levels, p.17.
[5] UK Quality Assurance Agency, Higher Education Credit Framework for England: Academic Credit Arrangements, 2008, Section 2, Table of Credit Values, p.14.
[6] United Nations, Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-Border Higher Education, UNESCO, Paris 2005, Section II, âGuidelines for Governments: (f)â, p.14; âGuidelines for Accreditation Bodies: (a), (c)â, p.19.
[7] 2010 Revised Recommendation on Criteria and Procedures for the Assessment of Foreign Qualifications, Lisbon Recognition Convention Committee, 5th Session (23 June 2010), Articles 36-37; Issued under: Council of Europe, 1997 Convention on Recognition of Qualifications of Higher Education (âLisbon Recognition Conventionâ), European Treaty Series No. 165 (11 April 1997).
[8] Dr. Marjorie Peace Lenn, Global Trends in Quality Assurance in Higher Education, World Education News & Reviews, Vol.5, No.2 (1992), p.1, p.21.
[9] Richard Morgan, Lawmakers Call for More Accountability from Accreditation System, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 11 October 2002.
[10] Erin Millar, SFU Pursues American Accreditation, Journal âMacLeanâsâ, 17 March 2010.
[11] Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Study: Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA); Study: Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, average of country rankings from 2012-2016.
[12] US Network for Education Information (USNEI), Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, US Department of Education, 26 February 2008.
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