Independente University (in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

''Universidade Independente'' or UnI for short) was a

private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...

, headquartered in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, founded in 1993 by Luís Arouca, Rui Verde and Amadeu Lima Carvalho; it was owned by SIDES (''Sociedade Independente Para O Desenvolvimento do Ensino Superior''). UnI was closed by order of the state education authorities in 2007, due to pedagogical and financial irregularities.

Closure

In 2006, UnI came under investigation on alleged irregularities on several matters, relating to both its academics and management. In early 2007, it had entered into talks about possible merger with the '' Universidade Internacional'', another private university; however, on 9 April 2007, the Portuguese

Minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

of Science, Technology and

Higher Education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

Mariano Gago José Mariano Rebelo Pires Gago, ComSE (16 May, 1948 – 17 April, 2015), commonly referred to as Mariano Gago, was a Portuguese physicist and politician, mostly known for his tenures as Minister for Science and Higher Education. He held governme ...

, announced that UnI would be shut down by the

Portuguese Government , border = Central , image = , caption = , date = , state = Portuguese Republic , address = Official Residence of the Prime MinisterEstrela, Lisbon , appointed = President o ...

after the investigation reported serious pedagogical, ethical and financial irregularities. UnI shut down in October 2007. Following the investigation, twenty-six principles at Universidade Independente were indicted, and twenty-four brought to trial for their part in its mismanagement. Most of those indicted were convicted of crimes, mostly document forgery and tax evasion. Rui Verde, who is currently a professor at Oxford University, the editor at the journalism platform MakaAngola headed by

Rafael Marques de Morais Rafael Marques de Morais (born 1971) is an Angolan journalist and anti-corruption activist who received several international awards for his reporting on conflict diamonds and government corruption in Angola. He currently heads the anti-corruption ...

and a former vice-rector at the Independent University, was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months suspended prison sentence for falsifying documents, forgery and qualified tax fraud.

Prominent graduates

José Sócrates José Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa, GCIH (born 6 September 1957), commonly known as José Sócrates (), is a Portuguese politician who was the prime minister of Portugal from 12 March 2005 to 21 June 2011. For the second half of 2007, he ...

, the Portuguese prime-minister, member of the

Portuguese Socialist Party The Portuguese Socialist Party ( pt, Partido Socialista Português) was a political party in Portugal. The party was founded in 1875. During its initial phase the party was heavily influenced by Proudhonism, and rejected revolutionary Marxism. T ...

, earned his ''licenciatura'' ( licentiate) degree in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

from UnI in 1996. Since the outburst of the UnI

scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

and loss of credibility of the institution, the media investigated Sócrates' student file and found inconsistencies which raised suspicions of irregularities, being the most notable the part where Sócrates' diploma was issued in a Sunday, day on which the university was closed. State authorities investigated the case and archived the file as the suspicions against José Sócrates turned out to not have enough evidence. *

Armando Vara Armando António Martins Vara (born 27 March 1954, Vinhais) is a Portuguese politician and banking administrator. He enrolled in philosophy, at the New University of Lisbon, leaving the institution without being awarded a degree. Throughout his li ...

, Portuguese politician, member of the

, former Minister, and banking administrator. He was awarded a degree by UnI in 2005. Vara, a close friend of José Sócrates, was awarded the degree just days before he was appointed to a high ranked administration position in the state-run bank,

Caixa Geral de Depósitos Caixa Geral de Depósitos (CGD) () is a Portuguese state-owned banking corporation, and the largest bank in Portugal, established in Lisbon in 1876. CGD now has presence in 23 countries spanning four continents through branches, representative ...

, which position was open only to candidates with at least one academic degree, regardless of subject.

Prominent professors

Mário Crespo Mário Crespo (born April 13, 1947) is a Portuguese retired journalist and reporter. Early life He was born in Coimbra, his father was an employee of the Portuguese bank Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU), and his mother, a professor at the Commer ...

, journalist and reporter. *

Alberto João Jardim Alberto João Cardoso Gonçalves Jardim, Order of Christ (Portugal), GCC, Order of Infante D. Henrique, GCIH (, born 4 February 1943) is a Portuguese politician who was the President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Portugal, from 1978 to 20 ...

, President of the Regional Government of the Autonomous Region of

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

for 37 years, member of the

Portuguese Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party ( pt, Partido Social Democrata, ; PSD) is a liberal-conservative political party in Portugal. Commonly known by its colloquial initials PSD, on ballot papers its initials appear as its official form PPD/PSD, with the ...

, was an Invited Professor at UnI. *

Fernando Carvalho Rodrigues Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...

, physicist and electronic engineer, responsible for the

PoSAT-1 PoSAT-1, the first Portuguese satellite, was launched into orbit on 26 September 1993, on the 59th flight of the Ariane 40 launch vehicle. The launch took place in the Centre Spatial Guyanais, French Guiana. About 20 minutes and 35 seconds aft ...

project. *

Filipe La Féria Luís Filipe Valente Lá Féria Orta, known professionally as Filipe La Féria (born May 17, 1945 in Vila Nova de São Bento), is a Portuguese director, producer, and screenwriter for television and theatre. Career He began his theatrical activi ...

, theatre director and producer, screenwriter and producer for television.

References

{{Authority control Defunct universities and colleges in Portugal Education scandals Educational institutions established in 1993 Crime in Portugal 1993 establishments in Portugal

Closure

Prominent graduates

Prominent professors

See also

References