Kosovo The European Commission has decided to provide Kosovo with an additional 16
million euros in assistance to be implemented by the European Agency for
Reconstruction in Pristina.
[Pristina, Kosovo] -- The American University in Kosovo (AUK) will begin its
first freshman class on October 6, 2003. According to Louis Sell, Executive
Director of the American University in Kosovo Foundation, What has been a dream
of the Kosovar and American organizers is now becoming reality Kosovo will now
have its own American University offering a full program of instruction in
English that will prepare Kosovos youth for the 21st century.
The AUK is a private institution of higher learning with rigorous standards of
admission and academic performance. The AUK will provide an American curriculum
primarily delivered by American professors. Instruction, admission, and
administration will be in English. The AUK will offer a quality, American
education to all, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or religious affiliation.
Admission will be strictly on merit through a competitive exam process.
Dr. Andrew Gridinsky, Director of Academic Planning at the AUKF, noted the
importance of this development for Kosovos higher education landscape. An
American university, he said, offers more than simply knowledge. Our goal is to
enable our students to develop true critical thinking and to learn how to
present themselves in a professional and credible manner. A university education
should prepare students for real jobs in the real world and our curriculum has a
strong career focus. We want to be part of building Kosovos economy and our
students will play a key role in that, he concluded.
The AUK is established by the American University in Kosovo Foundation (AUKF),
an organization registered in both Kosovo and the United States, for the purpose
of creating, supporting and providing broad oversight to this American
institution of higher learning in Kosovo. The AUKF is directed by a board of
distinguished Americans and Kosovars. Its Chair is former Ambassador William
Walker and its Vice Chair is Richard Lukaj, President of Babcock Capital
Partners, Inc.
The pursuit of excellence is central to the AUKs mission. To this end the AUK
is partnering with the highly respected American university; Rochester Institute
of Technology (RIT), which will manage all aspects of the academic curriculum.
Founded in 1829 and located in Rochester, New York, RIT is a private, non-profit
university with more than 15,000 students. It offers over 230 academic programs,
ranging from photographic arts to micro- electric engineering. Its programs,
with their focus on preparing students for careers in business and industry,
have a national and international reputation for excellence. Students attending
AUK will earn credits recognized both in Kosovo and by RIT. Kosovo will become
RITs tenth overseas location. Within Eastern Europe, RIT has extensive programs
in Dubrovnik and Prague.
Initially, the AUK will offer an associates degree, a two year program focusing
on business, economics, and computers. Enrollment in the first year will be
limited to approximately 120 students. A central element of the program will be
the development of initiative and the practical application of management and
technology to solving economic, manufacturing, and business development
challenges in Kosovo.
Students attending the AUK will have full access to RIT's impressive array of
on-line data bases, libraries, and distance learning tools. AUK students will
have the use of a large number of modern, highly capable computers at a very
favorable student to computer ratio.
As AUK expands its operations into its anticipated newly renovated facilities on
the outskirts of Pristina, both the size of the student body and the range of
course offerings will grow. It is the intention of the AUK, working with U.S.
university partners, to establish a four-year American university in Kosovo,
providing a full range of university programs with credits recognized in both
Kosovo and the United States.
Applications to AUK are available at the AUK web site: (www.rit.edu/aukadmin).
All applications must be submitted on-line, through the AUK web site.
All applicants will be required to take a written exam, administered by
representatives of RIT and AUK, and an interview. The exam will include an
English language and a math component. There is an application fee of $75, which
is payable to the AUKF account at the Raiffeisen bank in Pristina. (Account
number 1501001002441485.)
One years tuition to attend AUK is $5,500, which is also payable to the AUKF
account at the Raiffeisen bank in Pristina. (Account number 1501001002441485.)
At less than a quarter of the cost of studying in the United States, the AUKs
program will give many more students in Kosovo the chance to get a quality
American university-level education, without having to travel abroad. AUK offers
a discount for payment in advance.
Additional information about AUK can be found on its web site (www.rit.edu/aukadmin).
The American University in Kosovo
Telephone 038-540-197
e-mail: admissions@aukf.org
Kosovo According to Peter Liotta, professor at the US Naval War College, an
«independent Kosovo would be a bankrupt State immediately unless it found
integration with its closest neighbours (Balkan) as well as within a wider
European context.».
Demonstrations Several thousand demonstrators gathered in Pristina and Decan following the
assassination of Tahir Zemaj, a former UCK leader and ardent supporter of
President Ibrahim Rugova. This might have been vengeance between the various
faction of the UCK.
The Democratic League of Kosovo led by Ibrahim
Rugova announced that he had won most of the votes during the council elections
and held a majority of 14 out of the 30 town councils in Kosovo. Details
Representatives of international institutions have severly
criticised the Kosovo Assembly in its attempt to define the territorial limits
of Kosovo. UN director Michael Steiner, rendered the resolution adopted by this
assembly null and void. http://www.washingtonpost.com
