American University in Kosovo

The American University in Kosovo is located in the Germia district of Pristina, Kosovo. It is affiliated with Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York.

American University in Kosovo, commonly known by its initials AUK, is the only non-profit private university in Kosovo. All teaching are in English, and all the students are enrolled in degree programs at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), whose Associate's, Bachelor's or Master's degrees are earned by AUK students. All AUK courses use RIT's syllabi and apply the same teaching and examination standards as in Rochester, although fees at AUK are approximately one quarter the level of those for students attending in Rochester.

In January 2008, AUK had 425 undergraduates and 25 postgraduate students.

AUK also operates a division offering non-degree courses, the Training and Development Institute (TDI). TDI offers a range of courses for internationally-recognized certificates in information technology, business management, and the English language.

AUK was founded in 2002 and admitted its first students in September 2003. Its initial funding came from the Fund for the Reconstruction of Kosovo, which itself was funded by voluntary contributions from the ethnic Albanian diaspora to support the underground parallel institutions operated within Kosovo during the period before the 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Subsequent funding has been granted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); by the Mabetex construction company of Behgjet Pacolli; and by the National Albanian American Council (NAAC) in the United States.

AUK's current president is Chris Hall, a former state senator from Maine.

AUK Training & Development Institute

American University in Kosovo Training and Development Institute is a knowledge driven Center for Continuing Education. AUK plays an active role in the ongoing reconstruction and transformation of Kosovo, by helping to advance Kosovo's society into a competitive society; through professional development of individuals, advancement of learning methods and contents, business support, link of university expertise with business community and certification of skills with international recognized standards.

The Institute acts and an open portal through which the people of Kosovo can access a range of world-class knowledge based systems. These learning programs, implemented across the business, educational, government and non-profit sectors of the society will enable Kosovars to take the initiative in shaping their society into a world-class engine of development and enterprise.

AUK Summer Program

The Summer Program at AUK provides undergraduate and graduate students unique opportunities to learn about conflict management, humanitarian interventions, protecting human rights, the changing nature of security, national and regional peace-building, reconstruction, democracy-building, collective memory, transitional justice, and economic development in post-conflict societies, as well as the prospects for regional co-operation and sustainable peace in the “living laboratory” of Kosovo. The educational vision of this program is to offer an unequaled intellectual setting for students to interact with a unique mixture of international scholars, representatives of NGO’s, transnational organizations and the "international community," diplomats, retired military personnel, peacekeepers, ex-combatants, regional experts, governmental practitioners, and individuals who have lived through and participated in conflict transformations. The summer program gives the opportunity to students to increase their global understanding, establish new networks of friends, and have fun while learning in a safe multicultural environment. Program focuses on the background of the Kosovo conflict of the late 20th century wars across the region; the dynamic nature of security in the period following the fighting, and continuing challenges to conflict transformation and development Each course is taught by seasoned experts and explores particular dimensions of associated topics. Classes are attended by students from around the world sharing one thing in common: an interest in learning about the timeless issues of war and peace in a unique 'living laboratory' that has not fully recovered from violent conflict.

External links

• Official Web site
• 2008 Article from Christian Science Monitor