American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina

American University in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Američki univerzitet u Bosni i Hercegovini
AUBiH logo
Type Private
Established 2005
President Denis Prcić[1]
Provost Šefik Mulabegović[1]
Dean unknown
Administrative staff
 10+
Students 480+
Address Mije Kerosevica Guje 3, Tuzla, Tuzla, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
44°32′01″N 18°39′18″E / 44.533634°N 18.654910°E / 44.533634; 18.654910Coordinates: 44°32′01″N 18°39′18″E / 44.533634°N 18.654910°E / 44.533634; 18.654910
Academic Provost Sadik Latifagić[1]
Colors White and blue         
Nickname AUBIH
Website www.aubih.edu
American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tuzla

The American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina (abbr. AUBiH) is a private university located in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2007, the university opened a postgraduate department in Sarajevo, offering a fast-track master's degree in business administration (MBA). In 2009, it opened an undergraduate department in Banja Luka.[2] In 2011, the AUBIH opened an undergraduate department in Mostar.[3]

Accreditation

ACICS Accreditation

While the university claims to be accredited in the United States, the accrediting council (Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools) which accredited AUBiH is no longer a recognized accreditor by the United States Department of Education.[4] Furthermore, American University is at risk of losing their accreditation from ACICS at the end of 2018 due to material non-compliance with placement standards, having reported 44% on the 2017 Campus Accountability Report.[5]

Controversy


Professors and students at the American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina are unanimous in accusing the university of a lack of ethics and academic integrity and its current president, Denis Prcic, as a scammer.

The Facebook page that appears to belong to Mr. Prcic says he has a master’s degree from the University of Rochester, too, but Mr. Prcic never graduated from there, a university spokeswoman said.[6] According to Rochester City Court records, Mr. Prcic in 1994 was charged with third-degree assault against his former spouse and pleaded guilty to harassment. [7]

Faculty and students told the DCO they were worried that AUBiH might not have been properly registered with authorities and embellished the level of courses it offers. On its website, the 400-student university touts doctoral programs in computer engineering, international law, industrial technology management and international finance. But former professors said that even if the university was accredited to give those degrees, it didn’t have the professors to be able to do so. At one point, the university listed 30 majors and programs, two more than it has professors and lecturers. [8]

A representative for AUBiH said the PhD program is not yet operational, a fact not mentioned on the university’s website.

The Watertown Daily reported in 2013 that AUBiH President Denis Prcic entered a classroom and threatened to expel a student for raising questions about the university’s registration. Thomas Lombardi, a former AUBiH professor who now teaches at Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania: “If you compare AUBiH to Washington and Jefferson, it’s unacceptable. If you compare AUBiH to (other Bosnian universities), where there is a menu to purchase grades and students are propositioned by teachers for sex for grades, I think it’s much better.” Several former professors and others associated with the university said Mr. Prcic threatened them. Mr. Jeff Kelleher, one of the former American professors in Bosnia, said he witnessed Mr. Prcic confront a fellow American professor at a restaurant “incoherently, eyes blazing, breathing hard."

Staff

The lecturing staff are mainly domestic unknown teachers. Whereas earlier AUBiH had international professors from the United States and other countries, the current faculty has not one international professor.[9] Some lectures are conducted via online, distance-learning methods.

As part of the now-defunct partnership agreement with State University of New York at Canton (SUNY), some students from AUBIH received double diplomas (both from the US and Bosnia & Herzegovina) and attended one semester in USA. Through this partnership, some students had opportunities for work placement with leading US companies such as Xerox, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson and Kodak.[10]

The President and founder of American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina is Denis Prcić, an entrepreneur from Tuzla who lived in Rochester, New York in the 1990s.[11][12] According to Rochester City Court records, Mr. Prcic in 1994 was charged with third-degree domestic assault and pleaded guilty to harassment.[13]

The University is organized around the following colleges:

  • Faculty of Economics[14]
  • Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology[15]
  • Faculty of Public Affairs[16]
  • Academy of Modern Arts[17]

Partnership

SUNY Partnership

AUBIH had a partnership with State University of New York at Canton (SUNY) until November 2011 to offer undergraduate programs in the fields of international financing, banking, insurance and risk management, information technology and digital economy. That agreement expired in November 2011 and was not renewed due to AUBiH not paying fees in accordance with the agreement. "For more than four years beginning in 2006, SUNY Canton ignored explicit warning signs about the crumbling finances of the American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina (AUBiH), its questionable academic integrity and its president's alleged erratic behavior, according to former professors, Bosnian students and SUNY Central officials in Albany."[18] At the time of termination, SUNY-Canton agreed to honor the promises that were made to students on behalf of SUNY representatives at the beginning of their studies.[19]

West Virginia University Partnership

On 21 June 2012, West Virginia University made a partnership with American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[20] It's one of over 100 universities with which WVU has a global partnership.[21]

New International Partnerships

American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina in September 2015 expanded its international partnership with universities in Turkey, Canada and the United States of America. The international partnership list was amended with the following universities: Western Kentucky University, Saint Louis University, Fontbonne University; Saint Paul University from Canada and Doğuş University from Turkey.[22] The purpose of cooperation between AUBIH and mentioned universities are student and faculty exchange, research cooperation, joint academic publications, and cooperation on joint academic projects.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "President Team - American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina". Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  2. ↑ Šajinović, Dejan (5 March 2009). "College of international law opens" (in Serbian). Nezavisne novine, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
  3. ↑ "Poligon". Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  4. ↑ https://www.ed.gov/acics
  5. ↑ "Accreditation". American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  6. ↑ http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20121216/DCO01/712169781. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20121216/DCO01/712169781. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ↑ http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20121216/DCO01/712169781. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ "Faculty Members". American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "Student Info". Archived from the original on 4 August 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
  11. ↑ "SUNY Canton Offers Bachelor's Degrees in Bosnia". Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
  12. ↑ Richard Mullins, Let "Croatia design your software", USA Today, 25 September 2002. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  13. ↑ http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20121216/DCO01/712169781. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ http://www.aubih.edu/#ace
  15. ↑ http://www.aubih.edu/#acit
  16. ↑ http://www.aubih.edu/#acen
  17. ↑ http://www.aubih.edu/#acma
  18. ↑ Briaqn Amaral (16 December 2012). "Canton relationshp with Bosnian university falls apart". Watertown Daily Times. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  19. ↑ SUNY statement Archived 5 August 2012 at Archive.is
  20. ↑ "West Virginia University makes partnership with American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina". 21 June 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  21. ↑ "WVU Global Partnerships - Office of International Programs". West Virginia University. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  22. ↑ http://aubih.edu/#q7NC7bnKAQ3HTZe73JAAr2w5Zt
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