Universiteti i Prishtinës

University of Pristina
Universiteti i Prishtinës
Seal of University of Pristina
Type Public
Established 1969 (1999)
Budget €34.0 million
Rector Marjan Dema
Academic staff
 1,403
Students 38,974 (2016-17)
Location Prishtina, Kosovo[lower-alpha 1]
42°40′00″N 21°10′00″E / 42.666667°N 21.166667°E / 42.666667; 21.166667
Campus Urban
Colours               
Website www.uni-pr.edu
Faculty of Philology
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Medicine (Institute A)
Faculty of Philosophy
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Faculty of Law and Economics
Campus

The University of Pristina (Albanian: Universiteti i Prishtinës) is a public higher education institution located in Prishtina, Kosovo.[lower-alpha 1] One of the successors of the historical University of Prishtina, it comprises 14 faculties located in Prishtina and three branches in other cities of Kosovo. Contained within the emblem is a translation of the name into Latin, Universitas Studiorum Prishtiniensis.

Overview

The University of Prishtina is an Albanian-language higher education institution. It occupies the campus in Prishtina, Kosovo, serving as the major university in the area of Kosovo. It is a member of the European University Association. It maintains contacts with Western European and American universities and institutions.[1][2][3][4] University of Prishtina is the highest-ranked Albanian-language university in Europe.[5]

Statistics and university organisation

The academic year of the university runs from 1 October through 30 September, organised in two semesters, with 30 weeks of teaching per year. In the academic year 2016—2017 the university counted 38,974 active students, 17,042 (43.8%) men and 21,932 (56.2%) women; 38,334 (98.3%) of the students were from Kosovo, 413 (1%) from Preshevo, Medvegja and Bujanoc, 99 (0.25%) from Montenegro, 56 (0.14%) from Macedonia, 49 (0.12%) from Albania, and 23 (0.06%) from other countries.[6]

About 5,000 students receive bachelor, and about 1000 master degrees every year at University of Pristina, the majority in social and human sciences[6] More than 70,000 have graduated from the university since its establishment.[7]

Unlike most other European universities, the university operates as a loose association of faculties, each with a legally autonomous status and administrative structure. This has been criticized by the World Bank as leading to a redundant duplication of programmes and facilities, hindering an effective prioritisation of programmes.[8]

History

The original university was opened in Pristina for the 1969–1970 academic year.[9][10] It functioned as the University of Priština until 1999. However, owing to political upheaval there are separate Albanian and Serbian entities:

In 2003, the University of Pristina was described as being "at the very core of political conflict and the self-esteem of Albanian Kosovars".[19] It was for many years accused by Serbian politicians and the Serbian media of promoting Albanian separatism in Kosovo,[20] and following Slobodan Milošević's rise to power, it was purged of those deemed to be separatists. It was at this time that the university faculty split into Serbian and Albanian halves, with the Serbian staff controlling the campus and the sacked Albanian staff going "underground" for much of the 1990s, providing education informally and in secret for Kosovo Albanian students.[21]

Following NATO's entry into Kosovo at the end of the Kosovo War in June 1999, the Albanian faculty gained control of the campus, while the Serbian faculty relocated first to central Serbia (from 1999 to 2001, their seat was in Kruševac) and two years later to northern Kosovo (the seat is currently in North Mitrovica).

Faculties and higher education schools

Academic units of the university are:[22]

  • Faculty of Philosophy
  • Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
  • Faculty of Philology
  • Faculty of Law
  • Faculty of Economics
  • Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture
  • Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
  • Faculty of Medicine
  • Faculty of Arts
  • Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary
  • Faculty of Geosciences and Technology
  • Faculty of Sport Sciences
  • Faculty of Education
  • Faculty of Applied Sciences and Business, Peć
  • Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering, Mitrovica
  • Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering, Ferizaj

Pristina Summer University

In 2001, the university of Pristina began the establishment of Pristina Summer University. More than 4,000 local, regional and international students and more than 400 local and international professors participate in PSU.[23]

Notables

Doctors of Honor

Notable alumni and faculty members

  • Fahri Beqiri, Kosovar composer
  • Fehmi Agani, Kosovar academic, professor of sociology, and politician
  • Ukshin Hoti, Kosovar professor, philosopher, and political activist
  • Ali Hadri, Kosovar academic, first doctoral graduate of the university in 1970
  • Masar Caka, Kosovar painter
  • Nexhat Daci, former Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, former professor of chemistry
  • Albin Kurti, Kosovar politician, leader of Vetëvendosje
  • Hilmi Ibar, professor of chemistry and dean of pedagogics at Trakya University Edirne
  • Ali Podrimja, Kosovar poet
  • Faton Berisha, Kosovar mathematician, professor
  • Dukagjin Pupovci, Kosovar education expert
  • Ibrahim Rugova, first president of post-war Kosovo
  • Fatmir Sejdiu, former President of Kosovo and former professor of law
  • Hashim Thaçi, President of Kosovo, former Prime Minister of Kosovo, former student vice-rector

Criticism

The University of Prishtina has been criticized for its association with the political class, corruption, and lack of literature. According to a recent study by Preportr, a substantial part of Kosovo's government officials, including ministers, hold academic roles in higher education institutions, including the University of Prishtina. The literature in Albanian language is highly absent, and the available literature is largely outdated.[26]

Some 15 high-profile politicians were serving as ministers or MPs in 2015, including the ministers of justice, education, and defense, and receiving salaries as full-time professors. Reformist Rector Ramadan Zejnullahu stripped them of their pay for work they did not perform. Another 80 or so professors were receiving double or triple salaries for teaching at multiple faculties or branches of the university in other cities in Kosovo. Attempts to stop this were overturned by the appeal court. Zejnullahu also chose to disregard a policy that let 1,000 children of war veterans or soldiers killed in action register for university without passing an entrance exam, believing it to be unfair and against university standards. After a year and a half, Zejnullahu was fired by the university steering board on 21 October 2015. Zejnullahu’s removal was reversed days later by Education Minister Arsim Bajrami, but his struggle made him a national symbol of Kosovo’s battle against nepotism and graft.[27]

Two professors, Beqir Sadikaj and Zeqir Veselaj, who had earlier been identified as plagiarists were in 2015 elected as members to the 5-member Governing Council of the UP and voted to dismiss Rector Zejnullahu.[28]

December 2013 arrests

On December 12, 2013, eleven officials of the university Faculty of Medicine were arrested for grade forgery.[29][30][31][32] Arrested officials were physicians, professors, assistant professors, and administrative staff; some students were also arrested.[33]

2014 student protest and resignation of Ibrahim Gashi

The 2014 student protest began when Kosovo media accused Rector Ibrahim Gashi and his staff of falsifying research and publishing scientific papers based on that false research to bolster their academic credentials.[34] Gashi refused to resign after it was revealed he had published articles in predatory journals to meet the requirements for promotion to full professor. Student protesters became outraged after parliament failed to pass a vote demanding that Gashi resign, with coalition government political parties opposing the move. Gashi eventually resigned.[35]

Notes and references

Notes:

  1. 1 2 Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has received formal recognition as an independent state from 113 out of 193 United Nations member states.

References:

  1. 1 2 University of Iowa's page about archeological and otherwise cooperation with University of Prishtina, uiowa.edu. Link accessed 14 April 2008.
  2. 1 2 International Center on Responses to Catastrophes at the University of Illinois at Chicago: HIV, mentions its cooperation with the University of Prishtina, uic.edu. Link accessed 14 April 2008.
  3. 1 2 Dartmouth College: The Dartmouth Initiative in Global Health and Healthy Development, discusses cooperation with the University of Prishtina School of Medicine in Prishtina, Kosovo, darthmouth.edu. Link accessed 14 April 2008.
  4. 1 2 University of Prishtina's Human Rights Centre, established in 2000, after Serbia lost control of the University, located in Pristina, now the capital of Republic of Kosovo, affiliated university with HUMSEC, human rights project of the European Commission, HUMSEC – European Commission, Graz, Austria. Link accessed 14 April 2008.
  5. ↑ "Europe Ranking Web of Universities". Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Statistikat e Arsimit në Kosovë" (PDF) (in Albanian). Kosovo Agency of Statistics. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  7. ↑ "Statistics on the Homepage" (in Albanian). University of Prishtina. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Kosovo: Economic and Social Reforms for Peace and Reconciliation. World Bank. 2001. p. 114. ISBN 0-8213-4942-2.
  9. ↑ Speech of the Rector of the University of Priština published at the University's website Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine., rektorat.ftnkm.info, text from 1967.
  10. 1 2 Đurić, Slađana (2000). "Izmesteni univerzitet". Republika magazine, No. 240-241.
  11. ↑ "Official website" (in Albanian). University of Pristina (state university situated at Pristina). Retrieved 18 April 2008.
  12. ↑ "Official webpage". University of Pristina (University of Pristina (Serbian)). Retrieved 14 April 2008.
  13. ↑ "European University Association: University of Mitrovica". Eua.be. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  14. ↑ O. N. (1 April 2002). "Univerzitet u Prištini postao deo evropskog akademskog prostora". Glas Javnosti (in Serbian). University of Pristina (Serbian).
  15. ↑ http://www.mfa.gov.rs/Srpski/Kultura/vesti_kultura/201202_s.html
  16. ↑ EUA welcomes new Members, 30 October 2008
  17. ↑ Seobe akademaca (29 April 2003). "Seobe akademaca". NIN 2731.
  18. ↑ Universities in Europe: University of Pristina, Kosovo, Retrieved on 27 January 2011
  19. ↑ Reviews of National Policies for Education. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2003. pp. 344–62. ISBN 92-64-10071-7.
  20. ↑ Kostovicova, Denisa (2005). Kosovo. Routledge. pp. 44–45, 103–104. ISBN 0-415-34806-4.
  21. ↑ Howard Clark (2000). Civil resistance in Kosovo. Pluto Press. pp. 100–105. ISBN 0-7453-1569-0.
  22. ↑ "Faculties". University of Pristina (state university at Pristina). Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  23. ↑ http://uvp.uni-pr.edu/About.aspx
  24. 1 2 3 "Doctor Honoris Causa të Universitetit të Prishtinës""Doctor Honoris Causa të Universitetit të Prishtinës" (in Albanian).
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Tempulli i dijes: monografi:1970-2012", University of Prishtina, ISBN 978-9951-00-145-8
  26. ↑ "Universiteti cullak, Udha e shkronjave (Albanian)" (PDF). Preportr. 8 December 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  27. ↑ Hopkins, Valerie (1 December 2015). "Rectifying the university". Prishtina Insight. BIRN. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  28. ↑ "Two plagiarists on the board of UP". Gazeta Express. MediaWorks. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  29. ↑ 12 December 2013. "Arrestohen 11 persona për korrupsion në UP (Albanian)". Telegrafi. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  30. ↑ "Arrestohen zyrtarë të Fakultetit të Mjekësisë (Albanian)". Indeks Online. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  31. ↑ "Arrestohen edhe zyrtarë të tjerë të Fakultetit të Mjekësisë (Albanian)". Bota Sot. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  32. ↑ "Arrestohen zyrtarë të Fakultetit të Mjekësisë (Albanian)". Koha Ditore. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  33. ↑ "Priten edhe 15 arrestime në UP, për falsifikim të notave (Albanian)". Gazeta Express. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  34. ↑ "Police clashed with students in Kosovo, and dozens reported injured". Reuters. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  35. ↑ "Kosovo students clash with police in Pristina". 2 July 2014. BBC News. Retrieved 3 March 2014.

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