Higher Education Partnership Helps Bridge Ethnic Divide in Macedonia
South East European University Celebrates Inauguration with Ceremony in Tetovo
November 20, 2001 was an extraordinary day in Tetovo, Macedonia, and in the life of a region long torn by ethnic conflict and the attending divisions in state systems such as education. This date marked the opening of the new South East European University (SEEU) in Tetovo, a new multi-lingual, multi-ethnic university supported in part by an Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation Development (ALO) partnership between SEEU and the Indiana Consortium for International Programs.
"Today is a good day for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and a good day for Europe. At a time when good news is in short supply, it is heartening to see that progress can be made towards building peace among people," said OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Rolf Ekeus in a press release marking the inaugural ceremonies for SEEU.
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The platform party at the SEEU Inauguration. From Left to Right: Michael McRobbie, IU Vice President for Information Technology; Emita Hill, IU's Higher Education Administration Advisor for the project and SEEU Board Member; an SEEU student representative; Rector Aljadin Abazi; and Max van der Stoel, President of the SEEU Foundation - Zurich. |
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Michael McRobbie, IU Vice President for Information Technology, extending Indiana University's greetings and congratulations to SEEU's Rector, Aljadin Abazi. |
In early September 2001, Indiana University and the Indiana Consortium for International Programs was awarded a competitive, USAID-funded grant through ALO to commence their partnership activities with SEEU. The IU/ICIP partnership with SEEU is a three-year project to provide SEEU with assistance in university administrative management, ESL and computer literacy instruction for students and staff, faculty exchanges that will enhance curriculum development, and the establishment of a Service Learning Program. SEEU's mission is to provide a multi-lingual education to all students regardless of ethnicity, teaching classes in Albanian, Macedonian, and English. SEEU will offer many courses that are new to higher education in Macedonia, including business and public administration and communications.
SEEU's inauguration was attended by a delegation from Indiana University. The delegation included Dr. Michael McRobbie, IU Vice President for Information Technology; Dr. Patrick O'Meara, Dean for International Programs; Dr. Emita Hill, lead consultant from the IU project team and member of the SEEU International and Local Boards, and Dr. Charles Reafsnyder, Project Director and Associate Dean for International Programs. The inauguration was also attended by Mr. Bill Douglass and Mr. Sid Chernenkoff of USAID.
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The SEEU ESL Staff. Andrew Gridinsky, second from right; Emita Hill, fourth from right; and Gabrielle Goodwin, sixth from right--all participants in the US-Macedonia Linkage Program. |
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The SEEU ESL staff including Gabrielle Goodwin (back to the photo). |
Ambassador Ekeus and Ambassador Max van der Stoel, Personal Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Chairman of SEEU's International Board, both addressed the students and faculty during the ceremony, emphasizing the importance of the university's mission of inter-ethnic integration. In addition, Dr. Michael McRobbie of IU read a letter of greeting from Indiana University's President Myles Brand, and Dr. Emita Hill gave a short address.
Dr. Alajdin Abazi, Rector of SEEU, offered these remarks at the ceremony to emphasize the unique responsibility of SEEU in a region that has experienced a difficult conflict among its citizens: "Let the opportunities offered by the SEE University become the perspective of this city and this country; a perspective based on the principles of democracy, based on the respect of differences, on the interethnic and inter-religious tolerance." (http://www.see-university.com).
Currently there are over 800 students enrolled at SEEU. The partnership between IU/ICIP and SEEU has been in full swing since the arrival of IU's on site coordinator Dr. Paul Foster in late October, as well as a team of ESL teachers and IU's computer literacy instructor.
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Emita Hill and Paul Foster in Skopje. |
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Paul Foster, On-Site Partnership Manager, and Ismail Mehmeti, ESL Director, in front of one of SEEU's new classrooms. |