The University of Pristina () is a public university located in Pristina, Kosovo. It is the institution that emerged after the disestablishment of the University of Pristina (1969–1999) as a result of the Kosovo War. The inauguration of the university was a historical occurrence not only for the people of Kosovo, but for the whole Albanian nation. On 15 February, the solemn Parliament session took place, which is also proclaimed as The University of Pristina's Day. In the composition of the newly established University of Pristina were faculties with their headquarters in Pristina: the Faculty of Philosophy, Faculty of Law and Economics, Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Medicine. Now the University of Pristina has 17 faculties, of which 14 are academic faculties and 3 are faculties of applied sciences. Contained within the emblem is a translation of the name into Latin, Universitas Studiorum Prishtiniensis.
Overview The University of Pristina occupies the campus in Pristina, 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.University of Iowa's page about archeological and otherwise cooperation with University of Pristina , uiowa.edu. Link accessed 14 April 2008.International Center on Responses to Catastrophes at the University of Illinois at Chicago: HIV, mentions its cooperation with the University of Pristina , uic.edu. Link accessed 14 April 2008.Dartmouth College: The Dartmouth Initiative in Global Health and Healthy Development, discusses cooperation with the University of Pristina School of Medicine in Pristina, Kosovo , dartmouth.edu. Link accessed 14 April 2008.University of Pristina'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. University of Pristina is the highest-ranked Albanian-language university in Europe. University of Pristina is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the medium-sized city of Pristina. This institution has also branch campuses in the following location(s): Gjilan, Peja, Prizren, Ferizaj, Gjakova, Mitrovica. Officially accredited and/or recognized by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Kosovo, the University of Pristina is a coeducational higher education institution. The University of Pristina offers courses and programs leading to officially recognized higher education degrees such as bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctorate degrees in several areas of study.
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. With youth up to 19 years of age accounting for over 50 per cent of the population, by 1980, every third inhabitant in the province was enrolled either in school or at the university. In Kosovo, the expansion of the student body in higher education was unparalleled in Yugoslavia, rising from 149 in 1958–59 to 35,706 at the university and other post-secondary educational institutions in 1975–76. 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 Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac, 99 (0.25%) from Montenegro, 56 (0.14%) from North Macedonia, 49 (0.12%) from Albania, and 23 (0.06%) from other countries.
About 5,000 students receive bachelor, and about 1000 master degrees every year at University of Pristina, the majority in social and human sciences. More than 70,000 have graduated from the university since its establishment.
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.
History
The university of Pristina was founded in the Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, Socialist Republic of Serbia, Yugoslavia, in Pristina, the first academic year being 1969–1970, and functioning until 1999. However, because of political upheaval, war, consecutive expulsion of faculty of one ethnicity or the other, extensive differences between the ethnicities, it separated into two disjoint institutions using the same name, albeit simply to reflect ethnic identity. Albanian-language activity continues to this day in Pristina, whilst the Serbian one, Univerzitet u Prištini, has been located in Northern Mitrovica, where it still maintains its place in the Serbian Education System.
Foundation As a result of The League of Communists of Kosovo requesting more self-governance for their region, large-scale protests arose in Kosovo during November 1968, affecting the founding of the university in 1969–70. The university's first faculties were those of philosophy, medicine, law and engineering. The languages of instruction were Albanian and Serbo-Croat. Because the organizational status of the institution was language-based it is often considered as two separate universities. The Albanians welcomed the founding of the university, but only considered it as a milestone towards political equality and not as the final goal. Although it was supported by Josip Broz Tito, President of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, it faced a lot of political opposition from the Serbian Communists, who considered it an "indication of autonomy for Kosovo". As early as 1971, the Serbs and Montenetgrins protested against the inauguration of the university.
The demonstrations of 1981 The university was the starting point of the 1981 Kosovo student protests. The university contributed to unemployment, with highly educated and aggravated Albanians becoming recruits for nationalist sentiment. Additionally, the Serb and Montenegrin population of Kosovo increasingly resented the economic and social burden incurred by the university's student population. The demonstrations, which started on 11 March 1981, originally started as a spontaneous small-scale protest for better food in the cafeteria and improved housing conditions in the halls of residence and ended with violence provoking mass demonstrations across Kosovo, a state of emergency, riots and numerous casualties.
1990-98 Many Albanian lecturers were accused of breaking the Serbian education laws, dismissed and replaced by Serbs. The Albanian-language education then continued in private facilities, as part of the unofficial parallel shadow state, a self-declared Republic of Kosovo, enabling the education of some 30,000 Albanian students to continue. In the second half of the 1990s, Government of Serbia started negotiations with Albanian leaders about the university and came to the agreement that the Albanians would get control over 60% of the university campus, Serbs 35% and Turks 5%. However, Kosovo Serb protesters staged violent protests against the transfer and eventually had to be evicted by government forces. The buildings were extensively damaged, with furniture and equipment deliberately vandalized as to make them unusable.
Kosovo War and aftermath The 1999 War in Kosovo disrupted both the official university and its counterpart branch in Mitrovica. Most of the staff and students had fled from Kosovo in early June 1999. The Serbian population of Pristina, in August 1999, had fallen from 40,000 to under 1,000. As a result, the university broke into two separate branches, the one in Pristina and the one in North Mitrovica.
December 2013 arrests On December 12, 2013, eleven officials of the university Faculty of Medicine were arrested for grade forgery. Arrested officials were physicians, professors, assistant professors, and administrative staff; some students were also arrested.
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. 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.
Organisation and administration Governance The main governing bodies of the University of Pristina are the steering council and the Senate. The steering council has overall strategic responsibility for the effective institutional functioning of the university.
The University Senate is the highest academic body of the university. It is chaired by the rector of the university, which is the university's main managing authority. The rector is the main academic and administrative leader and is responsible for the effective and regular work of the university and for its management according to the policy defined by the steering council. The rector is assisted by the vice presidents and the secretary general of the university. The duties of the vice-rectors are determined by the rector in accordance with the provisions of the UP Statute.
The secretary general of the university is the highest executive and administrative officer of the university. He answers the rector for efficient, economical and effective administration at all levels of the university.
Administration The Central Administration of the University of Pristina was established by the decision of the University Board of Pristina in 2001.
According to the Statute of the university, the Central Administration is responsible for professional, administrative and technical issues related to:
Education, scientific research and artistic work; Administration of recognition of studies; Personnel administration; Legal Aspects; University Development Plan; Accounting and finance; Maintenance and documentation of property; Folders; Movement of goods; Management of the information system; Central database; Other General Aspects of University Administration.
All these are coordinated by the secretary-general.
At the suggestion of the secretary-general, the rector issues regulations on job placement within the Central University Administration. A more detailed description of the work for Central Administration services is provided in Regulation on the internal organization of the Central Administration of the university.
Faculties The university's academic units are: Faculty of Philosophy Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Faculty of Philology Faculty of Law Faculty of Economics Faculty of Civil Engineering Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Faculty of Medicine Faculty of Arts Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Faculty of Sport Sciences Faculty of Education Faculty of Architecture
Admissions and fees This higher-education institution has a selective admission policy based on entrance examinations. International applicants are eligible to apply for enrollment. Fees per semester at the University of Pristina include €25 for full-time students (BA), €125 for part-time students (BA), and €150 for Academic Masters (MA). Students coming from other cities or international students require around 200-350 euros per month to cover the cost of living in Pristina.
University campus