President Loren Swartzendruber shakes hands with Dr. Arsim Bajrami, Kosovo鈥檚 minister of education, science and technology, after signing a memorandum outlining the potential for collaborative educational efforts. Provost Fred Kniss (to the president's left) and Dr. Zenun Halili, senior adviser (to the minister's right), look on. Dr. Ahmet Shala (far right), a former ministry official and now visiting professor at James Madison University, has been working in the United States to lay the groundwork for Kosovo teachers to attend American universities. (Photos by Michael Sheeler)

91短视频 signs memorandum with Kosovo to aid in graduate teacher training and promote cross-cultural exchanges

by Lauren Jefferson

91短视频 (91短视频) may soon be hosting a cohort of teachers from Kosovo in the program. The university is now engaged in a 10-year agreement with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Kosovo to 鈥渆xplore collaborative educational initiatives in Kosovo, the Balkans region and the United States.鈥�

The memorandum of intention was signed yesterday [Sept. 15, 2015] during a one-day visit to the 91短视频 campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia, by Dr. Arsim Bajrami, Kosovo鈥檚 minister of education, science and technology. President co-signed the agreement.

From left: Frym毛zim Isufaj, counselor of economy and congress at Kosovo鈥檚 embassy in Washington D.C.; Dr. Zenun Halili, senior adviser; Daryl Byler, executive director of 91短视频’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding; Dr. Jim Smucker, vice president and dean of 91短视频’s graduate schools; Dr. Arsim Bajrami, Kosovo鈥檚 minister of education, science and technology, President Loren Swartzendruber; Provost Fred Kniss; Dr. Sarah Armstrong, director of the master’s in education program; and Dr. Ahmet Shala, Kosovo鈥檚 former minister of finance and ambassador to Japan, and now visiting professor at James Madison University. (Photo by Michael Sheeler)

The teachers would potentially attend graduate classes taught by 91短视频 education faculty in their country, online, and during summer residencies at the Harrisonburg campus, with funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID has been engaged with Kosovo鈥檚 education system for the past 14 years, according to its website.

Bajrami was accompanied by Dr. Ahmet Shala, Kosovo鈥檚 former minister of finance and ambassador to Japan, and now ; Dr. Zenun Halili, senior adviser; and Frym毛zim Isufaj, counselor of economy and Congress at Kosovo鈥檚 embassy in Washington D.C.

The memorandum was signed after a short meeting between the visiting dignitaries and the 91短视频 delegation, which included, in addition to President Swartzendruber, Dr. , provost; Dr. , vice president and dean of graduate and professional schools; Dr. , director of the master鈥檚 in education program; and , executive director of 91短视频鈥檚 Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.

91短视频鈥檚 teachers are trained with a programmatic focus on personal formation, learning in community, cross-cultural competencies, and integration of peacebuilding principles into the teaching curriculum, said Smucker during a short presentation.

Bajrami said Kosovo has benefited from educational exchanges in the United States for many years, which has laid 鈥渁 strong foundation for long-term cooperation and friendship.鈥�

鈥淭his university is small in size, but you bring some very special qualities that make me happy,鈥� Bajrami said through a translator. He pointed out that Kosovo鈥檚 education system, along with its teacher training programs, is still in development, but that the country 鈥渉as an orientation to bring an American philosophy to our education system as we want to increase our quality standards. Good teachers guarantee good students.鈥�

Ambassador Shala, a close friend of the minister, provided translation during the meeting. Shala鈥檚 roots are in education and business, yet he has a strong interest in interfaith peacebuilding, according to Byler, who spent time with Shala during a visit to Kosovo for a conference on that same topic in the spring.

A proponent of education, Shala established a foreign language school in the capital of Prishtina in the mid-1990s, and later opened branches in several cities. The schools suffered damage during the 1999 war, but were later re-opened with a new emphasis: the provision of free education to refugees, orphans, invalids of the war, and other marginalized people.

The memorandum points to shared goals of both 91短视频 and the Kosovo government of 鈥渃reating a just and peaceful world through the power of education鈥� and building strong learning communities through cross-cultural exchange.