WHERE: AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN KOSOVO, AUDITORIUM

WHEN: MAY 15-16, 2012

WHO: PLEASE SEE LIST OF CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS AND TITLES OF THEIR PRESENTATIONS ATTACHED

**The Battle of Milvian Bridge, in which the Emperor Constantine defeated his enemies and became the undisputed Roman Emperor, has always been seen as crucial in the triumph of monotheism across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. At least by the end his reign, it was believed that at the battle Constantine’s troops were identified with a Christian cross or ChiRho (“In this sign, you will conquer”). While he was not baptised a Christian until his death-bed and did not make Christianity the State religion – his Edict of Milan ensured toleration for all religions. Constantine was born in Naissus (modern Niš in Serbia); his father was a native of Dardania (roughly corresponding to modern Kosovo). He transferred the Roman capital to the Balkans (Byzantium). It therefore seems fitting that his achievement be celebrated in the Balkans in the spirit of the Edict of Milan. The conference of historians in Prishtina will consider the historical significance of Constantine’s legacy.

Download the Conference Agenda: Milvian Conference AGENDA

Petrit Halilaj, a young Kosovar artist who lives in Berlin, visited AUK on May 7, 2012 to tell his story of his path in becoming a renowned artist.

Petrit like many Kosovars was a refugee in Albania in 1999. He was only 13 years old when he met Giacomo Poli, an Italian psychiatrist who gave him some pens and a paper to tell his story by drawing. Halilaj told the audience that this gesture was the best gift he ever received.

Halilaj started drawing in the refugee camp in Kukes where he showed his talent as a future artist. Mr. Giacomo Poli saw his talent and took all his drawing and organized an exhibition in Italy. In Italy, with the help of the community, he managed to gather funding which served for Petrit as a scholarship so he could attend the Art School in Peja.

After finishing the Art School in Peja, Petrit moved to Italy where he attended the Art University in Milano. He now lives in Berlin, Germany, where he continues to work in his contemporary artworks.

Petrit has been part of many important exhibitions in Europe, such as in Basel, Innsbruck, Istanbul, and Berlin.

PRISHTINA, May 14 – American University in Kosovo, with the support of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation and Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will host a scholars’ conference on religion and politics in the region on May 15 and 16, 2012. The conference will bring together distinguished historians and theologians to discuss the religious legacy and tradition in the Balkans and its impact in shaping the discourse and the future of the region.

During the two-day conference, scholars and guests from across the world will present on three broad themes that relate to the 1,700^th anniversary of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge* and Constantine’s legacy, as well as broad discussions of religion and politics in the Modern Era and in the 21^st century.

In the second day, the conference will focus on how the existing inter-faith contacts within Kosovo and throughout the region can be enhanced. Representatives of faiths are invited as observers as one aim of the conference is to explore the possibilities of an extensive inter-faith conference among religious leaders at a later date.

WHAT: SCHOLARLY CONFERENCE ON RELIGION AND POLITICS IN KOSOVO

WHERE: AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN KOSOVO, AUDITORIUM

WHEN: MAY 15-16, 2012

WHO: PLEASE SEE LIST OF CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS AND TITLES OF THEIR PRESENTATIONS ATTACHED

**The Battle of Milvian Bridge, in which the Emperor Constantine defeated his enemies and became the undisputed Roman Emperor, has always been seen as crucial in the triumph of monotheism across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. At least by the end his reign, it was believed that at the battle Constantine’s troops were identified with a Christian cross or ChiRho (“In this sign, you will conquer”). While he was not baptised a Christian until his death-bed and did not make Christianity the State religion – his Edict of Milan ensured toleration for all religions. Constantine was born in Naissus (modern Niš in Serbia); his father was a native of Dardania (roughly corresponding to modern Kosovo). He transferred the Roman capital to the Balkans (Byzantium). It therefore seems fitting that his achievement be celebrated in the Balkans in the spirit of the Edict of Milan. The conference of historians in Prishtina will consider the historical significance of Constantine’s legacy.

Download the Conference Agenda: Milvian Conference AGENDA

AUK students gathered to hold a Skype conference call with Samuel Gould, artist at the Bronx Museum of Art, who will be leading the ‘smART power’ project in Kosovo together with their implementing partner Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art.

‘smART power’ is a program of the US State Departament and is implemented in 13 countries throughout the world. In Europe the program is implemented in Turkey and Kosovo.

The project opens on May 12th at Stacion, and is open to the public (information will be available at www.stacion.org and facebook page).  AUK faculty, Daniel Cosentino, Xhevahir Kolgjini, and Nita Luci will be working to engage student participation in the project.v

The well-known writer Ramiz Kelmendi was recently invited by the AUK Economist Club for a discussion with students.

Mr. Kelmendi shared some of his experiences with students and engaged in a very lively and interesting conversation on different issues.

“Although I don’t write as much anymore, I have a special joy when I sit down and talk with the youth of Kosovo like I am doing today. You are our pride and our future and sharing my experience with you, it’s the best words that I could ever write, Mr. Kelemndi told AUK students at this discussion.

In addition, Mr. Kelmendi visited the AUK’s Irwin Metzger Library, where he donated two of his latest published books.

Mr. Kelmendi is one of the most known writers and the founder of “Faik Koica” School of Journalism.

Some of the most well-known books are: “Ahmet Koshutani”, Vija e Vrrage”, Letra nga Ulqini”, “Shtate persona ndjekin autorin”, “Heshtja e Armeve” etc.

A couple months back, the Sports Club at the American University in Kosovo (AUK) received an official invitation from Barcelona ​​to be part of this event. The event is commonly known as the Universiade, an Olympics for youth and women from different universities from around the world.

The event is considered to be a great international experience for students from around the world and it has been held in the city of Barcelona, Spain since 2007. The aim of the event is to bring together university students from around the world to compete against each in a friendly competition. The organizer of this year’s Universiade in Barcelona includes the ​​Esad Business School, staff from Esad Sports, and the Panathlon International. Also, the event is supported and recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

“It’s an honor to be able to attend such an event, especially for us as students of the American University in Kosovo. There is a need for Kosovar students to integrate with their fellow colleagues from across the world and present our university and our country. While it is a great honor, for us it is also a great responsibility and we will try to give our best “, said Arianit Mullabazi, one of AUK students.

The Event, “Barcelona EuroEsade 2012″ will be held from the 18th to 22nd of April. There will be participants from nearly 15 countries worldwide, competing in sports like football, basketball, handball, volleyball, aerobics, etc.

“Traditional and Digital Collections at the Library of Congress” & “The World Digital Library: an Overview.”

Where: American University in Kosovo, Main Auditorium

When: Thursday, April 12th, at 12.00 noon

Speakers:        

Mr. Grant G. Harris is Head of the European Reading Room, the Library of Congress, where he also curates the collections for Albania, Kosovo, Moldova, and Romania.  He holds masters’ degrees in Russian and in Library Science, and he publishes articles on information resources as they relate to Eastern Europe.  Since 2009 he has worked closely with the Librarian of Congress, Dr. James Billington, on digital collaboration with Russian libraries. He is a regular presenter at national and international conferences, and his articles have appeared in journals and monographs in the U.S., Albania, Kosovo, Romania, and Serbia.

Mr. Jason M. Yasner is a career member of the Library of Congress with over 25 years experience in Information Technology Management.  He was promoted to Operations Manager of the World Digital Library (WDL) in March 2011. He joined the Library of Congress in 1994 and has managed numerous enterprise-wide, information technology initiatives to bring change to the Library.  He was Acting Chief of the End User Computing Group in the Information Technology Services directorate where he was responsible for managing all end user workstations, applications, and requirements for the Library’s 5,000+ staffers. Mr. Yasner is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from the George Washington University in Washington, DC.  He also is certified in Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITILv3) Foundation and is a Fellow of the American Council for Technology / Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC).

The conference which gathers over 300 Universities from around the world, with more than 3000 student participants is considered to be one of the largest and the most experienced student conferences in the world.

AUK students who participated in this conference represented the countries of Guatemala and El Salvador.

This year’s AUK team consisted of students Kanarine Kallaba, Gresa A’ Mula, Narona Ahmeti, Dorotea Sahatciu, Nora Jusufi, Dafina Prekazi, Lander Islami, Rina Spahiu, Gent Zeqiri, Festa Gjonbalaj.

The AUK team has been preparing for the conference for a year, and the team’s travel to Vancouver has been made possible by the generous donation of AUK, Ministry for European Integration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Economic Development and Energy.

The AUK team has been preparing for the conference for a year with the assistance of the AUK alumni Yllka Metaj; her dedication means so much for us therefore we want to specially thank her for her contributions to the club.

This year’s AUK team is composed of students Learta Hollaj, Hana Sahatqija, Arberesha Bishaj, Rita Mareni, Hana Cakuli and Yllka Metaj. The team has been preparing for the competition for more than nine months under the supervision of Prof.Osmani. The team’s travel to Vienna has been made possible by the generous donation of UNDP and the support of the Kosovo Assembly’s Women’s Caucus. The team also participated in a Pre-Moot that was held in Georgia during February, with the generous donation of GIZ and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Kosovo.

Attached below are the results of the survey:

Survey Summary 2011