AUK

AUK > Overview > President's Welcome

from Christopher Hall

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the AUK web site.

It is a great honor for me to be President of AUK. I have had several careers; I have studied and taught International Relations at Oxford University, I have managed companies in the steel and mining industries in the United States, and I have served as a state Senator, party Chairman and in other political posts in America. But nothing gives me as much satisfaction as seeing the contribution AUK makes, through its students, to the development of Kosovo and the western Balkan region.

I have been a frequent visitor to this region since my first trip to Tirana in 1989. I have seen some remarkable changes throughout the region in the last 20 years, and I am an optimist about the region’s future.

I first visited AUK in the summer of 2005, when AUK was located in its temporary home, a house in Velania. On that visit, I was impressed – not with the house – but with the faculty and staff and especially the students. Their thirst for knowledge and their commitment to stay here and build Kosovo are what made me agree to come and teach here, and then to accept the position of President.

The young people of Kosovo fill me with optimism for the future. We have the privilege at AUK of educating the brightest and best young people of this country, and bringing them together with their peers from neighboring countries, the Kosovo diaspora, and the world.

We are committed to giving a first-rate American education to Kosovo’s top high school graduates, regardless of their parents’ ability to pay. We cannot, and will not, fall into the trap of being a “rich kids’ school.” AUK provides over €300,000 a year in financial aid, but it will never be enough.  We work with generous individuals, corporations, and government agencies to find additional scholarship support for our students, and we work to assist students to find part-time jobs and student loans to complete their education.

Part of what makes an American university education special is making friends for life, from a wide range of backgrounds and countries. Diversity is important to AUK – we value our students from every Kosovo community, from 17 countries around the world, and students with physical disabilities.

It is important to me that AUK’s Kosovar graduates stay here, work in Kosovo, and build their country. Over 90% of our graduates have good jobs here in Kosovo. The rest go on to graduate school or return to their home country to work. At the time of writing, I know of NO unemployed AUK graduates – which is a remarkable testimony to how their education is viewed in the job market.

Thank you for your interest in A.U.K. If you would like to know more about us – as a prospective student; as an employer interested in our students, or in how we can help you develop your employees; as a prospective supporter of AUK as it works to develop Kosovo and its region – please don’t hesitate to contact me, or to schedule time to visit. You can contact my assistant, Ms. Mjellma Asllani, at masllani@aukonline.org or by calling +381 (0)38 518 542 extension 102.

Chris Hall