The Higher Education Linkage Program brings a U.S. University linkage to South East European University for strengthening academic programs and faculty development in Communication Science and Technologies and Business Administration Faculties and applying work-related school-to-work strategies, such as forging relationships between business communities and schools and creating market based practices in universities.

The University linkage will concentrate its activities on:

• Undergraduate Programs
• Staff training and upgrading
• Improving instructors English language capacity and use of technology in the classroom
• Developing cross-cutting programs that strengthen and reinforce individual faculty programs

To undertake these activities the HELP project works closely with the University Administration and the deans of both BA and CST Faculties. SEE University has created a number of Centers with the assistance of Indiana University and the HELP project to achieve the outcomes stated above. These Centres include the Instructional Support Center, the Business Development Center and the Career Services Center. Each of these departments is staffed by a full-time SEEU director and works closely together with HELP project staff.

Instructional Support Center (ISC)

The ISC is part of the new linkage program with Indiana University and SEE University. The Instructional Support Center’s main goal is to provide in-service training to SEEU instructors to support the development of innovative curriculum, instruction and assessment. The Instructional Support Center is located in the Language Center in room 1002.02 and is directed by Emilija Zlatkovska, an Alumni of Indiana University. The Center has implemented a Pilot project for 35 SEEU instructors who will receive 18 months of intensive training in English Language, teaching methodology and IT skills to include the use of ANGEL software, a course management program for developing asynchronous and synchronous courses online.

Business Development Center (BDC)

The Business Development Center was created to improve SEE University’s linkage with business and help develop sustainable training programs that will improve the qualifications of university faculty and promote its students for internship and employment opportunities. The director of the BDC is professor Izet Zeqiri, a management professor at SEEU and the former director of ESA the Enterprise for Business Support Agency, a project funded by the British Council that focused on offering training to small and medium sized firms to improve their competitiveness. The BDC has conducted three training activities since commencing its operations for local business which included Time Management training for 12 managers of ProCredit Bank, a new banking establishment that has over 200 employees and is rapidly expanding in Macedonia; Customer Service, Time Management and Supervisory Skills training for senior managers of the company Gudalat, a Juice manufacturer located in Gostivar. Both of these classes were conducted by Indiana University Professor John Parrish-Sprowl and assisted by SEEU faculty.

Career Services Center (CSC)

The mission of the new Career Services Center at SEEU is to teach students how to prepare for career employment using techniques such as CV preparations, cover letter design, networking, job sourcing, interview techniques, career strategies, etc. It is to initiate contact with potential employers within the South East European region to promote the University and request related job opportunities. This involves using tools, such at courses, a website, bulletin boards, the media, and daily communication with students and employers. The director of the CSC is Burim Sadkiku, the former director of SEEU’s Public Relations Department and a recent graduate of Pittsburgh University’s MPA program in Skopje. The BDC has initiated workshops for students on how to write a resume, cover letter and how to effectively participate in an interview. On June 1st 2005, the Career Center with the assistance of the HELP project conducted SEEU’s first Job Fair. The event was attended by over 30 companies to include some of the largest employers in the region like Mobimak, Cosmofon, and others.

CSC First Job Fair Photos

Communication Science and Technologies (CST) and Business Administration (BA)

The two main recipients of support from the HELP project are the Communication Science and Technologies and Business Administration Faculties. Here are a number of activities the HELP project will implement to assist in their development.

Business Administration

• Both the COP and DCOP conduct required courses in English to SEEU students
• Assist in developing a new curriculum for a three year program in accordance with the Bologna Agreement.
• Organize a workshop in September 2005 to revise all core course content by bringing IU professors and other International experts to work with SEEU instructors.
• Provide three Fellowships to individuals who qualify to attend the Master of Information Science program at Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business. These individuals will return to a four-year teaching assignment at SEEU.

Communication Science and Technologies

• Assist the university in hiring two full-time Computer Science instructors
• Provide three Fellowships to individuals who qualify to attend the Master of Computer Science program at IUPUI in Indianapolis. Currently one person has been accepted into the program and will begin in his studies in September 2005 while two others are being tested for a January 2006 start date.
• Multi Media Lab: the HELP project is providing technical support to establish a multi media lab on campus.
• IT Certificate Program: With the assistance of IU Professor Ramesh Venkataraman, a draft certificate program in Management Information Systems has been developed that will offer students in both BA and CST Faculties the opportunity to develop applied skills in their fields. SEEU has singed an MOU with the Macedonian Information Technology Association (MASIT) that will provide industry feedback on program content and offer internship opportunities for students engaged in Capstone projects.

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

A necessary element of quality assurance effort in higher education is an institutional program of research on teaching and learning. IU has agreed to assist SEEU in establishing a program of assessment of teaching and learning at the institutional level for course evaluations.

IU will introduce to SEEU the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) (http://www.iub.edu/~nsse/) used by more than 725 US colleges and universities to measure institutional progress in improving teaching and learning. The NSSE has also attracted strong interest from institutions in Western Europe.

The NSSE has been translated into both Macedonian and Albanian languages and is formatted into its final version. The survey is now being distributed to all 1st and 4th year students and should be completed in one week. The results will be sent to IU for review
and a report will be issued.

The Higher Education Linkage Program is managed by two full-time directors.
Phillip Butterfield is the Chief of Party and Visar Ademi the Deputy Chief of Party of the HELP project. SEE University has appointed Mr. Butterfield to the position of Pro-dean of Business Administration where he engages in developing university policy and in the creation of new curriculum and assessment.