Dear friends of the University,

I would like to start my speech by thanking and showing deep gratitude to all our students, who 28 years ago, with exemplary courage and without any hesitation, became the most vital pillar of the first higher-education hub in Albanian language in this area. They became the protagonists, missionaries, torchbearers and main bearers of the platform of the University of Tetova, founded by Albanian intellectuals headed by the first and historic Rector, Prof. Dr. Fadil Sulejmani.

I also want to express my deep respect for the martyr of Albanian education, Abdilselam Emini, whose blood became the light of knowledge on the road to the building of the University of Tetova!

Special honor goes for our brothers also, who helped and served the University, by transforming their houses into university auditoriums, where the first students of this institution were educated, gained knowledge and were professionally trained. We will never forget the efforts of the Albanian families, who contributed to the firm establishment of our University.

After 28 years of unstoppable work, the University of Tetova has turned into a real center of education and training, not only in North Macedonia, but also in the region. In this temple of knowledge, today are studying young men and women from our country, Republic of Albania, Republic of Kosovo, Presheva Valley and the entire Albanian diaspora.

Together with their distinguished professors, they have left an indelible mark on the most important processes that the University of Tetova has gone through, from the foundation, the beginning of the first lectures to the period after the officialization, integration and progress of the University. With special piety, we also remember the contributors, who are no longer among us, wishing for their work to be eternal.

Dear Sirs/Madams

During this academic year, our University has achieved significant results in all areas and has managed to achieve its main goals and mission as a higher-education institution in our country.

From December of last year until today, in which we mark this anniversary, with the dedication of the leaders of the University, we have fulfilled the main priorities of this institution, such as:

• Enrollment of students for the first time in the academic year 2022/23 in the first and second cycle of studies, with a total of 3000 enrolled students, which based on comparative analysis with previous years, it represents an increase of 32%.
• Digitization of all student services and other administrative procedures, in order to facilitate the performance of students’ obligations and services.
• Support for students with distinguished success, exempting them completely from tuition fees.
  • It is worth mentioning that 96 scholarships for first-cycle students and 17 scholarships for second-cycle students have been allocated for UT’s students of excellence in the academic year 2022/2023.
• Completion of the accreditation process of 183 study programs, of which 89 study programs in first-cycle studies and 94 programs in second-cycle, adapted to the requirements of the labor market, after the evaluation process carried out with employers;
• The start of the reaccreditation process of 17 programs in third-cycle studies – PhD studies, as well as the accreditation of new programs in this cycle of studies;

Special importance, in the year we are leaving behind, has also been devoted to continuous professional improvement, where great steps have been taken this year that are worth highlighting:

• Obtaining authorization from the Ministry of Health, which enables the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Tetova to carry out specializations in the fields of: family medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, general surgery, cardiology, internal medicine and psychiatry as well as 20 authorizations for professors and doctors who will be mentors and educators of the new staff.
• Accreditation of teacher training and professional services of primary schools in our country for the completion of six modules: Education in contemporary context; Development of socio-emotional skills in students; Gender equality and gender sensitivity in schools; Teaching based on approach to the problem; Teaching for the development of critical thinking in students; Designing objective tests of knowledge; Developing social skills and self-confidence in students, dealing with problematic behaviors and creating a positive socio-emotional atmosphere in the classroom.

It is obvious that, without scientific research and results, we cannot lead the way in finding solutions to the great challenges of our time, such as biodiversity loss, climate change and social inequality. As a multidisciplinary university, the University of Tetova has great potential to make innovative discoveries and promote their application. For this, we need partners and support. Sustainable futures are built together. With complete success, we have organized dozens of activities of a scientific and cultural nature, and for the sake of time we single out only a few of them, such as:

• The 3rd International Congress of Natural Sciences, Medicine and Technologies, within which 5 scientific conferences were held in cooperation with 6 universities of the region and 483 participants, as well as the 4th International Congress of Humanities, Social Sciences and Arts, in whose program 5 scientific conferences of relevant fields were developed in cooperation with 25 universities and the participation of 485 scientific researchers.
• The organization of the 16th International Seminar of Albanology, titled “Culture and globalization”. Over 100 researchers of the sciences of linguistics, literature, history and ethnoculture, during the works of this edition, presented their scientific papers, bringing new thoughts on these topics, which are not only in the interest of researchers, but also of the whole public opinion;
• The organization of the 16th edition of the cultural manifestation “The Bridge with Three Arches”. This traditional activity is a joint project that is organized by the University of Tetova, the University of Arts of Tirana and the University of Prishtina and is a challenge for the students of fine arts, in witnessing their talent and expressing their vision on fine art;
• We have devoted special importance to the publication of scientific journals with an international scientific board, where the researches and researchers’ studies from the country, the region and beyond are published.
• From this year, 11 journals of the faculties of the University of Tetova have been indexed in the DOAJ database, which culminated in the awarding of the impact factor by the ISI Impact Factor indexing database.

During the past year, in cooperation with local and international institutions, we have successfully completed several research-scientific projects, such as:

• “Health-related behaviors of school-age children in the Republic of North Macedonia” (HBSC);
• ERASMUS+, KA2 – Cooperation for innovation and exchange of practices, KA205-Strategic partnerships for young people;
• “ART BLOSSOM” project that aims to increase the employment of young unemployed women through the cultivation of flowers and young people who are experts and competent in artisanal handwork through art and innovative technologies.
• “Measuring the Perceptions of the Level of Corruption in Public Institutions in the PollogRegion” carried out in collaboration with the Vrije University of Amsterdam and within the Aurora Alliance, a consortium of European universities with research purposes, where the University of Tetova is an associate partner.
• For the first time, in the organization of the Center for Peace and Transcultural Communication of the University of Tetova – Northern Illinois University (USA), and the American Corner in Tetovo, we realized the Summer School 2022, which aimed to provide a detailed presentation of the rule of law in North Macedonia.

In addition to the above-mentioned projects, we have organized dozens of other activities, such as book promotions, academies in honor of prominent figures and marking important dates from our national history. Here we single out the promotion of the Monography of the University of Tetova, during the time period 1994/95 – 2004/2005, which was promoted precisely on the eve of the 27th anniversary of the beginning of the first lectures.We should emphasize the memorial Academy for Rafi Halili – the symbol of the Albanian resistance, the Scientific Symposium, titled: “The contribution of the organization Kushtrimi i Lirisë (Rally Round the Freedom) and Rafi Halili in Albanian history”; whom we will forever remember as an unyielding patriot, a tireless political activist for the prevention of discriminatory tendencies by the Yugoslav communist dictatorship regime against Albanians in Macedonia, Kosovo and beyond, as well as the inauguration of the works “Rexhep Qosja – philosopher, ideologist and politician of the national cause” and “My mother Mihana Lama”, by the well-known general Prof. Dr. Kudusi Lama;

On the occasion of the November holidays, we have unveiled the names of the main amphitheatres, with the names of emblematic figures that have left an indelible mark on our national history. The three amphitheatres of our University already bear their names: Abdylselam Emini – the martyr of Albanian education, Rafi Halili – activist of the national cause, Sevasti and Parashqevi Qiriazi – the first two teachers of the Albanian language from Manastir.

International cooperation is very important for achieving the goals and at the University of Tetova we constantly work to achieve them. One of the future pillars of higher education in Europe are European university alliances. At the University of Tetova, we have already gained great experiences from the AURORA alliance that creates innovative forms of cooperation between 13 European universities. The University of Tetova is an integral part of this selected family of universities, which aims to develop in scientific research, always bearing in mind the contribution and inevitable role of universities in the communities they represent.

We have given special importance to interuniversity cooperation with Albanian universities, universities from the region and international ones, intensifying inter-institutional relations. New cooperation agreements with the University of Innsbruck, Bucharest, Iowa in the USA, Alto Duro in Portugal, the University of Malta, the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Albania; The Academy of Fine Arts in Plovdiv, as well as dozens of inter-institutional agreements within the Erasmus platform from all over Europe, are evidence of our commitment to the internationalization of the University of Tetova. Also, as a University, we have signed the continuation of the Agreement with Magna Charta Universitatum;

In the academic year 2021/22, the University of Tetova was approved by the National Agency for European Education and Mobility 80 mobilities for students, 60 for studies and 20 for internship, as well as 17 mobilities for academic and administrative staff. All these mobilities have been used and the exchange has been made in different European countries, such as: Germany, Sweden, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.

This year too, we have been committed to improving and advancing working and study conditions. Thus, in the field of capital investments, together with the Ministry of Education we have invested in the reconstruction and adaptation of the spaces of the former rectorate where the Faculty of Physical Culture, a part of the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Applied Sciences, and the Faculty of FoodTechnology are located. With the support of the US Embassy in our country, we have inaugurated the Law Clinic, which will serve the students of the Faculty of Law for the realization of lessons and practical work. Furthermore, with the donation of the Turkish Agency for Cooperation and Coordination “Tika”, the Research Laboratory of Psychology was put into use, which will serve the Faculty of Philosophy.

Dear participants,

I take the opportunity to thank all those who, with their hard work, talent or simply with ordinary human kindness, contribute every day to the development of our University. This is our joint work, which is supported not only by the leadership but also by the professors, academic lecturers, administrative staff, retired employees and especially by the large number of students and graduates. I want to thank these people very much today, I also express my deepest appreciation to them. Let us remember with gratitude all those outstanding members of the academic community, who are no longer with us, whose work not only contributed to the development of this University, but consequently also influenced the professional and academic training of all those who have the honor of working with them.

Our students are the backbone of this house. We are working every day to build well-being and a sustainable future as a university. Today’s students are the ones who will shape the future and it is our duty as a University to provide them with the best possible starting point for changing the world. I say it out loud, the University is you!

At the end of my speech, let me emphasize that all of us together – students and professors, will move confidently towards the future with the determination and vision to transform this source of light and knowledge into a model center of higher education.

May the University of Tetova be blessed!

Prof. Dr. Jusuf Zejneli
Rector of University of Tetova