COUNTRIES: Kosovo
DURATION: 02/26/2014 - 06/30/2019
FUNDER: USAID
CONTACT[email protected]

Program Description

The five-year Transformational Leadership Program-Scholarships and Partnerships is training a new generation of Kosovar leaders to drive significant change in economic, political, and social priority areas.

Under TLP-SP nearly 300 Kosovars will receive master’s degrees and professional certificates from U.S. universities. Alumni return to Kosovo to work in key institutions, especially in the public sector, where they utilize their new knowledge and skills to create positive change. Along with the scholarships component, World Learning and its partners are working with the University of Prishtina (UP)–the largest and most influential university in Kosovo–to transform the institution’s  capacity to prepare graduates to meet the needs of the growing economy and developing state. This multi-pronged effort focuses on:

  • Student-centered teaching through the Center for Teaching Excellence;
  • Student engagement on entrepreneurship, innovation, and other workforce-related topics through VentureUP, an on-campus incubator that has engaged more than 1,000 UP students;
  • Revitalizing the UP career center to build strong links between students and local employers; and
  • Improving the design and functionality of key UP systems and administrative offices to better support student learning and satisfaction.

Program Goals

The overarching program goal is to develop a cadre of leaders to drive significant change in Kosovo's priority economic, political, and social areas. In addition, the project aims to develop the capacity of Kosovars to bring about transformational change through opportunities for advanced education, leadership development, and technical assistance. To accomplish these important goals, TLP-SP focuses on the following activities:

  • Creating an Advisory Committee that to oversee the entire Transformational Leadership Program and institutionalize change at UP;
  • Placing and monitoring of 185 scholarship participants in U.S. master’s degree programs and more than 100 participants in professional certificate programs; and
  • Establishing university partnerships and exchanges that support collaboration between U.S. universities and UP, as well as other higher education institutions in Kosovo.

World Learning and USAID implement the program in partnership with the Government of Kosovo, the University of Prishtina, as well as Arizona State University, Indiana University, the University of Minnesota, and Dartmouth College in the U.S. For additional information visit the TLP-SP website.