Facebook is helping the University of Prishtina (UP) move towards transparency and modernization. An initiative to collect ideas that can be implemented within 30 days has gathered some 60,000 viewers and some 200 recommendations related to improving the way the University communicates.

Viewers were encouraged to respond and evaluate the recommendations through posting comments and “Likes”. More than 600 “Likes” were clicked and many good ideas presented, including creation of a student newspaper and a series of debates in the various faculties on current issues. The University will be implementing most of them. The winning idea, the one with the greatest number of “Likes”, to create unique email addresses/accounts for UP students will be implemented within 30 days and will significantly improve the ability of members of the UP community to communicate with each other.

The entire process is new for the University of Prishtina and the Rector. It is the first time that students’ input was asked for systematically, and it is the first time that the students have been involved in decision-making at the University.  

University of Prishtina, the largest university in Kosovo with an enrollment of 50,000 students has been making attempts at reform since Kosovo declared its independence, but the large number of challenges has made the progress difficult. Recent USAID assistance to the Office of the Rector is beginning to improve leadership at the University. Facebook is helping the University of Prishtina (UP) move towards transparency and modernization. An initiative to collect ideas that can be implemented within 30 days has gathered some 60,000 viewers and some 200 recommendations related to improving the way the University communicates.