Kosovo year at DMACC

Kosovo Art

By Anna Duran.

DMACC has chosen to highlight Kosovo in this year’s International Celebration.

Kosovo was selected as this year’s nation in part due to the participation of both Iowa and Kosovan governments in a “Sister State” agreement signed by Gov. Terry Branstad earlier this year.

The International program increases general understanding of the selected nation by getting the faculty and students involved. This year Reggie Sinha, International Business professor, is in charge of organization.

“We try to bring experts on the country. It could be a cultural troupe, a musician, an ambassador, to infuse parts of the culture onto the campus. The instructors may also add a component relevant to the selected country as a part of the curriculum,” Sinha said.

The International Steering Committee meets this week to finalize the schedule of events planned.

“The Kosovo government is very interested in partnering with us this time. It generally takes more time than we usually have to establish a relationship, but the expressed interest of the government makes us all very keen [this year],” Sinha said.

International students from Kosovo receive in-state tuition as a result, which saves them a considerable amount of money.

“International students pay out of state tuition prices – usually double – what Iowa residents pay. DMACC is unique compared to community colleges nationwide because we have the most international students enrolled,” Ko-Hsing Huang, the coordinator of international student services, said.

Iowa has a history as a refugee state, which accounts for the increased enrollment of international students here, and DMACC consistently makes an effort to be inclusive.

“We have so many refugees and those refugees look for an education and are looking at DMACC,” Huang said.

The youth of Kosovo’s sovereignty means the country needs infrastructure and foundation, and DMACC could be a great place to receive help.

“Nursing, agriculture, and vocational studies are priority areas in this partnership,” Sinha said.

Kosovo is the youngest nation in the world, gaining sovereignty in 1999 after decades of conflict in the region.

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