University of Tetova Partnership Timeline

The Northern Illinois University (NIU) and the University of Tetova (UT) partnership reflects a commitment to creating opportunities for collaborative research, academic innovation, leadership exchange and global engagement since 2014.

• 2014
  Anthony Preston, director of Global Partnerships in the NIU College of Business, connects with Tetova President Vullnet Ameti and Arbër Çeliku, the university's vice rector and president for international relations.
• 2015
  • Then-NIU Provost Lisa Freeman traveled to North Macedonia to join the University of Tetova's Vullnet Ameti and Arbër Çeliku at the dedication of the Center for Peace and Transcultural Communication, a joint venture meant to foster better social platforms for younger generations and a better society.
  • Fifteen visitors from Tetova – a nearly equal balance of faculty and students – came to NIU during the summer for a glimpse of U.S. life and education
• 2016
  • An international research conference, "The Impact of U.S. Policy in Promoting Democracy, Peace, State-Building, Economic Recovery, and the Protection of National, Religious and Civic Values in the Countries of the Region," took place in Macedonia. Around 225 people, including presenters, professors, students and interested stakeholders of the region, attended the December gathering. Beyond presentations on topics of international relations, the itinerary also included a panel discussion open to the public.
  • NIU and UT established a steering committee and governance structure for the Center for Peace and Transcultural Communication, further institutionalizing the partnership and supporting future programming, scholarship and international exchange.
• 2017
  • Lisa Freeman traveled to Macedonia in May to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Tetova.
  • NIU conferred an honorary doctorate degree in December to Vullnet Ameti, rector of the University of Tetova.
• 2018
  • The Blackwell History of Education Museum curated"The University of Tetova and the Struggle for Educational Equity in the Republic of Macedonia," a five-month exhibition of nearly 70 reproductions of photographs that depicted the university's tumultuous existence. Vullnet Ameti attended and spoke at the grand opening in December 2017.
  • Scholars from NIU and North Macedonia convened in April in DeKalb for"Global Problems and Community Praxis," a conference organized by the Center for Peace and Transcultural Communication to discuss local, national and international approaches to those goals.
  • Four faculty members from the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education visited the University of Tetova in May for an international conference on sport sciences. NIU's contingent also enjoyed a tour of Tetova's performance lab, biomedical lab, game analysis lab, fitness center and sports grounds.
• 2019
  Faculty from the NIU College of Business launched the first-ever U.S. graduate degree program in Macedonia when they traveled in the spring to provide MBA instruction to students at Tetova. Nineteen current NIU MBA students also traveled to Tetova for one week as part of a study abroad trip to learn about business in the Balkans and to meet with Tetova faculty and students.
• 2020
  Arbër Çeliku, vice rector of the University of Tetova, served as a guest lecturer in the NIU College of Business.
• 2024
  Fifteen guests from the University of Tetova – six students among them – visited the NIU College of Education in September for a week of workshops related to contemporary practices in teacher preparation, U.S. cultural experiences in Chicago and the renewal of an agreement between the two institutions. The group attended 10 presentations delivered by NIU College of Education faculty and staff intended to promote mutual understanding, an internationalization of curriculum related to global issues and interactions that could produce collaborative research.
• 2025
  NIU College of Education Dean Mary Earick made her first trip to North Macedonia in September, which included a tour of the Center for Peace and Transcultural Communication. Joining Earick were Dana Isawi and Yenitza Guzman of the Department of Counseling and Higher Education, Director of Academic Cultivation and Engagement Eric Junco and doctoral students Kristin Lee and Irem Pilgir. Earick and team collaborated with leaders of the University of Tetova to draft a five-year research and programming development plan. The visit also launched collaborative field research focused on social and emotional learning and trauma-informed education in North Macedonian schools, including school observations, focus groups and professional learning with educators
• 2026
  • In September, faculty and educational leaders from the University of Tetova return to NIU for the International Faculty Collaboration Institute, an intensive week of professional learning; school and community engagement; research development; and cultural exchange. Building on collaborative research conducted in North Macedonia in 2025, the institute focuses on social and emotional learning; trauma-informed education; international research and grant development; and the continued growth of the NIU–UT partnership.
  • Anticipated in December is the publication of the international edited volume, "Peace as a Transcultural Language: From Global Agendas to Local Realities," featuring scholarship from NIU, the University of Tetova and international contributors. A companion conference, "Peace as a Transcultural Language," is also being planned to bring scholars and practitioners together to extend the dialogue around peacebuilding, education, democratic participation and transcultural communication.