Dean of Students

Dean of Students Office

The Dean of Students Office is responsible for the maintenance of relations between students and the institution.

The office of the Dean of Students has an important role in the functioning of the university. The office takes special care of the students, having as its main mission orientation, advising and protecting the rights of the students or student clubs.

The Dean of Students Office provides students with the support, resources and referrals they need to succeed at the university.

The Dean of Students Office staff is here to help you enjoy your WBU experience. We focus energy and attention on community-building initiatives and helping individual students succeed academically and grow personally. We offer general advice as well as referrals to other campus offices.

The Dean of Students Office concentrates its efforts on strategic initiatives.

Organizes, coordinates, expands and manages relationships between students of WBU within and outside the WBU to third parties, or similar counterparts, for connecting and strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations.
Guarantees student life in WBU, the implementation of agreements with third parties focused on students.
Coordinates and guarantees the implementation of the EPIC Project.
Coordinates the activities of student clubs.
Promotes a healthy, safe campus community.

It is focused on three essential functions:

Orientation - to help new students familiarize themselves with WBU culture, policies andprocedures
Assessment - to ensure that students are making satisfactory academic progress
Support - in the provision of services to solve various concerns and issues of students

It also helps all students understand university policies, be aware of university resources and how to adhere to the highest ethical standards. Working with students, administrators, faculty, staff and parents to develop programs, activities and initiatives that strengthen the campus community is one of the reasons for its creation.

PhD Irma Gjana - Dean of Students

PhD Irma Gjana is the Dean of Students at Western Balkans University.

She completed the Integrated Study Program of Second Level in Pharmacy at Istanbul University, Turkey in 2003. After that she received a Master’s and a PhD degree in Business Administration, focusing on the private healthcare system in Albania.

She has been the chair of the Medication Management Committee of the American Hospital Group and part of the American Hospital Procurement Department’s team.

PhD Irma Gjana taught courses of business management, advanced marketing and leadership. She also participated in many national and international conferences as a speaker and has published several scientific articles on leadership, cultural studies, health, education and management.

On the other hand, she has experience as project manager, civil society activist and trainer in many activities aimed at empowering women and youth in Albania.

She speaks Albanian, English, French, Turkish, Italian and Greek.

Dean of Students's Offices

Student Guidance Office and Support

The Office of Student Orientation and Support is the first point of contact students have when entered, calling or writing to the Dean of Students. The staff of this office helps students understand, respect, and implement university policies, procedures, and regulations, guides them to make the best use of university campus resources, and also supports students throughout the various needs of student life.

The office will be part of the university orientation programs that deal with every aspect related to university life for students, to turn it into an exceptional experience. The office also helps any student who needs to be oriented to the various processes and procedures of student life, addresses them to the appropriate offices according to the problem, collects information in case of complaints and forwards these problems to the Dean of Students for their follow-up until solution.

Office of Psycho-Social and Health Service

Western Balkans University with all the constituent departments works in unison so that the students of this university have the maximum support for a positive and healthy experience throughout all study cycles. The Office of Psycho-Social and Health Service focuses on the physical and psychosocial health and well-being of the students of Western Balkans University.

This office offers specialized health assistance and support, both psychologically and physically, to all university students. In coordination and cooperation with all departments and academic and administrative staff, the office works to identify problems of a psycho-social and health nature, prevent them, support and intervene in necessary cases and address critical cases in the relevant health institutions, for a more specialized solution. The office is also tasked with organizing awareness workshops and seminars for students, supporting various campaigns with a focus on well-being and health, and carrying out the necessary training for students and the staff of the Dean of Students department.

Scholarship Office

The Scholarship Office in the Dean of Students Department is the gateway to scholarship opportunities for excellent students applying to study programs at our university, for students with special talents who are an asset to the university community, as well as for students in need. The scholarship office is responsible for following the entire process of awarding scholarships from the student’s scholarship application, collecting accompanying documentation, scheduling interviews with applicants, organizing Scholarship Committee meetings, institutional communication with students, following up on the decision of the Commission to the applicants, following up on the signing of the bilateral agreement, communication with the departments and the finance office as far as its field of action is concerned, etc.

Also, the scholarship office at the Dean of Students, in coordination with the various departments of the university, follows the progress of the success of students who have received a scholarship and according to the settings made in the scholarship agreement, accepted and signed by the student takes the steps necessary as the case may be. This office is constantly in contact with the beneficiary students regarding the processes and regulations related to the continuity of the validity of the scholarships and takes the necessary steps as the case may be for the continuation or not of the scholarship.

Student Clubs Coordination Office

The Student Clubs Coordination Office supports and facilitates the work of students who want to organize and activate student clubs in various academic, social, cultural, artistic and sports fields. The Dean of Students, through this office and with the support and guidance of the academic staff of the university, enables Western Balkans University students to enrich their student life with a variety of activities and organizations.

Categories of student clubs include:

Academic field (WBU Science Club, Data Science Club, Healthcare Tech Club, Bios club, Medical Students Club, Young Dentists Club, Nutrition Club, Tech Inn Club, Cybersecurity Club, Future Leaders Club, etc.)
Social Field (Earth Love Club, Social Work Club, Holding Hands Club, Embracing Differences Club, WBU Press Club, etc.)
Cultural Field (Book Club, Albanian Culture Club, WBU Culinary Club, etc.)
Artistic Field (Theatre Club, Photography Club, etc.)
Sports Field (Football Club, Volleyball Club, Nature Lovers Hiking Club, Chess Club, etc.)

The office has the task of coordinating, supporting and promoting student clubs inside and outside the university campus, as well as cooperating with the governing bodies of the university and local and central institutions, for inclusion in promotional organizations of the university and campaigns to help society and beyond.

The office also, to facilitate and make it possible for their experience to be extraordinary, provides information on the specifics of the country, culture, institutions, etc., and organizes introductory activities of Albania, walks and visits to different cities or institutions in the country. The Office of International Student Affairs has the task of providing international students who wish, programs where they can present their country, culture and customs.

Office of Career Planning

Western Balkans University stands by students not only with quality teaching but also with quality career counseling. The Career Planning Office at the Dean of Students creates the right connections between the university, public and private, national and international institutions with the main aim of orienting students toward the labor market, facilitating their integration and making it possible for these institutions to absorb quality and committed staff. Through the career office, we make possible individual counseling meetings as well as group counseling meetings for all students who need support during their career planning process.

Our careers advisors help students:

Develop a career planning strategy
To know the details about the field where they think to develop their career
Prepare the necessary documents for job application (e.g. CVs, Bios, cover letters)
To prepare for job interviews, etc
To have the opportunity to meet with responsible persons of the institutions that seek to hire staff and receive information about the profiles required by them

The Career Planning Office shares information and organizes events related to students; future careers. (e.g., Career Workshop, Career Fair).

Alumni Office

The Alumni Office is the bridge between the university and its graduates. All academic and administrative staff, students of the Bachelor and Master programs, but also our graduates are part of the Western Balkans University community. The bond of this community only grows and strengthens over the years. Being part of this community is a special pleasure, an honor for everyone and an opportunity for continuous development. The strong and lasting bond between the university and its graduates is a goal we work hard for. We are convinced that this connection brings benefits both for the university and for the graduates of Western Balkans University.

The staff of the department of the Dean of Students, through this office, organizes activities, seminars, workshops, congresses, events, etc., aimed at increasing relations, continuous education and bilateral counseling for sustainable development, contributing to the formation of engaged citizens. and inclusive, valuable to the university, local and global community.