The Language Center (LC) was established in 2001 and was the first autonomous entity to offer teaching within the Southeast European University (SEEU). It provides language courses to all SEEU students as well as the academic and administrative staff. Its well-resourced classrooms, CELTA Center and the Language Resource Center (LaRC) are designed to convene the student, staff and the community's educational needs, as well as create a setting that is favorable to learning.

Language learning is an essential part of every SEEU student's academic career, both as core courses and as non-compulsory elective courses. A component of the mission of the university is to uphold a multilingual approach to learning, stressing both the importance of local and international languages. The Language Center has a central role in reaching this goal. The most important function of the Center is to provide courses specified in the curricula of the five faculties that operate within the university. This includes courses such as Basic English Skills as well as ESP courses specific to every department at the university. Because of these necessities and student interest, the LC is the largest instructional organization at the university.

The Language Centre as an essential unit of the SEEU, implements a series of well-established, institution-wide quality procedures, which are intended to have a positive impact on the standards of teaching and learning. These procedures include Observation of Teaching, a yearly Student Evaluation Survey, a performance management process for staff related to professional development and an LC cycle of strategic planning connected both to internal and external evaluation specific to the Language Center. In developing these procedures, the University and the Language Centre have followed international quality assurance guidelines, movements and good practices in order to develop effective approaches to quality within a particular educational and national context.

Key words: Language Center, language courses, quality assurance, assessment criteria