University of Iaşi

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Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi
Established	October 26, 1860
Type	public
Endowment	US $ 120 million[1]
Rector	Vasile Işan
Faculty	838
Students	38,140[2]
Undergraduates	27,601
Postgraduates	10,539
Location	Iaşi, Romania
Affiliations	Universitaria Consortium Coimbra Group Utrecht Network EUA IAU AUF RUFAC
Website	http://www.uaic.ro/

The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi (Romanian: Universitatea "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" din Iaşi) is a public university located in Iaşi, Romania. The University of Iaşi, as it was named at first, is the first modern university in Romania, founded one year after the establishment of the Romanian state, by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former Academia Mihăileană was converted to a university.

In 2008, for the third year in a row, the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University was placed first in the national research ranking compiled on the basis of Shanghai criteria.^[2][3]

Contents 1 History 2 Grounds 3 Academics 3.1 Library 4 Research 5 Gallery 6 Notable faculty and alumni 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] History

Iaşi has a long tradition in higher education, the first institute that functioned on the territory of Romania was Academia Vasiliană founded in 1640 by the Moldavian Prince Vasile Lupu,^[4] followed, in 1707, by Princely Academy. The Princely Academy (renamed, in 1812, The Academy of Filology and Science) matched up to the standards of the other European Academies of the time and the Romanian language gained importance over the Greek language.

The foundation, in 1835, of the Academia Mihăileană is considered a landmark in the history of Romanian higher education. The Academia Mihăileană was created under the auspices of Prince Mihail Sturdza (hence its name), striving for progress and for “meeting the standards of the enlightened Europe”. Three faculties were set up: the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Theology and the curriculum resembled to a great extent that of Austrian and German academies.

After Unification of the Romanian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia by the Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the inauguration, at 26th October 1860, of the University of Iaşi, the first Romanian modern university, was to be a stepping stone to modern higher education in Romania.

Alexandru Ioan Cuza University is a member of some of the most important university networks and associations: the Coimbra Group (CG), Utrecht Network, European University Association (EUA), International Association of Universities (IAU), University Agency of Francophony (AUF), the Network of Francophone Universities (RUFAC) and also of the Universitaria Consortium (the group of elite Romanian universities).

[edit] Grounds

The university grounds lie on Copou Hill in the northern part of the city.

The main university building was built between 1893 and 1897 on the site of the Iaşi National Theater which had burned down. The Hall of the University, known as The Hall of the Lost Footsteps, served as a parliamentary debating chamber between 1917 and 1918 when, during the Great War, Iaşi was the capital of Romania. In 1967, the painter Sabin Bălaşa started creating a series of strongly romanticized frescoes for the arcades.

[edit] Academics

Today the university is made up of 15 faculties (History, School of Law, School of Business and Administration, Philosophy, Letters, Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, School of Pedagogy, Geography, Orthodox Theology, Catholic Theology, and Sport) with more than 38,000 students.

[edit] Library

Founded in 1835 as Library of the Academia Mihăileană, Mihai Eminescu Central University Library of Iaşi holds about 2.5 million volumes that form the main collection and an old and rare collection, from the 15th to the 19th centuries, of over 100,000 Romanian and foreign documents, manuscripts, books, albums, maps, stamps, archive items.

The building that houses the main collection is located at the base of Copou Hill, and it was built between 1930 and 1935 to serve as the headquarters of King Ferdinand's Cultural Foundation. The triangular building with Doric columns and cupola is decorated with Carrara marble and Venetian mosaics. By 1945, the Foundation library had become one of the biggest in the country. Today, the library is the largest in Moldavia, with a great number of manuscripts and old books.

[edit] Research

Alexandru Ioan Cuza University is involved in over 400 national and international research projects, with the logistic support of 24 research centres.

[edit] Gallery

The Main Building (Corp A) of the Al.I.Cuza University of Iaşi	Nocturnal view	Evening at the University	The Mihai Eminescu Central University Library
Patria Labor Fides

[edit] Notable faculty and alumni

[edit] See also

• Academia Mihăileană

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• "Al. I. Cuza" University of Iaşi Website
• (Romanian) Evreii în prima universitate din România at the Romanian Jewish community site
• Utrecht Network

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