The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (Romanian: Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza"; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in Iași, Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former Academia Mihăileană was converted to a university, the University of Iași, as it was named at first, is one of the oldest universities of Romania, and one of its advanced research and education institutions. It is one of the five members of the Universitaria Consortium (the group of elite Romanian universities). The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University offers study programmes in Romanian, English, and French. In 2008, for the third year in a row, it was placed first in the national research ranking compiled on the basis of Shanghai criteria. The 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), and the Network of Francophone Universities (RUFAC).

History

Iași 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, followed, in 1707, by Princely Academy of Iași. 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 the Unification of the Romanian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia by the Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the inauguration, at 26 October 1860, of the University of Iași, the first Romanian modern university, was to be a stepping stone to modern higher education in Romania. By 1879, the University of Iași had four faculties: Law, Letters and Philosophy, Sciences, and Medicine. In 1892, the Faculty of Sciences added the Department of Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, followed by the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, in 1906, and the School of the Industrial Electricity, in 1910. In March 1937, the technical higher education departments and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences were transferred to the newly established Gheorghe Asachi Polytechnic School, and in 1948, the Medical School became the independent Institute of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iași.

Coat of arms

Its coat of arms with the Y-shaped heraldic pall symbolizes the three initiatives which led to the foundation of the university: the Academia Vasiliană, the Academia Mihăileană, the University of Iași. The central element is the Bible, the classic emblem of higher education. The three shiny stars stand for the three faculties of the university at its foundation moment, Philosophy, Law and Theology, on blue and argent background, the same colors used on the Cuza family shield.

Grounds

The university grounds lie on Copou Hill in the northern part of the city. The main university building, known as the University Palace, was erected between 1893 and 1897, and extended in 1933–1937, on the site of the first Iași National Theatre which had burned down in 1888. 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, Iași was the capital of Romania. In 1968–1978, the painter Sabin Bălaşa created a series of strongly romanticized frescoes for the arcades. The University Palace is shared with the Gheorghe Asachi Technical University.

Academics

Nowadays, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University is made up of 15 faculties and one department:

Library

Founded in 1835 as Library of the Academia Mihăileană, Mihai Eminescu Central University Library 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 1934 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.

Research

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

International relations

The university is a member of different university networks and associations, such as the Coimbra Group, the European University Association, the Utrecht Network, the International Association of Universities, or the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie.

Gallery

Faculty, alumni and rectors

Past and present faculty Petre Andrei Vasile Arvinte Ion Atanasiu Sava Athanasiu Alexandru Bădărău Nicolae Bagdasar Aurel Baranga Viorel P. Barbu Ilie Bărbulescu Simion Bărnuțiu George Bogdan Ioan Borcea Octav Botez Dimitrie Brândză Gheorghe I. Brătianu Traian Bratu Paul Bujor Gheorghe Buzatu Ioan Cantacuzino Matei B. Cantacuzino Anton Carpinschi Alexandru Cecal Șerban Cioculescu Mihai Ciucă Alexandru Claudian Constantin Climescu Grigore Cobălcescu Petre Constantinescu-Iași Vasile Conta Constantin Corduneanu Neculai Costăchescu Nicolae Culianu A. C. Cuza Nicolae Dașcovici Aron Densușianu Constantin Dimitrescu-Iași Constantin Dissescu Charles Drouhet Emil Dumea Ștefan Emilian Constantin Eraclide Anastasie Fătu Bonifaciu Florescu Tahsin Gemil Dimitrie Gusti Nicolae Hortolomei Ioan Hudiță Horia Hulubei Dragomir Hurmuzescu Garabet Ibrăileanu Ion Ionescu de la Brad Iorgu Iordan Nicolae Iorga Patriarch Iustin of Romania Gheorghe Ivănescu George Ivașcu Alexandru Lambrior Nicolae Leon Dan Lungu Titu Maiorescu Gheorghe Mârzescu Octav Mayer Ioan Mire Melik Istrate Micescu Ștefan Micle I. I. Mironescu Petru Th. Missir Grigore Moisil Gheorghe Moroșanu George Murnu Alexander Myller Vera Myller Anton Naum Iacob Negruzzi Leon M. Negruzzi Petre P. Negulescu Fritz Netolitzky Ștefan S. Nicolau Dumitru Oprea Andrei Oțetea Cezar Papacostea Constantin Ion Parhon Ion Petrovici Alexandru Philippide Luca Pițu Alexandru-Florin Platon George Poede Dimitrie Pompeiu Petru Poni Grigore T. Popa Ilie Popa Tiberiu Popoviciu Ștefan Procopiu Nicolae Quintescu Francisc Rainer Mihai Ralea I. M. Rașcu Decebal Traian Remeș Raluca Ripan Alexander Rubel Ioan Gheorghe Savin Filaret Scriban Leon Sculy Logothetides Ștefan C. Șendrea Ion Th. Simionescu Dan Simonescu Alexandru Slătineanu Gheorghe Spacu Victor Spinei Constantin Stere Simion Stoilow Ion Strat Corneliu Șumuleanu Ion Tănăsescu Șerban Țițeica Tudorel Toader Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu V. A. Urechia Victor Vâlcovici George Vâlsan Ștefan Vârgolici Mihail Vlădescu Alexandru Dimitrie Xenopol Gheorghe Zane Paul Zarifopol Ștefan Zeletin Alexandru Zub Alumni Costel Alexe Petre Andrei Sorin Antohi Vladimir Andrunakievich Conon Arămescu-Donici Teoctist Arăpașu Sava Athanasiu Maria Baciu Taulant Balla Viorel P. Barbu Alexandru Bârlădeanu Monica Bîrlădeanu Ioan Bogdan Petru Bogdan Vasile Bogrea Ioan Borcea Demostene Botez Octav Botez Eugen Boureanul Gheorghe I. Brătianu Grigore Brișcu Mihail Gheorghiu Bujor Theodor Burghele Gheorghe Buzatu Ion Buzdugan Eugenio Coșeriu Gabriela Crețu Vlad Filat Benjamin Fondane Ilie Gârneață Tahsin Gemil Gheorghe Ghibănescu Andrei Glavina Alina Gorghiu Dimitrie Gusti Pan Halippa Loretta Handrabura Calistrat Hogaș Nicolae Hortolomei Dragos Hrimiuc Ioan Hudiță Horia Hulubei Victor Iamandi Garabet Ibrăileanu Eleny Ionel Raicu Ionescu-Rion Theodor V. Ionescu Iorgu Iordan Nicolae Iorga Petre Iorgulescu-Yor Magda Isanos George Ivașcu Alina l'Ami Traian Lalescu Alexandru Lambrior Gheorghe N. Leon Nicolae Leon Florian Luca Dan Lungu Gheorghe Macovei Tudor Măinescu Nicolae Malaxa Lucia Mantu Octav Mayer I. I. Mironescu Emilia Morosan Gheorghe Moroșanu Ilie Moscovici Ion Moța Cristian Mungiu Alina Mungiu-Pippidi Andrei Muraru Sergiu Musteață Andrei Năstase Ion Negrei Ion Negrescu Gheorghe Nichita Constantin Niță Sergiu Niță Alexis Nour Marian Oprișan Gherman Pântea George Panu Dimitrie D. Pătrășcanu Cezar Petrescu Alexandru A. Philippide Alexandru Philippide Alexandru Piru George Poede Grigore T. Popa Ilie Popa Spiridon Popescu Ștefan Procopiu George Pruteanu Mihai Ralea I. M. Rașcu Decebal Traian Remeș Raluca Ripan Profira Sadoveanu Constantin Schifirneț Isaac Jacob Schoenberg Robert Schuster Mihail Sevastos George Simion Ion Th. Simionescu Constantin Simirad Nichita Smochină Marin Sorescu Eugenia D. Soru Gheorghe Spacu Theodor Speranția Victor Spinei Artur Stavri Viorel Ștefan Constantin Stere Avram Steuerman-Rodion D. I. Suchianu Corneliu Șumuleanu Maria Tacu Christian Tămaș Alexandru Tănase Ion Tănăsescu Ionel Teodoreanu Păstorel Teodoreanu Octavian Țîcu Tudorel Toader Marcela Topor Mihai Trăistariu Alexandru Tzaicu Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu Sabetai Unguru Neculai Alexandru Ursu Ghenadie Valuța Ștefan Vârgolici Vasile Vasilache Constantin Dan Vasiliu Ion Vinea Gheorghe Vrănceanu Gheorghe Zane Paul Zarifopol Alexandru Zub Rectors Ion Strat (1860-1861) Filaret Scriban (1861-1862) Nicolae Ionescu (1862-1863) Titu Maiorescu (1863-1867) Ștefan Micle (1867-1875) Petru Suciu (1875-1880) Nicolae Culianu (1880-1898) Alexandru D. Xenopol (1898-1901) Constantin Climescu (1901-1907)