Universitatea "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" din Iași | |
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Former names | University of Iași Mihăileană University Cuza Vodă University |
|---|---|
| Motto | Per libertatem ad veritatem (Latin) |
Motto in English | Through freedom to the truth |
| Type | Public |
| Established | Academia Vasiliană: 1640 Princely Academy of Iași: 1707 Academia Mihăileană: 1835 Current institution: 26 October 1860; 165 years ago (1860-10-26) |
| Affiliation | Coimbra Group (CG),Utrecht Network,European University Association (EUA),International Association of Universities (IAU),Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) |
| Rector | Liviu-George Maha |
Academic staff | 1,723 |
| Students | 24,047(2019-2020)[1] |
| Undergraduates | 18,594 |
| Postgraduates | 7,200 |
| Location | , |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | YellowWhite andSky Blue |
| Website | www |
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| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| Global – Overall | |
| QS World[2] | 1001-1200 (2026) |
| THE World[3] | 1501+ (2024) |
| USNWR Global[4] | =1172 (2023) |
TheAlexandru Ioan Cuza University (Romanian:Universitatea "Alexandru Ioan Cuza"; acronym:UAIC) is a publicuniversity located inIași, Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of PrinceAlexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the formerAcademia Mihăileană was converted to a university, theUniversity ofIași, as it was named at first, is one of the oldest universities of Romania, and one of its advanced research and education institutions.[5] It is one of the five members of theUniversitaria Consortium (the group of elite Romanian universities).[6]
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.[7][8]
The university is a member of some of the most important university networks and associations: theCoimbra Group (CG),Utrecht Network,European University Association (EUA),International Association of Universities (IAU),University Agency of Francophony (AUF), and theNetwork of Francophone Universities (RUFAC).
Iași has a long tradition in higher education, the first institute that functioned on the territory ofRomania wasAcademia Vasiliană founded in 1640 by theMoldavian PrinceVasile Lupu,[9] followed, in 1707, byPrincely 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 theAcademia Mihăileană is considered a landmark in the history of Romanian higher education. The Academia Mihăileană was created under the auspices of PrinceMihail 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 theUnification of the Romanian Principalities ofMoldavia andWallachia 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.[10]
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 establishedGheorghe Asachi Polytechnic School, and in 1948, the Medical School became the independentInstitute of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iași.[11]
Its coat of arms with the Y-shaped heraldicpall 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.
The university grounds lie onCopou 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 firstIași National Theatre which had burned down in 1888. The Hall of the university, known asThe Hall of the Lost Footsteps, served as a parliamentary debating chamber between 1917 and 1918 when, during theGreat War, Iași was the capital of Romania. In 1968–1978, the painterSabin Bălaşa created a series of strongly romanticizedfrescoes for the arcades. The University Palace is shared with the Gheorghe Asachi Technical University.
Nowadays, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University is made up of 15 faculties and one department:[12]
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 ofKing Ferdinand's Cultural Foundation. The triangular building withDoric columns and cupola is decorated withCarrara marble and Venetianmosaics. 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.
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University is involved in over 400 national and international research projects, with the logistic support of 24 research centres.
The university is a member of different university networks and associations, such as theCoimbra Group, theEuropean University Association, theUtrecht Network, theInternational Association of Universities, or theAgence universitaire de la Francophonie.
47°10′27″N27°34′18″E / 47.174231°N 27.571691°E /47.174231; 27.571691
