On October 1, 2020 took place the opening ceremony of the new academic year 2020 – 2021 at the Romanian-American University (RAU). The opening ceremony of this new academic year was one like no other in the history of the university, being in the midst of an unprecedented global change due to the new coronavirus pandemic that created a new normal with new working methods, strongly impacting on our lives. There is no doubt, RAU is changing with times, but remaining committed to education and learning, and built for informed and responsible management, for connection, while maintaining a sense of security and trust, and imagining great futures, by always ensuring students with knowledge, abilities, skills, attitudes and values, while engaging their talents given to an educational experience that is open to new ideas and new perspectives.
RAU Rector Costel NEGRICEA welcomed participants to the opening ceremony and highlighted the continuous RAU’s planning for the next normal and organizing to respond accordingly, including by getting the next phase of remote teaching and learning, so as to adequately leading RAU students to the new world of work, developing new mind-sets and capabilities, capitalizing on the latest educational techniques and cooperating with the actors on the labour market, being clear on who the RAU Students are and what they plan to become, being enabled to achieve their key goals as personal brands. A goal gives a brand purpose and content consistency builds trust, alongside advances in innovative efforts, the Romanian-American University is preparing students for the new normal, for a modern digital economy, ensuring that every student has a chance to expand its knowledge and digital-design thinking and encouraging RAU students in exchange and generate ideas. We live in a mobile world and the Romanian-American University is finding the right balance with technology, adding value to educational content, delivering relevant content, helping students in gaining knowledge, improvement and productivity, while understanding and embracing the digital. Emerging challenges are creating new opportunities, therefore the Romanian-American University is engaging with students and helping them in their student journey, connecting them together, building trust and enabling the knowledge to flow, while being a part of the RAU Knowledge Sharing Community.
President of RAU Senate, Professor Ovidiu FOLCUŢ, and President of the “Romanian-American Foundation for Promoting Education and Culture” (FRAPEC), Professor Dumitru MIRON (who is also the President of the Senate of the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies) also addressed warm and wise speeches, both informative and emphatic, gripping the audience’s attention instantly.
Distinguished Guests have joined the virtual opening ceremony of the new academic year 2020 – 2021 at the Romanian-American University – such as: Mr. David MUNIZ, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy, Romania; His Excellency Mr. Hitoshi NODA, the Ambassador of Japan to Romania; His Excellency Mr. Kim YONG HO, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to Romania; Mr. Florin DANESCU, Executive President of the Romanian Banking Association; Mr. Florin TANCU, President at SKAL International Bucharest and General Director at WECO Travel Romania; Mrs. Elisabeta MORARU – Country Manager, Google Romania; Mrs. Eliza CHIRILA – POP, Country Manager at American Councils for International Education – Romania (RAU’s Law graduate; former President of the RAU Students’ Club, CS-URA, and a former Youth Delegate to the United Nations); Mr. Jonathan R. ALGER, President of the James Madison University; Mr. Felix WANG, Associate Executive Director, James Madison University; Mr. Seyed MEHDIAN, Ph.D. Professor of Finance, The University of Michigan-Flint; 20. Mr. Shinji IWANAGA, Professor of Sociology and Urban Studies, Meji Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan; Mr. Filipe CARRERA, Professor of Master and Post Graduate programs at ISEG, University of Lisbon – Portugal.
The virtual opening ceremony of the new academic year 2020 – 2021 at the Romanian-American University was joined of course by enthusiast students – who expressed their opinions on this special occasion, such as: Mihai, second year, Law; Anelis, first year, International Business; Loredana, first year, Marketing – and also by another Graduate, Alexandra, Master Business Administration.
It is also worth mentioning that the RAU School of Management-Marketing (MM) also marked the opening of the academic year on October 1, 2020, in the presence of the whole MM family, and distinguished guests such as RAU Rector Costel Negricea (former Dean), and Members of the Advisory Board of the RAU School of Management-Marketing. This opening ceremony was moderated by the Dean Alexandru IONESCU and closed by the Vice-Dean Oana PREDA who reconfirmed MM’s assumed responsibility and determination in delivering value added student experience, executing on performance-accelerating practices, considering both today’s new teaching and learning challenges and digitally connected marketplace.
