Romanian-American University (RAU) marked its 25th Anniversary on Thursday, April 14 with a special event in Aula Magna. RAU Rector Ovidiu Folcuţ delivered opening remarks by framing a historic gathering of the distinguished Founding-President and Rector Ion Smedescu and his valuable Partners, whose efforts made possible the development of this educational citadel. Professor Ovidiu Folcuţ also underlined the progress achieved by continuously working to ensure the RAU higher education as transformative experience, proving assumed responsibility and determination in addressing the quality and consistency of the values and expectations, facing the pressure for measurable and applicable research results, considering the knowledge, skills and attitudes graduates should have today, right approaching the challenges of internationalization, and capitalising on the latest educational techniques, cooperating with the actors on the labour market while considering scientific, technological, and social and economic evolutions.
The President of Romania, Mr. Klaus Iohannis, addressed a message on the occasion of this special event, the message being read by Mr. Laurențiu-Mihai Ștefan, State Councillor with the Presidential Administration.
The ceremony was attended by Government officials, special guests from the Romanian and American Higher Education environment, from the business environment, and the whole RAU Family (faculty, students, and alumni).
Mr. Adrian Curaj, Minister of National Education and Scientific Research, congratulated the Romanian-American University for its achievements, pointing out what School and Research should do so as Romania capitalize on its potential, and highlighting the opportunity offered by the new project “Educated Romania” launched by the Presidential Administration in partnership with the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research.
It was truly inspiring to see so many RAU Friends proudly enjoying this RAU celebration. There is no doubt that our beloved RAU did what believed was great work, believing in itself, and defining itself, loving what it has done, being always inspired, putting minds, hearts, souls, and passion into its actions following profound reflections, examining closely and carefully the daily routine, facing the collisions with the future beginning right now and drawing the right conclusions, giving them meaning and transforming them into something of value, acting in harmony with its past and present indicating the future as a matter of choice of the way of achieving it. RAU always respected its past, enhanced its capabilities, challenged its priorities, learned to adapt and effectively address changes, understood broader trends outside, stimulated innovation, and managed to create RAU value and enduring through time with patience, and moving on.
It is also worth remembering that a day before the above mentioned special event, within the calendar of events dedicated to the RAU’s 25th Anniversary, the Romanian-American University’s Senate Hall hosted a Festive Senate meeting, with the participation of distinguished Members of the Romanian-American Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Culture (FRAPEC), and of two distinguished American Professors, Bijan Saadatmand from James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and James K. McCollum, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Alabama.
Professor Ana-Maria Preda, President of the RAU Senate, RAU Rector Ovidiu Folcuţ, Professor Dumitru Miron, President of FRAPEC, the special invited Guests and other distinguished Professors reconfirmed the dedication of the RAU Academic Family to an education as the soul of the society, being life itself which opens the way of transmitting continuous knowledge, while competing on learning how to build trust and accountability by promoting a better relationship between education, research and practice, fostering innovation as a multi-dimensional challenge.
Congratulations to our proud RAU Academic Family, who celebrated its rich heritage and expressed our dreams for the future!
