It was the remarkable story of Professor Vasile Goldis that inspired Prof. PhD. Aurel Ardelean, a prominent academic personality of Romania, to set up “Vasile Goldis” Western University of Arad (UVVG), in 1990. Vasile Goldis, who studied, lived and died in Arad, was a historian, politician and a lawyer who had a key role in the Union of Transylvania with Romania in 1918.
UVVG was one of the first private higher education institutions in post-communist Romania. It started with two faculties in 1990: Law and Marketing, Management and Computer Sciences. The Faculty of Law was the first private law school in Romania whose final accreditation was confirmed by the Romanian Parliament in March 2002. In 1991 the Faculty of Dentistry was founded, the Faculty of Medicine in 1992, and the Faculty of Physical Training and Sport in 1993.
Professor Aurel Ardelean served many years as Rector and President of the University until he passed away in December 2018, leaving heartbroken a whole community of people whose lives he shaped and inspired. This year the University is celebrating 30 years of existence during which it became a fortress of Transylvanian and Euro-regional science and culture, integrated into the European space of research and education.
EVOLUTION TO AN ACADEMIC POSTMODERN INSTITUTION
PhD Prof. Coralia Adina Cotoraci, daughter of late Professor Ardelean, was voted as Rector and continues her father’s dream serving as Rector of UVVG with the mission to preserve and grow the legacy he left to the students and the local community. She says: “My father started the University thinking about the young people of Arad, wanting to give them a chance to have access to higher education in their home town. What is also particular is that the University brought together not only its founders but also the local authorities; the Arad County Prefecture, the Arad County Council, and the Church. So the University was founded for the city and since then it remained a symbol and heritage of Arad. The University is organically connected to the expectations of its spiritual mentor, Vasile Goldis, to the founding members of the local community, to the outstanding teaching staff, students, undergraduates, PhD candidates and post-doctorate students.”
PhD Prof. Coralia Adina Cotoraci, a medical professional and renowned teacher well known in the medical sector in Romania, specialises in Hematology and internal medicine, she teaches hematology, bioethics and medical ethics at UVVG. She also founded and was the head of the hematology department of the Arad Regional Emergency County Hospital. She explains: „Our strong point is the medical education thanks to a very close connection with Arad County Hospital, giving our students the chance to practice in real hospital conditions. The heads of the medical specializations in our University are the chiefs of departments in the county hospital. We are also providing education both in English and in French for future doctors, soon in German as well.”
Continued dedication and investments in R&D infrastructure made UVVG an attractive partner for both national and foreign R&D savvy organizations as well as PhD students. The University recently opened a cutting edge Institute of Life Sciences with state-of-the-art equipment and technologies. The President of the Institute is the famous German physicist, born in Arad, Stefan Hell, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014 for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy.
ATTRACTIVE CHOICE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN BANAT REGION
Professor Aurel Ardelean was a great patriot and very fond of his region but at the same time he was very open to internationalization, also being founder and co-president of the Private Universities Association.
UVVG boasts a large number of foreign students, 1500 from a total of 5000 students every year. Young people from Italy, France, Morocco, India, Israel, Turkey, Germany, Austria, Algeria, Tunis, Hungaria, Sweden and from other parts of the world are studying in 6 faculties: general medicine; pharmacy; dentistry; law; economy, informatics and engineering; social-humanistic sciences and sports. Through the famous and reputable Honoris Causa Doctors, UVVG is attracting foreign students for both doctoral school and bachelor studies by promoting the prestige and quality of education and research.
Thanks to its remarkable performances UVVG has become a partner of more than 50 prestigious academic institutions from the country and worldwide, actively participating in the socio-economic and cultural development of Romania. University has over 200 partnerships within the business environment which ensure valuable opportunities for practice and internships as well as interviews for future employment.
“Our brand is a friendly and welcoming one for our students, researchers and future partners. Our President was always open, he created a family like atmosphere here (the Goldis family). Together with my team we are making sure we are visible to foreign students in order to give them the confidence to choose us for their higher education. We are hoping that our guests will be impressed not only by the heritage left to us by Professor Aurel Ardelean but also by the young team and spirit we are maintaining here every day. We have partnerships with prestigious foreign universities for more than 25 years. We are members of several boards and international associations. Faithful to its traditional creed Through Our Own Selves! the gates of the University of Arad remain widely open.” concludes PhD Prof. Coralia Cotoraci.