Moldova State University marks 80 years with major upgrades
Moldova State University marked its 80th anniversary and a century of Romanian-language higher education on September 24, celebrating more than 163,000 alumni who shaped the country’s history.
Academic leaders, government officials, and foreign partners gathered in Chișinău to reflect on the university's enduring role as a pillar of national identity, democratic development, and European integration.
A century of resilience and academic heritage
Speaking at the event, President Maia Sandu outlined the difficult path of academia in Bessarabia, beginning with the opening of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Iași in 1926. The institution subsequently began its post-war activity as a state university in 1946 under severe material constraints.
“Regimes and borders shifted, wars occurred, as did famine, deportations, and political repression,” said Sandu. “Our language and identity were put to the test. We lost our freedom and then regained it. Throughout this time, people continued to learn, teach, research, and pass knowledge forward.”
Sandu stressed that universities bear the responsibility of discovering talent and offering quality academic environments at home as Moldova advances toward the European Union.
Investing in modern research and regional ties
Moldova State University (USM) has trained roughly 165,000 professionals who built the modern state administration, legal framework, foreign diplomacy, and economic sectors following independence, noted USM Rector Otilia Dandara.
Rector of the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iași, Liviu George Maha, highlighted the historical academic bridge between both banks of the Prut River. He recalled that the original faculty in 1926 brought together professors from Iași and Bucharest to foster research and cultural connection.
Minister of Education and Research Dan Perciun announced that the government has directed over €8 million (approx. 161.6 million MDL) into modernizing USM infrastructure, funding fully renovated laboratories, multimedia lecture halls, and an advanced data center.
“As minister, I do not want a university that always agrees with us,” said Perciun. “I want a university where a researcher can reach an uncomfortable conclusion, a professor can question a public policy, and a student can demand evidence.”
In the international Webometrics ranking, USM currently holds second place nationwide and sits at position 4,549 globally.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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