University of Sibiu Medical school

A Brief History of Romania by The World Factbook
Flag of RussiaThe principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they united in 1859 and a few years later adopted the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a Communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

Map of Romania
History of LBUS
open a school is not a minor event, because education means enlightenment. It means approaching new horizons and shaping young destinies. It means changing the future by molding the minds of young people. But to have had a school opened already in 1380 is a landmark in the history of a city. And it was the city of Sibiu which saw the opening of this school.

The truth is that the citadel of Sibiu was permanently motivated by the desire to see its residents improve their knowledge, as knowledge has always meant power. Since the Church has constantly offered the best conditions for study, gathering under its protective wings the minds most avid for knowledge, it was a Theological-Pedagogical School which in 1786 marked the beginning of Higher Education in Sibiu. In 1850, the School changed its profile and became a Theological-Pedagogical Institute for Higher Education, which initially offered two-year courses, and starting with 1861, three-year courses; simultaneously, a Pedagogical section was founded, with a four-year program of studies.

But the religious education provided by this Divinity School could not meet all the needs of the society of that time. The necessity of secular education was strongly felt all through the 19th century. The scholars of the time, many of whom had achieved their education abroad, constantly advocated the need of an institute of higher education or an academy as it used to be called at the time.

Avram Iancu, one of the most beloved heroes and martyrs of our nation wrote in his will: "I therefore wish and resolutely decree that my fortune, both movable and unmovable, should be bequeathed after my death to my nation for its betterment to aid in the establishment of an Academy of Law as I strongly believe that those fighting with the weapons of the law will one day succeed in wresting the rights of my nation." But the times were not friendly to us. The Austro-Hungarian Empire, in which Transylvania was incorporated, rejected all the petitions requesting the founding of an academy.

Yet, the socio-economic realities of the time were acutely asking for specialists trained in law and administration. Aware of these imperious needs, the German population, which enjoyed at that time a privileged status, as compared to the Romanian majority which was only tolerated in Transylvania, managed to inaugurate an Academy of Law in Sibiu, in 1844.

For twenty years the courses were taught in German, but the students enrolled were not all Germans necessarily. After 1865, as a result of the policy of forced assimilation led by the Austro-Hungarian authorities, the teaching of the Hungarian language was imposed in all schools. The Academy of Law in Sibiu was no exception. Consequently, starting with 1865, the courses were taught in Hungarian until 1887, when the Academy was forcibly disbanded by the same Austro-Hungarian authorities.

Once again, the hopes and dreams of all those teaching and learning in this Academy of Law were crushed. And the ashes of unfulfillment were scattered again on all the hopes of seeing the bettering of this nation through education. Still, a large number of the 1,387 students who graduated from this Academy of Law would become spokesmen for the Romanian cultural movement in Transylvania. Many of them would get involved in organizing the Great Unification of Romania, which, though completed in Alba-Iulia, was prepared here, in Sibiu, in the very building which shelters today the Rectorate.

Yet, years would pass by in their implacable flight, and Sibiu would not see another institute of higher education. The strivings and the efforts of the local community to open one would amount to nothing. But, as if it were an irony, Fate, whose playthings we seem to be, almost forced us to have a University, actually to shelter it. It was a time of internecine war, the Second World War. Who would have thought that the War might have beneficial effects on a city long disfavored by History? Who would have imagined that the Dictate of Vienna (1940) which maimed Romania by awarding Northern Transylvania to Hungary, might actually mean a new beginning for higher education in Sibiu, by forcing the University of Cluj to find a shelter in Hermannstadt?

Yet, during the hard years of war, Sibiu witnessed and encouraged the ebullience of higher education. Though the times were not friendly, the number of students increased from 2,307 in the academic year 1940/1941 to 3,386 in 1943/1944. But more important than the numerical growth was the excellent performance of the academics and students who were in exile.

They published around 2,000 papers during these four years and held 300 conferences in 25 towns. They even initiated a Literary Circle which was to be remembered later on as the "Sibiu Literary Circle." In times when people were destroying everything, good or bad, when history was being dramatically changed, some young philology students committed themselves to a spiritual endeavor which was infinitely more rewarding: Culture. These idealistic young people opposed the current tendency of destroying by trying to construct, to build something which would endure. When, not far away cannons were fired, these young scholars who felt that culture was their only chance, would meet to endlessly discuss ideas under the patronizing gaze of the one whose name this University bears today: Lucian Blaga.

In 1945 the University of Cluj would return home, but it would leave its spirit behind. The sidewalks would continue to remember the steps of the students who, forgetting themselves, would start reciting poems in the streets. The trees would continue to remember the talks of the medicine students who sought shelter from the sun under their lofty boughs. The air would continue to remember the thoughts it used to hear. Yet another quarter of a century would pass by until Sibiu would see its dream come true. It was only in 1969 that the School of History was founded as a branch of the University of Cluj. Two years later, it was turned into the School of Philology and History, whose Department of Philology included German, English and Romanian sections. In the same year, the School of Public Administration - with a program of studies not found elsewhere in Romania - came into existence. The following year meant a new School, the School of Wood-Processing, functioning as a branch of the University of Brasov.

The impetuous evolution of the higher education system in Sibiu entailed the foundation of the autonomous Institute of Higher Education in 1976. The Institute included the following Schools: Philology and History, Public Administration, and Mechanical Engineering. But the times were once more hostile to us. Despite a prodigious academic performance of national and international repute, the dictatorial regime of the 80s, whose anti-cultural and anti-academic policy was set against any intellectual life, gradually suppressed the activity of the Schools of Philology, History and Law, until they ceased to exist altogether. Ironically, the School of Law would end its existence precisely 100 years after its former disbandment. Only the School of Mechanical Engineering continued in the form of an Institute of Subengineers, part of the Polytechnic School of Cluj-Napoca. Out of the total number of students, seventy-five per cent were trained as mechanical engineers.

This marked another end in a long series of failures. Futility reigned supreme once more, and the strivings of all those who had cherished the dream of seeing Sibiu a powerful center of intellectual life, amounted to nothing. But if a man can be destroyed, he cannot be defeated; similarly an Institute of Higher Education can be disbanded, yet its spirit cannot be broken. The spirit of higher education continued to live not only in the buildings which had been closed but also in the hearts of all those who see the progress of a nation in education. The spirit waited patiently for better times, for times when education would no longer be a crime, an offense against the regime.

And these times finally came with a bang: the Revolution of December 1989 swept away all the lies and the "scientific programs", the isolation of the country and the darkness which had grown thicker and thicker. A cruel and unjust history was eventually turning its face towards us, heralding better days. And shortly after the Revolution - which claimed the second greatest number of martyrs in Sibiu - the Ministry of Education did justice to the long-victimized city. In recognition of Sibiu's certain potential as an academic center, the Ministry decreed, on March, 5, 1990, the founding of a University encompassing five Schools: Letters, History and Law, Medicine, Food and Textile-Processing Technology, Engineering, and Sciences. On 12 May 1995, the University of Sibiu was granted the name of the distinguished Romanian writer and philosopher, Lucian Blaga.

It was a new beginning and this time nothing could prevent the unfettering of the resources which had lain dormant. Nothing could prevent the University of Sibiu from becoming what it deserved to be: a center of academic excellence and social renewal.
LBUS in the World

n a highly interconnected and interactive world, LBUS could keep in the mainstream of academic events only by promoting international cooperation. After 1992, the year which marked the beginning of Dr. Ciocoi-Pop's administration, LBUS adopted a policy of unprecedented academic contacts and links. It was the leadership's strong conviction that, among the forty-eight state universities, eight military academies and forty-nine private universities of Post-Revolutionary Romania, LBUS could be successful only by interaction and cooperation.

Consequently, LBUS has established academic links and partnership agreements with eighty-five universities in thirty-five countries. A special place is held by the partnerships drawn with American, German, French and English universities, which materialized in student exchange programmes, fact-finding data trips for academics as well as a precious cooperation which has kept the University tuned in to what happens in the world. Worth mentioning are also the new ties with Chinese, Russian, Italian, Greek and Polish Universities.

In recognition of its steady development towards academic excellence and social renewal, LBUS was granted full membership in various prestigious international academic organizations: The International Center of Tubingen, the International Association of European Universities, and the Alliance of Universities for Democracy.

In cooperation with its partners abroad, LBUS has established a number of organizations for students. Among them, CAS and UBA hold a special place.

C.A.S. - The Career Advisory Service, founded in 1996, in cooperation with the British Council and supported by the Know How Fund, aims at establishing links between students, graduates and the job market. Its activity consists in offering students, graduates or employees daily consulting and in facilitating interviews in order to help them define their needs in employment and career. The centre organizes workshops, seminars and long-term courses. The Summer Job Fair, organized by C.A.S. each year, offers a great opportunity for students to meet employers and to get internships or full-time employment.

U.B.A. - The University Business Association, is a club which facilitates constant interchange among faculties, business people and students. The main purposes of the club are to assist students in developing business skills and contacts, English language skills, and to provide support in getting jobs and summer internships. The club is a result of collaborative program funded by the United States Information Agency (USIA). The Missouri University (MU) - Columbia, USA has assisted LBUS in developing a business school meant to be nationally recogni z ed as a centre of academic and research excellence in business management and applied research.

I.C. - The International Centre, Tubingen, is a consortium of 18 universities, in 8 countries, which have joined their efforts for the purpose of establishing and intensifying academic cooperation between Eastern and Western academics.

C.R.E. is the association of executive heads of universities in Europe. In the autumn of 1984, its membership was drawn from some 360 universities and equivalent institutes of higher education in 23 European countries. Since 1964, its headquarters have been situated at the University of Geneva. CRE's main objective is to promote cooperation among European universities.

A.U.D.E.M. - The Alliance of Universities for Democracy, is a consortium of institutions of higher education formed to enhance the role of education in promoting democratic institutions, economic development, decentralized decision-making, human health, and common moral and social values. At its inception, the Alliance included institutions in Central and Eastern Europe and in 1993 the organization voted to expand membership to Western Europe institutions.

I.A.U.P. - The International Association of University Presidents, was founded in 1964 in Oxford, England. It is an association of university chief executive officers from higher education institutions around the world. Its primary purpose is to strengthen the international mission and quality of education of the member institutions in an increasingly interdependent world, and to promote global awareness and competence as well as peace and international understanding through education.

The European University Association (EUA), in its capacity as an organization of European Universities and National Associations of University Presidents, it functions as a speaker for the higher education community in Europe. EUA`s mission is to promote the development of a coherent system of European higher education and research. Since higher education institutions play an essential part in the development of European areas of higher education and research, the fundamental aim of EUA is to provide active support and guidance to its members as autonomous institutions in enhancing the quality of their teaching, learning and research as well as their contributions to society.

The University Agency of Francophonie (AUF), headquartered at the campus of the University of Montreal (Canada-Quebec), was set up in 1961. AUF supports cooperation and solidarity among Francophone higher education institutions and it fosters the development of academic education and research.

The Univeristy Network of the European Capitals of Culture (UNeECC), an international non-profit association, was founded in Pecs, Hungary, in December 2006, by 40 founding members. The creation of UneECC originates from the idea that it would be useful for Universities and establishments of Higher Education in European Capitals of Culture to use this well-known and prestigious European institution, to stimulate new forms of academic and educational institutional collaboration.

University Library
The Library of the Sibiu Institute of Higher Education was founded in 1969 and it later became aUniversityLibrary in 1990, when the University of Sibiu was set up. Until 2008 when a new building was built (in the complex that accomodatess the Faculty of Medicine) the library functioned in different locations, among which the Faculty of Letters and Arts and the Academy of Land Forces. As of 2000, the library was named of Central Library of the "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu.

The number of collections of the library increased every year by means of new title purchase, by inter-library exchange as well as by donations, acquiring an encyclopedic feature, thus succeeding in meeting the requirements for the fields and the specialisations for the study and research of all faculties of the university.

Presentation:

• Collections of more than 600,000 bibliographic units 350,000 already registered in the on-line catalogue
• 14,000 volumes of periodicals
• subscriptions for important electronic data bases (Springer Link, Legis)
• the applications Alice for Windows, Liberty 3 - specialized library softwares
• free access to the bibliographic data
• free access reading rooms, on 4 levels and distinct domains
• 400 places in the reading rooms, provided with special equipment for Internet connection, computers, scanners and multifunctional printers on every level.

Mission
The central library has the role to create, organize, develop and host cultural-scientific collections of publications from Romania and abroad on all types of documentary supports and to create the necessary informational background necessary to the educational and the research activities.

The qualified staff of the library, competently guide the users to access the sources of knowledge, now with the help of the new modern means of academic research and information, those of the information technology.

"Victor Papilian" Faculty of Medicine
The Victor Papilian Faculty of Medicine in Sibiu was founded in 1990. The degree programme of General Medicine was accredited in December 2000 (Act published in M.O. 639/7); the Dental Medicine degree programme has been accredited since August 2005 (Act published in M.O. 766/23). The study programme for Nursing (3 years) has bee accredited as well, while the study programme for Midwifery and Nursing (4 years) has been temporarily authorized to function.

The Faculty has been constantly concerned with developing high quality medical training that meets the national, as well as international standards of competitiveness (in accordance with the European Union`s requirements) so that the degrees are acknowledged all over Europe.

Over 1,300 students are currently involved in undergraduate and post-graduate study programmes and they benefit form the expertise of 138 full-time members of the teaching staff, The Faculty is entitled to organize doctoral studies, MA courses and postgraduate programmes.

The Faculty facilities include clinical hospitals with more than 3,000 beds as well as a modern building of over 5,000 m2 for teaching activities. The informatics laboratory is endowed with a network of 20 computers with fibre-optic internet acess, thus allowing quick access to specialized information for students and teaching staff alike. Medical students benefit from the excellent accommodation facilties provided by the university campus.
According to their academic results, students may benefit from scholarships granted by the Ministry of Education and Research, as well as scholarships abroad due to the partnerships developed by the Faculty with similar institutions in France, Germany, Switzerland, England, etc.