self evaluation report - Universitatea de Ştiinţe Agricole şi Medicină ...

of pride for its members, a pride that they say has characterized staff and students in the past, and which they
can rightfully feel also in the future.” The other advices suggested by EUA evaluators were beneficial for the
future university strategy and based the new university’s mission assumed in 2005, that of “Research
University”. Focusing especially on research activity and funds raising for research investments, the university
was awarded by the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth, in 2007, by the Ministry Order No. 2784/13 th
of December 2007, for being the best Romanian research university, running 321 projects with only 268 staff
and getting more than half of its budget from research and innovation activities.
In 2009, USAMV Cluj-Napoca decided to apply for an external evaluation performed by ARACIS (Romanian
member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education – ENQA). After the evaluation
ARACIS published the “Report on external academic quality assessment” which states that the University of
Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca is rated as “University of High trust degree” (the
highest rank for a Romanian university). In 2009 USAMV Cluj-Napoca also decided to review its internal
management system in accordance to the provisions of the international standards. The implementation of
the EN ISO 9001:2008 requirements for teaching, research and administration processes was certified by TUV
Austria CERT (see: Appendix – Institutional evaluation process).
Two years ago the University lunched a new Charter with a new mission, that of “advanced research and
education”, anticipating the new development in Romanian education system and making a step forward to
the new Education law and the universities national classification process. After the 2011 National evaluation,
coordinated by the Ministry of Education, Research, Youth and Sport, USAMV Cluj-Napoca was classified in the
top 12 of the best Romanian universities, being nominated on the 5 th position in the first class, of universities
of “advanced research and education”. The study programs national classification confirmed the leading
position of our university, most of the research domain being ranked in class “A” and USAMV Cluj-Napoca
being the best Agriculture (life Science) university in Romania and the only one receiving PhD grants (see:
Appendix – Report on the 2011 National classification exercise).
Today the university has up to 7.000 students, four times more than 20 years ago, with well known
international activities, receiving more than 200 foreign students which study in English and French, having
also a branch in Italy, the only such branch evaluated by ARACIS. The new EUA evaluation will be essential for
the university’s future roadmap to excellence and for the further quality assurance policy.
2.2. The legal status and autonomy
The University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca is a public higher education
institution, member of the Romanian National Higher Education System. By the Romanian Government
Decision No. 916 of 11th of August 2005, the university was organized in four faculties: Faculty of Agriculture,
Faculty of Horticulture, Faculty of Animal Science and Biotechnology, and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
Using its granted autonomy, the University Senate approved on the 28 th of February 2012 the establishment of
a new Faculty of Food Science. Based on the opportunities provided by the new Education law, our university
has reorganized itself in 14 departments, decentralizing the budget for a better management and quality
assurance, and giving a greater responsibility to the academic community for the future national ranking of
the study domains.
2.3. Geographical position and location
The University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca is located in Cluj-Napoca, a
cosmopolitan city (German: Klausenburg; Hungarian: Kolozsvár; Medieval Latin: Castrum Clus, Claudiopolis),
located on the Someșul Mic river. Between 1790–1848 and 1861–1867, Cluj was the official capital of the
Grand Principality of Transylvania. Geographically it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (439 km), Budapest
(451 km) and Belgrade (473 km).
Nowadays more than 310,000 inhabitants live within the city limits, while the population of the peri-urban
area exceeds 400,000 residents. With its eight universities, Cluj-Napoca receives annually a population of
more than 90.000 students, making it the second largest university center in Romania.
Page 3 SELF-EVALUATION REPORT, March, 2012