The multicultural character

Babeş-Bolyai University is a modern institution which has gained a solid national and international reputation thanks to its achievements down through the decades. With 21 faculties, more than 45,500 students and with an experienced teaching staff of 1,700, our University is now an active participant in most of the European and American academic associations.

Located in a geographical area characterized by the presence of diverse ethnic and religious groups, our University adheres to a policy of multiculturalism, its students and teaching staff being Romanian, as well as Hungarian, German and Roma.

15 of our 21 faculties provide both a Romanian and a Hungarian curriculum, and 9 of them provide both a Romanian and a German curriculum. There are also two faculties (the Faculty of Reformed Theology and the Faculty of Roman-Catholic Theology) which provide courses in Hungarian only. More precisely, our University proposes long and short-term academic studies for 105 specializations in Romanian, 52 in Hungarian, 13 in German and 4 in English. This multicultural structure is the same in the case of the post-graduate and the short-duration curricula offered by the University's network of 18 colleges in Transylvania .

The Babeş-Bolyai University provides courses for more than 45,500 students (of which more than 500 are foreign students, more than 3,000 are doctoral students and 4,300 are secondary education teachers), the educational and research activity being carried out by a teaching staff of over 1,700.

Hungarian and German students have the right to participate in all the activities organized by the University and the possibility to elect representatives to the Professors' Council and the University Senate.

In order to respect this multicultural structure, all university bodies (and in particular the governing bodies) are organized so as to take into account the three ethnic and linguistic components. The deputy dean or the scientific secretary of each faculty must belong either to the Hungarian or to the German minority in order to administer their respective line of study. Moreover, at the central level, each of these three groups is represented by a vice-rector, who is also a member of the Senate's College, and by a specific general secretariat. Therefore, the university's executive board comprises 20 representatives of these ethnic groups holding offices such as those of vice-rectors, deans, deputy-deans, scientific secretaries and heads of department.

Notification
regarding the comparative evaluation of the multicultural
profile of Babeş-Bolyai University in the framework of current European practices and regulations (undertaken at the request of the Babeş-Bolyai University Senate, formulated during its meeting of December 19, 2005)

In 1995, through the adoption of the Babeş-Bolyai University Charter and of other fundamental decisions, the academic community and the Babeş-Bolyai University Senate decided to reorganize Babeş-Bolyai University along three lines of study (Romanian, Hungarian, German), in keeping with the historical and cultural structure of Transylvania . On that occasion, the rector's office worked in close cooperation with the academic staff and the university students-Romanians, Hungarians, Germans, Jews, and others, of various languages and nationalities-, and also involved the democratic elements in Romania as well as international organisations, in an attempt to reorganize Babeş-Bolyai University and turn it into a modern, fully functional, innovative European institution. The rector's office presented, in the international literature. Babeş-Bolyai University was subjected to three highly competent international evaluations ( The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities , 2000; European University Association , 2001; the Salzburg Seminar , 2002), the results of which were made public (see the volume International Evaluations at Babeş-Bolyai University , Cluj University Press, 2004) and received, every year, the visit of more than 400 professors and experts from various countries. The results of these evaluations were positive.

In spite of the unavoidable misunderstandings surrounding the adoption of a relatively new structure, the systematic errors defining the government's policy in the field of higher education, and the flawed "reforms"-for it is well known that stagnant or faulty reforms are always likely to increase the sensitivity of many-unbiased observers have considered that the new profile of Babeş-Bolyai University is a significant European achievement . All development indicators (diversification of degrees; student population; the number of the academic staff; the possibility to study in one's mother tongue; decisional autonomy for the lines of study; the possibility to use one's mother tongue in the profession and in the administration; opportunities for international cooperation; quality of studies in the case of most specialities, etc.) concerning Babeş-Bolyai University are there to support such evaluations. In fact, starting with 1995, Babeş-Bolyai University has received no complaints whatsoever concerning instances of ethnic discrimination or disruptions in the multicultural system, a system whose functioning is related not only to its structure, but also to those called upon to implement it.

As indicated by official documents, it was only the government of Mr. Mugur Isărescu that provided institutional and financial support to the new profile of Babeş-Bolyai University . The other governments and political parties merely used to their advantage that which had been done at Babeş-Bolyai University , without supporting the institution in any way. Therefore, rather than any political organization, it is the academic community of Babeş-Bolyai University that deserves full credit for things like the increase in the number of specializations, the opportunity to study in one's mother tongue, the increase in the number of teaching staff, the investments in the infrastructure, the autonomy of departments, faculties, colleges, lines of study, etc.

At the beginning, the plans concerning the creation of a multicultural university were questioned by those who supported the traditional mono-culturalism. In response, the Rector's Office and the Babeş-Bolyai University Senate argued that the new profile was a better solution for Transylvania . It must also be said that our competent academics and prestigious researchers, authors of widely acknowledged publications-Romanian, Hungarian, German, Jewish, Ukrainian, etc.-have always supported this multicultural profile . In 2005, the entire project was challenged by a number of people who had not only been unable to complete a doctoral thesis in their chosen field, but who-without seeking to find out more about such complex matters-circulated distorted data and unfounded evaluations meant to mislead those people who had not had the opportunity to actually visit Cluj. Purely in order to re-establish the truth , we shall discuss here two unfounded reports presented first in Brussels and then in Romania .

The first has to do with the multilingual and multicultural profile of Babeş-Bolyai University . We shall not dwell here upon the relevant statistical data (they can be found in the brochure with Statistical Data Concerning Babeş-Bolyai University , 2003). Instead, we shall synthetically present (without omitting any significant detail) the results of an objective comparison between Babeş-Bolyai University and the other multicultural and multilingual universities currently operating in Europe ( Bolzano - Italy ; Helsinki and Abo-Akademy- Finland ; Tartu - Estonia ; Fribourg- Switzerland ; Tetovo- Macedonia ), taking into account their internal regulations and activity .

First, however, we must look at the governing regulations as such. Only then can one discuss various interpretations, however numerous these may be (incidentally, the statutes and the fundamental regulations governing the activity of these universities will soon be published in a volume prepared, at the initiative of the Academic Council , by Babeş-Bolyai University dons and doctoral students specializing in the field of university organization; this would allow any citizen to form a pertinent opinion and make comments on this matter).

We shall not insist upon the comparison with the other two European universities-Strasbourg (France) and Bratislava (Slovakia)-which, together with the Cluj University, became part of other nation-states following the First World War. It must be said, however, that as opposed to Strasbourg and Bratislava , Babeş-Bolyai University provides complete studies in the mother tongue of the minorities, being, in this respect, multilingual . In its statute, the University of Bratislava presents itself as a "national university of the Republic of Slovakia ." Both the Strasbourg University and Babeş-Bolyai University provide theological studies in keeping with the denominational diversity existing in their respective regions .

Universities like Bolzano , the Abo-Akademy, Fribourg, and Tartu , just like Babeş-Bolyai University , present themselves as multilingual institutions. National language policies-in countries such as Finland and Switzerland -are set in keeping with the laws passed in the legislative assemblies, and not by the universities themselves. Therefore, national legislation in the field differs in the two countries, with everything that this entails. It must be said that, in fact, Babeş-Bolyai University shows the same openness as the Swiss and the French universities, but within a different constitutional framework . We also see that in the case of Tartu University, studies in the mother tongue must include 40% of disciplines taught in the language of the country-Estonian. Babeş-Bolyai University differs from these universities in the sense that, by virtue of its Charter, it has introduced separate lines of study, enjoying distinct representation and decision-making autonomy at any level (department, faculty, university). In other words, Babeş-Bolyai University ensures the linguistic and cultural specificity not only when it comes to the actual training activities, but also in their administrative organisation.

European universities are structured just into faculties units, without a specific of ethnic and linguistic profile. In some cases, such faculties offer studies in various languages. There are no parallel faculties within the same university. Babeş-Bolyai University is one of the institutions with faculties in which studies are organized in several languages . Babeş-Bolyai University has one of the most diverse language systems in Europe , each student being free to choose the language of studies (Romanian, Hungarian, German, or other widely spoken languages).

In all multilingual and multicultural universities, decisions are made in keeping with the customary democratic procedures, by faculty councils and by the university senate (or their equivalents). These universities have no separate organizations meant to ensure representation for the various language or ethnic groups. Bt contrast, in keeping with the Babeş-Bolyai University Charter, the lines of study are organized at every level (department, faculty, university), and are also represented at every level . The University of Tetovo has an International Board . In 2003, Babeş-Bolyai University established its own similar structure, the International Advisory Board .

It is quite obvious that the situation regarding multilingualism and multiculturalism was presented in an extremely distorted fashion by those who accused Babeş-Bolyai University of being different from its European counterparts. The facts-obvious to anyone willing to consider them-demonstrate that the organization of Babeş-Bolyai University does not differ from the general European model and that many elements-the possibility to study in one's mother tongue, to use one's mother tongue, to enjoy decisional autonomy-are more developed here than in the other European universities . Anyone can look at the regulations governing the activity of the universities in question and realize that this is indeed the case.

Moving on to the second report, the very opinion expressed by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities has been distorted, in texts sent to Brussels or published in Romania . But here is what the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities actually declared: "At my request, a number of international education experts drew up a number of recommendations regarding the increase of the number of subjects taught in the minority languages and the revision of the university charter in such a way that full equality of three lines of study - Romanian, Hungarian and German - would be assured. The positive attitude of the rector, Mr. Marga (who was also Minister of Education at the time), helped considerably in ensuring the acceptance of most of our proposals. However, the UDMR was not satisfied with the further expansion of the multicultural system at the Babeş-Bolyai University . It continued to insist on the need for a separate Hungarian language state university. As a first step in that direction, a private university - Sapientia - was set up. Without state financial assistence, it will have few opportunities to expand. It receives most of its support from Hungary . Clearly the Hungarian parties in both Slovakia and Romania prefer a system of separate higher education. This can perhaps be partially explained by their fear that in a common higher education institution for majorities and minorities the interests of the majority tend to prevail. But it could also be explained by a reluctance to follow the path of integration which some leaders of the minorities demonstrate" (Statement by OSCE High Commissioner Max van der Stoel, in Jan De Groff, Gracienne Lauwers (eds.) , Cultural and Educational Rights in the Enlarged Europe , Wolf Legal Publishers, Nijmegen, 2005, 82-83). Anyone who reads the statement issued by the OSCE High Commissioner can immediately realize that the problems do not come from Babeş-Bolyai University , being instead caused by external factors, namely, the political actions taken by Romanian political parties .

We shall conclude with three observations. The first has to do with the fact that words like "multicultural" and "multilingual" are used to describe the actual structure of the university. Issues such as the organization of the curricula, the specializations, funding, the official language of the country, the demographic structure of Transylvania, the relations between various communities, etc. clearly have little to do with the macro-organization of Babeş-Bolyai University, and are not essentially related to the debate around multiculturalism (in the proper sense of the word, in keeping with the specialized vocabulary of today) .

Of course, one can always envisage ways in which activities and performance can be improved. However, those involved in such a debate-and this is our second observation- must firmly believe that truth is the only foundation for a durable structure, and act accordingly .

On the other hand, being part of a certain ethnic group is not a professional criterion, and, like any university worthy of the name, Babeş-Bolyai University seeks to promote professional competence. The professional failure of any individual, regardless of who that individual may be, is not an indicator of ethnic discrimination. The third observation has to do with the fact that Babeş-Bolyai University has acted wisely when it chose to promote the multicultural profile which has brought it recognition over the past decades, and developed it-as systematically and insistently recommended by European experts-in keeping with the inter-cultural trend manifest in contemporary Europe, by way of an open, reasoned strategy, meant to encourage scientific achievements and competitiveness .

 

Multilingualism, multiculturality, autonomy

The Babeş-Bolyai University is the oldest academic institution in Romanian, which embodies the entire academic tradition in Transylvania, inaugurated with the Jesuit College founded by Prince Stephan Bathory in 1581.

The Babeş-Bolyai University brings together the cultural, scientific, and religious traditions in Transylvania . The Babeş-Bolyai University has developed a multicultural educational programme according to the legislation in force in Romania and according to European values.

The symbols and inscriptions in the languages of the ethnic communities are present at Babeş-Bolyai University .

The system of multicultural organization set up by the Charter of Babeş-Bolyai University (1995) ensures complete education in Romanian, Hungarian, German, as well as Jewish studies at all levels of academic study: bachelor, master, doctorate, long distance and adult education. This system ensures, through adequate regulations, the autonomy of the Romanian, Hungarian, and German lines of studies and the right to draw up and implement own decisions regarding human resources, international cooperation, scientific research, and to publish in Romanian, Hungarian or German.

The regulations adopted by Babeş-Bolyai University were drawn up taking into account the best interest of Romanians, of the Hungarians, of the Germans, of the Jewish people, as well as the legislation of the Romanian state, the criteria of performance and of professionalism.

The multicultural system transformed Babeş-Bolyai University into the largest and most complex university in Romania . Never before have so many Romanians studied at the main university of Transylvania; never before have so many Hungarians studied here; never before have there been more opportunities to study in German; never before has the history and the culture of the Jewish people been so broadly covered in academic circumstances. Never before has there been such a diversified range of specializations.

The multicultural and multilingual system set up at Babeş-Bolyai University has been evaluated positively by qualified international bodies - The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities , Salzburg Seminar, European University Association - and has consequently been recommended internationally as model of organization.

The multicultural system has been appreciated positively by prestigious universities in Europe, with whom Babeş-Bolyai University has agreements of interuniversity cooperation, and with whom it organizes regular meetings to establish and evaluate key features of the cooperation programmes.

The recommendations made by The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities with a view to improving the multicultural system have been fully included in the university Charter , and have been implemented since 2001.

The Babeş-Bolyai University constantly promotes professionalism and competitiveness for the integration in the European Higher Education Area. Up to this day there has never been any complaint of ethnic discrimination. Every international evaluation has shown positive conclusions.

RECTOR'S OFFICE

Rector
Romanian line of study: 3 Vice-Rectors
Hungarian line of study: 2 Vice-Rectors
German line of study: 1 Vice-Rector
1 General Chancellor

ACADEMIC COUNCIL

President
Hungarian line of study: 1 Vice-President
German line of study: 1 Vice-President
Members: Romanian line of study: 4
Hungarian line of study: 1

GENERAL SECRETARIAT

General secretary (and Hungarian line of study)
Deputy general secretary: Romanian line of study
German line of stud

STRUCTURE OF THE UNIVERSITY SENATE

(based on the number of teaching staff and of students in faculties)

Total number of members: 117
Members from the teaching staff: 85
Romanian line of study: 61
Hungarian line of study: 20
German line of study: 4
Senate member General Director: 1
Student senate members: 31
Romanian line of study: 20
Hungarian line of study: 10
German line of study: 1

FACULTY ADMINISTRATION

Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science

Romanian line of study: dean, 1 vice-dean, chancellor, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: 1 vice-dean, secretary
German line of study: secretary

Faculty of Physics

Romanian line of study: dean, chancellor, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: 1 vice-dean, secretary
German line of study: secretary

Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Romanian line of study: dean, chancellor, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: 1 vice-dean, secretary

Faculty of Biology and Geology

Romanian line of study: dean, chancellor, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: 1 vice-dean, secretary
German line of study: secretary

Faculty of Geography

Romanian line of study: dean, 2 vice-deans, chancellor, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: 1 vice-dean, secretary
German line of study: secretary

Faculty of Environmental Sciences

Romanian line of study: dean, vice-dean, chancellor, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: secretary

Faculty of Law

Romanian line of study: dean, vice-dean, chancellor, chief secretary

Faculty of Letters

Romanian line of study: dean, 2 vice-deans, chancellor, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: 1 vice-dean, secretary
German line of study: secretary

Faculty of History and Philosophy

Romanian line of study: dean, 1 vice-dean, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: 1 vice-dean, chancellor, secretary
German line of study: secretary

Faculty of Sociology and Social Work

Romanian line of study: dean, 1 vice-dean, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: 1 vice-dean, secretary
German line of study: secretary

Faculty of Psychology and Sciences of Education

Romanian line of study: dean, 1 vice-dean, chancellor, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: 1 vice-dean, 2 secretaries
German line of study: secretary

Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

Romanian line of study: dean, 2 vice-deans, chancellor, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: 1 vice-dean, secretary
German line of study: secretary

Faculty of European Studies

Romanian line of study: dean, 2 vice-deans, chancellor, chief secretary
German line of study: secretary

Faculty of Business

Romanian line of study: dean, chancellor, chief secretary

Faculty of Political Sciences, Public Administration and Communication

Romanian line of study: dean, chancellor, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: 1 vice-dean, 2 secretaries
German line of study: secretary

Faculty of Physical Education and Sports

Romanian line of study: dean, chancellor, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: 1 vice-dean, secretary
German line of study: secretary

Faculty of Orthodox Theology

Romanian line of study: dean, chancellor, chief secretary

Faculty of Greek Catholic Theology

Romanian line of study: dean, chancellor, chief secretary

Faculty of Reformed Theology

Hungarian line of study: dean, chancellor, chief secretary

Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology

Hungarian line of study: dean, chancellor, chief secretary

Faculty of Drama and Television Studies

Romanian line of study: dean, chief secretary
Hungarian line of study: secretary

LINES OF STUDY STATISTICS

2005

Line of study
Tenured teaching staff
Number of specializations
Doctoral fields
Number of students
Number of PhD students
Bachelor studies
University extensions
Master studies
Bachelor studies
Master studies
Romanian line of study 1000 88 9 72   34854 2857  
Hungarian line of study 230 50 6 22 6401 271
German line of study 40 15 3 3 1023 726
Jewish studies 4 1   1 92 15
Languages of teaching: English, French, Russian, Italian - 4 - 55 1010  
Total 1270 157 18 152 23 43288 3854 3500

 


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