Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (UBB) has become a member of the international academic organization, the Guild, joining the 19 member universities. The Guild comprises some of Europe’s most distinguished research-intensive universities in fourteen countries, and is dedicated to enhancing the voice of academic institutions, their researchers and their students, maintaining excellence, trust-building as the foundation of public life, and the creation of new knowledge for the benefit of the community, society, culture, and economic growth.
Following a comprehensive analysis based on the Guild’s criteria (e.g. positioning in international rankings, fundraising, national academic representation), initiated in 2018, as well as the new 2020-2024 strategic plan for joining the category of “world-class” universities, UBB has been invited to join the Guild, and will become a member starting June 2020.
The official launch will take place in Brussels, where the GUILD office is located, when the pandemic situation allows for it.
UBB comprises today an academic community of about 50,000 people (being the largest university in the country), one of the most visible and impactful Romanian universities in the international academic area (the first in the country according to the University Metaranking in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, which considers the benchmark international rankings of universities), with an academic tradition going back to 1581 (Academia/ Universitas Claudiopolitana – Hungarian University of Cluj – Romanian University of Cluj – UBB).
“UBB, by its academic tradition, has always been anchored in the richness and the excellence of the academic European/ international area. We are honoured by the invitation of The Guild, which will be our new international ‘academic home’, UBB comprehensively committing from this moment to the vision and principles of the Guild, as they are expressed in the commitment of the organization. UBB is a member of many representative organizations/ associations of universities and of prestigious consortia, at national and international level. But the Guild is something else, it is an academic community with a limited number of partners, which can be joined following analysis of academic quality and invitation, with common vision and commitments, collaborating with a view to the development of all its members and promoting their academic vision at the societal level. Through its membership in the GUILD, the voice of UBB will be heard much stronger, not only in the country, but also internationally. As our motto – Traditio Nostra Unacum Europae Virtutibus Splendet – says, our academic values of Traditio et Excellentia must shine in Europe; by this membership we are there ready to shine!”, declares professor Daniel David, the Rector of UBB.
The rector went on to add that “a world-class university is one that produces innovative knowledge through intensive research/ science, not just one that teaches (no matter how well it does it) or uses/ transfers (no matter how useful that might be) the knowledge generated by others or the incremental knowledge generated locally/ regionally. Only by employing the (creative) science – (quality) teaching – (innovative) transfer/ relationship with society triad can we train our graduates and the academic body as academic and/ or professional leaders and only in this way can competitive advantages be generated for the community/ country of such a university and for the world in general! UBB is traditionally such a global agency, whose borders transgress Cluj, Transylvania or Romania, as its presence extends to wherever it is needed, not in a competitive sense with the rather local/ regional universities in the area, but in a ‘win-win’ sense in the logic of complementarity and partnership; the logic of cooperation/ complementarity is assumed by a world-class university not only in the relationship between global and local/ regional universities, but also between global universities. This is the spirit of the GUILD and that is why UBB is at home here!”
The full press release issued by the GUILD in English is available here https://www.the-guild.eu/news/2020/press-release_ubb_guild_22042020.pdf; for a complete version of the vision and core principles which underpin the GUILD go to https://www.the-guild.eu/about/vision/.
UBB Communication and Public Relations Department
