At the 4th National Congress of Romanian Historians (August 27–31, 2024), the AHE-Ro team actively brought a semnificative contribution to discussions about the historical and contemporary dynamics of higher education in Romania. Two panels were proposed by the AHE-Ro team, that were later on included in the official program of the event.
In the panel titled University Studies and Social Mobility (1919–2020, moderated by Professor Bogdan Murgescu, the team presented their results on the impact of education onto social mobility. Professor Murgescu outlined a research agenda on the interplay between university studies and social mobility in Romania over a century. Ștefan Marius Deaconu analyzed social mobility and social stratification during the 1970s, while Gabriela Biliga-Nisipeanu explored the professional trajectories of ERASMUS participants, emphasizing the consequences of participating into such programs.
In a second panel, The Romanian University System – From Contraction to Expansion (1980–2000), moderated by Associate Professor Matei Gheboianu, the team examined the systemic transformations in Romanian higher education. Matei Gheboianu provided statistical insights into the system’s contraction and subsequent post-1989 expansion, while Marius Deaconu discussed the social implications of quantitative expansion in the 1990s. Valentin Maier addressed the evolution of university specializations, and Biliga-Nisipeanu highlighted the TEMPUS program’s role in reforming the Romanian higher education.
Based on the papers presented on these two panels a volume will be published at the University of Bucharest Publishing House.
More information on the Congress is available here. The event was organized by the „Stefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, together with the State University of Moldova, the Romanian Academy and the National Committee of Romanian Historians in partnership with the Ministry of Education (Romania), Ministry of Education and Research (Republic of Moldova), Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova and Romanian Cultural Institute „Mihai Eminescu” in Chisinau.