The Senate of UAV supports the current leadership

The UAV Senate Supports the Current Leadership

On Thursday, March 5, a meeting of the Senate of UAV took place, during which the following Open Letter was formulated, through which the senators defined their position in the context of the latest events. A total of 33 senators were present, of whom 31 expressed their agreement with the text of this letter.

OPEN LETTER

The senators of the “Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad address the public in order to express, firmly and unequivocally, the official position regarding the legal situation generated by the ruling of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, which provides for the reinstatement of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ramona Lile, the former rector of UAV.

We emphasize that we fully respect the authority and the binding nature of final court decisions. At the same time, we note the existence of two final rulings of the High Court of Cassation and Justice whose legal effects are difficult to reconcile administratively and which have generated:

• the order of non-confirmation issued by the Ministry of Education regarding the mandate of Ms. Ramona Lile and the decision to organize elections for a new rector, and the order of confirmation issued by the Ministry of Education for Assoc. Prof. Dr. Teodor Florin Cilan, elected by the vote of the academic community and who is currently exercising his mandate in a legal, legitimate, and stable manner;

• the decision to reinstate Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ramona Lile.

Faced with this situation, marked by contradictory decisions and legal uncertainty that could affect the institutional stability of our university, the University Senate firmly and unequivocally expresses its support for the current rector. His mandate is not only the result of a legal procedure but also the expression of the will of the academic community, which opted for stability, professionalism, and institutional reconstruction. During the current mandate, mechanisms of decision-making transparency, administrative balance, and the public credibility of the university have been strengthened.

The dismissal or interruption of the mandate of a rector who has been legally elected and confirmed, in the absence of any finding regarding the illegality of his own mandate, would create a dangerous precedent for university autonomy and for the predictability of leadership in higher education.

We also believe it is necessary to emphasize the essential importance of academic integrity. The university must remain a benchmark of intellectual honesty and moral rigor.

Respecting standards of integrity represents a fundamental condition for the credibility of any higher education institution.

In a context of full institutional stability, confirmed by the High Degree of Confidence qualification obtained during the ARACIS institutional evaluation in 2024, as well as by the actions undertaken for the development of new study programs, the entire academic community is focusing its efforts on student-centered education and ensuring the quality of the educational process.

As senators of UAV, we express our confidence that the competent authorities will identify administrative solutions that take into account and simultaneously respect the court rulings, protect the legal mandate currently exercised by Mr. Teodor Florin Cilan, who enjoys the support of the academic community, and ensure the maintenance of public trust in the integrity of the education system.