​Rector message - one year since the beginning of the pandemic​​

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Dear colleagues, fellow teachers,
Dear colleagues, members administrative staff,
Dear students,​

These days mark a year since the beginning of the pandemic. On March 16, 2020, I was writing you a message announcing the beginning of a state of emergency and the first measures to move to online education. It was the beginning of a period full of challenges for all of us, but we managed to adapt "on the go": for one semester, we transferred the teaching activities to an online environment so that starting with this academic year we could adopt a hybrid system.

We have appropriated a new word: resilience. We have shown that we have the ability to adapt to new circumstances without losing sight of the safety of our community. I am grateful that you have done everything necessary to ensure that our work is carried out in maximum safety. We looked for opportunities of development and redefined ourselves. I have felt you close, I felt that we were indeed a tightly knit community.

The lessons of this period must be learnt, so the post-pandemic education can capitalize on the skills, competencies and resources that we have developed. The Marketing and Communication Office of the University is currently working on a review of the past year's events and experiences, which will help us remember what we forgot, understand what we lost and appreciate what we gained.

A year has passed and we are still in a state of alert. We have lost our patience, we want to return to normal life, which would allow us to spend more time together. The University is a meeting place, studying is a collective experience, during which friendships are made and networks are created.

We are keen to regain all this, but we cannot let our guard down. The danger has not passed, the mask must still be worn and we must get vaccinated. I strongly believe that vaccination is the best measure to prevent disease and fight SARS-CoV-2 and represents the hope of returning to a normal social and professional life. I am glad that over 90% of the teachers and 50% of the students are vaccinated. But this is still not enough to fully return to hands-on medical training.

Vaccination is the beginning of the end of the pandemic. Let us end this pandemic! Get vaccinated! Protect yourselves to protect the others!

Prof. Dr. Viorel Scripcariu
Rector