The Spiru Haret University is a private university in Bucharest, Romania, founded in 1991 by the president of Tomorrow's Romania Foundation, Aurelian Gh. Bondrea, as part of the teaching activities of this foundation. The university claims this has been done according to the model used by Harvard University. The university bears the name of a scientist and reformer of the Romanian education, Spiru Haret, who lived before World War I.
On February 14, 2000, the university was accredited by the National Council of Academic Evaluation and Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions. The establishment of the university was confirmed by Law no. 443 of July 5, 2002Legea nr. 443/2002 (see also Decree no. 611/July 4, 2002). and this law has not been abolished.
According to the data published by the university in July 2010, it has 30 faculties with 49 specializations and 64 master's degree curricula, being according to the newspaper Financiarul the largest university in Romania. In 2009 enrollment was reported as 311,928 students. Referring to the number of its students, the newspaper mistakenly called it the largest university in the world. It is the second-largest private university in the world, after Islamic Azad University (with 1.3 million students).
Pope John Paul II and a former Romanian president, Ion Iliescu, have received honorary doctorates from the university.
In 2011, the Spiru Haret University was officially evaluated as an "education-centered university", which is the third and lowest educational quality category of the Romanian universities.Raul Florea, Clasificarea universităților. Vezi aici ce universități vor fi axate pe licență, masterat și doctorat Gândul, September 6, 2011. Education centered universities have lost the right of organizing doctorate degrees studies. In July 2017, Spiru Haret University ranked on the 27th place out of 103 other universities in Romania.
Doctor Honoris Causa
Ding Chao (2012), Richard England (2010), Pope John Paul II (2003), Ion Iliescu (2002), Paul Feher (1999), Nicolae Mateescu-Matte (1997), Roland Drago (1995).
Faculties and departments Architecture Arts Law and Public Administration Physical Education and Sport Finance and Banking Geography Journalism, Communication and Public Relations Letters Financial and Accounting Management Marketing and International Business Mathematics and Informatics Veterinary Medicine International Relations, History and Philosophy Sociology-Psychology (renamed Psychology and Educational Sciences) Department for Teachers' Training
International cooperation Spiru Haret University is a member of the following European and international organizations:
Alliance of Central-Eastern European Universities (ACEU) – 2009 European Association for ERASMUS Coordinators (EAEC) – 2011 European Association of Career Guidance (EACG) – 2011 Alliance of Universities for Democracy (AUDEM), Tennessee – 1993 Magna Charta Universitatum, Bologna, Signatory party – 2005 Magna Charta Observatory – 2005 European University Association (EUA) – Associate Member – 2005 Balkan Forum for Communication – Founding Member – 2005 Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) – 2006 European Confederation of Language Centres in Higher Education (CercleS) – 2006 European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE) – 2008 International Association of Universities (IAU) – 2008
Criticism (distance learning programs)
Although it received accreditation from Romania's National Council of Academic Evaluation in 2002, its accreditations were canceled for a large number of distance learning specializations.Cristina Șomănescu Topul celor mai mari scandaluri din universități Money.ro, July 19, 2011. Also, there are some voices which dispute the level of the distance learning programs offered.Cum a ajuns "Spiru Haret" cea mai mare universitate din lume Financiarul, July 13, 2009. The scandal peaked in the summer of 2009, when the way license diplomas are obtained scandalized the Minister of Education, who threatened with an inquiry of the Romanian public prosecutors.Lista profesorilor de la "Spiru Haret" care au obtinut ilegal gradul universitar Ziare.com, July 23, 2009.Sesizarea la Parchet poate declansa desfiintarea Universitatii "Spiru Haret" România Liberă, July 23, 2009.
A number of Romanian newspapers have called the distance learning department of Spiru Haret University "a diploma mill" (literally translated, "a diplomas factory").Parlamentarii țin în brațe fabrica de diplome "Spiru Haret" Adevarul, February 24, 2010.Fabrica de diplome nule "Spiru Haret" iese și la export Cotidianul, July 15, 2009.Spiru Haret, fabrica de profesori, nu doar de diplome Ziarul Financiar, July 21, 2009.Fabrica de diplome Spiru Haret Ziarul de Iasi, July 20, 2009.Universitatea "Spiru Haret" Arad a ajuns fabrică de diplome universitare Ziua de Vest, August 9, 2009."Fabrica" de diplome "Spiru Haret" lasă studenții cu ochii-n soare Financiarul, July 10, 2009. This viewpoint has been confirmed by the Austrian Der Standard"Diplomfabrik" droht Schließung Der Standard, July 22, 2009. and by the Swiss Neue Zürcher Zeitung.Gelehrte ab Fliessband Neue Zürcher Zeitung, October 1, 2009. The German Consulate in Romania (Timișoara) mentioned worries in respect to the legal situation of the university in its press review.Presseauswertung 13. – 19. Juli 2009 Konsulat der Bundesrepublik Deutschland Temeswar.Presseauswertung 10. – 16. August 2009 Konsulat der Bundesrepublik Deutschland Temeswar. The French journal Le Monde has confirmed the viewpoint of the quoted newspapers.Le système de l'enseignement supérieur roumain mis en cause par un scandale Le Monde, August 16, 2009. Some English language sources (e.g. from the Romanian newspaper Evenimentul Zilei and Radio Romania International) express the same view.Ministry of Education should take action against private university Eurotopics, July 27, 2009.100,000 Diplomas Annulled World Education Services, September 2009.ROMANIA: Diplomas of private university illegal University World News, July 19, 2009.Diplomas of private university grads stamped as illegal Evenimentul Zilei, July 15, 2009.A STEP BACK IN THE SPIRU HARET CASE Radio Romania International, July 22, 2009. Therefore, the Spiru Haret University is increasingly considered in Romania and outside it as a diploma mill. Its lawyers seek to circumvent Romanian education laws, and this implied the consequence that new laws are discussed by the Romanian Department of Education, Research and Innovation, which may lead to the prohibition of all Spiru Haret's activities.
Spiru Haret University claims to be accredited by the European University Association (EUA)Domnului MARIUS NIȚU open letter by Aurelian Gh. Bondrea, rector and president of the Spiru Haret University, September 4, 2008. instead of the Romanian public agency ARACIS.EDUCATION: Not This Romanian Way IPSnews, July 21, 2009. However, the EUA does not accredit universities and its "evaluations are not related to accreditation or certification processes." This viewpoint is confirmed by an IEP report: "the Programme is neither linked to the allocation of funds nor to a control function on behalf of public authorities."10 YEARS ON: LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE INSTITUTIONAL EVALUATION PROGRAMME by Dr. Stefanie Hofmann, IEP, 2005, p. 9. See also the text box on p. 8.
The Spiru Haret University has been prohibited to organize license (diploma) exams for a period of three years."Spiru Haret", trei ani fără examen de licență Evenimentul Zilei, August 11, 2009. During these three years, Spiru Haret University has been placed under the scrutiny of the Romanian Department of Education.Government Ordinance no. 10/2009 Monitorul Oficial, Part I, no. 581 of August 20, 2009. According to Government Decision no. 749/2009,Monitorul Oficial , no. 465, year 177 (XXI) of Monday July 6, 2009, p. 86 (Monitorul Oficial is the state newspaper wherein laws and government decisions have to be officially published in order to become effective.) Civil Law Sentence no. 3326 has radiated the Spiru Haret University, at its own request, from the application of Government Decision no. 676/2007 regarding the license university study fields, the structures of higher education institutions and the disciplines organized by them, with the subsequent additions and from Government Decision no. 635/2008 regarding the structures of higher education and the specialization/curricula for university license studies organized by them, either accredited or temporarily authorized to operate, republished.Cf. Punct de vedere July 20, 2009. Aracis.ro. (ARACIS is the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, mandated by law to evaluate universities.) The students enlisted at accredited/authorized faculties from the Spiru Haret University may still proceed with their study, but will have to take (final) diploma exams at recognized universities (faculties) which are not prohibited to hold diploma exams.
The Romanian Department of Education has won the case against the claims of the Spiru Haret University in respect to Government Decisions no. 676/2007 and no. 635/2008, as the High Court of Cassation and Justice decided on October 30, 2009.Decizie definitiva pentru Ministerul Educatiei in procesul cu "Spiru Haret" 30 October 2009.Dosar 4329/1/2009 Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice. As such, the self-removal the university from the application of such decisions is null and void, therefore its authorized/accredited curricula remain authorized/accredited, but all other claims of broader accreditation made in the name operating according to its constitutional right to academic autonomy have been dropped, since this right may only be exercised as provided by law.Cf. the viewpoint of Mrs. Andronescu, then Minister of Education, discussing the issue debated in courts at Vezi ce a spus Ecaterina Andronescu la videochat despre Univ. Spiru Haret ProTV. The Director of the Law and Control Direction of the Romanian Department of Education, Mr. Gabriel Ispas claimed that "Since we have won this trial, we cannot lose the subsequent trials."Ministerul Educației a câștigat procesul cu "Spiru". "Absolvenții de la ID nu vor beneficia de diplome" Gândul, October 29, 2009.