I. INTRODUCTION

     The University was founded on December 13, 1990, within “Moldova Culture and Science Foundation”, Iasi, becoming the first private university in Moldavia.

     We have assumed from the beginning a European vocation, following the path of the great intellectual and statesman Mihail Kogalniceanu. Through our entire activity we try to honor this moral promise.

     We wished and succeeded to build an alternative to the public education, in the context of the new university policy of democratic Romania. We believe that our mission is to contribute, beside the public education, to the creation of competitive specialists, on the national as well as on the international level.

CURRENT BACKGROUND

     The education market undergoes a profound process of transformation. Until a couple o decades ago, concepts such as “managerial university” or “entrepreneurial university” were unconceivable. Meanwhile, the socio-economic development, globalization, informational revolution have turned many of the Western universities in vectors of transnational education. At the moment, there are more and more numerous discussions on the market of educational services and on the new university models:

- the managerial university, with origins in Humboldt, by the transition from “collegial management”. chosen from the members of the academic staff, to “managerial management” appointed on competitive bases;

- the entrepreneurial university, seen as an extension of the great corporations, which regard education as a market valued service.

     The OECD reports, the reports of the World Bank and UNESCO reveal the existence of genuine trade of university education and professional knowledge. Hence the urgency of EU summits regarding university education and research.

     On the domestic plan, the Reform is supported by an important number of strategic projects for the higher education, as well as the foundation of an Agency of Credits for students, meant to encourage financially the investments in the quality education.

     The awareness of a tough competition and, implicitly, of the extension of the transnational market of education is therefore a fact.

     In this dynamic context of the university environment in Romania in general and for “Mihail Kogalniceanu” University in particular, the major imperatives of the moment are those related to the integration in the “European space of higher education” and in the “European space of research”. The main method of integration in these “spaces” is the continuation of the implementation of the “Bologna Process”, through its components regarding the quality of higher education, the structure of the study programs (license – master’s degree – PhD. Degree), the generalization of transferable credits (ECTS), recognition and equivalence of diplomas and professions, the students’ and teachers’ mobility.

     The Socio-economic context therefore places the universities in a free competitive system, which inevitably leads to the entrepreneurial model of university. Only performance-oriented universities will develop and stay on the market, through their timely understanding of the direction of evolution of society and its requirements. More than ever the accent falls on the efficient management which implies the professionalization of the management act both on the academic level as well as on the administrative one.

II. STRATEGY

1. VISION

     By means of an efficient, new, modern and professional management, the university must become a public institution that serves as a model for the community it operates in. “Mihail Kogalniceanu” University from Iasi can and must become the standard for the reform of the higher education in Romania, with a modern managerial activity, a simple and flexible structure, high-quality training and civilized conditions for students, with a research oriented to interdisciplinary studies and a well prepared teaching staff.

2. MISSION

     We have assumed from the beginning a European vocation, following the path of the great intellectual and statesman Mihail Kogalniceanu. Through our entire activity we try to honor this moral promise.

     “Mihail Kogalniceanu” University has managed to build, in only 20 years of existence, an alternative to the public education, in the context of the new university policy of democratic Romania. We believe that our mission is to contribute, beside the public education, to the creation of competitive specialists, on the national as well as on the international level.

3. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

3.1. Education

- the integration of “Mihail Kogalniceanu” University from Iasi in the European space of higher education, as well as the continuation of the assertion of its statute on the local and national market of education and professional formation;

- the reevaluation of the collaboration process with the state and private universities in order to cope with the exigencies of the creation of a high-quality education where the state plays an important role, regardless of the juridical nature of the institution (state or private)

- a reconsideration of the statute of the teaching staff in the civil society;

- the increase of the role of payment method in the motivational system of the university;

- the development of current strategic objectives in order to obtain a level of excellence of instruction and university education and to maximize the use of financial and human resources;

- the identification and development of the competitive advantages, in order to increase the educational demand as well as to win over foreign students;

- a greater opening towards the institutional and economical environment in order to gain recognition of the teaching staff’s expertise and, implicitly, the integration of the university in the course of society;

- the creation and permanent maintenance of the collaboration with similar universities from EU, USA, Canada, etc.

- the acknowledgement and reward of the students with excellent results by means of awards, tax reduction or scholarships.

3.2. Scientific Research

- the integration of the research activity of UMK in the European space of scientific research;

- a reconsideration of the vision on the research activity by granting greater importance to the aspect of dissemination of the research results in the professional environments;

- the development of the favorable institutional background in order to stimulate the creativity of the whole teaching staff and to attract valuable young students and famous professors from Western universities;

- the creation and diversification of master programs

- the improvement of the CNCSIS recognition level of UMK publications.

3.3. Openness towards the socio-economic environment

- the conclusion of new practice agreements within the institutions with a high potential for employing the graduates;

- the realization of a practice regulation and employment procedure – under the form of voluntary work – in order to ensure for the best students a year of professional experience until the end of their studies;

- the integration of UMK students in the labor market by means of auxiliary activities of the academic staff in the socio-economic environment;

- the increase of the social impact and the degree of professional recognition of the academic staff.

3.4. Quality Management

- improvement and informatization of the self-evaluation system and internal evaluation of the study programs and of the activity of scientific research;

- elaboration of a new Quality Manual for UMK;

- the elaboration of new qualitative parameters for the appreciation of the didactic and scientific activity;

- correlation of the didactic and scientific performance with the salary level;

- monitoring of losses during the studies and elaboration of measures to counter them.

3.5. The Management of Financial and Material Resources

- the managerial strategy is to separate the academic activity from the administrative one and to continue the decentralization process of activities at the level of the faculties and departments;

- improvement of the organizational structure;

- the academic management elaborates, adopts and evaluates the strategies for the development of UMK, and the administrative management enforces the adopted policies, with accent on the optimum management of existing resources and fund raising;

- an annual increase of at least 10% of the funds of UMK is targeted, in order to ensue the improvement of the didactic, scientific performance and of social activities.

3.6. The Management of Human Resources

- the continuation of the support policy for the staff of UMK to improve themselves by means of PhD’s, master’s degrees or post-university courses organized in the country and abroad.

- the creation of new positions for professors, associate professors, lecturers and teaching assistants, especially for the specializations in the process of accreditation;

- the promotion of a support and encouragement policy for the academic staff to write courses or to republish them so that all disciplines are covered from this point of view.

3.7. The Strategy of the Functional Departments

- the managerial and financial audit is intended to become permanent

- the consolidation of the existing material resources and their use in commercial purposes;

- organizational restructuring, in view of a more efficient use of human, material and financial resources;

- the increase of the role of the Informatics Department in view of implementing the informatics system of university management at the level of secretaries, accounting and management;

- the development of the infrastructure for the publishing and documentation activity;

- the fluidization of the activity of recognition of transferable credits;

- the initiation of the activity of collection of data on graduates of UMK, within the Career Counseling and orientation Center

- the improvement of the communication system, by the improvement of the Marketing Department.

The periodic revision of the objectives, structure and strategies, depending on the impact of the economic and legislative factors on the success of the mission.