Part 5

Many personalities of the Romanian culture worked in here, creating and making known the values that have for ever enriched the Romanian spiritual inheritance: Grigore Cobalcescu, Petru Poni, Alexandru Phillipide, A.D.Xenopol, Gh.I.Bratianu, Garabet Ibraileanu, Iorgu Iordan, Mihai Ralea, Petre Andrei, Traian Bratu, Dragomir Hurmuzescu, Alexandru Myller, Nicolae Leon, Ion Borcea, Radu Cernatescu, Stefan Procopiu, Octav Mayer, George Calinescu, and others.

After World War II, with Romania�s coming under the influence of Soviet communism, the Romanian academic teaching system had to withstand the new rules, which marred its dignity and authentic mission. By the Communist laws of 1948, 1968 and 1978, highly ideologized programmes and planning came into being, certain fields and specialisations were omitted, important domains were limited or eliminated, curricula were subjected to extreme rigidity and to excessive centralism, academic freedom was restricted, every activity being guided and checked by the bodies of the only political party allowed to exist.

Some members of the teaching staff were forced to leave the University because of their democratic views, while others �adjusted� themselves to the new requirements, either obeying the �directions� of the centralized institutions or cleverly avoiding ideological demands. The fact is that even after World War II, the Iasi University could ensure for undergraduates a relatively distinguished and open atmosphere due to the presence of first rank personalities like Andrei Otetea, Gheorghe Ivanescu, Teofil Simenschi, Vasile Pavelcu, Stefan Bârsanescu, Petre Botezatu, Alexandru Dima, etc., who were faithful to authentic academic values.