Neither the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), nor the Hungarian professors of the Medical University of Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureș (MOGYE) could prevent the University getting renamed after George Emil Palade, following the proposal of rector Leonard Azamfirei. But now both politicians and professors are hoping that thanks to the follow-up protests and the favorable results of negotiations, it will be possible to connect Hungarian scientist Miskolczy Dezső to the Nobel laureate Romanian scientist’s name.
Deputy rector Előd Nagy told to kronika.ro, that the decision of the University’s management only widens the gap between the two sides. The University’s only Hungarian leader emphasized that the Hungarian professors can’t, and don’t want either to bring any objections to Emil Palade, but they would have found the process fair, if MOGYE’s new name would include two scientists names, one Romanian and one Hungarian, after the model of Babeș-Bolyai University in Kolozsvár/Cluj-Napoca. A few months ago the Hungarian professors already turned to the Ministry of Education and suggested that professor Dezső Miskolczy’s name would be the most favorable for them, because he played a major role in the medical university’s operation from the very beginning (between 1945-1964) after he relocated from Szeged to Marosvásárhely.
To the question whether the name-giving process could be “undone” somehow, Előd Nagy gave a quite optimistic answer to kronika.ro. In his opinion, takeing into consideration the rector’s statement from January (in which he said he is open for negotiations with the Hungarians), theprocess may not be such a problematic issue as the foundation of the Hungarian faculty is. The topic can be discussed on the 21st of June at the earliest, at a meeting of rector Azamfirei with the Hungarian teaching staff.
Even the mayor is bothered by the new name
Marosvásárhely mayor, Dorin Florea also expressed his opinion about the topic on the Town Hall’s Facebook page. According to him the decision-makers should have asked the opinion of those who played important roles in the University’s heyday. He thinks that the university would had deserved to be named both after its founders and those who revived it. Florea’s opinion is that while the Ministry of Education may well be named after Emil Palade, the Marosvásárhely University should get rather the double name of Bancu-Maros.
“The current name is the result of a decision made by a small group of people in a hurry, which I feel that represents neither the town, nor the country. I think that the rector rushed into this decision.”
mayor Florea wrote.
Green light for the English faculty
The government not only made a decision about the new name of MOGYE, but also approved another decision of the University’s senate from January, which was again contested by the Hungarians. In January, the Senate made a decision to start an independent English faculty, while they were rigidly refusing even the idea of a Hungarian one. According to the plans, the English faculty will have some 300 students: 150 in Marosvásárhely and 150 in Hamburg, Germany. Rector Leonard Azamfirei said repeatedly that they already have the building in Germany where the tuition will be taken place. Deputy rector Előd Nagy, however, has no information about such a building saying that the whole affairs is shrouded in secrecy.
Title image: University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Sciences and Technology of Marosvásárhely/Târgu Mureș
