We take pride in being the first modern university of Romania, inheriting values, reputation and educational knowledge. Established in October 1860, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi is the oldest university in our country. Its history follows the patterns of the Romanian nation. The University of Iaşi, as it was named at first, was founded in 1860, only one year after the establishment of the Romanian state, and it was both a result and a catalyst of the rise of the Romanian national spirit. It was no historical coincidence that the city of Iaşi became the host of the highest institution in Romanian education: for ages, Iaşi had represented a privileged cultural area, preserving both the native and the European cultural spirit in a conquered territory. In the 17th century, the academy in Iaşi was already synchronized with the European spirit and model. Courses were taught in Greek, the language of culture in the European Orient.