Ioan Aurel Pop resigned from the leadership of the Council responsible for the attestation of university titles, CNATCU, Mircea Dumitru becomes president until the expiration of the current mandate, in 2024 / Pop, self-suspended, said in 2022 that this is an “anachronistic” institution, but has kept until now the title of president

Ioan-Aurel Pop / Photo: Alex Tudor – Agerpres Photo

Ioan Aurel Pop, the president of the Romanian Academy, resigned from the General Council of CNATDCU, the forum that until recently was best known for the verification of plagiarized doctorates, and academician Mircea Dumitru, until now vice president, becomes president of CNATDCU, according to an order of the minister Education, published on Wednesday in the Official Gazette. The resignation of Ioan Aurel Pop comes several years after he self-suspended from office, self-suspension renewed every six months, during which the CNATDCU was led de facto by vice-presidents, by rotation.

Ioan Aurel Pop thus leaves the leadership of the Council (renamed Commission in the new Higher Education Law – ed.) of the National Attestation of University Titles, Diplomas and Certificates in the last year of the current mandate. And this, given that he described the institution as early as 2 years ago – when CNATDCU became the target of concerted attacks to remove it from the circuit of checking doctorates suspected of plagiarism – as “anachronistic” and which “must be abolished”.

The ministerial order now published in the Official Gazette changes the nominal composition of CNATDCU, for the 2020-2024 mandate. The change takes place in consideration of the resignation of Ioan Aurel Pop, registered on February 28more precisely:

• “the vacancy of a seat in the composition of the General Council from the structure of the National Council for Attestation of University Titles, Diplomas and Certificates, by the resignation of Mr. Pop Ioan Aurel, registered with no. 9,006 of 28.02.2024”

This resignation determines the change in the composition of the General Council of CNATDCU in this mandate, as follows:

• Mircea Dumitru (Romanian Academy), until now vice-president, becomes president
• Valentina Sandu-Dediu (National University of Music in Bucharest), until now a member, becomes vice-president in the place previously occupied by Mircea Dumitru
• Gabriela Marinoschi (Romanian Academy) becomes a member in place of Valentina Sandu-Dediu

Their mandates expire this year, when the current mandate of all CNATDCU members ends.

This institution was a key element in checking doctoral theses suspected of plagiarism. But, after a decision of the Constitutional Court in 2022 and after the entry into force of the new Higher Education Law, the role of CNATDCU from this point of view became a secondary one.

Ioan Aurel Pop suspended himself from the leadership of CNATDCU since the first part of his mandate, claiming that he cannot cope with all his tasks, being also president of the Academy and university professor.

A year later, when CNATDCU had become the target of concerted efforts to limit its powers and even abolish it, Ioan Aurel Pop, suspended and replaced, every six months, by a vice-president of the institution, attacked the forum where, technically , still retain the title of president. He conveyed to the then rector and minister that “CNATDCU is an anachronistic institution and I agree that it must be abolished. For plagiarism, we have ethics commissions at all levels”.

At the time of his appointment as president, Edupedu.ro recalled how, in 2012, Ioan Aurel Pop criticized the entire CNATDCU leadership for the plagiarism verdict in the case of Prime Minister Victor Ponta and how those who, 12 years ago, were criticized by him then became vice-presidents – including Mircea Dumitru, newly appointed CNATDCU president from the Romanian Academy, the one who reconfirmed the plagiarism decision in the Ponta case at the University of Bucharest, where he was rector at the time.

• Mircea Dumitru, professor of philosophy, was, among others, Minister of Education in the Dacian Cioloș government (2016).

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