Dr. Steve O. Michael, Arcadia University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, has been named to the board of trustees for Danubius University, the top-ranked private university in Romania. He becomes the first international member of the university’s governing board.

Danubius specializes in law, economics, communications and international relations, with researchers focusing on the legal, economic and social domain in Romania and in the European community.

Michael has been working with Danubius for almost a decade.In the letter appointing Michael to the Board, Dr. Andy Puşcă, Rector of Danubius University wrote, “The exceptional qualities revealed through your active participation and collaboration within the evolution and development of Danubius University during the last decade offer us the unique pleasure of inviting you to become a member of our Danubian academic community.”  The letter further states, “The vast and unconditional support you offered has led to increasing collaboration and cooperation between our universities at the highest level, to the very brilliant development of our academic communities.”

Accepting his appointment to the Board, Michael responded, “it is indeed a great honor and privilege to serve the students, faculty, staff, and supporters of Danubius University. Under the leadership of the founder, Rector BenonePuşcă and its newly installed President, Dr. Andy Puşcă, as well as its excellent faculty and staff, and its ambitious and hard working students, the University is well positioned to become a major higher education force not only in Romania, but also throughout the Eastern European region.”

Michael has published and consulted widely in the field of higher education administration around the world and was previously awarded an honorary doctorate from Danubius University for his work around the Black Sea region. Michael is co-founder of the Black Sea Higher Education Association and co-founder of Global Advancement of Universities and Colleges. His wide-ranging international background is in keeping with Danubius University’s strategic objectives of implementing the European dimension in education, expanding scientific research, and improving the university’s management.

“I cannot imagine a finer choice than Arcadia’s Provost, Dr. Michael, to be the first international member of Danubius’ governing board,” says Arcadia University President Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III. “Steve has been frequently called upon by the American Council on Education (ACE) to lead a variety of initiatives for ACE in the United States, he is an active scholar and thought leader on university leadership, and there are few who are his equal in appreciating both the importance and the mechanics of global education. This will also enable Arcadia and Danubius to work more closely on creating pathways of excellence to benefit our faculty and students.”

Danubius’ leaders opened their arms last spring to welcome 20 honors students from Arcadia in a Preview course on “Cultural Crossover and Change.” The students’ learning included a week-long journey to study cultural crossroads in the changing nation of Romania. Michael accompanied the students and was instrumental in developing a memorandum of understanding between Arcadia and Danubius that is leading to the collaborative development of new academic programs. As part of that, Arcadia is working with Danubius to develop an International M.B.A. program in Romania, which, if successful, would be Arcadia’s second international M.B.A. campus, the first being in Singapore. The Arcadia program would be designed to help Romanian executives navigate the challenges of international markets and globalization.

Next year, Danubius University will host the Third International Conference of the Global Advancement of Universities and Colleges. The Danubius University Administrative Council is engaged in “the laborious development process of the new Romanian academic life,” said Rector Puşcă. Naming Michael to the board is “a new step forward toward the development of our glorious future together.” Puşcă noted Arcadia’s growing international reputation as he commented on the inauguration President Oxholm last spring.