The Vice-Rector of USV Suceava, Ștefan PURICI, at FERM 2025: “Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava can become a landmark and a development engine for the region”
100 economic opportunities for the development of the Moldova Region on the A7 Highway route
Panel “Investments”
The 19th Edition of the Regional Economic Forum Moldova, Vatra Dornei, 2025
SPEAKER – Ștefan PURICI – Vice-Rector, USV Suceava
Topic – “Human Resources – University and Regional Economy”
Within Panel 1 – Strategic Investments in the Extended Region of Moldova of the Regional Economic Forum Moldova, 19th edition, held in Vatra Dornei, Prof. Dr. Ștefan Purici, Vice-Rector of the “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, delivered a firm and articulate message about the role of higher education in regional development. Starting from the social and economic realities of the northeastern region, he advocated for a development model that combines infrastructure, investments, and the training of qualified human resources.
The Myth of Diplomas and the Reality of Numbers
The Vice-Rector dismantled one of the persistent ideas in the Romanian public space – that Romania has “too many higher education graduates”:
“There is, at the level of Romanian society, not only Romanian but generally, a myth that we have too many people with diplomas. In reality, however, if we compare ourselves to other European countries, we rank among the lowest regarding the number of people with higher education.”
This reality is even more pronounced in the Northeastern Region, which, although densely populated, receives a smaller number of state-funded places in higher education:
“Regionally, this part of the country, Moldova, receives fewer state-funded places relative to the population existing in this region.”
Adapting the Educational Offer to the Labor Market Reality
To address these imbalances and needs, the University of Suceava has launched in recent years a broad process of reforming the educational offer, oriented towards the current demands of the regional and global economy:
“‘Ștefan cel Mare’ University tries to approach high school graduates with programs that meet the requirements of the local and regional market. One example is the recently established Medicine program, which tries to fill a gap felt in many localities of Suceava County and beyond.”
Programs in areas of strategic future have also been launched:
“We talk about Cyber-Security, a program extremely suitable for the current international and national context. We talk about artificial intelligence – we will develop a joint program with universities in Europe, within which our graduates will specialize in this field.”
In parallel, the university is eliminating unattractive or outdated specializations, in an effort to rationalize and streamline university education.
Education, Infrastructure, and Investments – An Inseparable Relationship
Purici clearly emphasized that training specialists is not enough without developing regional infrastructure that allows attracting investments and retaining the workforce:
“Without well-developed infrastructure, we cannot bring investments that, in turn, require a qualified and numerous human resource.”
The university assumes an active role in cultivating loyalty towards the region:
“We cannot train highly qualified human resources who then leave without bringing benefits to local communities or society as a whole. We try to train them for the local economy, for the economy of the Republic of Moldova.”
In this context, the Vice-Rector stated that USV can become a ‘development vector’ for the entire eastern area of Romania:
“‘Ștefan cel Mare’ University of Suceava can become a landmark and a development engine, especially as the infrastructure being developed – the A7 and A8 highways, airports, other types of infrastructure – will facilitate a closer connection between education, the economy, and real life.”
Conclusion: The University – An Essential Actor in the Region’s Reconfiguration
Vice-Rector Ștefan Purici’s speech brought to the forefront an integrated vision of regional development: without adequate education, without cross-border partnerships, and without coordinated investments, the Moldova Region cannot recover the gaps relative to the rest of the country and Europe. In this equation, the university is no longer just a diploma provider but a strategic actor – a leader trainer, an initiative catalyst, and a link between infrastructure, capital, and communities.
