College of Education Dean Marius Boboc (right) hosted a meeting with Andrei Muraru (left), ambassador of Romania to the United States, Tuesday afternoon. Muraru’s visit to the UMSL campus was part of his “50 States, One Community” tour to connect with the Romanian diaspora throughout the country. (Photo by Valerie Furlong)
Marius Boboc was honored to welcome Andrei Muraru, ambassador of Romania to the United States, to the University of Missouri–St. Louis Tuesday afternoon.
“I understand how he wants to connect the Romanian government with the Romanian diaspora in various countries – in this case, the U.S. to see how that can spur exchanges of people, ideas and practices,” said Boboc, a native of Romania and dean of the College of Education. “So, it’s a great honor.”
But Tuesday was not the first time Boboc played host to Muraru. Shortly after Muraru began his tenure as ambassador in 2021, he embarked on the “50 States, One Community” tour. His first stop was Cleveland, home to one of the oldest Romanian communities in the U.S. Boboc, a faculty member at Cleveland State University at the time, helped him kick off the ambitious initiative.
Andrei Muraru listens as UMSL faculty and staff discuss the cutting-edge research being conducted at the university. (Photo by Burk Krohe)
“The focus is on the Romanian communities across the U.S.,” Boboc said. “He’s traveling to see where they’re located, how they’re doing and how, through work with various agencies, the states can support partnerships with Romanian counterparts.”
The visit to the St. Louis region marked the 47th stop on Muraru’s 50-state journey. During the three-day jaunt, Muraru met with civic and faith leaders in the local Romanian community and attended a reception at the World Affairs Council of St. Louis. He concluded the trip with a visit to UMSL.
Muraru spent the afternoon on campus, where he met with a multidisciplinary group of UMSL faculty and staff in the newly renovated Thomas Jefferson Library. Following the meeting, he toured the St. Louis Mercantile Library.
UMSL was represented by Boboc; Jim Craig, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Chris Dames, dean of University Libraries; Maggie Hook, associate director of global experiences for UMSL Global; Cynthia Jobe, director of research development; Scott Morris, director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center; Christoph Schiessl, associate teaching professor in the Pierre Laclede Honors College; and Alina Slapac, a native of Romania and associate professor in the College of Education.
The gathering also included Silvia Magdalena Florescu-Ciobotaru, minister counselor with the Embassy of Romania; Larry Taylor, co-founder of the Yield Lab Asia Pacific and board member of the World Affairs Council of St. Louis; and Kimberley Vuitel, executive director of the World Affairs Council of St. Louis.
Muraru thanked the group for the opportunity to learn more about UMSL and its mission as a public, land-grant university. He added that meeting in-person with the Romanian diaspora and leaders at institutions such as UMSL has successfully forged connections across the nation.
“Washington is a bubble, and for an ambassador, the only way to discover this amazing country is to travel,” he said. “Staying in Washington and reading classified documents is something that, to me, is an experience that belongs to the 20th century.”
After Muraru’s remarks, Jobe led an overview of the high-impact research being conducted on campus. She also highlighted the innovative work happening at UMSL’s institutes and centers such as the Community Innovation and Action Center, the Geospatial Collaborative, the Missouri Institute of Mental Health, the Supply Chain Analytics Center of Excellence and the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center.
Next, Morris explained how the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center is responding to the region’s workforce development needs and helping local businesses scale their operations. Hook then took the floor and spoke about UMSL Global’s role in bringing international students to campus and broadening the horizons of students through study abroad programming. Finally, Craig, Schiessl and Slapac expounded on how their academic units support international students and pursue international collaborations.
Muraru’s “50 States, One Community” tour will conclude next month. Looking back, he’s proud of the relationships that have developed over the past five years.
“We have achieved many good things in all these years,” Muraru said. “I think the best thing that we achieved is, everywhere we put our fingers on the American map, we have friends and partners.”
That network of friends and partners now includes UMSL.
