ROMÂNĂ 
ENGLISH VERSION 
Danubius University, represented by Associate Professor Andy Puşcă PhD, president of Danubius University and Professor William B. Harvey PhD, Rector of Danubius University, together with representatives of the United States Embassy in Bucharest, accompanied by Fulbright American professors opened the photography exhibition THEN AND NOW, which contains a number of 55 photographs presenting images of the life in the communist regime, in antithesis to the life in the post-December era, an exhibition initiated by the US Embassy in Bucharest.
The opening of this exhibition was attended by representatives of Danubius University management, but also by representatives of the local authorities from Galați and Brăila: the president of Galaţi County Council, Mr. Costel Fotea, the deputy mayor of Galati, Lucian-Valeriu Andrei, the mayor of Brăila, Mr. Marian Dragomir, the deputy mayor of Brăila, Mr Alexandru Jantea Crican, the vice-president of Brăila County Council, Mr. Ciprian Ionuţ Dobre and Dr. Costin Croitoru, manager of "Carol I" History Museum in Brăila.
The president of Danubius University, Associate Professor Andy Pușcă PhD confessed that: "we are both honored and proud to host this exhibition at our university and we want to have as many visitors as possible, to enjoy the opportunity to see the history as it is illustrated through the eyes of these artists of the image."
The cultural attaché of the US Embassy in Bucharest and representative of the Public Diplomacy Section of the Embassy, William J. O'Connor, who was present at this event, confessed that "A picture is worth a thousand words".
The exhibition was originally developed by the US Embassy in Bucharest to display photos that capture the communist era and juxtapose them with today's society. It highlights the benefits of freedom and democracy for all Romanians and aims to remind everyone, especially the generations born after 1989, what communism and the oppression, the fear and injustice that defined it looked like. In history, we may find more information than in other fields. Its wealth is probably what attracts us the most, the idea that we could learn something about ourselves from this odds and ends box, about how it was then and how it is now.
The event could not have started without the members of Galaţi Branch of Tomis Cultural Association (TCA), who, at the beginning, gave the guests the honour, in period uniforms.
"It is our responsibility to help people better understand what happened in the past, to find out how they can save the future," said the Rector of Danubius University, Professor William B. Harvey.
This event also represents the start of the national essay contest for high school students, a contest that will have the same theme, "Thoughts and opinions on then and now." The students will send an essay of maximum two pages that will present their opinion on the exhibition theme. There will be two categories of registration, real and virtual, depending on how students have access to our exhibits, as some of them will physically visit this exhibition and others will be able to see the photos on the website www.univ-danubius.ro, organized and sponsored by Danubius University.
The students wishing to participate will first see this historic photographic exhibition, which is currently on display in the university halls. Moreover, in recognition of the fact that 2022 is the thirtieth anniversary from the founding of Danubius University, every month there will be cash prizes for the best three works during each month: 200 lei for first place; 150 lei for the second place and 100 lei for the third place. In addition, seven honorable mentions will be selected and the authors of the essays will receive a certificate of merit and a T-shirt with the slogan of Danubius University: "Young, Smart and Beautiful".
Therefore, according to the rector of Danubius University, Professor William B. Harvey, PhD: “Put your ideas on paper and do it right now! The more you think about it, the more your ideas will come to you, the more you will be able to capture the ideas on paper - the better essay is gonna be.”
