Dr. Steve O. Michael, the President and Co-Founder of the Association of Global Advancement of Universities and Colleges (AGAUC, see www.agauc.org), as well as the Rector and CEO of Danubius International University, received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 conference organized by AGAUC, Xian International University (XAIU), and Danubius International University (DIU). This Award recognizes his outstanding contributions to international higher education and his lasting impact on the growth of academic institutions worldwide. Those honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony include Dr. Huang, the President and Founder of Xian International University, China, and Dr. Sergey Zaprygaev, Professor and Vice Rector Emeritus of Voronezh State University, Russia. 

Throughout his career, Dr. Steve O. Michael has distinguished himself through visionary leadership, strategic efforts to enhance educational quality, and the development of international academic partnerships. As Rector of Danubius International University, he has promoted the values of academic excellence, innovation, and global collaboration. The AGAUC-XAIU-DIU Award not only recognizes his professional accomplishments but also highlights his commitment to the transformative role of education in society.

Expressing his gratitude, Dr. Michael states, “I have been fortunate to travel the world and observe the power of good education in transforming civilizations and humanity, even as I have regrettably observed the impact of miseducation that fuels human conflicts, racism, ultra-nationalism, xenophobia, and poverty. I have found homes far from home and families that extend beyond our narrow definitions of what they are. To my family, my international families, and future contributors to world peace and progress, I dedicate this Award.” 

October 25, 2025, Xian International University, China

Xi’an Peihua University in China has awarded Dr. Steve O. Michael, President of AGAUC and Rector & CEO of Danubius International University, a distinguished academic honor by appointing him as the Strategic Adviser to the International Strategy Advisory Board.

This recognition enhances Dr. Steve O. Michael’s academic reputation and demonstrates his ongoing commitment to excellence, innovation, and the global expansion of higher education. Including him on the Strategic Board of Xi’an Peihua University helps build a foundation for expanding academic partnerships between Asian and European institutions, supporting educational exchanges, joint research projects, and institutional development efforts.

In this context, Danubius International University reaffirms its commitment to global cooperation and its role as a promoter of intercultural dialogue and international university collaboration. Accepting the certificate, Dr. Michael remarked, “It is always a privilege to be relevant and an honor to be appreciated. Peihua University is the first female college established in China, and my contributions to the institution will always be in honor of the pioneering women who continue to shatter glass ceilings and open doors for future generations.” At the conference, Dr. Michael delivered a speech titled “In Quest of Gender Parity in Higher Education: Progress and Challenges of Female College Presidents in the United States of America”— a speech dedicated to Dr. Carol Cartwright, the phenomenal first female president of a public university in Ohio, United States.

The event “Danubian Anthropology Days” will take place online on November 15, providing a platform for the exchange of knowledge and best practices in anthropology and related disciplines.

The event is hosted by the School of Human Development and Life Sciences, through the Department of Psychology and Social Work, and brings together researchers and specialists from Romania, Germany, Türkiye, and the Republic of Moldova, offering participants the opportunity to explore interdisciplinary perspectives on contemporary anthropological phenomena.

The School of Human Development and Life Sciences welcomes the participation of all interested parties—students, researchers, and academic staff—highlighting the event’s role as a reference point for strengthening scientific exchanges and international collaboration.

Claudia Stefania Marghiru

At the crossroads between knowledge and social responsibility.

Danubius International University, through its Faculty of Law and International Governance, is honoured to be an institutional partner of the international conference:

Bridging Research and Society:
Reflections on Human Rights and Civil Society Engagement, the closing event of the HRJust-Intersect Observatory.

More details here: https://www.iir.cz/online-bridging-research-and-society-reflections-on-human-rights-and-civil-society-engagement

7 November 2025
09:00–11:30 (Romanian time)
Online

The conference is co-organized by the Institute of International Relations Prague, the World Trade Institute of the University of Bern, the University of Gothenburg, the Swedish Network for European Legal Studies (SNELS), the Danubius International University, and Adjuris International Academic Publisher

During the event, the Dean of the Faculty of Law and International Governance,
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cristina Elena Popa Tache,
will deliver the presentation:

“Research Centres as Engines of Transdisciplinary and Societal Transformation: Insights from CIRET, COST and Adjuris.”

Research that transforms. Knowledge that connects. Society that evolves.