Update: Romanian academic renounces SNSPA award after Donald Trump’s nomination for Nobel prize
Update: Roughly 20 SNSPA students also began protesting on Friday, March 14, against the institution's decision to nominate the US president Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. The students brought signs saying, among others, “we are antifascist students.” They are demanding rector Remus Pricopie’s resignation, according to HotNews.
The current protest goes beyond those gathered in front of the university. The Student Council of the National School of Political and Administrative Studies also criticized the university's decision, highlighting that the students were not consulted in advance. They say that they did not endorse the nomination in the SNSPA Senate, .
"We, the student representatives, did not cast any 'yes' votes in the Senate meeting on 13.03.2025. Thus, the decision was made without student support, which we find alarming, and we believe that, once again, the SNSPA leadership has chosen to ignore students, the supposed beneficiaries of the institution’s activities," the council stated on Instagram. "We believe that such an initiative requires broader consultation and a more transparent decision-making process, given the academic, diplomatic, and ethical implications of such a nomination," the SNSPA student representatives continued.
In an open letter sent later, students and alumni of the institution called on SNSPA rector Remus Pricopie and the university council to "reconsider this proposal." Furthermore, the signatories also demanded a "public apology."
Initial story: Vladimir Tismăneanu, a well-known professor of political science and director of the Center for the Study of Post-Communist Societies at the University of Maryland, announced on Friday, March 15, that he has decided to renounce the title of Doctor Honoris Causa awarded by the National School of Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA), after the university nominated US president Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Bucharest-based SNSPA university, led by Remus Pricopie, announced the nomination in an official statement.
The proposal comes as JD Vance, US vice president, and Trump’s key associate, billionaire Elon Musk, have consistently criticized Romania for an alleged abandonment of democratic values. The announcement was even more controversial as SNSPA is generally viewed as a rare threshold of the Western-style, left-wing progressivism in an otherwise majority conservative country.
As a result, many have criticized the university, a wave culminating with Vladimir Tismăneanu’s announcement.
“In June 2012, during the full-scale USL-led coup, I returned the Bătianu Prize of the National Liberal Party (PNL). On Thursday, March 13, 2025, I announced that I am renouncing the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from SNSPA. In both situations, for reasons of honor,” Tismăneanu wrote on Facebook.
The nomination, however, may be seen as an apt political move. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize is a longtime “obsession” for Trump, according to American news portal Axios, and Romania is reportedly facing difficulties in establishing contacts with the Trump administration.
Vladimir Tismăneanu served as president of the Presidential Commission for the Analysis of the Communist Dictatorship in Romania from March to December 2006. Between February 2010 and May 2012, he was the president of the Scientific Council of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile (IICCMER).
He has held the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from SNSPA since 2003. In July 2011, president Traian Băsescu awarded him the National Order of Merit in the rank of Grand Officer for his sustained efforts in promoting democracy in Romania, according to G4Media.
(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)
