GROWING TOGETHER
F.E.M.A
A Newsletter for Students and Staff of the
Department of Public Policy
Volume 1, Issue 1
July 2005
Inside this issue:
This Academic Year
Another new academic year is beginning As usual during the summer we
were kept busy
writing references
for students seeking
new pastures in the
world of work and
study. And it gives
us great pleasure to
hear from students
that their applications have met with
success. It is not
easy for graduates
to get the right job
at the first time of
asking. Lack of work
experience is a
handicap which initially seems insurmountable. But
quality always tells
in the end and most
of our former
graduates report
that once having
demonstrated their
real qualities they
tend to move up
the ladder quite
fast. I got an email
to this effect from a
former student who
thought that he
should let us know
about his recent
success and of the
sense of fulfillment
he now feels.
This Year’s Graduates to be
2
What to Expect
2
The Marking
Scheme Explained
2
Getting to Know the 3
Academic Staff
Meet our Secretary 3
Matthew Dimech Graduate
First Class Hons. Year 2006,
since May Executive Secretary,
Msida Local Council.
It’s Up to You
3
Summer Fun
Looking Back
4
Special points of interest:
Its not what other students say…………….!
Students often come to us
seeking to be illuminated
about some rumour they
picked up from other students. Is it true, they ask,
that lectures for next week
have been cancelled? When
I ask them were they got
this information they gener-
ally reply that they heard it
from some other students.
Let us be clear on this. If
you want information consult the Notice-boards in
the Department. All relevant information will be
placed there. On other occasions relevant information
will be imparted by the lecturers during their lectures.
Please note that the
Department secretary
does not attend lectures
and therefore it is useless to bother her with
queries which she cannot answer.
• Always consult
the Notice Board
in the Department
for information.
•
It is imperative
that you observe
student hours
when accessing
our Secretary.
GROWING TOGETHER
Page 2
“Choosing public
policy as a major
was definitely the
right choice for me,
as I've learnt a lot,
especially this last
year, which was a
wonderful experience, thanks all lecturers”
Lorraine Montesin
(2003-07)
This Year’s Graduates to be
There is nothing that
gives members of this
Department more pleasure than to see our students concluding their
undergraduate studies
with such success. Four
students obtained an A in
their final year dissertation with one of them
actually obtaining a mark
of over 90. This success
builds on the success of
past years but in an even
more pronounced way.
In 2004 Prof John Dixon,
from the University of
Plymouth noted in his
report to Rector that
one of the dissertations
presented (that of Bernard Mallia), was of publishable quality for any
scholarly journal in the
discipline. He repeated
the same remark two
summers ago, this time in
connection with the dissertation submitted by
Stephanie Scicluna.
This year four dissertations have again achieved
a standard that projects
the Department of Public
Policy as one of the leading departments in the
University of Malta. It is
now not only its staff that
enjoy international recognition but its students
too. Well done to Alistair, Claire, Lorraine and
Ayrton. Commitment
breeds success.
below the marking is
based on four main
elements:
*Knowledge of Basic
Concepts—30%
*Unity and Cohesion in
Presentation –15%.
What to expect
“After I graduated I
worked as a
research analsyt with
the Efficiency Unit. I
now work with the
Communications
Authority. I can say
that the Public Policy
course helped me a
lot by giving me the
analytical skills
necessary to take on
a leadership role and
in creating the 'base'
for my career and
self development. I
cannot but express
my deepest gratitude
and thank you all for
giving me confidence
in the future.“
Daniel Borg
(2001 –05)
The Department has a
marking scheme which
was developed to ensure that students
would understand the
mark / grade they are
assigned for their work
and their examinations.
As one can see from
the scheme outlined
*Analysis—35%
*Evidence of Independent Reading—20%
On the basis of the
above, students are
encouraged to discuss
their performance with
the tutors concerned.
The Scheme Explained
Every subject involves
the learning of relevant
concepts. When tested
one of the things expected from students is
to show they have
learnt these basic concepts by making reference to them in their
work. But this is not
enough and you will
see the ability of the
student to discuss relevant issues in the light
of these concepts has a
higher rating of 35%.
Also important is for
students to show that
they have not remained firmly dependent on class notes.
They are expected to
read independently.
Finally, a well organized
presentation deserves
its reward and the
scheme does that too.
Volume 1, Issue 1
Page 3
Getting to know the Academic Staff
As it is the case with every
other Department within
the Faculty, the Department
of Public Policy consists of a
number of full-time and
part-time visiting lecturers.
Our full-time members not
only hold doctorates from
renowned overseas universities but enjoy an international reputation. Their
research has appeared in
refereed international
scholarly journals and each
one of them has at some
stage or another lectured at
educational institutions
abroad. Dr Edward Warrington last year spent time
at the European Institute of
Public Administration in
Maastricht; Prof. Godfrey
Pirotta has presented papers at the Bocconi University in Milan and has been
appointed a member of the
Advisory Board of the International Policy Organization. Rev Dr Charles
Tabone has continued with
his good work in Albania
and his research work on
issues connected with family policy in Malta.
Current part-time members
of staff are Ms Anne Marie
Thake, a specialist in HRM,
Mr Alfred Grixti, a specialist
in Industrial Relations, Mr A
Camilleri, a specialist in
Statistics, Dr Keith Grech,
specialist in European Affairs, Mr Adrian Dalli, a specialist in policy issues, Mr
Godwin Mifsud, a specialist
in economic policy, Mr
Mario Vassallo, our research specialist.
Housing Policy in Malta
by Vakili-Zad was the
product of a Working
Group set up by the
Department in 2003.
Meeting our Secretary
Ms Amanda Buttigieg is the
person who keeps us all
sane! Her efficient management of the affairs of the
Department helps us to
carry out our responsibilities in the best manner possible.
Unfortunately, she only
serves the Department on a
part-time basis and hence
we see her only for a few
hours each day. She shares
an office with the Secretary
of the Institute for Labour
Studies which is totally
separate from the Department.
Students must therefore
familiarize themselves with
the hours and days when
Amanda is present in the
Department.
It is important that students observe students
hours. The tendency by
students to come as they
please cannot be tolerated.
Neither the practice by
some students to leave
messages with the other
Secretary. We will ignore
such messages.
lectures is a grossly mistaken one. You are not only
expected to read the texts
set but to maintain an interest in current affairs—both
local and foreign—by reading such publications as The
Economist, The Financial
Times and journals.
University is not about regurgitating the notes taken
down at lectures. We in the
Department of Public Policy
expect that students demonstrate that they have
read widely under their
own steam.
If you want to end up with a
good degree and a sound
career—listen to this advice.
It’s Up to YOU!!
People come to university
to read for a degree. Yes,
that’s right, to read for a
degree. University is all
about exploring new ideas
and about debating issues
and ideas. And these ideas
and issues unfold as we
speak. The idea, therefore,
that some students entertain they need only listen to
Stephanie Scicluna receiving the
prize for Best Dissertation from
Mr Gene Gretchen, Head of ST
Microelectronics in Malta. Mr
Gretchen delivered a lecture on
Corporate Social Responsibility
as part of our presentation evening.
F.E.M.A
Summer Fun
Summer B.B.Q at
Golden Bay with
our 3rd Year Students. They had
good reason to
celebrate!
Department of Public Policy
University of Malta
MSIDA MSD06, MALTA
Phone: 2340 2726
Fax: 21340251
E-mail: amanda.buttigieg@um.edu.mt
Public Policy
“We make leaders out
of ordinary people”
Our commitment
breeds success—if you
have the first we help
supply the other.
Organisation—First Class—by Keith Abela; entertainment—from all
those who attended. Pictures Chris Enriquez.
Looking Back –Looking Forward
As John Lennon once
sang ‘another year is
over’ and the heat of
summer is upon us.
For those in our field it
is a time to pursue research projects and to
spend some leisurely
evenings with friends
and family.
But before we say
good bye for the summer there are a number of people I wish to
thank from the heart.
The first is our secre-
tary Amanda Bartolo.
During this year many
changes were introduced and Amanda
helped no end to make
sure that life went on
as normal.
I wish to thank our
academic staff who
through their hard
work have produced a
new crop of potential
leaders for Malta. The
unique success being
enjoyed by our students is a testimony to
that hard work.
And to our crop of
third year Honours
students: getting to
know you was a real
pleasure and a privilege. Thank you for
being such a stimulating
bunch. I will treasure
the friendship built
during these past years
and will look forward
to your news as you
step into the world of
career and family. No
doubt some of you will
come back to join our
MA. So be seeing you!
Godfrey A. Pirotta
Head
Department
of
Public Policy
University of Malta