Ceremony 1
24 November 2008
Expanding our horizons- broader and higher
Oration delivered by Dr George Attard, Director Institute of Agriculture
Today is your day, again! Your achievement, which e are together celebrating today, is not your
academic first, and it will hopefully not be your last. But, it is still a big day in which you, or rather
we, see the fruits of our labours being successfully harvested.
Why did I say we? University is not an ‘I’ thing! It is the ultimate ‘we’. A successful
University is the sum total of the success and achievement of its members, whether the
imparters, the receivers, the discoverers or the compilers of knowledge. To be, a University
needs its lecturers, its students, its library, and its researchers. Without either, it would face the
not to be option so eloquently ventilated by Hamlet – suicide!
A University is not simply a school, where the roles of teacher and student are clearly
defined, and the flow of information is one way and dogmatic. Discussion, research and
guidance are key elements of the University learning experience, and results are achieved
collectively. So, today is, yes, your day, individually marking your graduation at this higher level
of Tertiary education, but it is also our day, collectively, as a body of learning that is this evening
seeing itself enriched by more of its individual members being recognised for their sacrifice,
commitment and achievement.
When asked to present this short address, I found myself facing a bit of a quandary
about what the topic should be. Should I use this platform to promote the Institute of
Agriculture? Should I maybe expound on the undoubted merits and contribution of agriculture to
society, thus narrowing the scope, serving my closest interests, and in the process, lose your
attention and end up contributing nothing? No.
Although daunted by the sheer mass and breadth of knowledge and wisdom you, my
audience, represent, I shall avoid navigating such narrow straits and, with my brief speech I
shall venture to float some ideas about the University in general as food for thought for all of us
gathered here tonight.
The study of agriculture is perhaps a good exemplar of a vision for the further
development of our University. The natural sciences, economics, sociology, marketing and a
myriad other disciplines, come together to make sure that we can continue to feed the world,
while respecting and cherishing the environment. Our students receive and exchange
knowledge about all these aspects, albeit always within the narrow parameters of the immediate
requirements of their area of studies, and also limited by existing knowledge. Following that brief
break, promoting the area I work in, I shall now attempt to get to the points I am trying to make.
Knowledge has two dimensions, which we shall tag for the moment as horizontal and vertical.
While the horizontal aspect is wide and broad, and refers to a varied subject matter that
transcends traditional subject boundaries, the vertical is herein being used to refer to a narrow
specialisation on the individual level and further research to increase and build upon the body of
knowledge available to mankind.
Let us start with the horizontal. A previous graduate of the Institute of Agriculture,
recently back from post-graduate studies abroad, confessed to me that in his inter-actions with
fellow students, while holding his own at worst, and even excelling, when dealing with academic
matter, used to feel like an intellectual minnow when out of class discussions and conversations
veered away from the immediate focus of the course he was following. Although having
distinguished himself in his studies, he expressed a heartfelt disappointment with this
shortcoming he felt in his broader knowledge credentials, and came back itching to fill the
vacuum challenging his completeness as a learned individual. In his words, he said he still
needed to work hard to feel that he deserved the second sapiens in the name of our species
HOMO Sapiens sapiens.. What does this tell us about the results we are achieving? Granted,
our students and graduates boast excellence and have no reason to play second fiddle to any
other student from wherever, in their chosen fields of study. But, what about intellectual
broadening of horizons? What about universality of thought, which is what a University should
be all about? It is my humble opinion that there is still a lot to be done in this area.
Academically the forging of closer links between the various faculties and institutes,
through shared components and even co-organised course offerings, will result in a wealthier
crop of better prepared individuals year after year. Pure 24 carat gold, being too soft and
malleable, is never used to make jewellery, and is usually supplemented with a mix of copper
and silver to give the range of yellow gold alloys we are accustomed to seeing in the
marketplace. Incidentally, just a quick reference to agriculture again – the carat system of
measurement for precious metals and stones originates from the weight of a single carob seedzerriegha tal-harrub. As in the mixing of metals to produce hardier alloys with more desirable
characteristics, the infusion of other, possibly even unrelated topics, to the main subject matter,
can only enrich the student, who is the future graduate and pillar of society, and as a direct
consequence, the University itself. Certain fields of study seem to be crying out for closer cooperation. The environment and agriculture are a natural couple but hydrology, geology, the
pure sciences and economics also come to mind as possible overlaps with both these areas.
And what about gerontology with relation to our aging farming population, sociology, European
studies?? the list of possible areas of synergy goes on and on and those are only the obvious
ones which are still somehow related through the subject matter. There are also endless
possibilities for enrichment credits that, while being totally alien to the chosen fields of study,
strongly complement the formation of the individual beyond purely academic excellence. To
continue with the previous allusion to jewellery, such credits would serve as the precious stones
studding the gold alloy tiara which our years of hard work and study entitle us to wear in the
form of our qualifications. Aspects of philosophy, literature, history as supplements to the pure
or applied sciences would address the cultural vacuum. On the other hand, the down to earth
realities inherent to scientific study would give a logical dimension to the more theoretical and
idealistic approaches in certain of the humanities. This could easily be achieved through intrauniversity collaboration, but there are other aspects of a complete university formation which
seem to be sorely lacking in the horizontal aspect.
In our educational system, we find a greater leaning towards extracurricular activities as
from the youngest ages. Not so here! Strangely enough, I get the impression that campus life
nowadays is not the bubbling bee hive of activity that one would expect. One vivid memory of
my student days was the annual snooker final which used to be played in the basement of the
canteen building. By co-incidence, and through the individual skill and merits of the two
exponents, the final mostly ended up being a keenly contested match between a medical
student and a law student. Those faculties were then the Montagues and the Capulets of the
campus, and this match would draw in the crowds, albeit a much smaller crowd than what the
university population of today could produce. That same enthusiasm today would have meant
the match would need to be played in the football ground...
Sporting activities seem to have dwindled away, if not to nothing, to a very good imitation
of it, while any clubs for fun and social activities are not as popular as one would expect. Only
the intermingling of the whole of the university population, this also being inclusive of all alumni
and not just present staff and students, at academic, extra academic and social levels can
provide the melting pot in which the alloy of the complete member of the University of Malta can
be forged.
Enough said about the horizontal aspects of this knowledge building institution, and let
us now sit up straight to look at the vertical aspects, by which I mean specialisation and
research. Over the years, we have distinguished ourselves in various specialised areas of study
and academia. We as a nation, and also through this University, have contributed on a
proportion far beyond our numbers, when it comes to distinguished leaders in their respective
fields at the international level. Our community of alumni currently boasts leaders in medicine
and surgery, the creator of a totally new, lateral way of thinking, experts in International and
Maritime Law .and so many more. Our size as a nation, and more so as a University, is belied
by our levels of achievement on the international level.
We should never allow ourselves the luxury of abdicating our responsibility towards
contributing our bit, however small, to the body of world knowledge. The Maltese language,
notwithstanding all the controversy about spelling and use of foreign words and all the issues
that have kept the debate, and the language itself, alive, has at least two words that have
carved a place for themselves in the Oxford English Dictionary – dghajsa and spitchered. In the
same way, our University should not shy away from investing further in research and discovery.
What was possible for Sir Temi Zammit in his time, should not appear to be insurmountable in
this day and age. Heads should come together from the wider membership of this University,
possibly even in joint ventures with other Universities, to come up with research projects that
tackle issues and knowledge shortcomings that face us on a daily basis.
Immediately one such major issue comes to mind, one that has managed to monopolise
more than its fair share of media coverage as an emotional and political issue – the matter of
immigration from the African continent. The debate has raged furiously and is being
spearheaded by opinion leaders, politicians and even crack pots. Rationality and knowledge are
the most conspicuous by their absence in this debate, making room for the discussion to
degenerate. Our University should be THE intellectual leader of the country, and we can,
applying the proper expertise, take the lead in this debate, study this phenomenon happening
around us, and while working to understand the causes, use our collective brainpower to come
up with real and realisable projects that will address the root causes, in a scientific, economic,
human and social way. With this matter being so high on the European agenda, I am confident
that a well co-ordinated team from our and other Universities, representing the various
disciplines – such as economists, sociologists, educators, scientists and agronomists - needed
for such a mammoth task, could easily qualify for funding, assistance and co-operation from
international bodies, not least amongst which would be the European Union. From words and
flame fanning, in whichever direction and from whatever source it may be, we, as academics
and intellectuals, could easily take our rightful and obligatory role in Maltese and international
society, and move to concrete action towards addressing this issue. Only thus can the
charlatans, always present when the truly qualified are absent, be moved aside to be replaced
by us, as expounders of common sense, rationality, knowledge and eventually solutions. I
therefore call for the consideration of this idea as a possible road that we as a University can
take and thus reaffirm the purpose of scholarship as social action, in a win win situation for both
society and the University.
I promised a brief intervention, but seemed to have failed miserably. Sincere apologies
for holding you so long from the pleasure of the conferment of your well deserved degrees. It
has been an honour and a privilege for me to have the occasion to sow my thoughts on such
potentially productive ground as the fertile minds present today
Thank You