GROWING TOGETHER
A Newsletter for students and staff
Department of Public Policy
F.E.M.A.
Public Policy Hons students immediately after their final results were published in
2004. They eventually went on to do very well in their careers. This year another
batch of hons students will don caps and togas as they celebrate their graduation.
Some are already launched on exciting careers. We wish them all well
Heading for Another Year
News and information from the
Department
Looking After Your Welfare
This year, to ensure that our students get the best attention the Department has decided to appoint a tutor
for every year of the course. This means that students now have a reference person with whom they
could discuss matters related to the course and to their studies. These tutors are not there to deal with administrative matters and this point must be clearly understood. Administrative matters should be addressed to the administration of the Faculty or the University, depending on the issue. It does no harm for
me to repeat then that these tutors are there to help with academic matters.
Ms Anne Marie Thake is the lecturer who will be responsible for year two students. Please make sure
that, unless the matter is really urgent, to make use of student hours. All members of staff have other responsibilities in addition to teaching and they also need their space to carry them out satisfactorily.
Among these are dissertation supervision and research studies for their Ph.D.
Mr Robert Micallef is the lecturer who will look after year three students. Mr Micallef is a newcomer to
the Department and you should allow for him some time to get to the bottom of the issues that you may
raise with him.
Mr Mario Vassallo is the lecturer who will be responsible for year four students. This is an important
year for these students and they should seek assistance when it is required. Year four students are all familiar with Mr Vassallo as they attended his classes in their second year studies.
If the system is to work as envisaged by the Department students must avail themselves of the service
being offered them. I would be surprised if any other department offers its students such support. Those
of you who direct their issues to me will be re-directed to these tutors. As Head of Department I am not
only responsible for the overall management of the Department but I have to sit on a large number of
committees which take up a lot of my time. Like all tutors I then have to teach and supervise students
writing dissertations.
MA in Public Policy
During the summer months the Department worked to revamp its MA programme which is proving
popular with students from different areas of studies. Currently there are about 20 students beginning the course and one of them is an international student. Participating students come from Public
Policy (as expected), Management, European Studies, International Studies, Psychology and Social
Policy.. The course will be run under the new harmonized regulations drafted by the University. The
course consists of two modules of 30ECTS each and a Dissertation module also of 30 ECTS. It is an
a part-time course and will be run on similar lines as courses run by the Open University and the
University of Oxford. This means that lectures and seminars will be held on Saturdays and that an
intensive tutorial based system will be used. The changes made to this course are the result of feedback from students and staff and we believe they will make the course and our students much
stronger people in the world of work.
Staff News
It is with great pleasure that the Department welcomes two new full-time members of
staff. These are Ms Anne Marie Thake and Mr Robert Micallef. They join Mr Mario
Vassallo who joined the Department of Public Policy in December 2007. Ms Thake is a
graduate of the Department but she continued her postgraduate studies at the University
of Manchester from which she graduated M.Sc. In Human Resource Development. She
has been very active in the private sector within the field of her specialization. She has
been associated with the Department of Public Policy for the last fourteen years.
Mr Robert Micallef comes to the Department from a different but still highly relevant
background. He is a specialist in European Studies and will add greater depth to the
teaching of this area within the Department. At one point in his career he was employed
at the EU Embassy in Malta and retains close links with European Union affairs.
To both of you: WELCOME ABOARD!!!
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.
“I am typing this e-mail from Warwick university! am finally settled now, getting used to
the place and the system of the university. Its proving to be a very interesting experience
with something new happening everyday. The lectures I had during Public Policy are
proving their worth now as the experience I gained from them makes me more confident
and capable than others. They also give us allot of lecture pre-readings and once again I
am prepared for such work from the numerous readings we during Public Policy. This
puts me well on par with other students. So thanks Really!”
Julian Rausi
A Visit to Gutenburg Press
Malta’s Leading Printing Press
In July Mr Mario Vassallo and myself were hosted at Gutenberg Press. The visit was made special by the
fact that our tour guides were two former students: Mr Nicolai Portelli, Foreign Accounts Executive with
the company and Ms Blodwen Spiteri who this year will graduated First Class in Public Policy. The pictures were taken by another neo –graduate Keith Abela whose dissertation made the headlines in the
Maltese just days after the final result was published. On the left is Mr Spiteri, owner of Gutenberg. Incidently both my books, The History of the Maltese Public Service and my lavish study of Malta’s Parliament, were printed at Gutenberg.