Ftuħ tas-Sena Akademika 2008-2009
Opening Ceremony Academic Year 2008-2009
Diskors tal-Ftuħ tar-Rettur
30.09.08
Ministru, Kanċillier, President u Membri tal-Kunsill, membri tal-korp akkademiku,
ħaddiema tal-Universita`, għeżież studenti.
“Illallu” – din il-kelma baqgħat tidwi f’din is-sala u fil-memorja ta’ dawk kollha li bħali
kellhom il-pjaċir isegwu l-attivitajiet li din l-Universita` organizzat ftit xhur ilu meta
Roberto Benigni qanqal u saħħaħ fina l-imħabba għall-għerf u l-istudju bir-reċitazzjoni
sublimi tiegħu ta’ silta tad-Divina Commedia.
Dak hu preċiżament li rridu nagħmlu ma’ kull wieħed u waħda mill-istudenti li ser jibdew
il-ħajja Universitarja tagħhom illum.
Irridu nqanqlu fihom u nsaħħu s-sens profond ta’ imħabba għall-għerf u l-istudju, mhux
biss għax dan jista’ jgħinhom isibu mpjieg jew xi professjoni, iżda għax l-istudju hu ssalmura tar-ruħ hekk kif ix-xogħol hu s-salmura tal-ġisem.
Jalla kull student u studenta li qegħdin jibdew dan il-kapitlu ġdid f’xi ħin jew ieħor
ikollhom l-okkażjoni li jgħidu “Illallu” f’dawn is-swali ta’ din l-Alma Mater tagħhom, u
dan taħt is-seħer li qaluha dawk kollha li bħali semgħu lil Benigni dik il-lejla. Jalla
jirnexxilna nħallu timbru sabiħ imqar żgħir fuqkom ilkoll, hekk kif Benigni ħalla fuqi.
Din il-ġurnata hi waħda mill-isbaħ fil-kalendarju tal-Universita`.
Illum qed nilqgħu magħna aktar minn elfejn student u studenta ġodda, u magħhom dawn
iġibu sens ta’ tama ġdida, ton ta’ ottimiżmu, iġibu r-rieda u l-ħerqa, u nispera l-imħabba
għall-qari.
Hu importanti li l-Universita` tagħraf kif tkompli tibni fuq it-talenti li jiġu fi ħdanha.
Ilkoll għandna dover biex nipprovdu formazzjoni akkademika u professjonali mill-aqwa
lill-istudenti tagħna – u dan irridu nkomplu nagħmluh b’impenn, b’dedikazzjoni u b’sens
ġeneruż uman.
Hu daqstant importanti li l-istudenti jkomplu jkunu attivi, u jipparteċipaw bis-sħiħ biex
flimkien noħolqu ambjent soċjali u akkademiku ħaj u stimulanti f’dan il-Campus, msejjes
fuq il-muża għat-taħriġ, fuq kurżita` kreattiva u fuq spirtu ta’ impenn.
Għeżież studenti, għan-nom tal-Universita` nilqagħkom bil-qalb:
Ftakru li Degree m’għandhiex tkun sfida ta’ studju pappagallesk, iżda għandha tkun
mixja ta’ qari, skoperti u kreattivita`.
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Ftakru li Universita` mhijiex `lecture centre` fejn wieħed jattendi l-klassijiet biex
minnufih wara jdabbar rasu lejn id-dar.
Ftakru wkoll li l-iskop li tiġu hawn, mhux biss biex iġġibu ċertifikat, iżda biex
tipparteċipaw bis-sħiħ f’attivitajiet varji, fl-isport, fid-drama, fil-mużika, u biex tagħmlu
l-aħjar użu mill-faċilitajiet tal-librerija u mill-opportunitajiet li intom stess tistgħu toħolqu
fi ħdan l-għaqdiet varji tagħkom.
Kunu proattivi. Bħal fil-ħajja tax-xogħol, fl-Universita` tieħu skond dak li inti lest trodd.
Jekk għandkom xi talent, tibżgħux tużawh għall-ġid tagħkom u ta’ oħrajn. Iċċellebraw
din l-opportunita` bis-sħiħ.
Is-sena l-oħra fid-diskors tal-ftuħ nidejt l-iskema `DegreePlus` li nispera diġa’ smajtu
biha, u jekk le, jien ċert li ser tisimgħu biha fil-jiem li ġejjin.
L-għan ta’ din l-iskema hu biex jinħoloq spazju informali fejn kull student u studenta –
hu x’inhu il-qasam ta’ studju tagħhom – jistgħu jipparteċipaw fl-isport jew fit-teatru,
jipprattikaw il-mużika jew xi lingwa, jikkontribwixxu fil-volontarjat, jitgħallmu fuq ilpatrimonju Malti, iżuru kumpaniji u jiltaqgħu ma’ imprendituri ewlenin, jitgħallmu aktar
fuq kif l-aħjar tuża’ t-teknoloġija ta’ l-informazzjoni, jew kif tfassal xi proġett.
Aktar u aktar fi ħdan id-`DegreePlus` l-istudenti huma mħeġġa biex jibbenefikaw millopportunitajiet ta’ skambju ma’ Universitajiet oħra.
Fid-dinja tal-lum, tista’ verament tgħid li għandek formazzjoni universitarja sħiħa jekk
qatt ma tlaqt minn xtutna biex tesperjenza l-ħajja f’pajjiżi oħra, jew biex idduq kulturi,
twemmin u ħsibijiet oħra?
Nassigurakom li bis-safar biss wieħed jista’ verament jifhem il-valur ta’ dak kollu li hu
tajjeb f’pajjiżna, u b’mod oġġettiv, dak kollu li nistgħu nagħmlu aħjar.
Fil-qosor, x’qed ngħid? Qed ngħid dak li għedt qabel. Ftakru li lil hemm mit-taħriġ
preskritt, kull student u studenta għandhom jieħdu kull opportunita` biex jiftħu l-orizzonti
tagħhom.
Studenti universitarji m’għandhom qatt jispiċċaw bħal magna tal-ħart f’għalqa ta’
“credits”, jaħdmu b’mod mekkanistiku fl-ispazju dejjaq ta’ bejn il-klassi u l-laboratorju,
bejn xi “assignment” u xi eżami.
Iżda għeżież kollegi u studenti, il-messaġġ ewlieni tiegħi llum mhux dan ; għalkemm listudenti u l-formazzjoni tagħhom huma u għandhom dejjem jibqgħu għan ewlieni ta’
Universita`. Illum nixtieq ngħid kelmtejn fuq għan ieħor li għandu jkollha Universita`,
partikolarment f’pajjiż ċkejken bħal Malta.
Hawn nolqot it-tema li jien għażilt għal din is-sena: Insarrfu r-riċerka u l-kreattivita`
f’tisħiħ soċjali u ekonomiku.
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Fid-dinja globalizzata tal-lum, il-kompetitivita`, kemm ta’ universita` bħala istituzzjoni, u
aktar u aktar ta’ pajjiż, tiddependi ħafna fuq il-fibra u l-kalibru ta’ riċerka li jħaddnu.
L-Universita` ta’ Malta ilha li għarfet il-ħtieġa li tinvesti aktar fir-riċerka, iżda r-riżorsi u
l-infrastruttura biex dan iseħħ kif suppost qatt ma kienu hemm għal kollox.
Biex inkunu qed ngħidu s-sewwa, f’dawn l-aħħar għaxar snin rajna qabża kbira flattivita` ta’ riċerka f’ħafna fakultajiet. Waħda mill-inizjattivi li ser tibda din is-sena hi lpubblikazzjoni ta’ direttorju ta’ riċerka li jiddeskrivi l-proġetti ta’ riċerka attwali, u lista
tal-publikazzjonijiet tal-akkademiċi tagħna – u dan biex nikkomunikaw aħjar ix-xogħol u
r-riżulati li qegħdin niksbu.
Ħafna mir-riċerka li qegħda ssir fl-Universita` tagħna hi riċerka magħmula fuq bażi
personali li ssostni l-iżvilupp professjonali tal-akkademiċi konċernati, u din tissarraf
f’tiġdid u aġġornament ta’ programmi ta’ studju kif ukoll toħloq sfond għall-istudji ta’
natura avvanzata fil-livell postgraduate, ta’ Masters, kif ukoll ta’ dottorat.
Minn mindu Malta saret membru tal-Unjoni Ewropea, rajna wkoll qabża kbira fl-attivita`
ta’ riċerka ta’ natura aktar sostanzjali, li issa qegħda sseħħ fl-Universita` tagħna,
b’kollaborazzjoni ma’ universitajiet oħra. Mhux biss; f’dawn l-aħħar sentejn bdejna
naħdmu aktar fil-qrib mal-industrija lokali fuq proġetti konġunti ta’ riċerka grazzi għallfond żgħir li jħaddem il-Kunsill Malti għax-Xjenza u t-Teknoloġija.
Dan juri biċ-ċar li l-potenzjal hu hemm; ir-riżultati juru li l-investiment li sar fuq medda
ta’ snin ma nħeliex, iżda llum kulħadd jaqbel li hemm il-bżonn li jsir iktar fil-qasam tarriċerka, kemm fl-Universita` kif ukoll fil-pajjiż.
Din is-sena qiegħed ninpenja ruħi biex niftaħ djalogu mal-Gvern kif ukoll ma’ entitajiet
oħra biex jiġu identifikati proġetti speċifiċi ta’ importanza nazzjonali biex jinbnew
programmi ta’ riċerka fit-tul fl-Universita` li jindirizzaw bżonnijiet u opportunitajiet
attwali jew li jistgħu jolqtu ’l-pajjiż fuq medda ta’ żmien.
L-oqsma bħall-enerġija alternattiva, il-produzzjoni tal-ilma, l-ipproċessar ta’ l-iskart, lambjent marittimu, il-bioteknoloġija, l- applikazzjonijiet varji tat-teknoloġiji diġitali, iddisinn u l-estetika, l-agrikultura u l-ambjent rurali, is-saħħa u l-farmaċewtika, l-identita`
Maltija u Mediterranja, l-iżvilup tal-ilsien Malti mill-aspett fonetiku u lingwistiku
partikolarment fuq mezzi diġitali. Dawn huma fost il-ħafna oqsma li bla dubju huma
relevanti immens għal Malta.
Pero’ ma nistgħux ninfirxu fil-wisa’, hemm bżonn li niffokaw ir-riżorsi tagħna, u dan
għandu jsir fl-isfond ta’ direzzjoni nazzjonali.
Min-naħa tagħha, l-Universita` qed toħloq il-mezz kif timpjega akkademiċi f`postdoctoral research fellowships biex jiddedikaw irwieħhom għar-riċerka għal numru ta’
snin. Permezz ta’ research fellows, l-Universita` ser tkun f’pożizzjoni li tibni portfolio ta’
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riċerka istituzzjonali, issaħħaħ ir-relazzjoni mal-industrija, u tagħti kontribut aktar dirett
fl-iżvilupp soċjo-ekonomiku tal-pajjiż.
Fix-xhur li ġejjin ser nibdew naraw ukoll il-frott ta’ sentejn xogħol biex niksbu fondi biex
nimmodernizzaw numru ta’ laboratorji u biex jinxtara apparat biex tkompli tissaħħaħ linfrastruttura kemm għat-taħriġ kif ukoll għar-riċerka. Barra dan, ser jibda x-xogħol fuq
il-bini tal-IT Services Centre; il-bini l-ġdid tal-Fakulta’ tat-Teknoloġija ta’ lInformazzjoni u l-Komunikazzjoni; u l-bidu ta’ proċess ta’ modernizzar tal-Librerija.
Pass wara pass, għalkemm kollox jieħu żmienu, u ftit jekk xejn ma jiġi faċli, jien ċert li
din l-Universita` qabdet it-triq li hemm bżonn biex tgħin lil dan il-pajjiż isarraf linvestiment li qiegħed jagħmel fikom għeżież studenti, u fikom għeżież kollegi, f’tisħiħ
tas-soċjeta` u tal-ekonomija tagħna – soċjeta` li jilħqilha u ekonomija li tkattarha.
U fuq din in-nota nixtieq ngħid kelmtejn bl-Ingliż għax huwa importanti li niftakru li
għandna studenti barranin fostna, li llum, bil-qalb kollha, qegħdin nilqgħuhom magħna.
Bil-preżenza tagħhom dawn jiftħulna lkoll tieqa fuq pajjiżhom, hekk kif intkom tistgħu
testendu l-viżibilta’ tal-karattru Malti f’pajjiżi oħra meta ssiefru. Grazzi.
Dear international freshers, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the University of Malta
and I thank you for patiently listening to the initial part of my speech which I delivered in
Maltese in accordance with established tradition.
I understand the challenge you face and the excitement of leaving your homeland to
pursue studies abroad, as I myself experienced this when I left home at a young age to
start my University career in England. Coming to terms with a new country and a new
culture whilst delving into one’s study or research programme is a challenge, but, I assure
you that once you settle in you will cherish every moment.
Of course, please do not hesitate to seek the assistance of the International Students
Office should the need arise and please note that Dr Mary Anne Lauri, the Pro-Rector in
charge of Student and Institutional Affairs, and Dr Maureen Cole, my delegate in charge
of International Student Wellbeing, are available to assist you.
A university experience should be a period of discovery and acquisition of skills beyond
the prescribed confines of a specific degree programme.
It is for this reason that last year we launched an initiative branded Degreeplus which is
intended to give Freshers the opportunity to continue learning languages, appreciate
Malta’s cultural heritage, acquire ICT skills, enhance communication and presentation
skills, gain a better insight in the world of enterprise and entrepreneurship and participate
in voluntary work and student societies, and all this in a semi-formal or informal setting.
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The idea here is not to create more work against credits! In fact no formal credits will be
assigned to activities done under this initiative, and indeed nobody will be forced to enrol
or participate.
The idea is to encourage all students to socialise and grow beyond the curriculum of their
degree programme, and acquire informal skills which will undoubtedly enhance their
career and employability.
Your effort and achievement under this scheme will be given due recognition in your
transcript. So, do visit the University website to sign up if you are interested. I hope that
we will make you feel welcomed and cherished as I believe that the experience you bring
with you from your respective backgrounds and respective countries enriches the cultural
and intellectual milieu on campus.
Now, I would like to share with you a few thoughts about this year’s theme: converting
research and creativity into socio-economic growth.
I strongly believe that research and creativity must be the backbone of all modern-day
universities if they aspire to survive the test of time. I see research and creativity as the
basic ingredients that can help define identity and enhance competitiveness.
Likewise, I see research and creativity as key economic drivers as they define the
propensity for innovation and value-creation.
We should move away from the model of measuring the contribution of a university
solely in terms of the number of students being trained, or in terms of the range of degree
programmes on offer.
We should seek to establish a more direct link between universities and socio-economic
drivers, and this can be achieved particularly through the creation of longer-term research
programmes that address issues of national, regional, and global importance.
I believe that these observations apply to every university and every country, but they
apply in particular to a small developing country such as Malta, with only one indigenous
University; and more so as both Malta and its University, are metaphorically as well as
physically, strategically placed at the centre of a sea of change.
I feel that this is a defining moment for Malta. Never have we been faced with so many
opportunities, so many choices, indeed so many opportunities to make the wrong choices.
Malta has an age-old legacy and yet it is a relatively young state. Since its independence,
it has had to draw upon its steadfast resolve to succeed, despite the lack of natural
resources, and despite the fact that globalisation has necessitated the dismantling of
protectionism and the identification of new economic niches.
Today, more than ever, we are called upon to define what it means to be Maltese, and to
be so concurrently with being intrinsically Mediterranean, and European. Today, classical
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society and traditional family structures are being challenged, value-sets are being put to
the test. Indeed, such challenges can only enrich us if we face them from a vantage of
reason, know-how, and a good dose of insight and pragmatism.
Indeed the choices ahead are onerous. We must shed those constraints of the past which
don’t serve us, whilst retaining those aspects of our values and our culture that define
who we are; and we must have the wisdom to know the difference.
It is no cliché to say that Malta must continue to invest in and draw upon its education
system to survive. It is here that the University must play a crucial role.
The University of Malta is a modern university with ancient roots; indeed this University
traces its origins to the founding of the Collegium Melitense in 1592. This said, it is only
of late that the University started to extend its vision beyond that of a training school for
the classical professions.
Despite the fact that it does not possess endowments, and despite the fact that it has had
to grow rapidly to accommodate larger student numbers and a broader portfolio of degree
programmes, our University is being called upon to recast itself not only to continue to
train human capital for the evolving job market, but also to stimulate new economic
niches through well-positioned research programmes of national importance. Moreover,
and perhaps more importantly, the University is uniquely positioned to help Malta define
its identity through the arts, through our heritage, our language, our social and cultural
fabric.
I believe that the future well-being of this University depends very much on the ability of
all of us here today to work together to project a progressive outlook of a university that
is constantly renewing itself, of a university that intends to retain its pride of place as the
cornerstone of our Malta. However, this cannot be achieved if we attempt to do it alone.
The University of Malta must continue to identify strategic partners of repute, on a
degree-programme by programme basis; perhaps, where this makes sense, on a faculty by
faculty basis.
We must continue to extend and strengthen our portfolio of international masters
programmes, and reach out to a larger community of international students, because the
only way of developing our identity is by juxtaposing it against that of others; the only
way we can grow intellectually is through exposure to diverse views.
So once again, without further ado, I would like to sincerely welcome you all –
academics, support staff, and local and international students - to a productive and fruitful
year.
Let’s make this year another excellent one, let’s carry our legacy with pride.
Thank you very much for your attention.
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