Ceremony 1
Academic Oration
Thursday 18 November 2010 at 1630hrs
JESUITS’ CHURCH – VALLETTA
Then, Now and the Future
Professor Dion Buhagiar
Department of Building and Civil Engineering
Faculty for the Built Environment
Distinguished guests, fellow academics, ladies and gentlemen, graduates, I would like to
thank the Senate of the University of Malta for inviting me to deliver this oration, I am
honoured and privileged to stand here before this kaleidoscope of intellectual diversity.
I must confess that preparing this talk proved to be quiet challenging. Normally I am
much more at ease in using the mathematical language associated with my engineering
background. I knew with certainty that trying to discuss the finer points of local buckling
or structural behaviour would surely not be appropriate for this occasion. Whilst
contemplating further I desperately tried to remember what was said during the three
graduation ceremonies I attended. To be frank, I don’t remember a word of what was
delivered, and I certainly don’t remember who actually delivered the oration, so I guess
in this regard I am safe in the knowledge that many of you will not remember a word of
this speech in the days to follow.
University life can be a great experience: full of expectation, social interaction and above
all hard work. I entered the University of Malta in 1976, after returning from living in
Australia for eighteen years, as an eager architecture student. One of twenty-one in my
year. The University then consisted of a mere nine hundred students and a handful of
faculties. This was to be a memorable time of my life, where lifelong friendships were
forged. On graduating I like many others strived to fulfil my dreams of furthering my
education. Fortunately through the attainment of a scholarship I was able to travel abroad,
where through more study I acquired valuable experimental research experience. On
returning to our shores, recharged and enthusiastic, I had the honour of joining the
lecturing staff at our University, and since then I have enjoyed every moment.
Times have changed, presently the University has a student population of ten thousand. It
is now a melting pot of six hundred foreign students, from sixty different countries. It is
no longer that small intimate student community it once was, it has become a bustling
complex hive of student activity, with twelve faculties, and numerous interdisciplinary
institutes and centres. It is no longer to be considered a small institution, in a small island
nation.
We may at times think that living on a small island may be restrictive, certainly in my
case having just returned from Australia, that was exactly what I felt; however, I have
come to appreciate that being small is not necessarily disadvantageous. In fact, I have
noted that our students who go overseas to follow further studies all seem to excel. There
is no doubt in my mind that this University produces some of the highest calibre students.
Students who are extremely knowledgeable, hard working, enterprising, and with a strong
sense of commitment to succeed. I have been fortunate enough to see our University
change from one predominantly associated to teaching, to one which now believes in
being fully committed to academic and commercial research. We cannot stop here, the
University must look beyond the horizon.
Education, especially tertiary education is one of the prime enablers of economic growth,
it is an essential ingredient in supporting the advance of our small nation. This is
especially true when you consider that our only natural resource is our population and the
knowledge base it possesses. Despite the truly astonishing growth of the last thirty-five
years, during which it has grown tenfold, the University of Malta cannot afford to slow
down. It must now look to the future, to effectively harness our collective expertise, to
support and nurture our talents and capabilities to become innovators. This is a feat that
can be accomplished only through effective and specific research and development
programmes, in collaboration with industry and other learned institutions.
It is good to see today that there is more focus on scholarships and research programmes
leading to postgraduate studies. We must also remember that pure academic research
programmes associated with the classical subjects are also very important in
strengthening our University. Academic and commercial research is often very time
consuming, involving many different specialized skills, with a steep learning curve. It
requires at times great personal sacrifice for the individual as well as the supporting
institution.
Furthermore some may argue that Malta can never assume an aggressive R&D capability
due to its geographical size and limited industrial infrastructure. I am of the opinion that
it is wrong to take this point of view. We may choose to draw inspiration from a country
like Singapore, a land mass twice the size of Malta, with ten times the population, a
country that has independently existed for a mere forty-five years. Singapore has shown
that it is capable of being amongst the most developed and prosperous nations of the
world. It is an island state that faces similar challenges to Malta, it is an example of R&D
success that Malta can and should emulate. Singapore’s success has not been by default.
It has been attained by a clear vision, strong leadership and the determined and consistent
pursuit over many years of their objectives. In the process they have developed a culture
that celebrates the pursuit of intellectual excellence, commercial success and an
uncompromising impatience with mediocrity.
So, notwithstanding the success of our institution to date, and with notable overseas
example to inspire us further, the University of Malta must now look to its next period of
growth and evolution. This institution should seek to lead and harness the creative and
intellectual capabilities of our people into new areas of growth and development. It
should seek to establish working ties with local and foreign industries, as well as, other
academic institutions, with an aim to creating more intellectual property that can be
commercialised. With its indeterminate outcomes it is not surprising that one may be
reluctant to embrace R&D, especially in these days of economic difficulties and
uncertainties.
Research funding, the key to harnessing such activity should be based on a competitive
funding approach. This should in essence encourage the very best ideas from local
submissions. Collaboration, especially between University faculties and other learned
institutions should be actively encouraged in order to provide opportunities for greater
cross fertilization of knowledge.
Before me today I see the result of the University’s vision to become an international
institution of higher learning and research, where studies beyond that of a first degree are
possible. It was not so long ago that obtaining a Masters degree from the University of
Malta was practically impossible. For those of us wanting more, we simply had to go
away. Today the possibility of furthering one’s academic curiosity, without the necessity
to travel has become a reality. The University has come a long way since my days, but
there is still a long way to go if we are to become a truly capable research institution. I
have no doubt that the University’s ambitious physical growth is now being replicated in
its postgraduate aspirations. It is the right path and will undoubtedly require further
change and more learning.
Many of you here today were required to carry out your own investigative and original
research as part of your Masters and Ph.D degrees. I am sure that many of you found the
process time consuming, difficult at times but hopefully, at times, rewarding. Whist being
in a similar situation myself, I vividly remember asking myself on several desperate
occasions; what am I trying to prove?, what am I doing here?, will I fail?, what if I fail?
Out of these moments, I realised that the pursuit of academic excellence, not only
provided the opportunity to explore owns chosen subject, but it really teaches us to
understand, cope, accept and extend our personal limitations.
So why are we here tonight? We are here tonight to recognise your achievements, and to
celebrate your second passage. You should be proud of your accomplishment. I am sure
your family members and loved ones are. They have seen you unrelentingly toil towards
your goal. Some of you might be asking yourselves what next? Your thirst for further
knowledge may not have been fully quenched, others may be relieved that they have
finally finished and are ready to enter the routine of everyday life, and, at last, make some
money.
For those of you whose academic thirsting is still unquenched, I whole heartedly
encourage you to follow your dreams. Hopefully we will be able to satisfy those dreams
right here. To those of you that are venturing out into the world, I wish you every success
and hope that you apply your newly acquired knowledge with enthusiasm and skill. It is a
big world out there but a lot smaller and far more accessible than when I first started out.
There will be opportunities out there that you cannot today imagine. When they come
your way grasp them, grasp them with both hands and an open mind and run with them,
remembering an old Asian proverb "Where ever you go, go with all your heart”