German Order of Merit bestowed on Rector of the
University of Malta, Professor Juanito Camilleri
March 2011
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany has been awarded
today to Professor Juanito Camilleri, Rector of the University of Malta. The
official ceremony was held at the residence of German Ambassador Bernd
Braun, who bestowed the Order on behalf of the German President.
Ambassador Braun paid tribute to the work of Professor Camilleri as Rector,
who has been an innovative force of the University of Malta, and under whose
auspices academic relations with the Federal Republic of Germany have been
promoted and deepened to an extent hitherto unrivalled.
Professor Camilleri has encouraged exchange and collaborative projects with
German Universities and has thereby brought the two countries together as
partners in science, business studies, and research.
He has also encouraged the establishment of the Department of German,
within the Faculty of Arts, which has started to operate in 2008 and is now in
full swing, with the first M.A. students graduating this year. The Rector has
also helped create the chair for peace and conflict studies at MEDAC. MEDAC
operates as a Foundation under the academic auspices of the University of
Malta.
Due to the energy and openness of Professor Camilleri as Rector of the
University of Malta, the University has become a very modern and attractive
institution that has welcomed a continuous stream of international students.
The University has become an inspiring platform for international academic
exchange, not only in the Mediterranean. This has also been acknowledged
by the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD, which has started a very
fruitful cooperation with the University in 2008 and will continue doing so in
the future.
Professor Camilleri thanked the Ambassador and stated that he gratefully
accepted the honour also on behalf of all the academic and administrative
staff of the University who have been working with him to extend the
University’s international dimension.