Editorial

The University of Malta seems to be on the verge of entering a new era. Earlier this year the government appointed a Higher Education Commission charged with making recommendations on the way forward in the sector. Launching the commission in February, Education Minister Louis Galea pronounced no less a target than making the sector "among the best in the Euro-Mediterranean region" and transforming it to "facilitate the formation of a knowledge-based society and economy".

More recently, Juanito Camilleri was elected as the new rector of the university, effective July 1. "Appointed" would perhaps be a more appropriate term, given that he was nominated by the 13 government representatives on a university council of 26 members and was then uncontested for the post.

Method apart, the choice would seem to be an inspired one. Prof. Camilleri has had a glittering academic career, earning a PhD in theoretical computer science at just 23 from Cambridge University and going on to become the founding head of the Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Malta. He later drew up Malta's first national information technology strategy.

Joining the private sector, he built Go Mobile into a hugely successful company and recently became Melita Group's CEO, a post he will now relinquish. He has had stints on several government boards and now sits on the new higher education commission.

Clearly, at only 39, his wide and successful experience in both academia and industry make him ideally placed to bridge the two sectors. He should be expected to steer the university in a direction that responds to industry's needs with greater alacrity than at present. The efforts put in by his predecessor, Roger Ellul-Micallef, will surely prove useful in his mission.

Prof. Camilleri's technology background in itself makes him the right person at the right time. The university has an increasingly important role to play in providing human resources in a scenario where manufacturing is gradually being supplanted by knowledge-intensive services. One of the new rector's priorities will be to find ways of turning out a greater number of graduates in the required specialisations.

He is making the right noises. In his vision statement he promises to consult and seek consensus but adds that "the university also needs decisive action".

He ties his vision for the university to a context of globalisation, national identity and Malta's international role and pledges to try and respond to national needs.

With a single university on the island, it is vital that intellectual endeavour in all spheres continues undiminished and grows, adequately funded.

The government has its man - now it needs to give him the tools. While he pledges financial accountability and transparency, he will require adequate resources to fund programmes and offer the right remuneration and research funding to his staff.

The government also needs to do much more to create the overall climate in which research can thrive, both within and outside the university. The latest Lisbon scorecard was a reminder of how far Malta lags behind the rest of Europe in R & D spending. That does little to instill confidence that the needed surge will take place.

What does inspire confidence is Prof. Camilleri's track record.