Recently, Elizabeth Harman, Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University (VU), Melbourne visited the University of Malta to build on the exisiting relationship between these two universities and explore future possibilities. I'm pleased to say the outcome of this visit is quite promising. According to Prof. Harman, "Our alliances have been re-energised both with the University of Malta and the new soon-to-be dual sector Maltese vocational college. The Maltese PM gave great support at a meeting that touched on the potential of VU's in tourism and hospitality, water, diabetes, financial services and migrant studies to be of value to Malta".
As a Maltese living in Australia and as an academic working at Victoria University, it's great to see these renewed links and the potential benefits for these two universities.
The official link between Victoria University and the University of Malta dates back to February 1989 with the signing of an agreement between these two universities. That agreement included student exchange, faculty teaching exchange, joint sponsorship of professional activities, visiting fellowships, joint publications, joint research activities.
Over the years both students and academics have participated through this programme, including myself. In 1999 I came to the University of Malta as a post-graduate student to collect data for my doctorate research project. In 2006 I spent five months as an academic at the University of Malta. This was certainly a dream come true both at personal and academic levels.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Victoria University for giving me the opportunity to further my studies as a mature-age student and for supporting me over the years.
On behalf of the Maltese community, I would also like to thank this university for its continuous interest and support of the Maltese community in Malta and Australia. More information is available on http://www.malteseconnections.com.
I would also like to thank the University of Malta and the Maltese government for reviving the alliance with Victoria University and for showing great hospitality to Prof. Harman during her recent visit to Malta. I would like to point out that Prof. Henry Frendo, Director of the Institute of Maltese Studies at the University of Malta, played a significant role in facilitating this visit. And for this I want to say "Thank you Henry".