Associate professor notes gross misconception of academics

The recent industrial dispute between the University administration and academics revealed a gross misconception of academics, Eugene Buttigieg, an associate professor of European and comparative law, said yesterday.

"The recent dispute over the collective agreement for academics exposed a sad and grossly misconceived popular perception of the academic's contribution to society," he said.

Addressing students receiving their postgraduate degrees at the Aula Magna in Valletta yesterday, Prof. Buttigieg said academics were responsible for shaping future generations of professionals and instilling in them dedication for their chosen specialisation.

Such academics, he stressed, were not "a rare breed", insisting that every faculty could boast its own share of high-level academics. These academics, he added, also collaborated with colleagues from other foreign institutions, representing Malta and its University.

"Society should acknowledge this contribution in concrete ways in order to attract more of these talented and committed professionals to the University," he said.

Prof. Buttigieg underlined the value of continuing education for lawyers, saying Malta did not have a formal system where continuing legal education was provided.

Informative law conferences helped keep participants informed of legal and judicial developments while making them aware of the debates that could influence future changes.

Referring to an "imminent" launch of a national association for European law, he stressed that its success depended on the number of law graduates that signed up and participated in the association's efforts. He hoped that the association would find willing and committed lawyers.

On a different note, Pierre Mallia, an expert in bioethics, linked conflicts in ethical schools of thought on genetics with conflicts between the opposing positions taken by science and technology in today's society.

He maintained that society must be given the technology it deserved while at the same time protecting the values which "we all hold" and guarding against misinformation or inaccurate representation of facts.

Referring to the sparks that resulted when religion and science collided, Prof. Mallia said the tendency was to try and keep the two separate, when in fact, both sides needed to compromise on how they approached discussion.

"Even religious people may try to argue from a purely philosophical point of view without bringing in healthy theological discourse, thinking that such values may not contribute to the argument. What in fact does not contribute are unhealthy scientific arguments, extrapolation of one particular study, drawing from it broad conclusions.

We cannot engage in pluralistic dialogue with the presumption that we are already in the right and that it is others whom we have to convince, Prof. Mallia argued. However, for contemporary culture to embrace religious values, "the latter must come in a facilitative dialogue and not a didactic one".

He emphasised that man was not omnipotent, "we do not know all the consequences... man in his nature is a thinking- and knowledge-seeking creature".

The following is a list of students who graduated yesterday:

Master of Arts
Sponsor: Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Agius
Maurice Aquilina, Miriam Debono Curmi, Joanna Farrugia, Lewis Galea, Carmen Grima, Charlotte Lanfranco, Alexander Pace, Adrian Scerri and Ann Xuereb*.

Licentiate in Sacred Theology
Sponsor: Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Agius
Dunstan Xuereb*

Master of Arts in Financial Services
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Loredano Agius, Samuel Azzopardi, Romina Bonnici, Josianne Briffa, Paula Marie Buhagiar, Avalon-Joelle Busuttil, Gabriella Galea, Monica Galea, Anabel Mifsud, Jonathan Phyall, Neal Rossignaud, Carmel Said Formosa, Leonard Sammut, Louie Scicluna, Michael Stellini, Oliver Zammit and Charlene Zammit Bondin.

Master of Arts in Law
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Tatiane Cassar, Roma Roberta D'alessandro, Pierre Mallia, Katina Mladenova, Ashraf Shahin Sallam, Desislava Subeva and Lili Vasileva.

Magister Juris in European and Comparative Law
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Daniela Aquilina, Amanda Borg, Chantelle Marie Coleiro, Bernice Gauci, Amanda Poole and Lorraine Poole.

Magister Juris in International Law
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Rebecca Filletti and Danielle Grima.

Master of Arts in Human Rights and Democratisation
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Ons Bouzgarrou, Orna Rozen-Blum and Omayma Sawaed.

Doctor of Laws
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Fransina Abela, Alicia Agius, Ann Marie Agius, Jillian Attard, Joseph Attard, Catherine Bannister, Richard Bernard, Andrew Bezzina, Aloysius Bianchi, Damian Bigeni, Claudine Borg, Francesca Borg, Nicholas Borg, Rolan Borg, Ruth Brancaleone, Charlene Briffa, Katya Brincat, George Anton Buttigieg, Sabine Cabourdin, Marshali Anne Camilleri, Charlene Caruana, Daniel Caruana, Jessica Koren Casha, Martine Cassar, Christian Cini, Stephanie Jean Coppini, Roseanne Cortis, Sean Critien, Jessica Curmi, Alistair S. De Gaetano, Jean Carl Debono, Maria Carmen Debono, Charlene Debrincat, Steve Decesare, Analise Deguara, Antoine Demicoli, Lara Maria Dimitrijevic, Alexia Ellul, Caroline Farrugia, Janice Farrugia, Joseph Farrugia, Keith Farrugia, Sharon Faith Farrugia, Reuben Fenech, Lara Ferris, Yanika Fino, Rya Gatt, Jean-Pierre Gauci Maistre, Alison Gili, Amanda Grech, Joshua Grech, Vitorine Grech, Sarah Grima, Natasha Mallia, Ruth Mamo, Sarah Jane Meli, Alexandra Micallef, Annalise Micallef, Lavinia Micallef, Rebecca Micallef, Stephanie Micallef, Claude Micallef-Grimaud, Anna Maria Mifsud, Yvanka Lynn Mifsud, Christopher Mifsud Bonnici, Fiorella Mifsud Saydon, Charlene Mizzi, Sharon Maria Mizzi, Christine Ann Murphy, Caroline J.Muscat, Veronique Muscat, Julienne Portelli Demajo, Helena Said, Valerie Said, Charmaine Sant, Marc Sant, Maria Teresa Scerri, Mark Sciriha, Noella Sciriha, Jonathan C. Spiteri, Robert Spiteri Paris, Matthew Tabone, Benjamin Valenzia, Cynthia Van Der Weerden, Andrei Vella, Dorianne Vella, John Paul Zammit and Stephanie Zammit.

Doctor of Philosophy
Sponsor: Prof. Ian Refalo
Ivan Daniel Mifsud

* In absentia