A call to reinforce the local creative economy was made yesterday as postgraduate students received their certificates during this year’s sixth graduation ceremony.
Vince Briffa, head of Department of Digital Arts, urged those attending the ceremony, at the Jesuit Church in Valletta, to further boost statistics which indicate that local cultural and creative industries experienced an average growth of nine per cent between 2001 and 2007. There was a 60 per cent increase in the export of cultural and creative services between 2004 and 2008.
He said the Master of Fine Arts in Digital Arts, launched this academic year, would contribute to establishing further respect for the visual creative profession.
The challenge faced, he added, was not simply one of integration of the conventional with the new but of establishing innovative processes of homogenisation, where new creative tools become equally important to their more traditional counterparts.
“The challenge in putting together the right toolbox lies in keeping it always open for the inclusion of new tools that help to enhance the intellectual diversity and creative flexibility of the student,” Dr Briffa said.
The students who graduated yesterday are:
Master of Arts in Islands and Small States Studies
Sponsor: Prof. Lino Briguglio
Arnold Dingli, Monica Farrugia, Reuben Galea, Christopher Gatt, Julianne Marie Gatt, Daniel Grech and Neville Vella.
Master in Creativity and Innovation
Sponsor: Dr Sandra Dingli
Sarah Busuttil, Melvin Cachia, Amanda Camilleri, Matthew Francis Cassar, Aida Maria Cassola, Joseph Cilia, Andre Damato, Joseph Galea, Ruth Gatt, Mario Gielen, Nancy Carmen Huebner, Katarina Eva Lennmarker, Bernard Muscat, Birgit Oidram, Maria Tarnogrocki and Paul Zammit.
Master of Science in Strategic Innovation and Future Creation
Sponsor: Dr Sandra Dingli
Melanie Mizzi and Michael Joseph Zammit.
Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications
Sponsor: Rev. Prof. Saviour Chircop
Genevieve Benito-Nedel, Kirsten Burg, Mark Galea, William S Hincks, Jaclyn Keaty, Dean Joseph Lipkovicius, Derek Allen Meyer, Christine Micallef, Marija Mijovic, Emmeline Nicole Schembri, Kelly Smith and Kelly Woolsey.
Master of Arts in Theology
Sponsor: Rev. Prof. Emanuel Agius
Maurice Afangideh, Daniela Barbara, Emmanuel Camilleri, Mariz Cassar, Daniel Cordina, Marilyn Farrugia Schembri, Jonathan Ferris, Joseph Galea, Kevin Gatt, Peter Micallef-Eynaud and Vincent Zammit.
Master of Arts in Spirituality
Sponsor: Rev. Prof. Emanuel Agius
Pia Attard Yeon, Christopher Bezzina, Leena Castelino, Sandra Gauci, Emmanuel Giordmaina, Rita Carmela Grima, Mario Mallia, Michael Micallef Trigona and Victoria Scicluna.
Master of Arts in Spiritual Companionship
Sponsor: Rev. Prof. Emanuel Agius
Tereza Camilleri, Carmen Cutajar Taliana, Louis Grech, Lucienne Pace, Joseph Portelli, Marco Portelli, Mary Anne Sultana, Alfred Vassallo and Mary Xuereb.
Master of Arts in Bioethics
Sponsor: Rev. Prof. Emanuel Agius
Jeffrey Borg, Noel Borg, Renato Borg, Rita Buttigieg, Karen Cassar, Godfrey Cutajar, Jacqueline Cutajar, Maria Daniela Farrugia, Jason Galea, Chris Grima, Pauline Mifsud, Anthony Pace, Marie-Claire Pellegrini, George Saliba, Miriam Sciberras Pulis and Robert Tanti.
Licentiate in Sacred Theology
Sponsor: Rev. Prof. Emanuel Agius
Blake Camilleri, Daniel Galea, Stefan Galea and Emmanuel Lawrence Schembri.
Master of Philosophy
Sponsor: Dr Simon Mercieca
John Gauci.
Master in the Science Of Performative Creativity
Sponsor: Dr Simon Mercieca
Gabriela Weronika Karolczak, Mengxi Li and James Saliba.
Master of Gerontology and Geriatrics
Sponsor: Prof. Joseph Troisi
Daniel Gerardo Gamez Trevino, Ece Hattat, Charmaine Mallia and Paul Zammit.
Master of Arts in Comparative Euro-Mediterranean Education Studies
Sponsor: Prof. Ronald Sultana
Joseph Charles Gilson, Louis Scerri and Samuel Stellini.
Master of Science in Sustainable Environmental Resources Management
Sponsor: Dr Louis Cassar
Andréa René Badger, Megan Renee Bauer, Alexander Borg, Tim Botkin, Allison Bredbenner, Curt Louis Dvonch, Clyde Falzon, Vedad Hasanovic, Laura G Kossey, Virginia Marie Phillips, John Michael Real, Justine Marie Schembri, Glenn Zammit and Deanna Zimmerman.
Master of Arts in Diplomatic Studies
Sponsor: Prof. Stephen Calleya
Alaa` Ben Mahmud, Philipp Stephan Boudny, Zinaida Epp, Annabell Khalil, Glorianne Mizzi, Maria Psaila and Nighat John Urpani.
Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution and Mediterranean Security
Sponsor: Prof. Stephen Calleya
Bardia Bastin, Ylenia Caruana, Brian John Farrell, Jessica Suzanne Lohmann, Susan Mercieca, Stephen Nicolae Pinkstaff, Michael James Sheppard, Suzan Demet Tugberk, Andre` Vella and Natalie Christine Zarb.
Master of Diplomacy
Sponsor: Prof. Stephen Calleya
Maysaa Aburezeq, Haqi Alhussaini, Xinggong Chen, Khaled Ali El Menshawy, Houssem Ghodhbane, Giorgi Goletiani, Mohamed Maamoun, Ayaz Mustafayev, Iman Salum Njalikai, Nazar Volodymyrovych Sasyn and Stephen Staines.
Doctor of Sacred Theology
Sponsor: Rev. Prof. Emanuel Agius
Paul Sciberras
Doctor of Philosophy
Sponsor: Prof. Dominic Fenech
Jean-Paul De Lucca