The choice of a rector for the University of Malta should not be a subject of controversy, nor should it make headlines. However, when the government uses its political clout – and majority in the University Council which elects the new rector – to influence the choice, then everybody should be worried.

This newspaper last week reported that the government was favouring Tanya Sammut-Bonnici, who several academics believed was the relatively unknown and relatively young (read inexperienced) associate professor, who heads the Marketing Department of the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy.

With a secret vote expected to be taken on March 18, Chinese whispers are being fanned through the university’s corridors on the right person to replace the incumbent Juanito Camilleri… And the loudest murmur is that the Prime Minister is personally lobbying for Prof. Sammut-Bonnici.

To be fair, the Prime Minister has ventured to listen and has held three meetings on campus to listen to academics’ and non-academics’ views, but some questioned whether this could amount to further pressure rather than an exercise in listening.

The university jealously guards its autono­my, but whenever a new rector has to be elected the government of the day decides to show who the boss is. While the university should be held accountable because of the public money it receives, politicians’ tentacles should be stopped from lurking beyond the campus gates.

And just because the same thing happened 10 years ago – the Nationalist government decided to replace all but three of its appointees on the council on the eve of the rector’s election to secure Prof. Camilleri’s appointment – does not mean we have to repeat past bad practices; especially since this government promised a different way of doing politics.

Despite the controversial way that Prof. Camilleri was chosen, most would agree that he delivered, and that his multifaceted leadership skills were instrumental in ensuring the university grew from strength to strength.

A leader has to command the respect of those around him (or her), otherwise he will be simply leading his shadow. In this case, although academics who spoke with this newspaper may not necessarily agree on who the next rector should be, there is consensus on one thing – there has to be continuity, and the new rector has to have vision, be a seasoned scholar of repute, have the clout to steer much needed change to meet the island’s educational demands… in short, the chosen one has to come with a long list of credentials.

The challenges awaiting the new rector are numerous: ensure a more globally respected, and locally relevant, university; be perceived by all to be a fair person who can implement University Senate/ Council decisions without political interference; equitably allocate funding for re­search; address the divisions between academic and non-academic staff, who are the institution’s working horse; shake up curricula and successfully drive a relevant university into the next decade.

Whether Prof. Sammut-Bonnici has these attributes or not is not for us to say, but neither is it the politicians’ job to forcefully influence its majority on the university council.

Introduced in 1987, the present system allows the government to appoint the majority of more than 30 members on the Council – the university’s governing body. This allows the government to ensure taxpayers’ money is well spent. But the time may have come to revisit the law and have a serious debate on alternative models that ensure the university’s autonomy is not undermined. The Prime Minister’s spectre should never loom over the choice of rector.

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