If you have aspirations to become a rector, sit down before reading this piece because as Kurt Sansone discovers the post comes with a very long list of demands.

A collection of qualities expected from the university’s next commander-in-chief could read like a leaf from a superhero movie called The Rector.

He, or she, would have to prioritise research, respect tradition, ensure the University of Malta remains competitive, make it relevant to local communities, ensure a fair promotion system for academics, cut bureaucracy, confront the parking problem on campus, attract more foreign students, be a force for stability and inspire excellence.

Moreover, the next rector would have to be a person of stature, inspire trust and ensure the institution’s independence.

Now this is a very tall order indeed for someone expected to lead a university that has 11,500 students, is spread out over 195,000 square metres and is made up of 14 faculties, institutes and centres.

The election for the next rector is expected to take place in March and given the composition of the University Council, the candidate backed by the government is likely to win as has been the case since 1987.

This, however, does not imply that a contest cannot take place.

While three names have been bandied about as possible contenders for the post it remains to be seen how things will pan out in the coming weeks.

The Prime Minister has held consultation meetings with the university’s academic and non-academic staff to “hear” what they think about the qualities the new rector should have and the direction the university should take.

Those discussions were not public but an exercise conducted by The Sunday Times of Malta has thrown up a mixture of expectations.

Several academics declined to comment when approached, with a professor telling this newspaper he was not comfortable “at all with a public debate” on the qualities expected of the next rector.

Another lecturer asked not to be drawn into the public debate but insisted no single individual could be expected to possess all the qualities mentioned during the consultation meeting with the Prime Minister.

“It will require a superman to have all the qualities being mentioned. In reality, no person would have all the necessary qualities and the individual would have to rely on the skills of others.”

Other academics took to Facebook or newspapers to voice their opinions on the next stage of development for the 400-year-old university.

Peter Mayo from the Faculty of Education jotted down his thoughts in a 2,600-word post on his Facebook wall, making it clear he was not interested in the post of rector.

The 17-point plan kicked off with the professor’s belief that a new rector would have to face the challenge of fostering a “strong connection between teaching and research”.

A moderate teaching load would allow space for “long overdue” research, he added. This would enable the university to improve its global ranking.

Prof. Mayo also urged fellow academics to move out of their comfort zone by insisting they publish research in “rigorously reviewed” journals at the risk of being rejected.

He then called for less bureaucracy, insisting there was no room for “control freaks” in the university administrative set up. “Unfortunately bureaucracy has increased to the point of making one wonder whether it is worth the hassle of leading a department, let alone a faculty.”

He also touched upon more direct issues facing academic staff, insisting the new rector must face “head on” the issue of “cronyism” in awarding department headships, administrative roles and professorships. He also proposed a board consisting of “people of integrity” to hand out promotions.

Prof. Mayo reiterated a call made last December by sociology professor Godfrey Baldacchino for the university to gain greater visibility across various localities in Malta and Gozo.

“Several communities are there to be engaged with through forms of outreach and interaction with a variety of other practitioners,” he said, citing the Cottonera Resource Centre as a step in the right direction.

This was important, he said, because the university had a responsibility towards different communities in its effort to contribute to the development of a democratic public sphere.

Fostering a culture where students could develop as public intellectuals in Malta and abroad, rather than functionaries, was another challenge the new rector could take up in collaboration with the students’ union, Prof. Mayo added.

Prof. Baldacchino was another academic who took the public stage to propose his ideas in an opinion piece that appeared last December in The Sunday Times of Malta.

The sociology professor is being touted as a possible candidate for the post of rector and if eventually nominated, the article could serve as his manifesto.

The rector should be “a seasoned scholar of repute, a capable chief executive, a visionary and inspiring leader, neatly rolled into one”, Prof. Baldacchino said.

He shot down the notion that the university enjoyed a monopoly in tertiary education, noting that foreign universities had set up local campuses. This, he argued, necessitated collaboration and consolidation of academic efforts, especially with the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology, and the Institute of Tourism Studies, both now granting degrees.

He also called for the University of Malta’s distinct role as the main national public university to be recognised by a specific Act of Parliament, rather than leaving it part of the Education Act.

The rector’s job is tough; so tough that there is no job description

Like all academics sampled in this exercise, Prof. Baldacchino also called for “effective quality research” to be acknowledged and encouraged.

“For all its ‘outstanding past’, the University of Malta is worryingly invisible from global rankings of tertiary education institutions,” he said, pinning this down to a lack of meaningful research published in peer-reviewed journals.

Addressing academic issues, Prof. Baldacchino said the proportion of compulsory credits could be reduced, allowing students greater discretion to “pick and choose; mix and match” the components of their degree. He also called for a more “practical pedagogy” that encouraged full-time programmes to contain a practical component.

He also touched on the parking issue, urging the next rector to explore creative ways of private car pooling and making the ring road safe for pedestrians and cyclists.

“The rector’s job is tough; so tough that there is no job description,” he said, quoting the Education Act that merely describes the role as ‘the principal academic and administrative officer of the University’.

For Dominic Fenech, the dean of the Faculty of Arts, the rector must be an individual who inspires trust in peers and colleagues.

“The university is essentially a collegial institution... a rector must enjoy the broad respect, esteem and acceptance of university members, so as to be able to move the university forward in a consensual way,” Prof. Fenech said when contacted.

A rector must also be able to find a synthesis between giving the best service to the country and sustaining the autonomous essence of the institution, he added.

But the new rector has also got to be “a force of stability and consolidation, besides innovation”, Prof. Fenech said.

And if this was not enough, the rector must have a proven and known academic stature with a track record of service and loyalty to the university “married to a deep and confident understanding of the way it works and breathes”.

Embracing innovation and having an understanding of how society has changed are key elements the next rector must possess, according to Arnold Cassola.

When asked about the upcoming election, the professor of Maltese and comparative literature reiterated calls by other academics that a research mentality had to be fostered.

“A university is primarily a research institute and therefore the rector must shy away from the prevalent tendency to emphasise the teaching aspect,” he said.

Prof. Cassola noted that the individual had to have proven academic ability and be independent-minded, able to stand up to interference, whether political or not.

However, he also criticised the current system to choose a rector, which has its roots in the 1987 legal changes, which guarantees the government a majority in the council. “This is totally flawed and I hope the new rector would also work to ensure his successor would be elected by the university staff without government interference.”

For philosophy professor Joe Friggieri, continuity was as important as innovation. They are not opposites, he insisted, adding the new rector would not be starting from scratch.

“There are a number of projects that form part of a long-term plan for the development of the university in a number of fields and the new rector should ensure that such projects are brought to completion within a specific and clearly defined time-frame,” Prof. Friggieri said when contacted.

Students should also be encouraged to contribute to the discussion on matters of national interest outside the rigid structures imposed on them by political parties, he added.

But it was not only academics who offered their perspective on the qualities of the new rector and the direction university should take.

On his Facebook wall, Edward Duca, publications developer and editor at the university, posted several reflections after a meeting between non-academic staff, the Prime Minister and Education Minister Evarist Bartolo.

The new rector must scrap the division between academic and non-academic staff, improve internal communications, lessen the administrative load on everyone, negotiate a better collective agreement, make submissions to improve public transport to the campus and ensure more environmental friendliness.

More investment in research to improve the university’s world ranking and the ability to foster an entrepreneurial mind set, also made it to the list.

Dr Duca also called for more public engagement by the university and to include this as part of its mission statement. This could also include the creation of a voluntary organisation committee.

And he has one last request: “More office space please.”

His views were largely reflected by Stephanie Abood, administrative officer at the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology, who also sits on the council.

Ms Abood said when contacted that the new rector must work towards more unity between the academic staff and the university’s support staff – calling for the description non-academic staff to be ditched.

“Some academics believe they are gods and that we are here to serve them when we should be working in tandem for the greater good of the institution.”

She called for more training opportunities for support staff and hoped the new rector would also maintain continuity with outgoing rector Juanito Camilleri’s “ambitious vision”.

But the demands on the new rector also had a student dimension. When contacted, Ryan Falzon, education coordinator at the KSU and also a council member, said research should be at the top of the agenda.

“The rector should create a structure to seek and tap funds, including EU funds, to finance research projects,” he said.

Mr Falzon added the next step to maintain the university’s quality education was to aim for a more individualised student learning approach.

Attracting foreign students was also imperative, he added, and to do so the university had to remain competitive and be able to promote itself.

And if this was not enough, a Facebook page was created to provide an “unofficial platform to enhance constructive debate” for the selection of the new rector.

Get the popcorn out and sit tight: The Rector is only just beginning.

How is the rector elected?

The University of Malta and anything to do with its administration is regulated by the Education Act. It also dictates how the rector is chosen.

The rector shall be elected by the Council for a term of five years.

The election for the office of rector shall take place three months before the end of the term of office (in this case on March 18).

The election shall take place at a meeting of Council called for the purpose.

Every member of Council shall have the right to nominate a candidate.

If there are more than two candidates, each member shall show his preference by casting a single transferable vote.

How is the Council composed?

Pro-Chancellor: Ex-officio president. Appointed by the President of the Republic on the Prime Minister’s advice.

Rector: Ex- officio vice president.

4 members representing the Senate.

3 members elected by the academic staff (not senate members).

3 members elected by and from among the non-academic staff.

3 members elected by and from among university students.

1 member appointed by the Education Minister.

1 member appointed by the Foundation for Theological Studies.

A number of members appointed by the Prime Minister to represent the general interest of the country. The number must never exceed the number of all the members mentioned above (excluding the chancellor and rector). There are currently 15 government appointees.

The contenders so far

There are no official contenders as yet but three names have been floated.

Professor Tanya Sammut-Bonnici: associate professor and head of the marketing department at the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy.

Professor Godfrey Baldacchino: full professor of sociology at the Department of Sociology and board chairman of the Centre for Labour Studies.

Professor Alfred Vella: professor of chemistry at the Faculty of Science and pro-rector for academic affairs.

What does Education Minister Evarist Bartolo think?

Over the past days, Mr Bartolo and the Prime Minister met with the administrative, technical, support and lecturing staff over three consultation meetings at the University. The characteristics – “these are all qualities I endorse” – mentioned that the next rector must have were these:

• Strong leadership.

• Team-building qualities.

• Ability to bring together faculties and institutes to work together.

• People skills.

• Values of fairness and justice.

• Get university closer to society and the world of employment.

• Lead university in a changed landscape for tertiary education, with the presence of more tertiary institutions.

• Find ways of securing more funds for research.

• Ability to continue the good work left behind, balanced with fresh ideas.

• Organisational skills to bring to life ambitious projects.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com