Philosopher Joe Friggieri has been appointed pro rector for the Gozo campus.

The appointment is part of the overall plan to develop the Gozo campus into a fully fledged and vibrant campus of the University of Malta, the council said in a statement.

The University intends to offer a wider range of services to all Gozitan students and to better cater for their needs.

A pilot initiative to organise some degree programmes examinations in Gozo will be launched in June. This would enable the University to gain a better understanding of the logistical and infrastructural changes that would need to be made for this facility to be extended to as many degree programmes as possible.

Prof. Friggieri, a regular contributor to political, social and cultural debate, who has also stood as an MEP candidate on behalf of the Nationalist Party, has lectured on these courses since their inception.

This year the Gozo campus celebrates its 20th anniversary under the direction of Prof. Lino Briguglio. It was set up originally with the aim of providing evening degree and diploma courses for those who could not pursue their studies in Malta.