Rector Juanito Camilleri appealed for more investment in the University of Malta during his annual speech to students at the opening ceremony of the academic year at Sir Temi Zammit Hall.

Prof. Camilleri said it was the University’s responsibility to ensure every euro was well spent and translated to a better quality of life for all the Maltese.

He appealed for further investment, saying he believed the best way to counter the global economic crisis and preserve Malta’s sustainability was through an excellent tertiary education, and through research and innovation.

“My name is Juanito Camilleri and I am the rector,” Prof. Camilleri intoned at the beginning of his speech, perhaps mindful of a survey conducted by a student magazine three years ago that showed very few students could recognise him in a photo.

The slogan chosen for this academic year is “Seek your true self here... that which hitherto you’ve never recognised”.

Prof. Camilleri appealed to students to make the most of their time at university, which could be the best time of their lives.

“Do not let yourself get lost in the labyrinth of lectures, tutorials and formal learning; don’t get me wrong, attending lectures and studying are important, but they are not everything.”

The rector urged students to seek their true selves while identifying and developing their talents. “The development of Malta’s future character and its identity depends on today’s students,” he said.

Addressing international students, Prof. Camilleri outlined various infrastructural developments taking place on campus, including the inauguration of the IT Services Centre, extensions to the faculties of management and accountancy, law and theology; two new floors at the biomedical sciences building and the construction of the new ICT faculty building.

He also announced the launch of the University’s fourth International Masters Programme, namely the MA in Transcultural Counselling in collaboration with the University of Maryland.