American University of Malta

American University of Malta
Renovation works at the Cospicua campus in November 2016
Former name
 American Institute of Malta
Type Private
Established 16 September 2016 (2016-09-16)[1]
Founder Sadeen Education Investment Ltd.
Provost John Ryder
Students c. 15–23
Location Cospicua, Malta
35°52′55″N 14°31′11.2″E / 35.88194°N 14.519778°E / 35.88194; 14.519778Coordinates: 35°52′55″N 14°31′11.2″E / 35.88194°N 14.519778°E / 35.88194; 14.519778
Website aum.edu.mt

The American University of Malta (AUM) is a private, American-style liberal arts college in Cospicua, Malta. The establishment of the educational institution was announced in May 2015, and the project is meant to regenerate the South of Malta and give said area an economic and social boost.[2] Since the proposal was announced, Dock 1 in Cospicua was chosen for the head campus, while extensions are being planned for other sites in Cospicua and Żonqor, Marsaskala.[3] It was officially established on 16 September 2016,[1] and it opened in September 2017.[4]

Planning and Opening

On 5 May 2015, the Jordanian contracting company Sadeen Group and the Government of Malta signed an agreement at Auberge de Castille for the former to set up a private educational institution called the American University of Malta (AUM). The university was planned to be set up in Spain, but Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat persuaded the chairman of Sadeen, Hani Salah, to set it up in Malta. The university is to accommodate 4000 students, primarily from the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.[5]

By the time all campuses are complete, it is to have schools of business, architecture and design, engineering, arts, sciences, and information technology.[6]

The original curricula of the AUM are provided by the DePaul University. The latter did not commit any financial resources for the construction of the AUM, and it was not involved in any discussions with the Government of Malta.[7][8]

The proposed university is meant to create a social and economic boost to localities in the South Eastern Region of Malta, which is regarded as being less developed than the rest of the island.[2][9] The project has an investment of over €115 million, and it is to create around 400[2] to 750 jobs.[10] The project's estimated economic output rests at about €48 to €85 million.[11] Ripple effects of these changes are already being felt. As of September 2016, demand for property in Cospicua has reportedly increased as a result of the university project.[12]

The university originally planned to take in its first students in October 2016, with lectures at SmartCity Malta until the head campus was completed.[13] The beginning of the first academic year was later moved to 28 August 2017, with lectures held at the Dock No. 1 campus in Cospicua.[14]

In January 2016, John Ryder was named as the head of the American Institute of Malta.[15]

Location of campus and use of ODZ land

Żonqor Point, where part of the university campus is to be built

When the university project was announced in May 2015, the government offered the Sadeen Group 90,000 m2 (970,000 sq ft) of Outside Development Zone (ODZ) land near Żonqor Point in Marsaskala on which to build the university. A natural park, partially funded by the university, would be set up nearby. The proposal to use ODZ land raised concerns among environmentalists, including the NGOs Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Ramblers Association, Din l-Art Ħelwa, NatureTrust Malta, Birdlife Malta, Malta Organic Agriculture Movement and Greenhouse. The Malta Developers Association also stated that a better site should be found,[16] while the Church criticized the process used to select the land for the university.[17] Meanwhile, residents of Marsaskala and southern Malta supported the university project by signing a petition in its favour.[18]

The government initially planned to include the 19th-century Fort Leonardo within the university campus. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat also stated that constructing the university in Marsaskala would pressure the owners of the former Jerma Palace Hotel to redevelop the site, which has fallen into disrepair since being closed down in 2007.[19]

Muscat responded to the environmentalists' criticism by stating that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority would consider other sites as long as they are located in the southern part of the island.[20] A public consultation process was subsequently made in order to select an alternative site for the university campus.[21]

On 23 May 2015, the Front Ħarsien ODZ (Maltese for Front for the Protection of ODZ) was set up in response to the proposed development at Żonqor Point. The group aims to protect all ODZ land in Malta, and it includes then-Labour MP, turned Democratic Party (PD) members, Marlene Farrugia, government whip Godfrey Farrugia and former Alternattiva Demokratika politician, turned Nationalist Party (PN) member, Michael Briguglio.[22] On 20 June, the front held a protest in Valletta against the development, and it was attended by 3000 people.[23]

On 20 August, Muscat announced that the government had reached an agreement with the Sadeen Group that the campus be split between the former Dock No. 1 in Cospicua and a reduced site at Żonqor Point. The campus at Żonqor is much smaller than the one originally planned, and it will occupy the site of the water polo pitch and 18,000 m2 (190,000 sq ft) of adjoining ODZ fields. This campus is to consist of three faculties and student dormitories, with a maximum height of five stories. A new water polo pitch is also to be built to replace the one that will be demolished to make way for the university. The campus at Cospicua will occupy two former warehouses at Dock No. 1 which were built during Hospitaller and British rule. Additional buildings are to be constructed, but they are to keep with the architectural style of the area.[13] This restoration project is bringing an otherwise run down Dock no. 1 back on its feet, which had been abandoned with the end of the rule of the British. The government will rent out both campuses to Sadeen Group for around €200,000 a year.[24]

Front Ħarsien ODZ said that the proposal of splitting the campus was better than the original one, but said that it was still unacceptable to build on ODZ land.[13] The University Students' Council also expressed its disappointment at the government building part of the campus at Żonqor Point.[25] On the other hand, the move was welcomed by the Cospicua Heritage Society, who said that the Three Cities and Kalkara would greatly benefit from the project.[26]

The government approved the granting of land for the AUM after a 15-hour long debate in parliament on 15 December 2015.[27] Front Ħarsien ODZ called this parliamentary sitting "surreal" and said that it shows terrible governance.[28]

The British Building at Dock No. 1 in Cospicua

On 25 August 2016, the Planning Authority approved the restoration of the British Building at Dock No. 1, and its conversion into a campus to house part of the AUM. Parts of the building which were destroyed during World War II will be rebuilt, while an intermediate level and a new second floor with a contemporary glass-and-steel design will be constructed.[29] The renovation of the building is entrusted to the architect Edwin Mintoff, and it is expected to be completed by April 2018.[30]

There are plans to restore the Knights' Building at Dock No. 1 and convert it into part of the campus, and this renovation is planned to be completed by 2017–18. The Marsaskala campus is to be ready by 2019–20.[31]

Accreditation and licensing

In December 2015, Leader of the Opposition Simon Busuttil stated that since the AUM applied for the licence of a "Higher Education Institution", its marketing of itself as a "University" is illegal.[27] In January 2016, the National Commission for Further and Higher Education announced that Sadeen Education Investment Ltd had been given a licence to operate a Higher Education Institution under the name American Institute of Malta. This was the first step in the process to acquire a university licence.[32] The commission has stated that a degree issued by the American Institute would have the same value as one issued by the University of Malta.[33]

However, on 11 March 2016, Sadeen Education Investment Ltd was notified by a judicial letter that licensed higher education institutions are prohibited from using the word "university" in their advertising and publicity, unless they have been granted that status formally.[34] On 6 May 2016, Economy Minister Christian Cardona said that he had "no doubt that this will be a University and not an institute. This is part of a process, but the project will result in a University".[35]

The National Commission for Higher Education officially accredited the AUM on 30 June 2016, after a 14-month process which included financial and academic evaluations. The commission imposed a number of conditions on the AUM, including an annual audit by the Clemson University.[36][37] Sadeen asked for a compromise on these conditions, but the commission insisted that they were not negotiable.[38] After the conditions were accepted, the commission issued a 5-year university licence on 16 September 2016.[1][39]

Criticism

Some questions have been raised by Maltese media about whether AUM is actually American. This is especially due to the company behind the project being Jordanian. In response to this, AUM's provost John Ryder stated that the university is "not a brand or offshoot, or run by any American university ... [but it is] American in curriculum and organisation."[31] The curricula are officially provided by DePaul University, Chicago. A spokesperson for DePaul University issued a statement, qualifying the officiality of AUM’s curricula, saying that; "Faculty designed degree programs in areas that were requested, with the dual goals of being academically well-designed and meeting regulatory requirements in Malta. Individual faculty members were selected with the help of teams -- composed of associate deans, school directors and department chairs -- in the relevant colleges. Faculty then were asked to design the curriculum, and they were compensated for their work," also adding; "[t]he right to use our name (DePaul University) is specifically in connection to the curriculum. While specifics of any DePaul contract are proprietary, I can tell you that it went through the usual, internal multi-step review process."[40]

Muscat was accused of a lack of transparency with regards to how agreements on the AUM were made, but he responded by saying that the public was informed on the first occasion.[41] NGOs have called for the publication of the agreement between the government and Sadeen Group.[42]

The AUM has also generated controversy with regard to the practicality of having another university in the small country of Malta.[43] The government stated that the AUM would end the monopoly that the University of Malta has on higher education,[44] In response to this, lecturers at the University of Malta disagreed with the use of the term "monopoly", stating that the university already competes with other institutions such as MCAST.[45]

The AUM's early phase, low student intake and initial refusals to release the official enrollment figures became flashpoints of controversy. An early promotional video presented the new university's plan to admit 1,000 students in its first year, eventually reaching a total enrollment of 4,000 students by its fourth year.[46] The AUM officially began offering classes on Tuesday September 12, 2017, rather than Monday September 11, to avoid association with the September 11 attacks anniversary.[4] Asked how many students the AUM admitted for the Fall semester, Provost John Ryder would only say that student recruitment was “proving to be challenging." [47] In November, the Times of Malta reported that the AUM's revised plan was to enroll 330 students in its first semester, but the "university managed to attract 15 students"[48] The figure was denied by university officials.[49] Four days later, Ryder acknowledged in a Television Malta interview that the AUM student body numbered 23.[50]

AUM personnel decisions have also generated controversy, raising concerns about the legality of the new institution's employment policies and practices. Within a period of 7 months, 10 university employees were terminated, either by dismissal or resignation: (1) Deputy (Construction Project) Manager (dismissal), (2) Admissions Director (dismissal), (3) Marketing and Public Relations Director (dismissal), (4) Vice President for Administrative Affairs (dismissal), (5) IT Technician (dismissal), (6) Webmaster (resignation), (7) Admissions Counselor (resignation), (8) Human Resources Director (dismissal), (9) Professor of Finance (dismissal) and (10) Dean of Student Affairs (resignation).[48][51] The dismissed deputy manager filed a judicial protest against Sadeen Education.[52] The former admissions director sued the university for unfair dismissal.[53] On 4 January 2018, Provost John Ryder informed the twelve remaining AUM faculty members by e-mail that their employment with the university had been terminated without cause.[54][55]

Despite the university's small student body, high employee turnover and growing legal troubles, Malta's Education Minister Evarist Bartolo insisted that the AUM is not a “garage operation” [56]

Other sources of controversy include allegations of legal and ethical wrongdoing by members of the AUM's board of trustees. The board members are (1) Prince Jean of Luxembourg (chair), (2) John Ryder (ex officio), (3) Taddeo Scerri (Chairman of the Board at the Bank of Valletta), (4) Hani Salah (Chief Executive Officer of Sadeen Group), (5) Taher al-Masri, (6) Derrick Gosselin and (7) Adrian Hillman (former Allied Group managing director).[57] Hillman was appointed while under criminal investigation for laundering money and receiving kickbacks from the Maltese Prime Minister's chief of staff Keith Schembri, who has been implicated in a tax evasion scheme by the Panama Papers.[58][57] Scerri was accused of ignoring conflicts of interest between his AUM board appointment and his current and past professional positions in Malta's financial sector.[59]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Our Beginnings". American University of Malta. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Investiment għan-naħa t'isfel ta' Malta – American University of Malta" (PDF). Government of Malta (in Maltese). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
  3. ↑ Muscat, Caroline (14 May 2015). "Mounting opposition to use of ODZ land". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015.
  4. 1 2 "AUM Opens its Doors to the First Batch of Students". maltachamber.org.mt. 12 September 2017.
  5. ↑ "Heads of agreement for 4,000-student American university expected on Tuesday - timesofmalta.com". 2015-09-12. Archived from the original on 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  6. ↑ "AUM - American University of Malta". 2018-01-06. Archived from the original on 2018-01-06. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  7. ↑ "DePaul University denies involvement in site selection for proposed American University of Malta". Times of Malta. 8 May 2015. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015.
  8. ↑ Mathews, Kristin Claes (13 May 2015). "Faculty create curricula for American University of Malta". DePaul Newsline. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "Estimation of the Contribution to the Maltese Economy of the Development and Operation of an International Higher Academic Institution: Update Based on a Project Proposal Spread Over Two Sites" (PDF). Government of Malta. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2016.
  10. ↑ Dalli, Miriam (6 May 2016). "'American University of Malta' campus to take three years to complete". Malta Today. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016.
  11. ↑ Sansone, Kurt (21 September 2016). "Sadeen's five-year licence 'dictated by law'". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016.
  12. ↑ Bartolo, Janice (27 September 2016). "Xhieda li l-American University of Malta bdiet tagħti spinta lin-naħa t'isfel ta' Malta". One (in Maltese). Archived from the original on 19 October 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 "'American' University to occupy Dock 1 buildings and reduced Zonqor site". Times of Malta. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015.
  14. ↑ Sansone, Kurt (25 September 2016). "Lectures at AUM to start on August 28". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 26 September 2016.
  15. ↑ "Former Baku university rector to head 'American Institute of Malta'". Times of Malta. 26 January 2016.
  16. ↑ "Fort San Leonardo may be incorporated in new university campus". Times of Malta. 5 May 2015. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015.
  17. ↑ Muscat, Caroline (21 May 2015). "Church slams government's handling of university bid". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015.
  18. ↑ "Tan-nofsinhar jiġbru petizzjoni favur il-proġett tal-università". iNews Malta (in Maltese). 16 June 2015. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015.
  19. ↑ Dalli, Kim (6 May 2015). "University plan 'puts pressure on Jerma site'". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015.
  20. ↑ Martin, Ivan (4 May 2015). "'University will generate €25m a year'". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015.
  21. ↑ "The American University of Malta – Preliminary Alternative Sites Evaluation Report" (PDF). Government of Malta. August 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
  22. ↑ Camilleri, Neil (23 May 2015). "Godfrey, Marlene Farrugia join 'Front Harsien ODZ,' group says Zonqor project can be stopped". The Malta Independent. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015.
  23. ↑ "Government announces reduced university plans for Zonqor". Malta Today. 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 10 October 2015.
  24. ↑ "Government to rent public land to American University of Malta on the cheap". The Malta Independent. 30 August 2015. Archived from the original on 16 October 2015.
  25. ↑ "KSU disappointed by the governments adamant decision confirming the American University of Malta at Zonqor Point". KSU. 28 September 2015. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015.
  26. ↑ "Cospicua Heritage Society qed tappoġġja l-proġett tal-università". iNews Malta (in Maltese). 24 August 2008. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015.
  27. 1 2 "House approves 'American University' property motion after night-long debate". Times of Malta. 15 December 2015. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015.
  28. ↑ "Front slams vote for 'American University'". Times of Malta. 16 December 2015. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015.
  29. ↑ "University in Cospicua granted permit". Planning Authority. 25 August 2016. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016.
  30. ↑ Saliba, Norma (26 August 2016). "American University buildings will reflect the past historic appearance of Cospicua Wharf". TVM.
  31. 1 2 Sansone, Kurt (25 September 2016). "AUM owner aspires for 'higher education diamond in the Mediterranean'". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 26 September 2016.
  32. ↑ "American University of Malta formally becomes American Institute of Malta, process to acquire university licence in process". Times of Malta. 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016.
  33. ↑ Camilleri, Ivan (1 February 2016). "American Institute's degree 'equivalent to university's'". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016.
  34. ↑ Vella, Matthew (3 April 2016). "Watchdog fines Sadeen for marketing unlicensed 'university'". Malta Today.
  35. ↑ Martin, Ivan (6 May 2016). "American Institute courses could start this year". timesofmalta.com.
  36. ↑ "American University of Malta gets accreditation at last". Times of Malta. 30 June 2016. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016.
  37. ↑ Sansone, Kurt (3 July 2016). "Conditions imposed on Sadeen Group for university licence 'are not negotiable'". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 3 July 2016.
  38. ↑ Sansone, Kurt (10 September 2016). "No university licence for Sadeen, one month before 'first student intake'". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016.
  39. ↑ "Sadeen granted 5-year licence to run American University of Malta". Times of Malta. 19 September 2016. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016.
  40. ↑ "Questions raised about whether American U. of Malta is really American | Inside Higher Ed". 2015-10-16. Archived from the original on 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  41. ↑ "'I can't see how I can be more transparent'". Times of Malta. 17 May 2015. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015.
  42. ↑ "NGOs urge publication of Sadeen deal for university". Times of Malta. 3 November 2015. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015.
  43. ↑ Mayo, Peter. "Of Universities, Monopolies, and Public Goods". Think. University of Malta. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015.
  44. ↑ Lindsay, David (3 May 2015). "Government seeking to end University of Malta's 'monopoly'". The Malta Independent. Archived from the original on 7 August 2015.
  45. ↑ "Lecturers rubbish PM's claim of university monopoly". Times of Malta. 20 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015.
  46. ↑ AUM Promo Video on YouTube
  47. ↑ Camilleri, Ivan (6 September 2017). "AUM student enrolment is 'proving challenging', provost says". Times of Malta.
  48. 1 2 Camilleri, Ivan (12 November 2017). "AUM firing staff after failing to attract students". Times of Malta.
  49. ↑ Schembri Orland, Kevin (19 November 2017). "AUM says it has more than 15 students, but still doesn't divulge number". The Malta Independent.
  50. ↑ "AUM rector says original targets were not realistic but is confident for the future". Television Malta. 24 November 2017.
  51. ↑ Diacono, Tim (11 November 2017). "This is What the American University of Malta Looks Like Two Years Later". lovinmalta.com.
  52. ↑ "American University of Malta deputy manager says claims against him were fabricated". Times of Malta. 23 May 2017.
  53. ↑ "Couple file judicial protest claiming unfair dismissal by Sadeen Education Investment Ltd". The Malta Independent. 20 October 2017.
  54. ↑ Diacono, Tim (4 January 2018). "BREAKING: American University of Malta Has Sacked All Its Faculty". lovinmalta.com.
  55. ↑ Attard, Rachel (4 January 2018). "AUM full time lecturers said to have been 'dismissed by email'". The Malta Independent.
  56. ↑ Grech, Helena (13 November 2017). "Minister would rather see the American University of Malta 'start small, grow gradually'". The Malta Independent.
  57. 1 2 Camilleri, Ivan (29 October 2017). "American University of Malta appoints Adrian Hillman as trustee". Times of Malta.
  58. ↑ "Allied Group managing director Adrian Hillman denies allegations". Times of Malta. 13 March 2016.
  59. ↑ Camilleri, Ivan (3 November 2017). "No conflict of interest with American University of Malta appointment, says BOV chair". Times of Malta.
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