Diskors tal-Ftu魔 tar-Rettur
魔ares lejn id-dinja mill-qamar... u ag魔raf is-sinjali ta鈥 偶minijietna!
think outside the box... and read the signs of our times!
Kan膵illier, Ministru, Membri tal-Kunsill, membri tal-korp akkademiku, 魔addiema tal-Universit, g魔e偶ie偶 studenti tal-Universit u tal-Junior College ...
Hu ta鈥 pja膵ir kbir g魔alija li g魔al darb鈥 o魔ra qieg魔ed nilqag魔kom hawn illum g魔al sena akkademika 摹dida.
Din is-sena, is-sajf kien pjuttost stramb... bi s魔ana qalila u b鈥檛idlik f鈥橪ulju 鈥 b鈥檟ita u sajjetti qajla wasal nofs Awwissu [li l-anqas lil San Gejtanu ma 魔allew bi kwietu] 鈥 u f鈥橲ettembru filli ried ja魔raqna, filli jxarrabna, u 魔afna drabi jtajjarna 鈥 ta鈥 kuljum ma tafx jekk is-sajf hux die魔el jew 魔iere摹!
F鈥櫯糶魔o偶iti kont na魔seb li jekk stajt inserra魔 mo魔魔i fuq xi 魔a摹a din 偶gur kienet fuq it-temp sajfi Malti. I偶da llum, forsi g魔ax xja魔t kemmxejn, naf li fil-魔ajja l-unika 魔a摹a li fil-fatt tista鈥 sserra魔 mo魔魔ok fuqha hi l-bidla, f鈥櫮媔klu wara l-ie魔or tal-魔ajja.
Issa sa魔ansitra s-sajf Malti m鈥檊魔adux dak li kien dari!
G魔e偶ie偶 studenti u kollegi, din 摹urnata ta鈥 fer魔... qeg魔din ng魔ixu lkoll f鈥檇inja e膵itanti ta鈥 bidla, bidla li qieg魔da sse魔魔 b鈥檊魔a摹la kbira... forsi xi w魔ud i魔ossu li b鈥檊魔a摹la 偶ejda. I偶da d-dinja mhi ser tieqaf tistenna lil 魔add!
Il-bidla minnha nnifisha mhix 魔a摹a 魔a偶ina... altru... xog魔olna b魔ala skulari u akkademi膵i hu li dejjem infittxu dak li hu 摹did, l-innovattiv, l-g魔erf li jtejjeb il-魔ajja, li jifta魔 l-im魔u魔 u l-orizzonti.
I偶da, kif tafu, tista鈥 te偶isti wkoll bidla distruttiva... li ssir bla 魔sieb, bla ra摹uni... bidla li titwettaq b魔ala l-g魔an a魔魔ari... bla rispett g魔at-tajjeb tal-passat, mhux motivata b鈥檛a魔ri摹, mhux imsejsa fuq il-valuri... i偶da bba偶ata fuq pre摹udizzji, opportuni偶mu, intolleranza, bi偶a鈥, jew sa魔ansitra fuq mibeg魔da. Din it-tip ta鈥 bidla hi t-tip li rridu nirre偶istu... u dan billi nit魔arr摹u, u n魔arr摹u, u nfittxu ndawlu l-im魔u魔 bil-verit u bis-sewwa.
G魔alhekk hu sinifikanti jum b魔al dan. Illum din l-universit tibda 膵iklu 摹did... sena akkademika 摹dida. G魔andna mag魔na grupp 摹did ta鈥 studenti tal-Universit u tal-Junior College. Dawn jimlewna b鈥檏ura摹摹 摹did... dawn jo魔olqu dawl 摹did.
Qeg魔din hawn biex nilqg魔uhom fil-familja Universitarja 鈥 familja b鈥檖assat distint u impenjat.
Qeg魔din hawn biex nistidnuhom ji偶fnu 偶ifna 魔elwa mal-mu偶a tal-g魔erf... 魔alli jit魔arr摹u u jag魔rfu kif fil-fatt jistg魔u jwettqu bidla ta鈥 fejda fid-dinja ta鈥 g魔ada, ibba偶ata fuq l-g魔erf, it-tolleranza, u fuq l-ekwit.
I偶da qabel xejn, g魔ax malajr na魔rab bija nnifsi... huwa xieraq li nintrodu膵i ru魔i b魔as-soltu... jisimni Juanito Camilleri, u g魔ad-disa鈥 xhur li 摹ejjin jien ser inkompli nservi b魔ala r-Rettur tal-Universit ta鈥 Malta. Fit-tim tar-Retturi tul erba鈥 mija u g魔oxrin sena storja ta鈥 din l-istituzzjoni, jien in-鈥渘umber 80鈥... Fix-xhur li 摹ejjin ser jin魔atar Rettur 摹did, u jkun min ikun, jew tkun min tkun, jien 膵ert li ilkoll ser ning魔aqdu biex din it-transizzjoni ssir bil-galbu u b鈥檓od seren.
Huwa tajjeb li ser issir bidla fit-tmexxija tal-Universit. Biex inkun onest l-ewwel nett tajjeb 魔afna g魔al sa魔ti g魔ax, kwa偶i g魔axar snin wara li bdejt din il-mixja, nemmen li wasal i偶-偶mien li nie魔u pass lura biex nag魔raf e偶attament x鈥檚er nag魔mel meta nikber! Pero鈥 tajjeb ukoll g魔al din l-istituzzjoni g魔ax fi 魔danha hawn 魔afna talent, u jien 膵ert li hawn nies li g魔andhom vi偶joni u kapa膵it li jkomplu minn fejn jien u s魔abi ser inwasslu din l-istituzzjoni sa鈥 臓unju li 摹ej.
Xejn, xejn, is-sena d-die魔la fid-diskors tal-ftu魔 ser tisimg魔u diska 摹dida... g魔ax wara g魔axar snin anke l-a魔jar album tar-Rock 鈥榥 Roll jibda jistona!
***
U mela issa ni摹i g魔at-tema li g魔a偶ilt g魔al din is-sena, li mhix inkonsistenti mal-messa摹摹i li fittixt li ng魔addi tul dan ir-rettorat:
魔ares lejn id-dinja mill-qamar... u ag魔raf is-sinjali ta鈥 偶minijietna!
Din mhix stedina biex tg魔ixu 魔ajjitkom kollha b鈥檙askom fl-is魔ab, g魔alkemm dan dejjem a魔jar milli ikollkom raskom mirduma fir-ramel! Nassigurakom li xi ftit tal-魔in fl-is魔ab hu anke ne膵essarju minn 偶mien g魔al ie魔or g魔ax ir-realt tal-魔ajja xi kultant taqtag魔lek nifsek!
Tkunux ankrati wisq fl-hekk imsej魔a 鈥渘ormi tad-dinja鈥 jew fi prammatti偶mu falz... Id-dinja hi kif inhi frott l-g魔a偶liet tajba jew 魔偶iena tal-passat. Dan ma jfissirx li ma tistax tkun a魔jar jew ag魔ar... ir-responsabbilt hija tag魔na... fl-a魔魔ar mill-a魔魔ar ilkoll g魔andna g魔a偶liet x鈥檔ag魔mlu... I偶da a魔na, l-umanit, ser ikollna l-魔ila u l-g魔aqal biex nag魔偶lu sewwa?
呕ommu mo魔魔kom miftu魔 鈥 ta鈥 spiss 魔udu passtejn lura, fittxu li t魔arsu lejn id-dinja minn lenti mhux tas-soltu... iva, metaforikament, 魔arsu lejha mill-qamar! Tkunux b魔an-ng魔a摹 ta鈥 Bendu... ta膵膵ettawx dak kollu li jintqal ming魔ajr ma ta魔sbu b鈥檓o魔魔kom... tibqg魔ux tg魔ixu fl-g魔eluq ta鈥 g偶ira 偶g魔ira tisimg魔u dejjem l-istess kantaliena... i偶da ag魔rfu li hemm barra hemm dinja kbira li, trid jew ma tridx, ser tibqa iddur, bik jew ming魔ajrek...
G魔e偶ie偶 studenti, intom qeg魔din tie魔du l-impenn biex tkomplu tistudjaw u tit魔arr摹u biex titilqu minn hawn b鈥櫮liet li g魔ad iservukom fil-魔ajja u li bihom g魔ad isservu fil-professjonijiet rispettivi tag魔kom. Li to魔or摹u minn hawn armati sa sninkom b鈥檇awk l-g魔odod tal-mistier tag魔kom huwa importanti, i偶da dan mhux bi偶偶ejjed.
B魔ala gradwati denji tal-isem, intom tridu wkoll tag魔rfu d-dinja, tag魔rfu s-sinjali ta偶-偶mien, u tridu tippro摹ettaw l-identit, it-twemmin, it-talenti tag魔kom f鈥檌b魔ra ta鈥 opportunitajiet f鈥檇inja dejjem aktar globalizzata. F鈥檇awn l-ib魔ra tridu tkunu tafu mhux biss kif, i偶da wkoll fejn u b鈥檒iema lixka l-a魔jar tistadu... u meta u kif l-a魔jar tistkennu meta xxommu l-maltemp 摹ej.
U fuq din in-nota nixtieq ng魔id kelmtejn bl-Ingli偶 g魔ax huwa importanti li niftakru li g魔andna fostna studenti barranin minn wie魔ed u sebg魔in pajji偶, li llum nistidinkom tilqg魔uhom mag魔na. Dawn kellhom il-kura摹摹 jitilqu minn pajji偶hom biex jift魔u l-orizzonti tag魔hom mag魔na.
Nispera li kull wie魔ed u wa魔da minnkom tfittxu li titilqu minn xtutna u tift魔u mo魔魔kom g魔ad-dinja b魔ala parti integrali mill-formazzjoni edukattiva tag魔kom.
Te魔dunix 魔a偶in, Malta sabi魔a 魔afna, u lkoll in魔obbuha... i偶da din l-art 魔elwa, kif tidher mill-qamar?
***
Dear international freshers, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the University of Malta and I thank you for patiently listening to the initial part of my speech which I delivered in Maltese in accordance with established tradition.
Today you have joined a vibrant academic community which looks at the future with optimism and looks back on its past with pride.
I understand the challenge you face and the excitement of leaving your homeland to pursue studies abroad. Settling down in a foreign country whilst delving into one鈥檚 study or research programme is a challenge, but, I assure you that you will soon cherish your stay with us.
Please do not hesitate to seek the assistance of the International Students Office should the need arise, and please note that Professor Mary-Anne Lauri, the Pro-Rector in charge of Student and Institutional Affairs, and Professor Marilyn Clark, my delegate in charge of International Student Wellbeing, are available to assist you.
I trust you will put to good use the facilities in the Library and the IT Services Centre and that these provide you with a comfortable study environment, beyond the facilities provided by your respective faculties.
***
In the initial part of my speech I invited all students to think outside the box and to hone a global vision.
We live in a world laden with opportunities, laden with choices... Yes laden with threat if we make the wrong choices... an exciting world where the frontiers of technology are rapidly expanding the realm of the possible and the corpus of what is known...
New disciplines continue to emerge from biotechnology to information and communication technologies, from the production of digital games to nanotechnology and nano-materials鈥
Discoveries in quantum physics and astrophysics give us new insights into how the world and the universe are 鈥渨ired up鈥, we see how social media have been instrumental in bringing down regimes, and yet, we still have to see if they can be useful at all in building effective democracies鈥
We have seen global economics unfold in the past few years in a way which forces us to rewrite our economics textbooks, we engage on a daily basis as part of a global community, we chat online, SMS, tweet, and pour our life, joys and frustrations on Facebook... it seems that privacy has gone out of fashion!
We store stem-cells from the placentas of our newly born in the hope that these may be instrumental in saving their life down the line, or that of their children's children, we strive to define our cultural identities whilst ironically we have the technology to genetically map a human-being comprehensively in a matter of hours鈥
We witness the impact of climate change, natural disasters, environmental degradation, and war, and yet we often sit back in the comfort of our sitting rooms wondering when someone else - not us - is going to do something about it鈥
We strive to define what we believe in, what we stand for, and we do so conscious, or should I say, over-conditioned by what is trendy or cool鈥
We strive to learn more and more languages, human as well as algebraic, to interact with minds and machines鈥
We live in a kaleidoscope of change, it鈥檚 so exciting, it鈥檚 almost breathtaking, most certainly daunting... but fear not dear students...
Never fear change, never refrain from asking a question for fear of the answer, do not let life pass you by whilst you spectate... seek to participate, seek to engage, seek to make a difference, cash in on the talents that adorn you... and do so for the benefit of those around you...
fear not because you are about to acquire an important toolset in the coming years at University鈥 a toolset and hopefully the accompanying values and insight to put it to good use.
Allow me to take you forward to thirty odd years from now... most of you students will be my current age then... I certainly hope I will still be around, and hope we will have the opportunity to meet again... and reminisce this special moment.
Have you ever wondered what the world would be like then... approaching the midway point of this century...? Let's dream and speculate for fun... of course none of what I say hereafter is certain but likely... very, very likely.
I am sure that most of you would have heard of Moore's Law... well in the 70's Moore - an Intel systems engineer - observed that the number of transistors on a chip was doubling every 2 years... well if we use a more modern variant of Moore's law, one observes that the computation power that can be embedded in a single chip is doubling, but even more rapidly than previous predications... in fact at present it is doubling in less than 18 months... With the technological innovation in the pipeline, chip-designers believe that this trend will persist for at least the next two decades鈥
Now to keep things in perspective, the computation power of the fastest chips at present is comparable to the computation power of the brain of a mouse... not that impressive, one may think... although mice are not that dumb I assure you鈥
Well think about this then... at the current rate of growth the computation power of a chip will exceed that of a human brain in between a decade or two from now... well there again... given the way in which some of us reason at times... this too may not be that impressive either...
Indeed if current trends persist beyond the next two decades... it is not outrageous to predict that probably within the lifetime of the freshers here today the computation power of micro computing devices of some form will in time match the grey matter of all humanity put together - all the nine or so billion humans who will inhabit the earth then!
Now that's mind blowing!
This exponential growth in processing juice together with the rapid advancement of nanotechnology will see micro electromechanical systems smaller than the thickness of a hair embedded in all sorts of artifacts or materials allowing all sorts of wonderful applications... self-healing materials, communicating surfaces, intelligent plaster... smart dust!
Imagine electronic devices injected in a blood stream to deliver just the right dose of cure to attack the precise cancerous spot in a body... Imagine having a device embedded in your ear that has the ability to simultaneously translate any language being spoken to you to a language you naturally understand...
Imagine knowing your genetic makeup to the extent that can help you manage a healthy lifestyle, help your doctor administer preventative medicine, and help nib emerging ailments in the bud... at the same time imagine the intrusion of knowing from inception what the likely cause of your natural death will be... is that too much information? Is that more than one may want to know?
Perhaps, dealing with too much information will increasingly become our biggest headache! Imagine computers that programme themselves and others freely... robots which develop "personality"... I could go on and on ... So, if you think the iPad and Facebook have changed life as we knew it... well you ain't seen nothing yet!
Of course, there is also a flip-side to all this... more automation, more miniaturization of electronic devices, the creation of electronic prosthesis, the interface of tissue with device, the symbiosis of man and machine... all this digital and cyber-babble, will increasingly put us all on the spot... it will become pertinent to ask ourselves, more than ever before... what is it that makes us human...?
This is why I believe wholeheartedly in a Bohemian style of education which is not overly utilitarian or prescribed, in the need to invest in the humanities, in creativity, in unbridled innovation, in things of beauty, in things that uplift our hearts... and at the risk of sounding old fashioned... in things that feed our soul... yes鈥 with goodness鈥
Humanity faces major challenges... in thirty-years most of central Africa will by default become uninhabitable due to global warming... and yet half of the world's youth will be born in Africa... so we can expect massive migration northward and southward... the southern Mediterranean coast will become very densely populated... more people will seek to migrate northwards towards Europe...
...what we are witnessing now in the Mediterranean is merely an amuse bouche - not even an appetizer of what is in store down the line...
Malta itself will most certainly hot up... fresh water increasingly becoming the most valuable commodity... and this means we need to make sure we have sustainable and affordable energy not only to cool our habitats but also to irrigate and sustain our farmland...
and thank goodness for the decline in the average global birthrate... global population is likely to taper off at around nine billion, but, the number of people leading a western style middle-class lifestyle will increase by an additional 3 billion on top of the 1.5 billion there are at present鈥 most of this growth happening in South East Asia鈥
Can you imagine how the demand for commodities will explode? Can you imagine the strain on global resources? We will need to find alternative sources of food, particularly protein... Well insects are earmarked as the most sustainable natural source of protein... anyone fancy a McHopper?
On the flip side, Malta has a declining birthrate, an aging population, and an increasing influx of immigrants from both the north and the south... I can imagine how Maltese wedding albums will look like thirty years from now... but... will we be wise enough to adapt 鈥淢alteseness鈥 in a timely fashion? Will we still recognize what it is that makes us Maltese? Will we still be known for our hospitality, for our tolerance, for our adaptability, for our Christian values... or will these be replaced by xenophobia and myopia?
...and we haven't yet spoken of the impact of rising sea-levels on our little islands... which by default will become smaller... no doubt, land protection and reclamation is going to be big on our agenda in the decades to come... but will we just talk ourselves out of space?
Wow, the challenges ahead are both exciting and daunting... I am sure our little islands, the world and humanity will keep us all on our toes... I can keep talking on and on... identifying the challenges and opportunities ahead... the potential good, bad, and ugly... the choices we will all have to make in the brave new world that beckons...
... but on a lighter note remember... in a world of change, when on this wonderful roller coaster, all you really need to know is yourself, you need to discover who you are, you need to hone in on your values... Why? because ultimately your values serve as your compass, as your measuring scales, as your north star... when navigating in the uncharted waters that lie ahead...
鈥nd I can tell you from my limited experience - although you might not realise this now - there's nothing like a good tertiary education to prepare you for what lies ahead in life鈥
do take time to step back and savour the privilege of being here鈥
live life to the full and seize every opportunity that comes your way鈥
push yourselves and discover your limits鈥 find out who you really are, and what you stand for, even at the risk of failure at times.
There is no shame in failure if one does one best. Learn, move on, and grow!
***
At this point, allow me to say a few words of thanks, this being the last opportunity for me to do so as Rector in this setting.
I will not bore you with the significant achievements made in the past decade, nor will I labour on the initiatives that are underway which set the scene for a stronger, better University down the line鈥 even if some are still merely holes in the ground as we speak鈥
I only mention these significant achievements to say that none of what has been achieved could have been done without formidable teamwork鈥
I would like to thank my Pro-Rectors who I am pleased to introduce:
鈥 Prof. Joe Friggieri is the Pro-rector for Gozo;
鈥 Prof. Mary-Anne Lauri, as mentioned earlier, is the Pro-rector for Students and Institutional Affairs;
鈥 Prof. Richard Muscat is the Pro-rector for Research and Innovation; and
鈥 Prof. Alfred Vella is the Pro-rector for Academic Affairs.
I thank them for their unstinting support and for sharing my vision, joys and frustrations鈥 but most importantly for getting on with it, most times against the odds. I am truly proud and blessed to have served with them.
I would also like to thank the College of Deans who have always provided us with constructive feedback and advice whenever needed.
The University is a complex system, and I am indebted to my Secretariat, the Administrative Directors and administrative staff who work with unstinting dedication to keep the machine running as smoothly as is humanly possible given the limited resources in hand.
Last but not least, I would like to thank my fellow academics. Thank you for bearing with me鈥 some may feel wronged by my actions or omissions鈥 I hope these too do not doubt my sincerity even if my actions at times may have been unsatisfactory or misguided.
Before I close off my welcome speech this morning, I would like to appeal to the student and alumni community鈥
Always be proud of your Alma Mater 鈥 cherish its outstanding past and help build a brighter future.
Without further ado, I welcome you all 鈥 academics, support staff, and local and international students - to a productive and fruitful year.
Let鈥檚 live life to the full鈥 remember鈥 a world of opportunities beckons!
To view some photos of the Opening Ceremony visit the page.
