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Your Excellency, Honourable Prime Minister, Honourable Leader of the Opposition, Ambassadors, Chancellor, President of Council, Rector-Elect, Pro-Rectors, distinguished guests...

Alma Mater assembled here today, I gratefully greet you on this glorious morning...  

I chose to borrow the opening narrative of Benigni's masterpiece La Vita è Bella, ��������é...

Fear not, I do not intend to recite the story of my Rectorship this morning nor of the history of this Alma Mater... our beloved Principessa... 

...as I stated earlier, it is really a very simple story... somewhat difficult to recite... but one which is best left for another time...

Indeed, I chose to set the tone of this address with the cue of La Vita è Bella for more reasons than one:

First, because Benigni's beautiful masterpiece imparts an important message of hope... of strength and fortitude... in the face of adversity...

Second, because it projects the indestructible force of unconditional love... a sweetness which refuses to allow bitterness, envy, or even hatred to darken life... to consume the soul...

The third reason is somewhat personal, the reason is Maestro Roberto Benigni himself, he played Guido in the film, but he also played to an amused audience in this very church in 2008 when on behalf of Senate and Council I conferred on him a doctorate Honoris Causa... 

...that evening, his lectura dantis on l'ultimo canto del Paradiso left us all breathless... the profound spirit and optimism of this great man, will remain etched in my memory as undoubtedly that evening was the highlight of my tenure as Rector.

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For those of you who watched La Vita è Bella, Guido's effervescent greeting "buon giorno principessa!" in the first encounters with his future wife Dora was daring, playful, mischievous, and infused with life... it projects such infectious excitement... such joy... it embodies much potential...

This very same greeting expressed with as much zest on the broadcast system whilst they were detained in a concentration camp, had an altogether different meaning... 

When he and their son Giosuè reached out to his wife Dora detained in another quarter of the camp... his greeting defied the pain and fear, and rang loud "we are still alive... if you are still out there... do not lose heart... the good in life is worth fighting for... the good in life will prevail"

My "Buon Giorno" to our "Principessa", your Alma Mater, this morning... was said with as much playfulness and mischief as I would have ten years ago, no doubt not as flirtatious as I would have then, as after ten years I believe we've gone passed that... 

This said, I hope that my greeting rings out loud: "life is beautiful... no matter how many knocks you're dealt... notwithstanding the inevitable pain endured at times... never give up, march on, prevail!"

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I believe moments such as this remain etched in institutional memory - we are here as protagonists in an institutional rite of passage - today we are engaged in pageantry intended to highlight the importance of the occasion - we are here to celebrate the successful closure of another chapter in the long history of our Alma Mater, and to herald in a fresh outlook. We rekindle and invoke symbols of the past while through our very presence here in full regalia, we stand resolved to work together for a better future.

Tomorrow, one of my Prorectors, my dear colleague and good friend Alfred Vella "picks up the mace" at the helm of this veritable institution - today, I step down and move on after ten onerous but profoundly fulfilling years "full of marvels and joy". The tenure of the 80th Rector of this institution comes to an end completing another loop in a chain that spans more than four centuries.

This is indeed a joyous occasion, somewhat charged with emotion and spiked with a good dose of pride. For me this is a day of thanks-giving as indeed I have much to be thankful for, particularly when I witness what this university has managed to achieve in the past decade... 

The fruit of our toil is indeed plentiful, not without blemish, but it is satisfyingly nourishing and sweet nonetheless...

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Ten years ago tomorrow, still short of forty by five odd months, I assumed the post of Rector of this University. Not quite the youngest to assume the role, as indeed Professor Edwin Borg Costanzi, who some of you remember fondly, had just turned thirty-nine a month before he first assumed the post in 1963. 

Despite having had already cut my teeth in challenging senior management roles both in the public as well as in the private sector, irrespective of how experienced, or talented one may be, I soon discovered that nothing can quite prepare you for such a post, which, by its very nature, is somewhat larger than life!

Running a university is nothing like running a company. In a company, everybody knows who's boss, whilst in a university most think they are the boss, and some simply act that way!  

To succeed, when at the helm of a university, one needs to learn how to celebrate a kaleidoscope of characters, one must seek to bring forth the best in people by cranking the cogs to create magical patterns whenever possible... and I assure you that this University - like the togas we wear - has no lack of colourful characters... 

Ultimately, I found the key to success as Rector is the empowerment of others to excel. Indeed, I believe power should be measured in terms of the capacity to empower others to fulfill to the best of their ability; rather than the ability to condition, control, or to shackle their progress.

So in a certain sense all a Rector needs to do is to create the enabling environment - the milieu - in which others can flourish and grow, and then keep out of people's hair.

This said, the creation of an enabling milieu for academic growth and scholarship is no mean task... it requires the right legislative structure, it requires a sustainable means of financing, and it requires the right physical infrastructure and resources. 

Here we go again... I hear some of you sigh... yep even in this my eleventh hour as Rector, I make the following appeal to those who are in a position to take heed and act.

For the University of Malta to achieve greater heights and for it to continue to serve as a pillar of this society and as a bedrock of this economy, it is crucial that it is reconstituted as a public equivalent body with full administrative as well as academic autonomy... held accountable through appropriate and self-checking governance structures, but, not held on a leash by mindless bureaucracy and rigid administrative practice. 

I look forward to a dedicated University of Malta Act, which, with thoughtfulness and care, should finally provide the University with the legal persona and operational freedom it so deserves. 

When drafting such a law, legislators should not ask what the University ought to be, as seen in our current mindset... lest that vision be somewhat blurred...

...instead, they ought to ask what the University ought to become, in order to empower it to help transform this country's mindset... and to help project a fresh vision for the future... 

I believe that this Alma Mater ought to become more accountable, it ought to weed out any traces of mediocrity in its ranks, it ought to become truly autonomous, and to fulfill this, after more than four hundred years, it must be allowed to stand on its own feet with sustainable endowments, world-class teaching and research infrastructure, and resources to match ever-increasing expectations.

Never in the history of our island nation have we needed a truly autonomous university as much as we need it today. 

With the rapid cycles of technological innovation that are underway, which will undoubtedly redefine our very being and reconfigure our economies and societies;… 

With global population set to surpass the 9 billion mark and the migration now afoot accentuated by changes in climate, by conflict, or merely by the promise of a better future; and…

With the clash of cultures that we see unfold between, on the one hand, the emergence of post-God societies, and on the other, the reemergence of medieval religious fundamentalism...

more than ever before, we will need our universities to help us retain a grasp on our humanity... 

In the "brave new world" that beckons, we - as academics - will be called upon, more and more, to identify and help preserve: "what it is that makes us human"...

Closer to home, in this beloved bitter-sweet "Kinnie-loving" society we live in, this Alma Mater will increasingly be called upon to help refine what it is that makes us Maltese, and this, in an increasingly multicultural, and alas, politically polarized backdrop.

I ask you assembled here today: if we shackle the intellectual dialogue with the same accent overshadowing our tribal political discourse wouldn't that merely accentuate the vicious cycle of tit for tat that has become prevalent?

I argue that Malta sorely needs independent free-thinkers, academics, who through scholarship and through the pursuit of knowledge and knowhow, develop the stature to profess credibly, provide the thought-leadership which can add value, and hence uplift, based on fact not emotion, on reason not fanaticism, the discourse formulating future economic, social, and public policy... 

Our mission as thought-leaders is intrinsically "political"… we should seek to step down from our ivory tower... we should never fear standing up for the truth even if in these days of insatiable sensationalism, how best to do so is often not clear.

After all what else should professors do if not profess the insights gained through introspection, profound reflection, and serious scholarship?

I believe we are called to profess our expertise not only in our classrooms, not only in our research laboratories, or through our publications, but also through engagement with the public sector, industry and civil society at large... we need to reach out enough to help uplift and add value to the society we serve, but, not too far so as to be drawn into partisan pique and brawls...

Now that, is perhaps the finest and most delicate balance we must seek!

but, enough of that for today... 

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I stand here before you, grateful for all your kindness and support throughout my tenure. Grateful for the opportunity to serve you all. 

I thank the Chancellor, Professor David Attard for his counsel and advice, both when he served as President of Council as well as in his current office; and his predecessor Chancellor-emeritus, Professor Rizzo Naudi for his dedication and kindness.

Apart from Professor Attard, I am proud to have worked with two other Presidents of Council, Ms Bernie Mizzi and Dr Michael Sciriha. I must say that the trusting working relationship fostered served us all well to resolve some very tough challenges. My gratitude extends to all the members of Council along the years.

As I said earlier, a Rectorship is all about teamwork. I owe a profound debt of gratitude to Professor Mary Anne Lauri my Pro-rector for Student and Institutional Affairs; to Professor Richard Muscat my Pro-rector for Research and Innovation; and to Professor Alfred Vella my Pro-rector for Academic Affairs, all three of whom were instrumental in forging this Rectorship from its inception, and to Professor Joe Friggieri - my Pro-rector for Gozo - who joined us later to further strengthen our team with invaluable insight and experience. Mary Anne, Richard, Alfred, Joe: it has not only been great fun working with you, but, I consider it to have been a great privilege. Heartfelt thanks to you all.

I found great solace in the College of Deans and much support throughout my tenure. I am grateful that we quickly learnt to put our shoulders to the wheel together... and am pleased that we did steer the ship in the same direction… arguably, the right direction!

Veronica Grech, the Registrar, and all the administrative directors under the quiet and unassuming leadership of the University Secretary Simon Sammut, provided the necessary backbone for the long list of projects and reforms we implemented in the past decade. Although, by its very complex nature, there is always much to improve in the University administrative machine, the dedication of the senior management team, as well as the support of the rank and file of the University administration, allowed us to achieve much to be proud of.  For this I am grateful.

To my colleagues, fellow academics: I apologize if by act or omission I may have hurt or disappointed some of you in some way along the road... I trust you all understand that in leadership positions, even if one always seeks to act in good-faith and for the common good, one is compelled by circumstance, or constraint, to draw lines, which, at times, impact some less favorably.  

To our dear students, across disciplines and at all levels, and to their representatives who serve on the KSU: allow me to say how proud we are of you, of what you have achieved, of what you are about to become... remember that the world is your oyster and that an exciting world of innovation and opportunity beckons... be ever conscious of the threats that loom, and retain a positive human outlook to help build a better future... 

My final word of thanks goes to Angela Tabone, who masterfully managed my secretariat with the utmost competence and dedication, to Marina and Anne Marie for their patience, and to Joe who made sure I got to all my meetings on time even if my diary at times expected us to defy the laws of physics!

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Before I close off, I wish to make an announcement which I am sure will delight you all. Last week we announced the signing of an agreement which will see the construction of a University Residence and Community Complex at the entrance of our Msida campus. Undoubtedly, this will fundamentally change life on campus, and that of the growing University community. 

This morning, just before this ceremony, as the last executive action of my tenure as Rector, I signed a memorandum of understanding with Government. This will see the title of ownership of the block of building adjacent to this church built by the Jesuits in 1592, which we now refer to as the Valletta Campus, transferred to the University of Malta, and this, in exchange for a parcel of land at Tal-Qroqq which was effectively taken from the University years ago to build the National Pool. 

If this agreement is ratified by the House of Representatives, as well as the Council of the University of Malta, this exchange of property will not only guarantee that the University will continue to dedicate our Alma Mater’s original seat of leaning exclusively for the furtherance of its mission as a seat of higher learning. It will also resolve a longstanding anomaly regarding the ownership and management of the National Pool and the University Sports Complex and facilities, thus paving the way for the much needed modernization of the said facilities.

I am indeed grateful to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers for approving this agreement which must now be ratified in Parliament. I trust that the House of Representatives and the University Council will vote unanimously in support of this. 

I would also like to thank Dr Lawrence Gonzi, who as Prime Minister supported my long crusade to have other parties vacate the Valletta Campus to allow the University to reoccupy it, and start the process of embellishment that has unfolded in the past few years.

Special thanks are also due to Minister Evarist Bartolo who had to endure a steady stream of early morning SMS-reminders from the “Terror-Rector” for the past two-years or so… he did promise me that we would sign the agreement under my watch… and that we have! Thank you.

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Now allow me to close by taking you back to a scene from La Vita è Bella, and in so doing, offer Alfred a few friendly tips in the process...

In the concentration camp, Guido hides their true situation from his son. Guido explains to Giosuè that the camp is a complicated game in which he must perform the tasks which Guido assigns. Each of the tasks will earn him points and whoever gets to one thousand points first, will win a tank. 

At one stage, a soldier walks into the dorm and starts barking orders in German. Guido enthusiastically volunteered to translate - of course, he used the opportunity to misstate what was really being said, and this, to set the rules of the game for his son who was hiding in a bunk within earshot...

So Alfred (Giosuè) here are the rules of the game...

"The game starts now. You have to score one thousand points. If you do that, you take home a tank with a big gun. Each day the scores will be announced from a loudspeaker....

You will lose points for any one of three things: 

One: If you cry. 

Alfred, do not worry, even if you were so inclined, you will very soon run out of tears. As you well know, there are one or two colourful characters on campus, who will most certainly drive you well beyond tears!

Two: If you want to see your Mommy. 

Well Fred, given that like mine, yours has been called to the good Lord some time back, wishing to see her just now may be somewhat counterproductive! I understand that things may get really, really challenging at times, but please do not let them go far enough to drive you to Harakiri.

Three: If you're hungry and want a snack! 

Buddy, that simply is not allowed. I'm sorry, you get your ration but once a year, and if your allocated budget runs out, you don't get to ask for more!

Observe those three basic rules of the camp, steer our Alma Mater well away from partisan politics, and be your own man... and you should be fine! More power to your elbow my brother! May your Rectorship be full of "marvels and joy"…

... and on that note, I thank you all for joining us today, and for joining me in wishing Alfred the very best of luck.

By the way, if you see a tank with a big gun parked outside... please tell the warden that it's mine... I just managed to score a thousand points this morning... provided, that is, I haven't lost any points with this speech...

Well distinguished guests, my dearest Principessa, la vita è veramente molto bella... remember ye'all... it's only a lifetime... let's make the most of it! God willing, I certainly intend doing just that, with my beloved wife and daughter!

Thank you very much.