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. [30] The EAP program at the American University of Malta is designed to help students who meet all the requirements for admissions except for the language proficiency and need to improve their English language skills in order to begin their degree program.
[35] One of the two former NCFHE employees hired by the AUM visited the campus for an inspection soon after the mass firing of faculty in January 2018. [87] NGOs have called for the publication of the agreement between the government and Sadeen Group. "[15] The curricula are officially provided by DePaul University, Chicago. In 1776, arcades were built over the existing building by Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc. [22][23], The university originally planned to take in its first students in October 2016, with lectures at SmartCity Malta until the head campus was completed. Arkansas State University reconsidered its earlier decision to collaborate with the AUM on dual degree programs after uncovering former employees' negative comments on the site Glassdoor describing the mass termination event. [99][100][35], The AUM has also been criticised for its poor quality assurance practices. [48][52] Opposition to the project was mainly because public open spaces would have been built up, and the proposed extensions would have obstructed views of the Senglea fortifications from Cospicua. . (1)", "Sadeen's five-year licence 'dictated by law', "Xhieda li l-American University of Malta bdiet tagti spinta lin-naa t'isfel ta' Malta", "Cottonera activists urge residents to petition against AUM extension", "Cottonera residents unite against over-development", "House approves 'American University' property motion after night-long debate", "American University of Malta formally becomes American Institute of Malta, process to acquire university licence in process", "American Institute's degree 'equivalent to university's', "Watchdog fines Sadeen for marketing unlicensed 'university', "American Institute courses could start this year", "American University of Malta gets accreditation at last", "Conditions imposed on Sadeen Group for university licence 'are not negotiable', "No university licence for Sadeen, one month before 'first student intake', "Sadeen granted 5-year licence to run American University of Malta", "American University of Malta Hires Two Lecturers from Its Own Education Regulator", "Interview: The Man who came from Baku (3)", "American University Of Malta's Head John Ryder Will Retire This Month", "Concerns halt partnership between AUM and US university", "American University of Malta Company Reviews", "Cospicua's Dock No. "[19] El Zayyat initially hired and supervised IT staff at the AUM. [108], In his role as Chairman of the Cottonera Rehabilitation Committee, Maltese Parliament Member and Labour Party insider Glenn Bedingfield expressed scepticism that the AUM would fulfil its contractual obligation with the Government of Malta to reach the agreed-upon number of students four years after the building phase of the Cospicua campus is completed: "I am beginning to doubt whether they [the AUM] will ever be able to attract the 4,000 students in the promised timeframe [2025 to 2029]. This was the first step in the process to acquire a university licence.
Soon after the mass firing of faculty in January 2018, the AUM recruited, hired and employed a lecturer with a history of committing plagiarism, clearly having violated the principle of academic integrity. [92] The government stated that the AUM would end the monopoly that the University of Malta has on higher education. [3] The university's administration also includes President Lewis Walker, Assistant to the President John H. Bing,[3] Interim Provost Narcisa Moteanu[77] and Vice President of Global Initiatives Khaled El Zayyat. Responding defensively, he acknowledged that the absconding students posed security risks (human trafficking and terrorism), but insisted that all were reported to Maltese immigration authorities. [1], The AUM welcomed their first small cohort of students in September 2017[8] while their main campus underwent major restoration. [citation needed], In July 2019, Provost John Ryder announced his resignation, stating that he had fulfilled his contract with the AUM but would have "loved not to have had some of the problems or [made some of the] mistakes" he did. While specifics of any DePaul contract are proprietary, I can tell you that it went through the usual, internal multi-step review process. [71], Sadeen Education Investment Ltd submitted a planning application to demolish the water polo pitch and construct the campus on 17 February 2017. [6][9] The project has an investment of over 115 million, and it was intended to create around 400[6] to 750 jobs.
", "When is a university not a university? DePaul University provided the original curricula of the AUM. The project was intended to regenerate the South of Malta and give said area an economic and social boost. [47] Sadeen Group decided to appeal this decision, and the case is still ongoing as of 2020. "[102], The Maltese press raised concerns that the National Commission for Further and Higher Education (NCFHE) turned a blind eye to the mass dismissal of faculty in January 2018 in a quid pro quo arrangement with the AUM. Within a period of seven months, the employment contracts of 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). [21] Also, concerns have arisen that the university's presence threatens the heritage and quality of life in the Bormla community and Three Cities region.
[28], 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. [44][45] The building is now known as the Sadeen Building, and it houses the university's lecture halls, laboratories, administrative facilities and library. [citation needed] Ryder was promptly replaced by another American higher education administrator, Jeremy Brown. 1 campus in Cospicua. [47], This proposal was opposed by local residents, the Nationalist Party,[48] the Democratic Party,[49] the Catholic Church[50] and various NGOs. This program will help students improve their skills in Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing to help them succeed once they start their degree. The lecturer reports: "There was a confidentiality clause which stated that we would have to pay back twice our yearly salary, if we broke ita provision that is quite bizarre in America, and unheard of in Malta. [4], As of 2020, the university has 15 faculty members.
"[36], In the AUM's first two years, refusals by then-Provost John Ryder to publicly release the official enrollment figures was a recurring flashpoint of controversy. "[84] Rumours that the AUM selectively recruited U.S. citizens to make the institution appear American are substantiated by an ex-staff member who claimed that in a Skype interview with provost John Ryder, he was told that 'the main thing you have going for you is that you're American.' "[109] On the 13 October 2019, the Times of Malta reported that the AUM had only recruited one-fifth of the targeted number of students, 143 of the 710 it had promised the Maltese government. [citation needed] Former AUM employees have expressed concerns about the fledgling higher education institution. An almost identical building which was located on the opposite side of the dry dock was demolished between 1972 and 1974. The board members are (1) Prince Jean of Luxembourg (chair), (2) John Ryder, (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) Carine Boonen. Once the restoration process of the main campus was finalized in January 2019, the AUM had their official inauguration ceremony in March of that same year. [79], Sadeen Education Investment Ltd purchased Bowyer House, a hostel in Tarxien, to be used as the university's official student accommodation in September 2017, and this property is currently being renovated. [citation needed] Two months after the IT Administrator[who?] [3] The university also has a Chief Executive Officer, and this post is held by Ziya Alpay as of 2020. Provided that a week's notice of the termination of employment has to be given to the other party in the case of an employee who has been in the employment of the same employer continuously for more than one month. [121], Board member John Ryder, who was appointed immediately after his resignation as provost, undertook the mass firing of faculty in January 2018 as well as hiring replacement faculty with histories of plagiarism and fraud in the aftermath.
"[89] A former lecturer at the AUM cited a confidentiality clause in the institution's standard employment contract that restricts transparency by threatening punitive measures against employees who leak information to the media. [5], AUM personnel decisions have also generated controversy, raising concerns about the legality of the new institution's employment policies and practices.
In addition, new buildings were to be constructed on nearby sites: an administrative building was to be built between the British and Knights' Buildings, and a building which housed student accommodation and a multistorey car park was to be built on the site of a nearby public car park.
"[86], To this criticism, the AUM's provost John Ryder responded that the university is "not a brand or offshoot, or run by any American university [but it is] American in curriculum and organisation. [76], The American University of Malta has a Board of Trustees which is headed by Prince Jean of Luxembourg as Chairman and Hani Salah as Vice-Chairman as of 201920. [17], The original curricula of the AUM were provided by the DePaul University. "[85], When asked in an interview about her views concerning the controversial American university in Malta, outgoing U.S. All applicants can apply for their degree of choice online by submitting all the necessary documents. [70] In December 2015, Front arsien ODZ criticized the government's granting of land to the university. [25][43], AUM offers 10 undergraduate and 3 graduate degrees in the areas of Business, Engineering, Technology and Arts.
[] During the probationary period, either party may terminate the employment at will without reason.
[18][13] However, a member of DePaul's executive administrative team, Khaled El Zayyat, became the AUM's first Vice President of Global Initiatives: "El Zayyat previously held teaching and administrative posts at DePaul University, Chicago, and supervised dual degree graduate programmes for DePaul University in Jordan. A spokesperson for DePaul University issued a statement, qualifying the legitimacy of AUM's curricula: "Faculty designed degree programs in areas that were requested, with the dual goals of being academically well-designed and meeting regulatory requirements in Malta. [35][36], In the first three years of the AUM's existence, the higher education institution has been plagued by a number of controversies. The General Education requirements are a total of 41-42 US/82- 84 ETCS credits. . [12] The project's estimated economic output was speculated to be about 48 to 85 million. [67] The group held a protest in Valletta against the development on 20 June, and it was attended by 3000 people. [24] The beginning of the first academic year was later moved to 28 August 2017, with lectures held at the Dock No. [106] Four days later, Ryder acknowledged in a Television Malta interview that the AUM student body numbered 23. It was also damaged during World War II and it remained in a dilapidated state. [41] The building was damaged by aerial bombardment during World War II,[40] and repairs and alterations made after the war were unsympathetic to the building's aesthetics. [30], The National Commission for Further and Higher Education (NCFHE) officially accredited the AUM on 30 June 2016, after a 14-month process which included financial and academic evaluations. The latter occupy the site of a water polo pitch and 18,000m2 (190,000sqft) of adjoining ODZ fields, and it would consist of three faculties and student dormitories, with a maximum height of five stories. [17] The American standard for a liberal arts education combines a general and a specialized type of education. 1 in Cospicua. [33] After the conditions were accepted, the commission issued a 5-year university licence on 16 September 2016. (3)", "Is Newest 'American U. of' Really American? [2] Moteanu became the university's interim provost in 2020 until a new provost is appointed. [60], When the university project was announced in May 2015, the government offered Sadeen Group 90,000m2 (970,000sqft) of Outside Development Zone (ODZ) land near onqor Point in Marsaskala on which to build the university. An early proposal also included the incorporation of the 19th-century Fort Leonardo into the university campus. Individual faculty members were selected with the help of teams -- composed of associate deans, school directors and department chairs -- in the relevant colleges. [26] 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. [citation needed], The university was originally intended 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. [107], At the start of the subsequent academic year (201819), the AUM's provost and the director of student recruitment only disclosed the number of countries from which it received applications, but not the total numbers of applicants or enrolments. [72] In November 2017, after the university had started operating but had attracted significantly less students than expected, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo and Prime Minister Muscat stated that construction of the onqor campus would only begin once the Cospicua campus is ready and when it nears full capacity.
[83], In a series of articles on the AUM, titled 'When is a University not a University?,' investigative journalist Lizzie Eldridge suggested that one possible explanation for why the AUM retains its American identity is to "maintain appearances" as a legitimate higher education enterprise: "Sometimes, as, for example, in instances of money laundering, where a company is deliberately set up as a front, appearances are crucial.
[2], Members of the Maltese political elite, media, civil society, academe and the diplomatic community have all raised critical questions about the university. 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 entirely a "garage operation. "[90], In May 2019, the AUM's plans to develop protected land in onqor, which were previously a matter of public record, disappeared from the Planning Authority website. [27] 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. 1 and what it replaced", "AUM British Building Campus by Edwin Mintoff", "Edwin Mintoff Architects win top international award for AUM's British Building", "American University of Malta will not divulge number of new students yet", "Planning Application Case Details: PA/07496/16", "American University Malta's extension plans opposed by residents, PN", "PD 'to safeguard public interest' in relation to AUM extension", "AUM extension threatens residents' wellbeing and area's historical heritage, Curia warns", "Watch: Cottonera activists use Paris and Rome to make their point", "Civil action group urges people to sign petition against AUM expansion", "Planned AUM extension will have 'direct detrimental impact' on Cottonera, FAA warns", "American University parking spaces should be given to Borlma residents, mayor says", "Last ditch attempt to 'safeguard' skyline from American University Malta plans", "Yana Mintoff files objection to American University expansion in Bormla", "Labour MP: 'No Space For Swimming Pool And Dorm At American University Of Malta In Bormla', "Proposed dormitory 'too big for AUM's dozen students,' MP Glenn Bedingfield says", "Planning Authority to reject American University extension", "Jibda l-appell sabiex jitkabbar il-kampus tal-Universit Amerikana fil-Kottonera", "Church slams government's handling of university bid", "University plan 'puts pressure on Jerma site', "Fort San Leonardo may be incorporated in new university campus", "Tan-nofsinhar jibru petizzjoni favur il-proett tal-universit", "The American University of Malta Preliminary Alternative Sites Evaluation Report", "Godfrey, Marlene Farrugia join 'Front Harsien ODZ,' group says Zonqor project can be stopped", "Government announces reduced university plans for Zonqor", "KSU disappointed by the governments adamant decision confirming the American University of Malta at Zonqor Point", "Cospicua Heritage Society qed tappoja l-proett tal-universit", "Front slams vote for 'American University', "Developers of American University of Malta request planning permission to start Zonqor campus", "AUM should not build onqor campus yet Education Minister", "AUM Zonqor campus only once first phase is completed Muscat", "No Zonqor campus until Dock 1 reaches full complement is condition, not opinion Minister", "Plans on Zonqor will only start when Dock 1 campus nears full capacity new AUM president", "American University developers Sadeen buys Tarxien hostel for 2.5 million", "Join the World of Esports with the American University of Malta! The Planning Authority's policy has since come under scrutiny by the Ombudsman. [120], Board member Taddeo 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. [95][96], Maltese blogger and political commentator Manuel Delia and a dismissed AUM lecturer criticised the Maltese accreditor and the AUM, alleging that the initial recruitment of faculty, including several highly qualified academics from the United States and Britain, "was a scam to demonstrate academic prowess to the National Council for Further and Higher Education in order to acquire accreditation. He responded by saying that the public was informed on the first occasion. When Malta was under British rule, the building's upper level was used as a sail loft and ropery.
Two former employees of the NCFHE, both directly involved in the AUM's accreditation, were hired as lecturers by the university in August 2019, less than two years after the dismissal of the university's entire faculty: "Manuel Vella Rago was until recently Head of Quality Assurance at NCFHE, while Audrey Abela was its Head of Accreditation, both key roles in the regulation of the AUM.
[30], Candidates without the proper documentation or low proficiency may begin their studies through the English for Academic Purposes pathway program.
[57][58], On 26 September 2019, the Planning Authority board announced that it will reject the proposed extension to the university, citing the need to preserve cultural heritage, maintain public open space and ensure the continued view of the fortifications.
[53] There were also concerns relating to the project's potential impact on traffic and parking spaces,[54] and that the project was unnecessary given the small number of students enrolled at the AUM, with some residents being concerned that the proposed student accommodation would be converted into a hotel. This is part of a process, but the project will result in a University". [100], Investigative journalist Lizzie Eldridge has noted how the AUM's mass dismissal of faculty combined with poor quality assurance in hiring replacement faculty normalises unethical practices for new enterprises in Malta: "It becomes normal for a 'start-up' university to engage in mass firings of their newly employed and highly qualified staff and then hire both a plagiarist and a fraud.
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