I like many others have read with interest the vision of the recently installed Rector Professor Alfred Vella, Forging Ahead Beyond 2016: The Plan for the University of Malta. 

What did strike a chord was the section on ‘Service and Outreach’ (p. 19); “I firmly believe that service to society forms an integral part of the scholarship of academics. The “ivory tower” picture of academics beavering away in their labs and other places of research at Tal-Qroqq is a parody of reality: those many of us who give professional services to society, government and private industry gain real-life experiences which enrich our teaching and research capabilities while contributing to development. The importance of meaningful interaction and intimate contact between the University and society at large, including local industry, cannot be over-emphasised... Academics’ contribution to the public discourse through the media is of course well visible and I would argue not sufficiently exploited: society is always interested in what professors have to say.”

In my opinion since joining the University of Malta one of the greatest academic but also social, psychological and community statements this university has made is in the setting-up of the Faculty for Social Wellbeing, a blend of nine departments representing diverse but interrelated disciplines; ranging from gender to youth studies, from community development to social work and social policy, from gerontology to psychology, from criminology to counselling, family and disability studies. 

As the mission statement of this faculty goes: “Each and every department within the Faculty for Social Wellbeing contributes towards the welfare of society, in its particular way, according to its expertise.  The different fields of knowledge are multidisciplinary. They are animated by the same utilitarian spirit and led by the same values of solidarity, empathy, social justice, empowerment, inclusion, rehabilitation, prevention and positive intervention.”

This faculty, ably led by Dean Dr Maureen Cole, with almost 1,000 students and currently offering 25 different courses (as on 5/1/2016) is already listed as the 6th largest faculty after just four years of existence - and it seems to keep growing in stature and numbers.  This faculty, I believe has a unique mission, not only in providing quality teaching, supervision and mentoring of our students but in engaging closely in the community debate in a rational way by resting on empirical data rather than knee-jerk responses.

Unsurprisingly, many academics in this faculty, both full-time and part-timers have strong community links and are performing incredibly well in the social sector.  Apart from that, they are well connected to international fora with a sustained excellence in teaching and scholarship and also possess leadership that serves the Faculty in its mission.  All of this mixed with a desire to permeate our communities, research and produce a body of knowledge in the field of social wellbeing gives added value to a Faculty that needs to function as a vehicle towards democratizing knowledge and social justice education whilst instilling a critical sense in our students. The faculty is there to accompany us on our journey in discovering the social truths that are sprouting around us and how we can influence the shaping of policy and practice. The Faculty needs to be at the center of social change and innovation.

It is a no-shocker that the Faculty for Social Wellbeing is endowed with some very strong, established and upcoming academics with an international reputation. The mix of experienced Professors with young forthcoming talented academics is an exquisite blend.  Not only that, we also have some decidedly regarded international colleagues that work closely with us which gives added spice to a faculty that is founded on enthusiasm, open-mindedness, mutual respect and modern thought. The exchanges and collaborations that are happening with so many other academic institutions (locally and abroad) are evidence of this pledge.

Our passion to ensure social, psychological, physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing in real and virtual spaces are deep-rooted in the mix of competencies and scholarship.  But all of this is gelled by the fact that we are grounded in the social sector.  Our research, our scholarship, our writing makes sense because it is actually documenting the developments in our society and how individuals are relating to their communities.  It is this close relationship, this rapport, this intimacy that we have with the citizens of our society that gives added value and currency to the Faculty of Social Welbeing, a faculty that is essentially designed to provide answers for some of the afflictions that drag our communities in an abyss at times.  

Yet, we still need to ‘connect’ even more with our communities.  From where I come academics should be at the forefront promoting social issues and sticking to our beliefs publicly.  It is an evolving society and our presence, even if we glimpse through the front pages of our newspapers and the stories uploaded in the news portal headlines, is ever more required.  Our positioning to guarantee a healthy and unyielding debate in social issues is imperative. This faculty has the role of supporting our communities as we go about conducting our teaching, research and outreach amongst segregated, excluded and stigmatized communities.

I am of the belief that we have a faculty that is recognizable for its originality, significance and rigor in research and teaching and there is a commitment to academic leadership and an endeavour to excellence. We enjoy a track record of successful undergraduate, Masters and PhD students. We have academics situated in national and international policy-making bodies, review panels, advisory and editorial boards and we enjoy a brilliant record and a tangible contribution to a corpus of literature.

But as a faculty we need to commit ourselves to build on this affluence but not without guaranteeing that the message infiltrates the community. We need to advocate, to broker and to ensure that within a discourse around democracy we nurture and promote integrity and civility. All of this will be governed by a deep-seated commitment towards social justice.

‘....both staff and students should participate in this mission that speaks to the University’s role of being an important agent of change in society at all levels.’  (Forging Ahead Beyond 2016: The Plan for the University of Malta (p.20)).

 

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For a list of courses offered by the Faculty for Social Wellbeing

http://www.um.edu.mt/socialwellbeing