The first batch of a total of 2,663 graduands received their degrees yesterday at the Aula Magna of the Foundation for International Studies in Valletta.

Juan Camilleri, M.Psy graduate, addressing yesterday’s ceremony for post-graduate degree courses, mentioned some of the difficulties faced during the course: “among them the interminable wait for the M.Psy course to be re-offered at the University of Malta after a rather inexplicable six year gap”.

It was also odd and questionable, he added, that the M.Psy course remains the only professional course that requires a student fee, particularly when considering that the need of psychologists, especially those required to work with children and among school populations, was so urgent!

He also spoke about three particular groups of persons who are still at risk of social exclusion, despite the advances claimed by inclusion over the past decade or so, namely disabled persons, immigrants and children in care and said that: “Providing therapeutic support in the safest environment possible is probably the minimal role we can fulfil. I believe that we need to go beyond the silent good work taking place within the four walls of our clinics and be ready to act as advocates for people in a society where the survival of the fittest is still very much with us.”

Albert Caruana, Professor of Marketing, reflected on the changing approach to marketing occurring nowadays within the context of postgraduate university studies: “The new consumers are less impressed by advertising; they want to be appreciated as part of the collectivity, treated like individuals with emotions, passions, and rationality. They want to be informed; they want to know their rights and assign purchase preference on the basis of factors like complete information on the product, genuineness, reliability and efficiency, origin, safety and modality of use rather than simply price or distribution. Consumers are silently asking for a closer, more direct, active and positive experience with the product. The marketing of the monologue as represented by mass advertising is dead, and with it the ones who continue to practise it.”

He said experiential marketing emphasised customer centricity. It espoused the view that products and services were consumed as much for their linking value as for their use value.

“The traditional type of communications gives way to new non-conventional models, which are more and more useful and crucial in order to face the current requirements of consumers. Diverse non-conventional marketing and communication techniques are deployed. New words and terminologies like ambient communication, tactical communication, guerrilla marketing, tribal marketing, event marketing, viral marketing, buzz marketing, advertainment, have entered the operators’ dictionary. In conjunction, these different typologies underline a communication which is alternative, unusual, innovative, creative and outside the standard and traditional categorisation. In sum it is original; in its attempt to communicate it does not disturb, it is rarely invasive, it is attractive, it astonishes and it is made to be noticed and to be remembered.”

Following is the full list of yesterday’s graduates:

Master Of Education

Sponsor: Dr. V. Sollars

Daniel Buhagiar, Joanne Dimech, Felicienne Mallia Borg, Emanuel Mizzi, Janet Randich*, Stephen Spiteri,

Saviour Tabone, Salvina Zammit Pulo

Master Of Psychology

Sponsor: Dr. V. Sollars

Nadya Abdilla, Juan Camilleri, Laner Cassar, Jennifer Cini, Luisa Eminyan, Maria Louise Houlton,

Antoinette Martin, Fleur Marie Mifsud Bons, Antonella Mizzi, Marcella Muscat

Master Of Arts In Comparative Euro-Med Educ Stud

Sponsor: Prof. R. Sultana

George Cremona

Msc In Conservation Tech For Masonry Buildings

Sponsor: Prof. A. Torpiano

Glynn Drago

David Zahra

Master Of Arts In Islands And Small States Studies

Sponsor: Prof. L. Briguglio

Marvic Cassar, Mark Cini, Atanasio Degiorgio, Fleur-Marie Ebejer, Daren A Fava, Roderick Galdes

Claudine Galea, Ian Galea, Marie Therese Gambin, Audrey Rose Gauci, Jennifer Marie Portelli*, Jeremy Robert Portelli,

George Refalo, Russell Schembri, Anna Maria Sciberras, Alison Maria Scicluna, Mario Scicluna, Alfred Sharples

Jeffrey Vella, Marie Josette Vella-Magro, Julian Christopher Zarb

Master Of Business Administration

Sponsor: Prof. D. Darmanin

Justin Axiaq, Roberta Caruana, Liana Dalli, Marianna Galea Xuereb, Doriette Gambin, Godwin Grech, Alexia Mallia

Marco Mercieca, Denise May Micallef, Ishmael Muscat*, Fiona Pace, Melissa Pace, Glen Warren

Executive Master Of Business Administration

Sponsor: Prof. D. Darmanin

Andrea Amato, Patrick Aquilina, Valerie Attard, David Baldacchino, Philip Borg, Marco Cachia, Analise Calleja

Antoinette Caruana, Doreanne Caruana, Stefan Casaletto, Mario Cassar, Edward Chetcuti, Norbert Cordina, Longino Dingli, Jacques Ellul Soler, Joseph Galea, Emanuel Gauci, Gordon Griscti Fino, Claire Sultana, Marion Zammit

Romina Zammit, Nicholas Joseph Zarb

Executive Master Of Business Administration

E-Business

Sponsor: Prof. D. Darmanin

Joseph Lawrence Attard, Pierre Attard, Christian Azzopardi, Emanuel Cachia, Anita Cardona, Vanessa Cassar,

Kenneth Paul Chetcuti, Mantoine D’ambrogio Araci, Roger Davies-Barrett, Daniel Farrugia, Ian Farrugia,

Edmond Formosa, Derek John Grech, Andrew Scicluna, Mary Grace Seguna Agius, Ilai Zammit Marmara,

Edward Zerafa

Master Of Arts In

Public Policy

Sponsor: Prof. D. Darmanin

Josef Cutajar, Stephanie Mangion, Godwin Mifsud, Amanda Salib

Master Of Arts In Economics

Sponsor: Prof. D. Darmanin

Efrem Arpa, Elaine Grace Borg, Ranier Busuttil, Christianne Ellul, Nicholas Ellul*, Jean Paul Fabri,

Romina Lauri, Brian Micallef, Dorianne Scerri, Audrey Rose Spiteri, Chantelle Zammit

* In Absentia