", "NGOs urge publication of Sadeen deal for university", "Smoke and mirrors: The personal account of an AUM staff member", "Promise and Betrayal: Former American University of Malta Lecturer Speaks Out", "Ombudsman asked to investigate restriction on information on planning website", "Of Universities, Monopolies, and Public Goods", "Government seeking to end University of Malta's 'monopoly', "Lecturers rubbish PM's claim of university monopoly", "Oxford researcher seeks Malta accreditation for world's first 'Blockchain University', "Martin Scicluna's commission duped by AUMformer lecturer", "Disgraced lecturer forced to leave AUM after reports of plagiarism", "American University of Malta Lecturer Suspected of Lying About His Oxford PhD", "Minister would rather see the American University of Malta 'start small, grow gradually', "AUM student enrolment is 'proving challenging', provost says", "AUM firing staff after failing to attract students", "AUM says it has more than 15 students, but still doesn't divulge number", "AUM rector says original targets were not realistic but is confident for the future", "Only six new students enrolled at AUM so far", "This is What the American University of Malta Looks Like Two Years Later", "American University of Malta deputy manager says claims against him were fabricated", "Couple file judicial protest claiming unfair dismissal by Sadeen Education Investment Ltd", "In judicial protest, former assistant director at AUM claims breach of contract", "BREAKING: American University of Malta Has Sacked All Its Faculty", "AUM full time lecturers said to have been 'dismissed by email', "Sued! [24], The government is lending out the land at Cospicua and onqor to Sadeen Group for around 200,000 a year. In 1776, arcades were built over the existing building by Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc. [114][115] Five of the terminated faculty members sued the AUM for unfair dismissal and abuse of the six-month probationary period rule. [35][36], In the first three years of the AUM's existence, the higher education institution has been plagued by a number of controversies. [38][39] In an interview with investigative journalist Lizzie Eldridge, Ryder confessed that although he was not among the faculty fired in January 2018, it was still the "worst day of my professional life by far. [8] Asked how many students the AUM admitted for the Fall semester (academic year 2017-18), then-Provost Ryder would only say that student recruitment was proving to be challenging. The company behind the project is from Jordan, not the United States. [1], The AUM welcomed their first small cohort of students in September 2017[8] while their main campus underwent major restoration. The General Education requirements are a total of 41-42 US/82- 84 ETCS credits. 
[24][69] The move was welcomed by the Cospicua Heritage Society, who said that the Three Cities and Kalkara would benefit from the project. [30], Students in all undergraduate academic programs at AUM must complete the General Education Program. [61] Prime Minister Joseph Muscat stated that constructing the university in Marsaskala would pressure the owners of the former Jerma Palace Hotel to redevelop the site, which has fallen into disrepair since being closed down in 2007. [111] The former admissions director sued the university for unfair dismissal. 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. [11] However, the university has consistently failed to meet its recruitment goals. . [114][99][100], On 23 January 2020, Adrian Hillman, former Allied Group managing director, was removed from his role as the government's representative to the AUM board. . "[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. This is regarded as destruction of cultural heritage,[41] but it led to the creation of an open space which was rehabilitated and opened to the public in 2014. [118][119], In a two hour interview with investigative journalist Lizzie Eldridge, soon-to-be-retired Provost John Ryder admitted that the mistake that led to the mass dismissal of faculty from the AUM in January 2018 was his own, an error in forecasting the number of students, courses and instructors required for the first academic year: "Part of the problem was that we were way overstaffed because I had hired with certain assumptions about the number of students and we weren't even in the neighbourhood for the first intake of students . [81], The university also has an esports team which is also known as the AUM Knights,[82] and it offers esports scholarships. [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. [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. So long as the AUM maintains an incomplete application, it can effectively hide from public view the planning documents for the controversial second campus at onqor Point. [citation needed] Despite suspicions of ethical impropriety, an inquiry was never conducted. 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. [43] The conversion of the building won the Golden A' Design Award in February 2020. who reported to El Zayyat, David Aquilina, was dismissed,[citation needed] the Maltese government hired the same individual to work in an identical capacity in the Office of the Prime Minister. . This was the first step in the process to acquire a university licence. [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. "[15] The curricula are officially provided by DePaul University, Chicago. 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. [20] As of September 2016, demand for property in Cospicua reportedly increased as a result of the university project. [5] By the time all campuses are complete, it is hope the university will have schools of business, architecture and design, engineering, arts, sciences, and information technology, each offering one or more Bachelor Degree Programs. It turned out to be much more difficult than we thought. [6][11][12], 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. [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]. [14] Ryder's qualifications for the post included a terminal academic degree in Philosophy and two-years' experience as president of Khazar University in Azerbaijan. 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. [110], Several of these terminations precipitated legal action by ex-employees against the university. [103], The AUM officially began offering classes on Tuesday September 12, 2017, rather than Monday September 11, to avoid association with the September 11 attacks anniversary. The apartments are co-ed, such that males and females can live in the same apartment but they cannot share a bedroom unless they are a married couple. The general one focuses on a broad approach to education, while the specialized one is simply the major that takes an in-depth approach. [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.
[68] On 20 August, it was announced that the government and Sadeen Group had reached an agreement to split the university between Cospicua and a reduced site at onqor Point. [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. [19], Philip Altbach, Boston College faculty member and director of the Center for International Higher Education, expressed concern that institutions such as Sadeen-owned AUM are "business interests starting universities to make money using the American brand. 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. accreditation. This event coincided with the Planning Authority's adoption of a new policy to only disclose documents which are part of completed development applications. [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. [126], There is no greater gift the present can give to the future than a new generation of talented and inspired leaders, Knights' Building and proposed extensions, Lack of transparency and violation of public trust, Locating university in higher education saturated Malta, Faculty recruitment for accreditation purposes only, Low student enrolments and inability to achieve targets, Mass dismissals and other personnel decisions, Legal and ethical wrongdoing by Board of Trustees members, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Center for International Higher Education, "Get Closer to Your Dreams with an AUM Esports Scholarship", "Join us in congratulating Prof. Dr. Narcisa Roxana Moteanu on her new role at AUM as Interim Provost", "AUM student population is a fifth of promised number", "Investiment gan-naa t'isfel ta' Malta American University of Malta", "AUM Opens its Doors to the First Batch of Students", "Estimation of the Contribution to the Maltese Economy of the Development and Operation of an International Higher Academic Institution: Update Based on a Project Proposal Spread Over Two Sites", "Government to rent public land to American University of Malta on the cheap", "Heads of agreement for 4,000-student American university expected on Tuesday", "Faculty create curricula for American University of Malta", "Former Baku university rector to head 'American Institute of Malta', "AUM owner aspires for 'higher education diamond in the Mediterranean', "From Baku to the 'American University of Malta', "DePaul University denies involvement in site selection for proposed American University of Malta", "When is a university not a university? [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. [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. 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. "[36], Another source of controversy is the alleged legal and ethical wrongdoing by members of the AUM's board of trustees. [37] These mistakes included hiring too many faculty members for the 2017-18 academic year,[citation needed] firing those same faculty en masse in January 2018,[citation needed] consistently hiding student enrolment figures to avoid media scrutiny and enacting poor quality assurance processes,[citation needed] resulting in the hiring of faculty who were guilty of academic plagiarism and degree fraud. [citation needed] Former AUM employees have expressed concerns about the fledgling higher education institution. The latter claims that it did not commit financial or human resources to the AUM, and it was not involved in any discussions with the Government of Malta. "[113], On 4 January 2018, Provost John Ryder informed the 12 remaining AUM faculty members by e-mail that their employment with the university had been terminated without cause. [10] The government approved the granting of land for the AUM after a 15-hour long debate in parliament on 15 December 2015. [6][9] The project has an investment of over 115 million, and it was intended to create around 400[6] to 750 jobs.
[citation needed], One criticism is that the AUM is not authentically American. [106] Four days later, Ryder acknowledged in a Television Malta interview that the AUM student body numbered 23. [43] The renovation was carried out by Edwin Mintoff Architects between November 2016 and March 2019,[44] and the project included conservation of the existing building, reconstruction of the parts which were destroyed during the war as well as the construction of an intermediate level and additional floors with a contemporary glass-and-steel design. 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! "[85], Criticism has also been levelled at the AUM and Maltese Labour government for keeping the contents of its agreements secret from the Maltese public. Individual faculty members were selected with the help of teams -- composed of associate deans, school directors and department chairs -- in the relevant colleges.
[61] Residents of Marsaskala and southern Malta supported the university project by signing a petition in its favour. [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. "[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. He responded by saying that the public was informed on the first occasion. [citation needed] Ryder was promptly replaced by another American higher education administrator, Jeremy Brown. The commission imposed a number of conditions on the AUM, including an annual audit by the Clemson University. This is part of a process, but the project will result in a University". [46] Despite then-Provost Ryder's promises to eventually share enrolment figures with the media, none were ever officially released. [17] The American standard for a liberal arts education combines a general and a specialized type of education. [125] In an interview with investigative journalist Lizzie Eldridge, Provost John Ryder admitted that foreign students had used the AUM as a launch board into Europe. All applicants can apply for their degree of choice online by submitting all the necessary documents. [62], The proposal to use ODZ land raised concerns among environmentalists, and multiple NGOs, the Alternattiva Demokratika (AD) political party,[61] the Malta Developers Association,[63] and the Church spoke out against the proposal. "[101], In August 2019, two former employees of the Maltese National Commission for Further and Higher Education, both directly involved in the AUM's accreditation process, were hired by the university as lecturers, suggesting the possibility of a revolving door or quid pro quo arrangement between the accreditor and the AUM.
All programs at the AUM are taught in English. [67] The group held a protest in Valletta against the development on 20 June, and it was attended by 3000 people. [25][43], AUM offers 10 undergraduate and 3 graduate degrees in the areas of Business, Engineering, Technology and Arts. "[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.' [2] Moteanu became the university's interim provost in 2020 until a new provost is appointed. [4], As of 2020, the university has 15 faculty members. [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. "[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. [25], In December 2015, Leader of the Opposition Simon Busuttil stated that since the AUM applied for the licence of a "Higher Education Institution", its marketing of itself as a "University" is illegal. [citation needed] Two months after the IT Administrator[who?] [] During the probationary period, either party may terminate the employment at will without reason. 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. 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. [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.
[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. Currently the AUM is accredited by the Maltese National Commission for Further and Higher Education, but has not been able to meet the more rigorous standards of U.S.
[13], In January 2016, John Ryder was named as the head of the American University of Malta, assuming the dual roles of Provost and Acting Vice President of the AUM. [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. [6] Since the proposal was announced, Dock 1 in Cospicua was chosen for the head campus, while extensions are being planned for other sites in Cospicua and onqor, Marsaskala. [55] Other critics of the extension included Yana Mintoff[56] and Labour Party MP Glenn Bedingfield; the latter was opposed to the accommodation which would have a swimming pool on the roof. [48] A group of residents from the Cottonera area formed the civil action group Azzjoni: Tuna Artna Lura (Maltese for Action: Give Us Back Our Land) which held protests[51] and petitioned against the proposal. The American University of Malta (AUM) is a private, American-style liberal arts college in Cospicua, Malta. "[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. [48] The NGO Flimkien gal Ambjent Ajar was also opposed to the internal demolition of the Knights' Building, and it stated that the project would have a negative impact on the quality of life of Cottonera residents. Students are required to take a set of courses outside their major to develop their understanding of broad disciplinary areas and the connections between and among them.
The project was intended to regenerate the South of Malta and give said area an economic and social boost. [8][5], On 5 May 2015, the Jordanian entrepreneur Hani Salah and the Government of Malta signed an agreement at Auberge de Castille for the former to set up a private educational institution called the American University of Malta (AUM). [93] In response to this, lecturers at the University of Malta disagreed with the use of the term "monopoly", stating that the university already competes with other institutions such as MCAST. [99][100][35], The AUM has also been criticised for its poor quality assurance practices. 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. Dollars), mismanaged the student recruitment process and, upon completion of the employees' service, failed to pay final salaries in full, "presumably from loss of currency exchange. [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. 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. [47] Sadeen Group decided to appeal this decision, and the case is still ongoing as of 2020. A former staff member has called the AUM's social media and marketing campaigns "smoke and mirrors," meant to hide the "AUM's activitiesfrom the public eye, behind a Facebook page designed to make you believe you've entered an idyllic higher education wonderland, in which it's nearly impossible to distinguish between fiction and fact, fantasy and reality, glitz and horror. [30], Candidates without the proper documentation or low proficiency may begin their studies through the English for Academic Purposes pathway program.
[2], Members of the Maltese political elite, media, civil society, academe and the diplomatic community have all raised critical questions about the university. [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.
[24] The beginning of the first academic year was later moved to 28 August 2017, with lectures held at the Dock No. [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. There are plans to extend the campus into nearby buildings in Cospicua, while a second campus at onqor Point in Marsaskala has also been proposed. [112] In a judicial protest, the former Assistant Director of Admissions alleged that the AUM fraudulently misrepresented salaries to prospective hires (wage agreed to in Euros but remunerated in U.S.