American University submits courses ahead of development application

The American University for the south of Malta announced by the Prime Minister on May Day, has already submitted university courses for accreditation ahead of its planning application at Zonqor.

They include courses in business administration, accounting, finance, graphic design and animation, game development, and computer science, with another 60 courses in the pipeline.

Already environmental NGOs are raising concerns over the location for the €115 million Jordanian investment, somewhere next to Zonqor Point in Marsaskala, scheduled to cover 90,000 square metres of agricultural land, 90% of which is government-owned.

Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday said that they agreed with the idea of a university in the south but disagreed with the location, an outside-development zone close to a belt of areas of ecological importance.

Environmental groups contacted by MaltaToday also strongly voiced their displeasure.

“The needs for development can be infinite, whether for the community or for speculation, but our open spaces and virgin land are not and soon the whole of Malta will be built up,” Din l-Art Helwa president Simone Mizzi said.

“While we welcome the setting up of an internationally-renowned university in Malta, this is a small island and the few ODZs that remain need to be left unbuilt,” Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar president Astrid Vella said. “The university should be built in an area that is in need of regeneration.”

“ODZs are important areas which should remain free of development,” BirdLife Malta president Geoffrey Saliba said. “Furthermore, the south lacks open spaces as well as protected nature areas, making development of any such areas of social, as well as environmental concern.” 

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has been quick to anticipate the contrary reaction and has scheduled a meeting with environmental NGOs for tomorrow afternoon.

An olive branch to environmentalists

As a sop to the environmental groups, the government has also proposed a national natural park of 450 tumoli adjacent to the American University. 

Astrid Vella welcomed the park proposal with open arms, both as a recreational zone for residents and as a magnet for nature-loving tourists, particularly in the shoulder months. 

“The south already has more than its fair share of polluting industries and such a park would begin to compensate,” she said.

Others were more subdued.

“While we favour a nature park in this area, the news of this promise seems to be a set-off against the take-up of yet more ODZ for a university,” Simone Mizzi said. “The environment is being treated as a chess game with checks and balances to keep all parties happy, but with each compromise the environment is always the loser.”

“Of course the park will be a good initiative,” Friends of the Earth chairperson Martin Galea de Giovanni said. “With regard to it acting as compensation for the university, one would only need to look around and see the big picture of the general over-development on these islands.

“The answer lies somewhere there…”

The area intended for the park consists of terraced fields which are mostly arable and very popular with hunters and trappers. It as yet unknown whether the park would force hunters out of the area. Lino Farrugia, CEO of hunters’ federation FKNK, said that he would analyse the situation.

“Malta proportionately has more national parks than any other European country,” he said.

‘Local council not consulted’

The Marsaskala local council has also been summoned to a meeting at Castille tomorrow. However, Nationalist councillor Charlot Cassar told MaltaToday that the local council had not been consulted about the project before the government announced it.

Cassar, who also serves on the Consultative Council of the South, also questioned the siting of the university.

“Obviously, the construction of a university in the south is welcome, but why not assess existing buildings instead of virgin land?” he asked.

However Marsaskala’s Labour mayor, Mario Calleja, said he is “in no doubt that the project is sustainable and will help the economy – both on a national and a local level.” 

Architect’s green plans for new university

A Maltese architect shortlisted to design the American University told MaltaToday that there are not many alternative locations for a university in the south other than the site identified by the government.

Ray Demicoli, founder of DeMicoli & Associates, said that his proposal for the university allocates an “important” budget for “extensive” landscaping, and will fully respect its green surroundings. 

It is his intention to place soft landscaping above some rooftops, plant several trees on campus, and place green areas around faculty blocks.

“Following studies, one would determine if the ecological zones mentioned in the South Malta Local Plan are still important,” Demicoli added. “In that case, a buffer could be left between the university and the coast.”

Moreover, he said that he proposes to sink the buildings in the ground as much as possible so as to minimise their impact.

Visually too, he said that the buildings will be designed on a “Mediterranean style”.

“We propose to treat the campus as a Mediterranean village and to give each of the five faculties their own identity,” he said.

A government source confirmed that the project would attract more than 4,000 students. Maltese could apply but would have to pay.  Nonetheless, the source said the government was negotiating a number of scholarships for Maltese students.

“I believe that the project will yield extremely positive long-term benefits,” Demicoli said. “It will certainly boost the south and generate income for restaurants and apartment landlords.”

The proposed University will have 5 fields of study as follows:

College of Health Sciences

Department of nursing

Department of Health Care Management

Department of Public Health

College of Business and Management

Department of Tourism and Hospitality

Department of Business Administration

Department of Finance

Department of HR management

Department of Risk Management and Insurance

College of Engineering

Department of Civil Engineering

Department of Biological Engineering

Department of Electrical Engineering

Department of Architecture Engineering

College of Communication and Information Technology

Department of Information Security

Department of Information Systems

Department of Digital Cinema and gaming

College of Art and Education

Department of Linguistics

Department of Interior Design

Department of early childhood development

Department of Education