Thirty years ago, in August 1992, the University of Malta asked one of the present authors, Lino Briguglio, to coordinate courses to be offered in Gozo. At that time, Peter Serracino Inglott, then university rector, was being very actively prodded by Anton Tabone, then minister for Gozo, to open a university branch in Gozo.

This was not an easy task as very few lecturers – if any –wanted to offer their services in Gozo given the time and discomfort involved in travelling to and from the island. Relying on Gozitan lecturers was not an option as there were very few of them, and in any case, most of them worked in Malta.

The solution to this problem turned out to be a very simple one – it was decided to hold the lecture sessions on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, with an overnight stay in a Gozitan hotel. The response of the lecturers was very satisfactory, and the first BA course started in February 1993.

Anton Tabone, then Minister for Gozo, inaugurating the first University course offered in Gozo in 1993.

The Gozo campus story would not even have been conceived had it not been for the initiative taken by Tabone, who had a vision that he wanted to put into practice. Roger Ellul Micallef, Juanito Camilleri and Alfred Vella, who succeed Serracino Inglott as university rectors, continued to extend excellent support to the Gozo campus. We also found very useful backing from the Ministry for Gozo.

Briguglio served as director of the campus between 1992 and 2002, and was succeeded by Joe Friggieri (as pro-rector for Gozo) and Louis F. Cassar as well as Philip Von Brockdorff (as rector’s delegates), the three of whom continued building on and improved the work Briguglio had started. The lecturers who accepted the Gozo assignment also played a major role in the success story of the Gozo campus. Without them, classes would not have been held, and the whole project would have floundered. Credit for this success story should also go to the campus administrators. George Aquilina was the first administrator. He was succeeded by Joseph Calleja and Marvin Grech, who all administered the campus in a very professional manner.

The university lectures in Gozo were initially held at the post-secondary school in Victoria. The University Gozo Centre (as it was known at that time) moved to its current premises in 1996 – four years after it was established. The premises formerly served as a mental hospital. Again, the university authorities and the Gozo Ministry backed the move and provided the necessary support towards this end.

The ministry was particularly generous in this regard, and made available materials and labour, which, within a few months, led to a dreary mental hospital being transformed into a beautiful cloister-like building, full of light and good feeling. We were, of course, aware of the predictable joke that the place was going to change from one mental institution into another – but this was a small price to pay for acquiring such a beautiful building.

Peter Serracino Inglott, then University rector, during the official opening of the premises of the University Gozo Campus in 1996.

During its 30 years of existence, the Gozo campus has helped hundreds of Gozitan students graduate from a tertiary institution, thereby offering the much-needed services for the promotion of higher education in Gozo. Most students at the UGC are mature students with a full-time job, and they would not have found it possible to travel to Malta to attend part-time courses.

The campus has done much more than was expected of it. Many would have thought the campus would just offer a few evening lectures, with some possibly leading to a certificate or a diploma. In reality, the campus has done much more than that. Many degree courses have been offered in Gozo, including postgraduate ones. It also caters for the needs of Gozitan students following courses in Malta and in Gozo, as every year they are given the opportunity to sit for their end-of-semester exams in Gozo. The campus also involves itself in publications. Its publications include The Gozo Observer, issued twice yearly, and a number of books.

The future of the Gozo campus is just as challenging as the early years of its existence. As more Gozitans opt to study at the Msida campus, the number of Gozitans applying for Gozo campus-based programmes continues to decline. That is why the Gozo campus is increasingly focusing on attracting older people to participate in short-term study units in specialised areas as part of the Liberal Arts programme.

The Gozo campus is increasingly focusing on attracting older people to participate in short-term study units

The Gozo campus must also look towards organising international conferences and events, taking advantage of Gozo’s unique characteristics. For this purpose the Gozo campus is undergoing a refurbishment project to restore the old building both internally and externally as well as the finishing of the extension, which will provide state-of-the-art facilities. This will take time, but this is an ambitious project that will put the Gozo campus on the map of international conferences venues in the same way as the Old University in Valletta.

Philip Von Brockdorff is rector’s delegate for Gozo. Lino Briguglio is former director of the University Gozo Campus.