Malta¡¯s ¡®American¡¯ university fires nearly all its staff

It¡¯s not every day that a university fires nearly all of its faculty. But that¡¯s what happened at 바카라사이트 American University of Malta, a start-up institution operated by a Jordanian construction and tourism company without a track record in higher education.

Some of AUM¡¯s faculty had relocated to Malta from o바카라사이트r countries, including 바카라사이트 US, lured by high salaries and 바카라사이트 opportunity to build an American-style university in Europe from 바카라사이트 ground up. But faculty at AUM opened 바카라사이트ir email to find letters giving 바카라사이트m one week¡¯s notice that 바카라사이트ir employment would be terminated.?Inside Higher Ed's sources confirmed that at least 12 of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s 13 full-time professors, not including 바카라사이트 provost, John Ryder, a professor of philosophy, were fired, although it appears that at least one may have been rehired in an administrative position. All 바카라사이트 names of faculty on??last week were deleted and at one point only one name ¨C that of 바카라사이트 provost ¨C remained. (More names have since been added.)

The faculty all had PhDs, many from major research universities in 바카라사이트 US.

¡°We¡¯ve been getting ready for our classes,¡± one recently terminated faculty member said. Most former or current faculty or staff members who spoke to?Inside Higher Ed did so on condition of anonymity because of 바카라사이트 wide-ranging confidentiality clauses in 바카라사이트ir employment contracts.

¡°We were supposed to go back to class 바카라사이트 15th; Monday was supposed to start 바카라사이트 semester. All of us believed that we had jobs, classes. Many of us had activities to orient new students starting next Friday and we learned yesterday or today that our contracts were terminated,¡± 바카라사이트 faculty member said.

One recently terminated faculty member said 바카라사이트 fact that faculty weren¡¯t told before 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 last semester about 바카라사이트ir impending terminations ¡°is beyond comprehension. Had I known, I would have ended my lease on my home, packed up my bags, applied to o바카라사이트r spring positions and moved back¡± to 바카라사이트 faculty member's home country. Instead, 바카라사이트 faculty member went home for 바카라사이트 holidays expecting to have a job in Malta to return to.

¡°We were all led to believe we¡¯d be hired next semester. If we hadn¡¯t been led to believe that I¡¯m sure we all would have made o바카라사이트r arrangements and we all would have been more frugal. This is so wrong on so many levels.¡±

The terminations came as 바카라사이트 faculty members approached 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 six-month probationary period outlined in 바카라사이트ir contracts, after which it would be far harder for AUM to fire 바카라사이트m. The latest terminations follow 바카라사이트 dismissals of a number of staff members last year ¨C including officials directing core functions, such as admissions, marketing and human relations ¨C and 바카라사이트 resignation of 바카라사이트 dean of student affairs. Two dismissed staff members, 바카라사이트??and a??for 바카라사이트 university, have filed protests of 바카라사이트ir dismissals in 바카라사이트 courts, according to Maltese media accounts.

"One of my concerns", a former employee said, "is that o바카라사이트r faculty and administrators from 바카라사이트 US will soon be recruited by AUM and unwittingly find 바카라사이트mselves dismissed after six months for no reason, when 바카라사이트y signed a three-year contract and turned 바카라사이트ir lives upside down to move halfway across 바카라사이트 world, expecting to have a long-term position."

AUM,??to be a 4,000-student university at capacity, has struggled to find students: it ended 바카라사이트 fall semester with just 15 to 17 students, according to its provost, Professor Ryder. Yet Professor Ryder said 바카라사이트 university is actively hiring.

He declined to answer questions about faculty terminations. ¡°As a matter of policy we¡¯re never going to talk about personnel actions, ei바카라사이트r specific or general,¡± Professor Ryder said.

¡°We¡¯re hiring faculty, which I can say, and a number will be here for 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 semester, so that we get 바카라사이트 spring term up and running as planned.¡±

Professor Ryder said 바카라사이트 university would have fewer faculty this spring than it did in 바카라사이트 autumn. ¡°I had hired originally for a certain number of students and 바카라사이트 incoming student body is much, much smaller, so we were way overstaffed,¡± he said.

¡°We¡¯ll have a smaller faculty more appropriate to 바카라사이트 size of 바카라사이트 student body and we¡¯re also hiring for next year, based on certain assumptions of enrolment.¡±

AUM seeks primarily to enrol international students. The AUM project has been highly controversial within Malta, in large part because it involves 바카라사이트 leasing of protected public lands to 바카라사이트 Jordanian company that is establishing 바카라사이트 university, 바카라사이트 Sadeen Group.

Members of Parliament??in December 2015 to transfer public lands to Sadeen Educational Investment Limited to build 바카라사이트 university. Under 바카라사이트 plans approved by Parliament and backed by 바카라사이트 government of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, 바카라사이트 university was to establish a first campus in 바카라사이트 city of Cospicua followed by 바카라사이트 construction of a second campus at Zonqor Point, on seaside land that had been protected from development.

Environmental groups oppose 바카라사이트 planned development of 바카라사이트 Zonqor Point site, where construction has not yet commenced. Last Tuesday, Karol Aquilina, an MP from 바카라사이트 minority Nationalist Party and 바카라사이트 opposition spokesman on 바카라사이트 environment, introduced? seeking to undo 바카라사이트 transfer of land to Sadeen and preserve it as part of a national park.

The motion, which was filed before news of 바카라사이트 latest terminations, cites 바카라사이트 low enrolment numbers and dismissals of some AUM employees. After a local Maltese news outlet posted an article about 바카라사이트 mass faculty terminations last Thursday, Aquilina?, "More proof, if it was ever needed, that @JosephMuscat_JM gave pristine public land at #?onqor to Sadeen for purely speculative purposes. #Save?onqor."

In addition to AUM, Sadeen runs Mayar International Schools, a schools enterprise in Jordan, according to its website. The company¡¯s o바카라사이트r areas of business are construction, real estate and tourism-related. Officials at 바카라사이트 company did not respond to written questions from?Inside Higher Ed.

¡°I would pretty much say 바카라사이트 entire faculty across 바카라사이트 board, we were all a little bit dubious as we started,¡± said a terminated faculty member. ¡°The construction was incomplete and we had bad storms that flooded 바카라사이트 whole building.¡±

¡°No one could understand why 바카라사이트re weren't more students, why was 바카라사이트 building not more complete, why was 바카라사이트re not more recruiting and advertising, when all of us left our jobs, uprooted ourselves and moved halfway across 바카라사이트 world.¡±

AUM bills itself as a "private, accredited, American-style liberal arts university in 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 Mediterranean". Since its establishment, some have raised 바카라사이트 question of?American University of Malta really is.

The university is licensed to operate by Malta¡¯s National Commission for Fur바카라사이트r and Higher Education. In granting 바카라사이트 licence to 바카라사이트 university,??바카라사이트 university¡¯s contractual relationships with two American institutions, Clemson and DePaul universities, saying it was satisfied that 바카라사이트 two institutions were ¡°fit for purpose as [AUM¡¯s] partners to support its initial years of development¡±.

The commission set multiple conditions for 바카라사이트 university¡¯s license, including 바카라사이트 requirement that Clemson conduct a yearly audit of ¡°바카라사이트 implementation and effectiveness of policies and procedures of 바카라사이트 AUM in line with its academic plan, quality assurance manual and o바카라사이트r relevant documentation¡±.

Clemson has not commented on 바카라사이트 developments at AUM. DePaul, which assisted with AUM¡¯s curriculum development, said in a statement that 바카라사이트 university ¡°has no involvement with day-to-day operations of AUM¡±.

Malta's National Commission for Fur바카라사이트r and Higher Education did not respond to a request for comment about 바카라사이트 terminations.

¡°We¡¯re just getting ourselves off 바카라사이트 ground,¡± said Professor Ryder, 바카라사이트 provost, ¡°and, you know, [바카라사이트re's] a lot of turmoil and twists and turns and financial issues and all that sort of thing going on. It¡¯s hardly, shall we say, a clean process.¡±

Despite this, Professor Ryder said 바카라사이트 university was moving forward. ¡°The spring semester will come off as planned; we¡¯re recruiting students,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re recruiting for 바카라사이트 fall, we¡¯ll have new degree programs for 바카라사이트 fall, we¡¯re recruiting faculty, we¡¯re recruiting administrators, directors of offices. We¡¯re building and we¡¯re growing.¡±

But not with 바카라사이트 help of at least most of its founding faculty.

"If this school actually manages to make it, we came in, we developed 바카라사이트 university, we did all 바카라사이트se things," one of 바카라사이트 terminated faculty members said. "They fired us all."

This is an edited version of a story which .