AUM head resigns less than six months in the role

The rector of the American University of Malta (AUM) has resigned less than six months after taking up the role.

Victoria Fontan, who joined AUM in July, announced her departure on LinkedIn earlier on Thursday, stating the mission to oversee the mission of bring Afghan students fleeing the Taliban to Malta for their studies was now complete, concluding her tenure.

“I am confident the higher education sector in Malta is well-positioned to continue guiding these remarkable young women on their academic journey,” she wrote, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues at AUM, the government, and the AUM Board of Trustees, for their trust and confidence in my leadership.”

However, according to the resignation letter that was seen by the Times of Malta, Fontan left the institute due to organisational changes she claimed to have limited her ability to carry out duties, blaming “governance and oversight arrangements.”

In the letter, Fontan claims it was “no longer possible for me to fulfil the role with the level of accountability, clarity of authority, and institutional coherence that the position requires.”

Back in 2015, the government under Joseph Muscat and Jordanian Sadeen signed an agreement for the setting up of the American University of Malta.

The AUM started its first academic year in October of 2017 with only 23 students, far below the 300 that had been projected.

Sources also Times of Malta that last month, Fontan complained to education authorities that she was being “pressured” to falsely claim she was resigning for family reasons. It is understood she had also complained that a member of staff at AUM was being forced out without due process.