Prof. Frank Bezzina looks set to be become the new Rector of the University of Malta after being the only person to nominate himself for the top job.

Prof. Bezzina has been Pro-Rector for International Development and Quality Assurance at the University since 2021, and had previously served as Dean (2016-2021) and Deputy Dean (2012-2016) of the Faculty of Economics, Management & Accountancy, and Head of the Department of Management (2013-2021).

He lectures mainly in Management Science and Evidence-based Management, and his research focuses on investigating phenomena in the Organisational Sciences.

His papers have been published in various international journals of repute, such as the European Management Journal, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, and Expert Systems with Applications.

Beyond the University, Prof. Bezzina has also served in other key national positions. He is currently non-executive Director of the Central Bank of Malta and was for five years the non-executive Chairperson of WasteServ Malta Ltd.

Between June 2022 and March 2024, he served as Acting President of the Republic of Malta.

An extraordinary meeting of the University Council shall now convene on 26th March, whereby members, presided by the President of the Council, Perit Karmenu Vella, shall vote in a secret ballot.

Since there is only one Candidate, Prof. Bezzina shall have to obtain at least 50% + 1 votes of the Members present during the Council meeting in order to be elected.

He will then also be asked to give a presentation and reply to questions posed to them by members of the Council.

The next Rector will be the 82nd in the University’s long history, succeeding Prof. Alfred J Vella who has held the role for the past ten years.