The University of Malta in 2030 : a strategic foresight exercise

Abstract

This research aims to determine the impact and usefulness of foresight as a strategic thinking tool and is expected to contribute to policy, practice and strategy for the University of Malta specifically, and for higher education institutions in general. The foresight activity, the generation of future scenarios, and strategy formulation specifically for the University of Malta in 2030 are investigated and explored. The research raises the following main research questions: Which are the most desirable scenarios for the University of Malta in 2030? Using foresight methodologies, how can a strategy be developed to arrive at the future scenarios? The planning and execution of interviews with fourteen expert stakeholders and an additional focus group with seven participants are described. The decreasing number of Maltese students enrolling at the University of Malta, insufficient funds for research and administration, and lack of outreach, emerge as prime findings from this research. Six key themes are discussed as key factors in the development of the University of Malta. Foresight methodologies were utilised to develop three future scenarios for the University of Malta and to build up an understanding of how it could survive any future disruptive waves. As a result of this research, these three scenarios depict the University of Malta as a third generation university, as a privatised university, and as an elite research university. Moreover, this research developed generic strategies to arrive at possible scenarios for the University of Malta in the year 2030. This research merged strategic thinking, foresight and scenario generation. These methods are necessary for the future of the University of Malta.3