Cover Story

New Chancellor Passionate about Lifelong LearningFormer Lieutenant Governor Graydon Nicholas began teaching at STU in 1983

Graydon Nicholas credits his mother with his passion for lifelong learning. “My mother went only as far as Grade 8, and she passed Grade 8 three times,” says Nicholas, New Brunswick’s former Lieutenant Governor and St. Thomas University’s new Chancellor. “There was so little to do in our community back then that she repeated the grade to continue learning. But she always told us, ‘make sure you do well in school. Make sure you listen to your teachers. Don’t get in trouble.’ That kind of motherly advice.” When Nicholas himself was going off to university, his mother had simple instructions for him: “I want you to go and learn and come back and help our people.” Nicholas followed his mother’s advice and instructions. From Tobique First Nation, he has had a distinguished career and a long history of community service. He earned a Bachelor of Science from St. Francis Xavier University, a Bachelor of Law from the University of New Brunswick, and a Master of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University. He worked with the Union of New Brunswick Indians as legal counsel and then as its Chair and President. As a jurist, Nicholas argued cases at all levels including at the Supreme Court of Canada, and was a Provincial Court Judge from 1991 to 2009. He served as Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick from 2009 to 2014, becoming the fi rst Indigenous person to hold this offi ce. He is a member of the Order of New Brunswick and the Order of Canada. Nicholas’s roots at St. Thomas go back to 1983 when he began teaching Indigenous law on Monday evenings. He was the Endowed Chair of Native Studies at STU from 1989 to 1991 and was reappointed in 2015, a role he maintains today. While he didn’t attend St. Thomas, his brothers and children did. When he was asked by St. Thomas University President Dawn Russell to consider becoming the university’s Chancellor, he was surprised by the request, but intrigued and ultimately eager to take on the role. The Chancellor is an ex-offi cio member of the Board who presides at Convocations, assists in the development of the university, and undertakes work related to its mission. Nicholas is the fi rst layperson to take on the role that has historically been bestowed upon the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Saint John. He is grateful for the opportunity and eager to support the university over his four-year term. Asked what he hopes to bring to the role, Nicholas says his fi rst year is a learning opportunity during which he will gain a better understanding of how he can support St. Thomas. “Education is liberation,” he says when asked why he believes so strongly in higher education. “Once you get an education, no matter what level or discipline, you have options. You can make choices. I believe in lifelong learning and have liked learning no matter where I went. Education gives you more opportunities.” •