FALL/WINTER 2016
Voice Voiceless
Giving a
to the
YOUNG JOURNALISTS AT WORK
Karissa Donkin, BA ’12
Tribute to
Dr. Daniel O'Brien
ALUMNI WEEKEND RECAP
STU BUILDER
Sylvia Hale
Welcome A MESSAGE FROM YOUR STU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT The university recently invited award-winning journalist Mohamed Fahmy to deliver the 14th annual Dalton Camp Lecture in Journalism. The event attracted more than 500 people, and if you scanned the room that evening, you would see many alumni – most of whom have made it a yearly tradition to attend this lecture series. This is a good testament to how our alumni remain engaged with their alma mater long after convocation. And this is just one of the many events that have remained important in their hearts after graduation day. There are also sporting events, Theatre St. Thomas productions, a myriad of lecture series, book launches, and the list goes on.
Frank McBrearty President, STU Alumni Association
And let’s face it. Being part of the alumni family can also be lots of fun! We can reconnect with former classmates at regional alumni events or larger scale events like Alumni Weekend. Those who attended Alumni Weekend this fall echoed how great it was to be “back home” reminiscing and making new memories. As the president of the alumni association, I had the pleasure of speaking with many alumni during the weekend. Many told me that although the campus has changed physically since they were students in the 70s and 80s, it feels like “just yesterday” they were parking their car in the courtyard or attending pub nights in the STU cafeteria. And there was a particular moment during the President’s Luncheon that proved this point perfectly. We had just awarded the Alumni Service Award to Pam Harquail and someone started chanting the STU Cheer. The whole room instantly joined in. Some of the alumni hadn’t uttered those words in 40 years and yet there they were, chanting at the top of their lungs. The green and gold pride was palpable.
SAVE THE DATE!
We’ll be a part of the St. Thomas University community for life. I can’t think of a bigger privilege. Embrace it.
Fredericton: Saturday, January 14, 2017 STU Alumni Volleyball Day It’s a great chance to play some ball, visit with fellow alumni, and cheer on the varsity team! Visit stu.ca/alumni for more information!
Halifax Alumni Event: February 2017 Ottawa Alumni Event: March 2017
ALUMNI WEEKEND 4 STU BUILDERS 8 COVER STORY 10 PROFILES 13 EDITORIAL 16 CAMPUS WATCH 17 NEW & NOTEWORTHY 22 TRIBUTE 24
We welcome your comments.
Being part of the St. Thomas alumni family is an incredible opportunity. We have the luxury to be lifelong learners if we choose to be. Whether we’re listening to guest speakers discuss big ideas, reading academic research done by our former professors, or learning about students who are making a difference in the community, staying connected to STU can stimulate our intellect and our soul.
Regional Events
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Phone: 506-452-0521 E-mail: alumni@stu.ca Website: www.stu.ca Facebook: St Thomas University Alumni Twitter: @StThomasAlumni
Connections is a publication of The Office of Advancement and Alumni Relations, St. Thomas University, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada E3B 5G3. It is distributed free-of-charge to more than 11,000 St. Thomas University alumni and friends worldwide. Publisher Office of Advancement and Alumni, St. Thomas University Editor Jacqueline Cormier, BA ’08 Acknowledgements Wanda Bearresto, BA ’87 Maria Jose Burgos, BA ’17 Jeffrey Carleton Ashlen Henry, BA ’09 Dionne Izzard Kathleen Johnson, BA ’13 Jodi Misheal Photos Kyle Albright, BA ’13 Keith Minchin Design, Layout, Printing Kiers Marketing Group Taylor Printing Group Inc.
Alumni Association Board of Directors 2016-17 Don Bossé, BA ’82, BEd ’83 (Fredericton) Emily Cochrane, BA ’11 (Fredericton) Dennis Livingston, BA ’73 (Riverview) Nicola MacLeod, BA ’14 (Fredericton) Frank McBrearty, BA ’06 (Saint John) Vanessa Paesani, BEd ’10 (Fredericton) Jeanne Smith, BA ’76 (Saint John) Margaret Tracy, BA ’75 (Fredericton) Nora Valentino, BA ’87 (Fredericton) Dolores Whalen, BT ’70 (Fredericton) Correction: An error occurred in the description of the Robert Clayton Casto Prize for Poetry in the last issue of Connections. The prize was named in memory of Robert Clayton Casto, a Toronto area poet and English professor. We regret any confusion this error may have caused. ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY CONNECTIONS
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Alumni Weekend: September 30-October 2, 2016 We had a great time reminiscing during Alumni Weekend. We hope you did too!
1 Congratulations to Team Taylor Printing on winning the LeRoy Washburn Golf Classic. Left to right: Brian Wall, Scott Williams, Jamie Heffernan, Myles Martin 2 Ashley Bearresto, BA ’09; Carolyn LaFrance, BSW ’14
3 Dr. Amanda DiPaolo held a reunion for Human Rights Alumni so they could meet current Moot Court students during Alumni Weekend! Left to right: Jillian Trail, BA ’16; Lauran Haas, BA ’16; Marlee Charlton, BA ’16; Madison Makepeace, BA ’16; Dr. Amanda DiPaolo, BA ’01; Kathryn Edgett, BA ’11; Samantha Leeco, BA ’11; Kady McDonnell, BA ’11
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4 Shawn McLaughlin, BA ’06; Kelly Hogg, BA ’06, CHS ’07
5 Joe Flynn, BA ’66, BEd ’69; Patricia Flynn, BA ’66, BEd ’73; Dianne Lester; Edward Lester, BA ’66, BEd ’69
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6 Anna Grant, BA ’87; Mary Kelly, BA ’89; Stephanie Shred,
STU ’84-’87
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7 The class of 1991 gathered for their 25th year reunion. Standing, from left: Darin Luke, BA ’88, BEd ’91; Marcel St. Pierre, BA ’90, BEd ’91; Ann McGivery, BSW ’91; Bobbi Simmons-Beauchamp, BA ’91; Heidi Brown, BEd ’91. Seated from left: Tracey Mitton-Larose, BA ’90, BEd ’91; Katherine Forestell-Campbell, BEd ’91; Patrick Daley, BA ’90, BEd ’91; Tracey Dale, BA ’90, BEd ’91 8 Diehard Tommies fans gathered at the women’s hockey game during Alumni Weekend. Nora Valentino, BA ’87; Dennis Livingston, BA ’73; LeRoy Washburn, former Athletics Director
9 Marcel St. Pierre teamed up with members of TST to perform an improv show. Standing, from left: Robbie Lynn, BA ’18; Alexander Rioux, BA ’17, TST President; Marcel St. Pierre, BA ’90, BEd ’92; Brennan Garrett, BA ’20; Telina Debly, BA ’19; Amelia Hay, TST guest; on ground: Miguel Y. Roy, BA ’18, TST VP Internal 10 Criminology alumni gathered to catch up with their former professors. From left to right: Courtney (Munn) Neill, BA ’13 and baby Robert Neill; Dr. Stephen Pidwysocky; Dr. Dawne Clarke, BA ’95; Shane Martin, BA ’06; Dr. Susan Reid; Meghan MacEachern, BA ’16; Dr. Karla O’Regan, BA ’98
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11 Members of the class of 1966 met for dinner to celebrate their 50th anniversary. From left: Carroll Hitchcock; David Hitchcock, BA ’66; Dianne Lester; Edward Lester, BA ’66, BEd ’69; Joe Flynn, BA ’66, BEd ’69; Patricia Flynn, BA ’66, BEd ’73; Maureen Morrissy, BA ’66; Barbara Burns, BA ’66; Prof. Jonathan Rahn, BA ’66; Kathleen Murray, BA ’66, BEd ’67
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12 The 3rd Age Centre was excited to celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. The centre joined Alumni Weekend and organized Aging the Adventure: An Interactive Afternoon on the Positive Potential of the Second Half of Life. Some members of the 3rd Age Centre gathered for a photo: Jane Asher, BA ’72, BSW ’86; Eleanor McCloskey, LLD ’15; Donna Evans, Katie Lakes, BSW ’84; Vicky Knight
13 Alumni gathered at Gallery 78 to eat desserts and discuss art with artists David McKay, Victoria Moon Joyce and Stephen May. From left: David McKay; Miigam’agan; Charlotte Casey, BA ’76, BEd ’77; Germaine Pataki-Thériault; Victoria Moon Joyce; Mark Giberson, BA ’76; Helen (Scholten) Clarke, BT ’76; Stephen May; Catherine (Revie) Chandler; Juanita (Hachey) Corbett, BA ’92; Ivan Corbett, BA ’93
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Dr. Pam Harquail Receives Alumni Service Award Dr. Pamela Harquail, BA ’75, BT ’75, has been selected as the recipient of the 2016 STU Alumni Association Service Award. She received the award on October 2 at the President’s Lunch during Alumni Weekend. The St. Thomas University Alumni Association Service Award recognizes the exemplary engagement of St. Thomas alumni in helping advance the aims and objectives of the Alumni Association and the overall reputation of the university amongst members of the Association. Dr. Harquail was a teacher at Waasis School in Oromocto when she was granted sabbatical leave to attend St. Thomas University in the fall of 1974. Within 12 months, she had earned both her BA and her BT. She then obtained a master’s degree from UNB, and a doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. She left her teaching position at Waasis to become principal of the New Brunswick Training School and then to become a professor at the University of Tennessee in Nashville. “Pam is an outstanding professional, mentor, teacher, and friend to many,” said
Frank McBrearty, President of the STU Alumni Association. “She can always be seen at reunions greeting old friends and telling stories – in general, just holding court as she often did in her student days.” Her nominators all echoed her commitment and support to both the university and its alumni. One comment stated, “Since
graduating in 1975, I’ve never known Pam to miss an Alumni Reunion Weekend nor does she miss an opportunity to speak of her days at STU. Additionally, she has encouraged others to attend her alma mater, expressing pride in the institution that launched her into her future. Pam’s passions for the university is clearly and directly linked to her personal experience as a student at St. Thomas.”
We celebrated alumni from many decades at the President’s
1 From left: President Dawn Russell, BA ’77; Frank McBrearty, BA ’06; Jane Asher, BA ’72, BSW ’86; Ellen Desmond, Q.C., BA ’88; Marsha McGarvie, BSW ’87; Denyse Smart, BA ’80; Anna Grant, BA ’87; Valerie DeLong, BSW ’86; Wanda Bearresto, BA ’87; James Higgins, BSW ’86, BEd ’90, BA ’99 2 From left: President Dawn Russell, BA ’77; Claude Cyr, HS ’54; Frank McBrearty, BA ’06
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3 From left: President Dawn Russell, BA ’77; Frank McBrearty, BA ’06; Katherine Forestell-Campbell, BEd ’91; Heidi Brown, BEd ’91; Patrick Daley, BA ’90, BEd ’91; Tracey Mitton-Larose, BA ’90, BEd ’91; Darin Luke, BA ’88, BEd ’91; Ann McGivery, BSW ’91 and James Higgins, BSW ’86, BEd ’90, BA ’99 4 From left: President Dawn Russell, BA ’77; Frank McBrearty, BA ’06; Nicole Smith BA ’06; Haruka Kudo, BA ’06; Cindy Williams, BA ’06, BEd ’07; Jacqueline Cormier, BA ’08 5 From left: President Dawn Russell, BA ’77; Frank McBrearty, BA ’06; Maureen Morrissy, BA ’66; Kathleen Murray, BA ’66, BEd ’67; Barbara Burns, BA ’66; David Hitchcock, BA ’66; Jonathan Rahn, BA ’66
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6 Front row, from left: President Dawn Russell, BA ’77; Margaret Tracy, BA ’75; Mark Giberson, BA ’76. Middle row, from left: Dr. Doug Brown; Dr. Pam Harquail, BA ’75, BT ’75; Jeanne Smith, BA ’76; Bill Richardson, BA ’69, BEd ’71; Hope Richardson, BA ’77, BEd ’78; Jane Asher, BA ’72, BSW ’86; Cecilia McTimoney, BA ’76, BEd ’85; Mary Margaret Doucet, BA ’71, BEd ’72; Ernie Doucet, BA ’70, BEd ’72. Back row, from left: Dolores Whalen, BT ’70; Frank McBrearty, BA ’06; Sharon Fowler, BA ’76; Maureen Michaud, BA ’75; Dennis Livingstone, BA ’73; Allison Wrynn, BA ’70, BEd ’74
Special Reunion Lunch. 5 6
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STU BUILDERS And indeed, Hale’s list of achievements speaks for itself. She has won four special merit awards on campus — three for research and one for teaching. She designed and taught 15 different courses in sociology. She published five books, 20 articles and 34 book reviews. One of her books, Controversies in Sociology, has become a classic text in undergraduate sociology programs. She has received fellowships from the Canada Council and the Social Sciences Federation of Canada, among other organizations.
Dr.
Sylvia
Hale
A DISTINGUISHED AND ELECTRIC CAREER
In addition to outstanding scholarly work, Hale contributed greatly to the development of the university. She was chair of the Department of Sociology for 14 years, served as faculty representative on the Board of Governors, was president of the Faculty Association on three occasions and helped to organize the part-time union, and she served on the Committee of Academic Promotion and Tenure on four occasions. “I realize what a privilege it was to teach at an undergraduate university, where I could offer courses across the whole spectrum of sociology, rather than one specialization,” she says. “A favourite course was Intro, which morphed into a text book, and then a theoretical overview text, Contested Sociology, which offers limitless future research and writing opportunities.”
By Jacqueline Cormier, BA ’08
Hale says she owes much of her 41-year career to her colleagues. When she arrived at St. Thomas, she was still finishing her doctoral thesis and had no teaching experience.
Dr. Sylvia Hale’s long list of achievements at St. Thomas University started with an electrical outlet.
“My corridor sociology colleagues got me through my first year of teaching,” she says. “They offered me their lecture notes, good source material, and lots of advice. They could not have been more supportive; they were always encouraging and never judgmental.”
When she arrived on campus in 1975, Sylvia Hale’s office was in the basement of Vanier Hall, alongside five other professors. They all shared a phone line, didn’t have any electrical outlets, and had to run an extension cord from the women’s laundry room to make tea.
It’s no surprise that Hale offered the same type of support to new faculty members as the years passed. Indeed, Dr. Dawne Clarke, professor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice department, says Hale is her mentor.
“My greatest achievement in first semester was getting electrical plugs provided in our offices,” Hale recalls. “The offices had electric light but no outlets, so I appealed to the president because I couldn’t use my electric typewriter.” Then-president Msgr. George Martin came by her office in disbelief to move book shelves and furniture, searching for a hidden outlet that didn’t exist. When he realized there weren’t any, he immediately had them installed. Throughout her time here, Hale’s contributions to St. Thomas have made an impact on countless students, alumni, and colleagues, at STU and across Canada. That’s why she was named Professor Emeritus at Summer Convocation, an honour bestowed upon retired professors who have served the university with great distinction. 8 FALL 2016
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“Sylvia is my friend, my mentor, a brilliant scholar and a remarkable educator. Throughout my academic journey, from honours student to graduate student, part-time faculty to tenure track professor, she is a constant source of support, advice and wisdom. Sylvia’s commitment to her students and to teaching make her the exemplar of all that is the best about being a university professor.” Although Hale retired from teaching in July, she is treating retirement like a sabbatical leave. She already has research and writing projects planned. “My first retirement project is to complete a new chapter on Globalization and Development, with generous help from new colleagues. Then, who knows - perhaps a sequel exploring the endgame of neoliberalism and new worlds unfolding.”
THE STU FUND
Supporting STU
Students!
Your unrestricted gifts to the STU Fund make many things possible. In the past year the STU Fund: • Continued to support the St. Thomas University Moot Court program, the first of its kind in Maritime Canada. • Provided support for dozens of additional scholarships for STU students. • Funded experiential learning opportunities for our students including the Irish Studies Program where students participated in a study-abroad program to explore the cultural and artistic values of Ireland. • Continued to provide funds to further the university’s global and international opportunities.
Did you know? The average upper year class size at STU is 24 and all classes are capped at 60 students.
In the Maclean's “Students Speak Out” survey, STU ranked #1 on the writing ability indicator, #2 for helping develop strong critical thinking, and #5 for professors “who know your name”.
In 2015-16 STU received over 1,100 donations from alumni and friends. Thank You!
• Assisted students enrolled in the HBX program of the Harvard Business School to offer the Credential of Readiness (CORe). CORe is a multi-week, intensive program of online courses on the fundamentals of business. St. Thomas University is the first partner university in Canada to join the program. • Provided funding towards the East Coast Student Leadership Conference. This student leadership conference is a great opportunity for students to further develop leadership skills and to network with other student leaders from across the East Coast.
"I realize this scholarship isn’t just something to ease my mind. It’s a reminder of the values that drive me and that St. Thomas is a community where these values live. We are not here by chance; we are here because we are deserving and we are being reminded to try to continue to be deserving. That doesn’t just mean meeting the minimum grade point average each year. It means being leaders and change-makers, strivers who are willing to work hard, to care, and to chase passions that will better the community we are part of."
WORN WITH PRIDE
WORLD-WIDE
- Hannah Zamora, BA ’18, Recipient of the Chancellor’s Scholarship To make a gift that will support students, visit www.stu.ca/giving or call 506-452-0645. Interested in establishing a new student award or including St. Thomas University in your estate plans? Contact the office of Advancement and Alumni Relations at 506-452-0645 or alumni@stu.ca.
COVER STORY
Giving a Voice to the Voiceless
Karissa Donkin BA ’12
YOUNG JOURNALISTS AT WORK By Maria Jose Burgos, BA ’17
When Karissa Donkin was seven years old, her favourite toy was a rainbowcoloured tape recorder. She would sit with it in her bedroom and flip through the pages of the newspaper while recording herself reading the headlines out loud.
Her career in journalism began during her second year at St. Thomas University, a few months after joining the Journalism program, when she worked as a summer intern at the Telegraph Journal.
“I didn’t do any interviews, unfortunately. It would have been a very boring radio show because it was just me talking,” she said, laughing as she reminisced.
She never really dove into investigative journalism until she returned to Saint John to work at the Telegraph Journal, this time as a reporter. In 2013, she filed a right to information request asking for copies of daycare inspection reports to see how they were performing. The New Brunswick government denied the request. After two years of fighting for the reports and publishing stories about it to put pressure on the government, she was granted access to them. The reports showed many daycares were not conducting proper record checks on their employees and volunteers who were working with kids.
Three years later, 9/11 happened. Donkin says the tragedy shifted her interest from radio and broadcast to news. “I remember watching the news and even then, I wanted to be the person explaining that. I wanted to be the face that people trusted.” This was the moment she realized she wanted to become a journalist. She couldn’t imagine herself doing anything else. Growing up in an old working class neighborhood in Saint John with her single mother and her grandparents influenced Donkin’s journalism. Both of her grandparents were involved in empowering poor people by joining anti-poverty organizations and getting kids to play sports so they would abandon the streets. “For me journalism became about speaking up for people who don’t have a voice and fighting for justice,” she said. “I think I kind of picked it up from them.” 10 FALL 2016
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Right after graduation, Donkin got an internship at the Toronto Star. At this time, the news organization was reporting on Rob Ford’s crack addiction. Donkin witnessed investigative reporting first-hand and her interest for it flourished throughout that year.
“They have since toughened up those policies. People have been fired and sent home as a result. We were able to make some fairly large policy change there,” she said. Donkin considers this one of the most memorable accomplishments of her career so far. Her team won an Atlantic Journalism Award, a National Newspaper Award and a Canadian Journalism Foundation Award for this series. They were also nominated for a Michener award.
COVER STORY Since last February, Donkin works full-time at the CBC doing investigative journalism. Many ask her if her job is like Tom McCarthy’s award-winning film Spotlight. She thinks this is actually a good representation of what investigative journalism is. “We’re an Atlantic unit and we have people in each province who work on the team. So in New Brunswick I am the only person who works on the team full time. It’s like Spotlight but I am sitting in a corner by myself,” explained Donkin. She goes through reporters’ stories each morning, deciding whether there is an investigate angle. She also helps reporters find people, documents and information about their stories.
“It’s so crucial to democracy. You need to know what people are doing and why they make the decisions they do, and to do that, you need to dig deep.” She thinks not enough investigative journalism is done in Canada. According to Donkin, there is no other full-time investigative journalism job in New Brunswick. Looking back, Donkin is grateful for the connections she made and the one-on-one help she got from her professors at STU. She thinks it’s all about becoming a sponge and learning from the successful journalists that surround her, like fellow STU alumna Angela Gilbert, BA ’08, Senior Producer at CBC, who is Donkin’s role model.
“I file a lot of right to information requests and come up with investigative projects,” she said.
“Five years from now I want to look at the work I am doing now and say, ‘that could have been a lot better and I am a lot better now.”
These projects involve stories that might take weeks or months to complete. Donkin adds that having enough time to dig into these stories is a valuable commodity for a journalist.
Just like she said when she was a little girl with her tape recorder that September 11 of 2001, Donkin repeats now as an experienced journalist, “I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.”
A couple of months ago, Donkin wrote a story about a woman who lost her son. “He was in jail and hung himself with a laundry bag cord. His mother fought for years and years to get answers. She did her interview with us and wanted answers.” The jail guard who found his body contacted the CBC and through this story the woman was able to learn details about her son’s death that she had never known. “When we spend weeks or sometimes months researching, writing and interviewing people for a big project, to actually see change happen as a result of that, it’s so exhilarating,” said Donkin. Stories like this are the toughest part of her job. “It’s the personal stories that you hear that can be hard. Yes, I might ask someone to relive the worst day of their lives but sometimes, it’s worth it.” She’s always reminding herself and the people she interviews that, although this might not be easy, it’s done to make a difference and that’s why it’s important. Donkin believes investigative journalism is more important in small provinces than anywhere else because no one else is actually doing it.
CHERISE LETSON
Associate Editor and Writer at Huddle Today With journalism’s shift towards the digital realm, many jobs that didn’t exist a few years ago have emerged for journalists. Cherise Letson, who graduated from St. Thomas University in 2014, is now the associate editor and writer at Huddle Today, a website that covers business stories from the Maritimes. Huddle Today began in 2015 as a start-up. In high school, Letson did a co-op placement at CBC in Saint John, the city where she was born and raised. “I absolutely loved it and the whole team there was so helpful and supportive and were very honest about what I would be getting myself into.” After graduating from STU, she worked as a freelancer for the Canadian Press and as a casual reporter for CBC Saint John. But two years later, “I started to realize that the old media news grind wasn’t for me. This was a pretty scary realization, given everything I’ve done and worked towards up to that point. But I wasn’t happy and I knew I needed to make a change.” So she accepted a position as content creator for Bonfire Communications in Saint John.
Cherise Letson BA ’14 “They were a very cool and brilliant team and agency. I told myself that if I was ever going to leave journalism, it would be for a company like them. They had a big focus on storytelling and creativity that really appealed to me.” It wasn’t until Letson signed her contract that her boss Allan Gates told her the real reason why she had been hired. “They [her bosses] wanted me to help build a second business, a niche media outlet that would fill in a gap of stories that weren’t being told by the other publications. Huddle is a digital business journal telling the stories of New Brunswick (and Maritime) entrepreneurs, businesses and innovators.” At Huddle, Letson writes, edits, takes pictures, does social media and decides on content. She said the biggest difference between her job and that of a news reporter is the freedom to decide what she does and how she’ll do it and the amount of fun she has in the meantime. She said it’s a very collaborative environment since everyone’s helping each other with the workload. “The digital medium allows so much freedom, so often we need to decide what’s the best way to tell a story to suit that. Is it a “print” piece? A listicle? An infographic? Video? A mix? We’ve got a lot of freedom to experiment with that.” She still has to pitch ideas and has deadlines like other journalists, but working at Huddle “is also incredibly fun, which is not something I can say about a lot of old media gigs.”
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COVER STORY
JOURNALISM’S SHIFT: OPPORTUNITY, NOT CRISIS Journalism, as we’ve known it, is in transition around the world. News organizations are facing financial pressure, tech change has shaken long-held beliefs of its nature and practice, and the industry is still in search of a viable economic system. Yet it’s not all bad. Many, like Philip Lee, STU’s chair of Journalism, see the light at the end of the tunnel. And this light, it might just bring better and brighter journalists, stories and mediums of storytelling. “I think the future of journalism is going to require journalists to do better work and give people a reason to read them and pay for it. There isn’t a free ride any more for media organizations,” said Lee.
Nick Murray BA ’14
NICK MURRAY
CBC Reporter in Iqaluit Jobs in journalism can vary from investigative newsrooms, to start-up hustle to plane rides across the country. Nick Murray, who graduated from St. Thomas University in 2014, has been working in Iqaluit, Nunavut for the past two years. “There’s no escaping -50 temperatures up here. But seriously, I’m comfortable up here for now. Working in an environment like this is a great training ground as a journalist,” he said. Murray has filed radio stories for CBC’s World Report, TV content for The National and has done live hits on CBC News Network. All of which he thinks “are rare opportunities for young journalists in larger markets.” Murray thinks simply living in the Arctic and experiencing the culture is the best part of his job, particularly because many Canadians don’t ever get the chance to even visit the Arctic. “It’s very cool to be here seeing it all unfold and to be able to share those stories with Southern Canadians who often don’t understand what life is like up here.”
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Murray grew up in Orleans, Ontario. In high school he was a volunteer statistician for Rogers TV, giving fun facts and stats to commentators. During his fourth year at STU, he became Editor-in-Chief of The Brunswickan. Traveling has been a big part of Murray’s journalism career so far. He’s made two trips to the High Arctic and earlier this year, CBC sent him to cover the Rio Olympics 2016 from Toronto. “It was a surreal experience working in an environment where my colleagues and I all shared the same interest in our love for sports. You don’t get that in a normal newsroom since everyone has their different passions.” The constant roar in the CBC Sports newsroom while watching the Olympics is one of the things he will remember the most of this time. He thinks covering the Olympics has been his biggest accomplishment so far. “But as I continue to grow as a journalist, what I define as an accomplishment changes. New goals are set and what I now consider a small accomplishment, was a big deal at the time.”
According to him, the biggest change journalism is facing is in the tools used for storytelling, including social media sites. “I think social media has given journalism all kinds of new avenues for distribution. But it has also added a lot of competition.” Lee asserts that the future of the industry is digital journalism. This is why STU’s journalism program has been through a transformation as well. “The program [Digital Journalism and New Media] is designed to help students develop as writers and storytellers, but also to use all the tools available to do their work. We want our graduates to become leaders in a rapidly changing media world.” He explained that this fast-changing process makes it hard for journalists to remain focused on core values. “We count how many clicks we get to see how valuable a story is when we never did that before. We trusted that we knew the difference between what was good and what wasn’t.” Lee said it’s important to keep an eye on what the core value of journalism is: “to tell true stories that matter in compelling ways that people want to read or listen to.”
PROFILES During her first contract at Stella’s Circle in Newfoundland, she taught a small group of adults a K-6 literacy and numeracy program with the intent that they would go onto the next level of adult education and eventually get their General Education Development (GED) diploma and enter the workforce.
Creating Academic Stars How Learning Strategies Can Transform Students with Learning Disabilities By Jacqueline Cormier, BA ’08
Heather (Gillett) MacDonald, BA ’02, BEd ’10, is in the business of creating stars. She’s the Learning Strategist at St. Thomas University, and she spends her days teaching students about effective study methods, improving reading comprehension, notetaking, and time management — skills required to become an academic star. Many of the students in her caseload have learning disabilities; however, other students who are accessing her services are student athletes who are trying to balance their studies with their sport or students who are finding the transition from high school to university overwhelming. “I try to find ways to make sure that these students can have the same great experience at St. Thomas as every other student,” she explained. MacDonald spends her days doing oneon-one consultations and coaching with students, running a workshop series, and doing classroom visits. She also refers students to the university’s Student Accessibility Services, an office that helps provide academic accommodations to students with disabilities, such as note-taking, testing accommodations, access to assistive technology, skills training, and assistance with government funding.
The demand for such services on campus is high, and MacDonald’s schedule is always full. “These students are really invested in doing well. Nobody who comes to me is apathetic about their education. Their motivation helps me find the best solutions for them.” Since many of the students who have learning disabilities already had accommodations in place in high school, MacDonald says they know what they need to succeed and are ready to self-advocate to get it. “That helps us a lot because everybody is different. You can have three people who have the same learning disability who are completely different and have completely different needs. When these students come to us with their needs, we are always on the lookout for new methods to help them.” MacDonald says making the university more accommodating to students with learning disabilities is a win-win for everyone, not just for those with challenges. “Students who may not identify as having a learning disability are definitely benefiting from different methods of teaching. I feel like it’s in everyone’s best interests to be as accommodating as possible to benefit the entire student population. It’s not something that should be a trend. It’s something that should be a standard.” Prior to being the Learning Strategist at STU, MacDonald worked in adult education. This is where she discovered her passion for working with adults with learning disabilities.
“I learned how to teach reading and math to adults. And most of them also had undiagnosed learning disabilities or they really struggled between the balance of having a family and being an adult but trying to learn things for the first time. So I learned a lot about how to approach learning in many different ways to help many different learners.” She then returned to Fredericton and taught a GED program at the Central Valley Adult Learning Association. “I ended up developing a real interest in adults who had learning disabilities. I found it so thrilling to find that way that they could get into a subject and learn.” She worked closely with the province’s departments of Social Development and Post-Secondary Education, Training, and Labour so her students who suspected they may have learning disabilities but had never been tested could get proper diagnosis and receive the accommodations they required to be successful with their programs. She says seeing some of the adults she worked with succeed and get motivated made her realize how powerful learning strategies are. “I remember one student very well. He had just come out of a correctional facility and for the first time he decided to focus on his education. We discovered that he had dyslexia and that he also had a short-term retention issue. He dropped out of school because he thought he wasn’t smart enough. When he was finally diagnosed in his mid20s, his attitude completely changed and he became voracious about learning even though it took him a little bit longer. And he ended up going on to get a job that supported his family.” Seeing his transformation made her realize that when people get what they need to succeed, they become unstoppable. “And if we can apply that to someone who is so young in a university setting, they could be a superstar. Providing students with the opportunity to be the best learner they can be opens up so many doors.”
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PROFILES yers and law students to give free legal advice to groups who are trying to sponsor refugees. Benson explained the application process for the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program is complex and full of red tape, something that lawyers are uniquely positioned to help with. “Applications are often refused due to technical errors that have nothing to do with the merits of the application or whether the refugees are deserving of this help. I often think about how tragic that is. People living in desperate circumstances have fled their country because of war or gross human rights violations… these people are often living in severe need or in danger and then their application is denied because of a small error that a lawyer or a law student could have spotted.”
Navigating Through Red Tape How a Group of Lawyers Are Helping Refugees Come to Canada By Jacqueline Cormier, BA ’08
Nathan Benson, BA ’99, can pinpoint the exact moment the Syrian Refugee Crisis became more than a headline for Canadians. It was following the publication of a photo of a three-year-old boy who had drowned after falling from an over-packed life boat transporting his family and other refugees. “Millions of Canadians became aware of this issue in a very personal way in September 2015 with the publication of the tragic picture of Aylan Kurdi,” Benson said. “That was a crucial moment when Canadians became aware of this crisis in a new way. Tens of thousands of Canadians mobilized in a very short period of time to find out how they could help.” Benson is a lawyer and the National Director of the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program (SSP) at the University of Ottawa’s Refugee Hub. The SSP trains and coordinates a national network of lawyers and law students who do pro bono work to help groups or individuals who want to privately sponsor refugees. According to the most recent statistics from the United Nations Refugee Agency, more 14 FALL 2016
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than 65 million people around the world are currently displaced from their homes due to war or persecution — more than at any time since the agency began keeping records. In 2015, an average of 34,000 individuals were forced to flee their homes every day. Canada is one of the few countries in the world that allows private citizens to get directly involved in sponsoring refugees. The Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program has been in place since 1979 and has helped more than 275,000 refugees come start a new life in Canada. “A number of faith groups and other refugee-serving organizations have been doing this work for many years and they have become experts, but most were doing sponsorships at the rate of one or two refugee families per year. In the fall of 2015, when tens of thousands of Canadians were mobilizing to respond, these existing sources of expertise were completely overwhelmed. The need for guidance with the complicated sponsorship process increased dramatically overnight and they weren’t able to assist everyone who wanted to get involved.” That’s when the University of Ottawa’s Refugee Hub created the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program. The program trains law-
The SSP has been in place for a little over a year and has already trained more than 1,300 lawyers and law students who have helped over 1,200 groups or individuals with their applications. More than 4,000 refugees who are currently in various stages of the application process have benefitted from the program. Although Benson said law students are sometimes warned that they shouldn’t become lawyers to change the world, he said pro bono work like this is a great way to make a positive difference. “One lawyer involved in our very first legal clinic told us this has been the highlight of her legal career so far and represented all that is good about the legal profession because the legal community has come together in a moment of crisis to use its expertise to help.” Benson, who majored in Political Science at St. Thomas, credits STU for broadening his world view. “I spent four years pre-occupied with questions about what it means to be a member of a society and a political community and what it means to be a good citizen of a country, and ultimately, a global community. What do we owe to each other as fellow members of a global community? I see a pretty direct connection between those kinds of questions that I was able to start grappling with during my time at STU and the kind of work that I’m doing now.”
PROFILES
Travelling to Kenya was an eye opening experience for Tara (Chislett) Parkinson, BA ’11, but not in the ways she had expected. Of course, the poverty was shocking. Families in the community earn about $5 a week, which they try to stretch to buy enough groceries to get them through the next week. They don’t have running water. Their drinking water comes from a communal borehole and women have to walk six kilometres to gather enough water for their family to wash, do laundry and dishes, carrying the 20-L jugs of water on their backs as they walk back to the village. Parkinson said she got a new perspective on what poverty really looked like in the developing world. But what really opened her eyes was their amazing sense of community. “Although I learned a lot about poverty and its contributing factors during the trip, I didn’t end the day feeling defeated or sad,” she said. “I think the most appropriate way to describe how I felt would be ‘inspired’ — not by Free the Children or my team or anything like that — but by the spirit of the community we found ourselves in. “Finding ways to replicate that sense of community — that sense of kindness and care for one another — has been my mission since returning home.” Parkinson travelled to Kenya with 15 others in July as part of a Free the Children mission to help build a new Grade 6 classroom. While they were there, she also got to spend time in the village, learning about the community and its culture. “The Free the Children's WE Villages development model is rooted in the idea that poverty isn’t the result of a single cause; rather, poverty is a complex issue with a number of correlated social and economic obstacles. The WE Villages model is designed to address five pillars — education, water, health, food and opportunity — with a goal of alleviating poverty in a holistic and sustainable way.” Their mission involved breaking ground for a new Grade 6 building, digging through the dirt in 30-degree Celsius heat using only pick-axes and shovels. When they weren’t digging, the group got to know the villagers, including many children who attend schools in the region.
To Kenya and Back
How a Free the Children Mission Inspired Tara Parkinson to Make a Change at Home By Jacqueline Cormier, BA ’08 Her favourite part of the trip was visiting a girls’ secondary school. She said the girls’ passion and commitment to education was admirable. Education is provided to children for free until Grade 8 and they then have to pay tuition to attend secondary school. This means many girls in Kenya drop out of school to work - gathering food and water for their family. However, there has been a recent shift in the ways Kenyans view girls’ education, and more and more girls are staying in school. “These girls know how important education is, and they know that education can be used for more than just personal gain. They see education as a way to make a difference in their communities. I wish I had that perspective at their age.” Parkinson said she experienced a reverse culture shock when she returned to Fredericton at the end of her trip.
“The first few weeks back from Kenya were weird. That’s the only way I can describe it. I had been warned about this by friends who had done significant travel, primarily in missionary-type roles, so it didn’t come as a total surprise. It was weird to walk down the street and not have children running to the road shouting ‘Jambo!’ and waving their hands. It was weird to have access to electricity at all times, not just for a period of roughly four hours each evening. It was weird - albeit, welcomed - to not have to go to the bathroom or shower in somewhat open air facilities,” she said. “That said, I think the thing that changed the most for me upon return was my understanding of community. ‘You are highly welcomed in Kenya.’ We heard that phrase over and over again during our time there. And it was worth repeating because it was true. We were embraced fully by just about everyone we met during our time in Kenya. We also got to see the incredible ways Kenyans care for one another.”
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EDITORIAL
“Our Economy Needs People Who Think Differently” LINDSAY BOWMAN, BA ’04, ON HOW HER LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION OPENED DOORS Lindsay Bowman, BA ’04, recently spoke at STU’s Commencement Ceremony, an event meant to formally welcome first year students into the STU community. She spoke about the liberal arts and how STU helped her shape her career path. This is just a part of what she had to say. Some people are more comfortable with clear life paths that involve straight forward career paths. Liberal arts students don’t have that. But that’s ok. That’s actually pretty exciting because trust me, what you love to do at 22 may bore you to tears at 32. With a degree from STU, you’re going to get to design your own path, and then fall off of it and change it as often as you’d like. Here’s my story: I’m the Director of Research at a Venture Capital Firm. The New Brunswick Innovation Foundation to be specific. I currently spend my days reviewing investment and research proposals and working with scientists, engineers and companies to evaluate the merits of R&D projects and equity investments. I can discuss algorithms and genomics, aquaculture and biomedical engineering. I oversee a significant portion of the province’s investment in post-secondary applied research and development and our total impact on NB is 365 million dollars. I do that all with a liberal arts degree. I didn’t walk out of STU and into a Venture Capital Firm. I started on a very typical path of a liberal arts student. I wrote the LSAT (the law school entrance exam) in 2003, during my third year at STU. I was thrilled to be accepted 16 FALL 2016
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to the University of Alberta Faculty of Law thanks in large part to the resume I’d been able to build at STU and the fabulous letters of reference the professors at STU provided for me. I was the youngest in my law school class of 400, and the only student accepted after only three years of undergraduate study. I say with absolute confidence, that credit goes to St. Thomas University and the education, experience and relationships I developed here. After law school I practiced corporate law in Alberta for a couple years. Tracking my time in six minute segments and filling very long days doing due diligence for mergers and acquisitions turned out not to be for me. I needed a change. Not one to worry too much about what I “should” do, I embraced a change in the career path that I’d so diligently spent the last nine years working out. I moved out of the law firm and into the office of the Vice President External Relations at SAIT Polytechnic. I was the Advisor to the Vice President. Some days I wrote business plans, some days I led large strategic planning projects, some days I entertained donors and alumni in full cowboy gear at the Calgary Stampede. I loved it. But after a few years, an opportunity came for us to return to New Brunswick. The job title “Advisor to the Vice President” didn’t exist in New Brunswick. So another pivot was required. I landed at Mount Allison University in the Office of Research Services, in charge of Intellectual Property and Research projects involving start-up companies and estab-
lished multi-national corporations alike. I wrote research proposals alongside science and social science professors. I learned a lot about boron chemistry, fish biology and the importance of teaching computers language. After a few years of doing that I moved to Mitacs, a national research funding organization where I led the growth of Mitacs-funded research projects in New Brunswick. I developed research projects and funding proposals for public and private investors. I joined NBIF last year as the Director of Research. I don’t consider myself to be an expert in anything in particular. What I learned at STU was to identify linkages and patterns, to gather data and sift through a lot of information, from a variety of often competing sources. I learned to think critically and write well with analytical depth, to have the confidence to speak well and to work with a variety of people. Those skills, along with a healthy dose of curiosity and adaptability, have served me well. Our economy needs people who think differently. Sure, we need technically trained people but we also need people who will have exactly our skill set.
CAMPUS WATCH
CAMPUS WATCH
BRINGING THE WORLD TO STU
One of the benefits that a university can bring to its students and wider society is attracting outstanding guest speakers to campus. I think that STU is one of the best universities in the country in drawing provocative and challenging speakers. This is not happenstance; it results from the initiative of our faculty. To give you an idea, here are the lectures that packed our classrooms and auditoriums just during the first term: • Journalist Mohamed Fahmy delivered the Dalton Camp Lecture in Journalism. Fahmy spent 438 days in an Egyptian prison unjustly jailed for conspiring with the Muslim Brotherhood and fabricating news while bureau chief for Al Jazeera. • Author and human rights activist Sally Armstrong delivered the Vigod Memorial Lecture in Human Rights on “Why Women's Rights Are Your Business: The Dollars and Sense of Investing in Women and Girls.” • Dr. Maria De Angelis, senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University in the United Kingdom, delivered the John McKendy Memorial Lecture on human trafficking. • While media consensus seems irrefutable on an island of plastic waste floating in the Pacific, no one can find it. In the Science and Technology Studies Lecture, Dr. Kim De Wolff from the University of California explored why this myth is so powerful. • In a lecture sponsored by the Women Studies and Gender Studies Program, Dr. Jennifer Brant spoke on “Forever Loving, Forever Resisting: Recent Research on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.” • Two nationally prominent books were launched at STU. CBC reporter Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon launched Shadow of Doubt: The Trial of Dennis Oland, her story of Dennis Oland’s trial and the hotly debated verdict. In Secret Life: The Jian Ghomeshi Investigation, Toronto Star reporter Kevin Donovan took his audience inside the investigation of broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi
Valedictorian Jenny Atwin, BA ’15, BEd ’16 addressed the 120 graduates at Summer Convocation who graduated with Bachelor of Applied Arts, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Education degrees.
Continue Learning and Encourage Others JENNY ATWIN, BA ’15, BED ’16, DELIVERS VALEDICTORY ADDRESS AT SUMMER CONVOCATION Jenny Atwin, BA ’15, BEd ’16, urged the graduates at Summer Convocation to continue learning, to encourage others to believe in themselves, and to remain dedicated in the career paths they discovered at St. Thomas University. The first-ever First Nations’ valedictorian at St. Thomas University, Atwin acknowledged the trauma many Aboriginal people
experienced throughout their education and said it inspired her to become a teacher. “Unfortunately, in our history, education has not been kind, so my choice to enter into a career as an educator was simple,” she said. “I have a passion for education, and there is nothing I want more than to share this passion with others.” Atwin’s journey to become a teacher began five years ago on her first day as an undergraduate student at St. Thomas. At that time, she had no idea how much the tight-knit campus community, the courses she took, or the skills she earned would impact her life. “We all came to St. Thomas University to embark on a journey that would expand our knowledge and amplify our character. By accepting our degrees today, we did just that.”
Don Bossé, BA ’82, BEd ’83, was the guest speaker at Summer Convocation. He told the graduates that teaching is about more than academics. “If you go to work every day excited about what you do and aware of how important you are in the lives of the young people you teach, it will be the best career you can imagine.”
We tell prospective students that coming to STU means an opportunity to learn from the best and the brightest. That means not only our faculty, but the guest speakers who travel to our campus to share their insight and perspective. Dawn Russell President and Vice-Chancellor
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Wi-Fi, Smartphones, and Tractors
CAMPUS WATCH
DR. KELLY BRONSON EXPLORES THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION IN FARMING Farming is undergoing a digital revolution, and farmers are adding technology, apps, and smartphones to their equipment. But Science and Technology Studies professor Kelly Bronson wants to know who is truly benefiting from this new shift. Bronson has just received a Social Sciences and Humanities Council Insight Development Grant to support her research on the digital revolution and big data in the Canadian food system.
STU Cares Teaches Importance of Giving Back
There has been little scholarly work done on the digital revolution in farming, so Bronson’s research is unique and will introduce the topic of big data to the social science of food and agriculture. It will also contribute to the communication studies literature of a much-needed critical analysis of big data.
New Board of Governors Chair, Members
St. Thomas held its third STU Cares Day of Action in September, an event that gives students the opportunity to volunteer with a community organization.
Saint John lawyer Peter R. Forestell, QC, BA ’73, has been appointed chair of St. Thomas University’s Board of Governors and two new external members, Tammy Augustine, BA ’92, justice manager at Elsipogtog First Nation, and Phillippe Ouellette, BA ’04 executive director in the office of the Saint John city manager, have also joined the board.
This year’s event took place at the Marysville Community Centre (The Ville). Students were put to work in various jobs at the centre, which provides access to professional workshops, camps and clubs, green technology initiatives, and food security, as an effort to promote health, recreation, and sustainability in the community. During the day, students also met environment, entrepreneurship, and community development leaders.
Father Shawn Daley Appointed University Chaplain STU has welcomed Father Shawn Daley as its new University Chaplain. He served as a cloistered Trappist monk in Rogersville, New Brunswick, for almost two decades and then worked in the Dominican Republic for six years at a Scarboro Missions Parish. He also served at missions in Uganda, Thailand, and Haiti. He was ordained a deacon in the Catholic Church for the Scarboro Missions Society in 2012 and was ordained a priest the following year. Following ordination, he served for one year in the Scarboro Mission in Guyana. Scarboro Missions specialize in overseas missions and inter-religious dialogue.
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CAMPUS WATCH
Joleen Paul, BEd ’16, Will Use Her Education Degree to Teach Maliseet Joleen Paul, BEd ’16, was recently granted permission by the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development to have her First Nation’s language of Maliseet recognized as a public school teachable subject. This will allow the language to be maintained within the province as it is passed on to new generations of readers, writers, and speakers. Other provinces in Canada have begun creating curriculums that include First Nations culture and language, so Paul believes this will be a starting point for New Brunswick. “A lot of our elders who have the language are teaching and they’re so important, so to be able to move forward and work with them in a way that benefits our kids is going to be amazing,” Paul said. “That’s what I’m most looking forward to.”
STU Fine Arts Professor Martin Kutnowski spent four weeks touring the Americas with the Saint John String Quartet this summer. The musicians teamed up for the special tour, which included a dozen concerts and a similar number of masterclasses in Canada, Ecuador, Argentina, and Colombia. The repertoire of the tour included Kutnowski’s Peter Emberley’s Dream, recently nominated as Best Classical Composition of the Year by the East Coast Music Awards.
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Calling the
CAMPUS WATCH
Class of 2021 Our recruitment year launched as the admissions team hit the road in September throughout New Brunswick, the Maritimes, across Canada, and around the world. With them, the university's 2016-17 Viewbook, International Viewbook, updated program brochures, bookmarks, and more! The university's earliest ever marketing campaign hit the internet in early September as well. The digital campaign plays on "the small university of big opportunities," introduced last year and seeks to help future STUdents learn more about the many BIG opportunities waiting for them at St. Thomas.
Great Ideas professor Dr. Andrew Moore, BA ’03, recently published an opinion piece on the full value of earning a liberal arts education in University Affairs. In his article, Moore argues that we need to challenge the primacy of “productivity” as an educational metric and that a good education is not simply job training. Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/2eIEUoA
Dr. Kim Fenwick has been appointed the Vice-President (Academic and Research). We’ve also welcomed new faces at STU in the last few months. Jodi Misheal is the new Interim VicePresident (Advancement), Dionne Izzard is the new Director of Advancement (Annual & Planned Giving), Brock Richardson is the new Director of Student Services and Residence Life, and alumnus Trenton Augustine, BA ’11, is back at his alma mater as Aboriginal Student Services Coordinator.
Two members of the STU community received Canada’s highest civilian honour in recognition of their long-standing contributions to the province. Ilkay Silk, the recently retired longtime Theatre St. Thomas director and drama professor, and the Hon. Graydon Nicholas, currently the Endowed Chair in Native Studies, were named to the Order of Canada. ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY CONNECTIONS
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NEW & NOTEWORTHY
New&Noteworthy News from classmates & friends around the world
1950s
Dr. Maurice Boulay, BA ’59, was granted the status of Honorary Member of the College of Psychologists of New Brunswick (CPNB) at their annual meeting held in Moncton, April 16, 2016. This award was given for his outstanding contribution to the College and to the profession of psychology. He was a founding member of the first Board of Examiners (1967) responsible for issuing licenses to those qualified to practice psychology in New Brunswick. He was twice president of the New Brunswick Psychological Association as well as president of the College of Psychologists of New Brunswick. He was also the first psychologist from New Brunswick to chair the Professional Affairs Committee of the Canadian Psychological Association. He is also a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association. He qualified for a Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology (CPQ) issued by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards. This facilitates professional mobility in Canada and the United States. From 1971 to 1996 he was a part time associate professor of Psychology at St. Thomas University. He took early retirement from his position as Senior Provincial Psychologist for the Mental Health Commission of New Brunswick. He then went into full time private practice after having worked for the Department of Health for almost 30 years.
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1980s
1990s
Professor Emeritus Andrea Bear Nicholas, BEd ’67, won the Canadian Studies Network Prize for the best article published in the Journal of Canadian Studies for her article “The Role of Colonial Artists in the Dispossession and Displacement of the Maliseet: 1790s-1850s.”
John L. McLaughlin, BA ’82, delivered the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies Presidential Address, “Wisdom from the Wise: Pedagogical Principles from Proverbs (and Beyond),” on May 28th at the CSBS Annual Meeting during the Canadian Congress of Humanities and Social Science in Calgary. Dr. McLaughlin is Associate Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible in the Faculty of Theology, University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto.
Kerry Underhill, BA ’94, BEd ’95, is now living in Quispamsis, NB, and recently launched a musical duo that performs all genres of music from country to rock.
1970s
After over 40 years of service in the RCMP, Colin Farrar, BA ’74, BEd ’75, has retired in Fredericton.
Richard Brennan, BA ’79, is responsible for leading McKesson Canada’s growing retail pharmacy banner business – including Drug Trading (Guardian and I.D.A.), The Medicine Shoppe Canada, PROXIM and Remedy’sRx – and helping independent pharmacies thrive in their respective communities. A proud Maritimer, Mr. Brennan joined McKesson Canada fourteen years ago and has played roles of increasing responsibility since then with a clear focus on profitability and operational excellence. He has been extensively involved in optimizing and securing the McKesson distribution network in Atlantic Canada, including the construction of the Moncton office and regional distribution centre, and has contributed his expertise to the ongoing growth of McKesson retail banners in the region. More recently, he was responsible for the rollout of the Integrated Drug Supply Chain in New Brunswick, as well as development and expansion of Central Fill for prescription medications in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. Prior to joining McKesson Canada, Mr. Brennan spent eighteen years at Shoppers Drug Mart in a number of leadership positions, contributing to increased profitability and brand penetration in Atlantic Canada. He was named Senior Vice President, Retail Banner Management Services for McKesson Canada in March 2015.
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Anna Grant, BA ’87, celebrated 20 years as a Registered Massage Therapist in the city of Fredericton. She credits her ability to connect to people with a variety of cultural, economic and educational backgrounds to STU and residence life.
Mike Comeau, BA ’89, has been appointed Assistant Deputy Minister for Public Security for the Government of New Brunswick. He’s also a member of STU faculty, teaching parttime in the Human Rights Program, and is chair of Fredericton’s Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival.
2000s
1 Amy (Whytewood)
Hughes, BA ’03, the current Assistant Coach of the STU Women’s Soccer team, graduated from NBCC’s Licensed Practical Nurse Program with Honours. She also served as the Valedictorian and has accepted a position with Horizon Health at the Veterans Health Unit. Hughes resides in Fredericton with her husband, Cyril and daughter, Avery.
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2 Proud Harrington Hall alumni gathered with the next generation of Raiders over Canada Day weekend. From left to right: Jonathan Gregorash, BA ’06, with his daughter Elle, MacKenzie Croft, BA ’06, with his daughter Callie, Steven Robar, BA ’06, with his son James and daughter Sarah, and Michael Duggan, BA ’05, with his son Oliver.
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NEW & NOTEWORTHY 5 Ben McNamara, BA ’07, BEd ’08 married Sarah Vannier on July 2, 2016 in Fredericton. Lots of STU alumni were in attendance! Left column (from bottom to top): Ben McNamara, BA ’07, BEd ’08, Lucas Liu, BA ’11, Jennifer (Gillespie) Lockhart, BA ’08, Andrew Lockhart, BA ’10, Myles MacKenzie, STU ’07-’08, Chris Foster, BA ’07, Allie Brubacher, BA ’10, BEd ’11, Misha Nowicki, BA ’08. Middle column (from bottom to top): Michelle Johnson, BA ’10, Melissa Wah, BA ’10, Kelsey (McNamara) Wilson, BA ’09, Adam Wilson, BA ’04, Corben McLean, BA ’10, Aaron Fecteau, BA ’09, Brian Munn, BA ’07, Lise Deveau, BA ’09, Duncan Gallant, BA ’10. Right column (from bottom to top): Matt Sheriko, BA ’11, Matt Garnett, BA ’07, Kurt Goddard, BA ’07, Dan Murphy, BA ’08, Erin (Buchanan) Chisholm, BA ’10, Aaron Chisholm-Keith, STU ’06- ‘07, Liz (Corbett) Fecteau, BA ’09, BEd ’10. Also in attendance but not pictured: Steve Bruce, BA ’07, Nathan George, STU ’00-‘02, Gabe Roy, STU ’13-’14, Brodie Bourque, STU ’03-’07, Alex Sorensen, BA ’10, BEd ’11.
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0 9 0 0 9 8 1 9 1 70 80 20 Former STU professor Norma Jean Profitt received a Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case, an award that honours Canadians who advance gender equality. Profitt has relentlessly pursued the interconnected goals of advancing equality for women and girls, and ending gender-based violence. She now lives in Nova Scotia
3 James Robar is proud to introduce his little sister, Sarah Katherine Robar. Sarah was born on March 18, 2016 to STU alumni Kathleen Robar (Creamer) BA ’07, BEd ’09 and Steven Robar BA ’06. Steve, Kate, James, and Sarah live in Saint John, NB.
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After more than five years working in strategic HR in Saint John, Erin McLaughlin, BA ’08, has moved to London, UK, where she lives with her fiancé. If any STU alumni wish to get in touch (especially those living in London), she can be reached at erin_inez@yahoo.co.uk.
Jennifer Maybank, BA ’09, completed her MA in Communication at Carleton University (’15). Building on her career in higher education marketing and programming, Jennifer recently accepted the role of Exchange Coordinator with the Bachelor of Global and International Studies program at Carleton (Ottawa, ON).
4 Erin (Roherty) Barton, BA ’08 married Ryan Barton in the summer of 2010. Their daughter Holly Deborah was born on July 16, 2013 and the couple completed their family of four with the arrival of Holly’s sister, Maya Susanne on August 24, 2015. Erin recently returned to work from maternity leave to her position as a Pension Analyst for Morneau Shepell, located in Fredericton, NB.
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In �emoriam
The St. Thomas University Alumni Relations office, STU Alumni Association, and the university community extend condolences to the family and friends of the following alumni who passed away recently:
John Lordon, BA ’63, BEd ’64 November 2, 2016
Peter Kavanagh, BA ’73 September 7, 2016
Dr. Dan O’Brien (STU President 1990-2006, President Emeritus) October 30, 2016
Bernard McCann, STU ’50s August 17, 2016
Col. Raymond Hurley, BA ’55 October 29, 2016
Eldon Mills, BA ’52, BEd ’56 July 27, 2016 Dorothy Gilliss, BA ’72 January 17, 2016
Arthur Fielding, BA ’70, BEd ’72 October 26, 2016 Leitha M. (Turnbull) Dean, BSW ’84 October 18, 2016 Mary Jane Goddard, BA ’15 October 6, 2016 Stephen Moss, Former STU Staff October 6, 2016
Gabrielle Jaillet, BA ’03 December 5, 2015 Victor Webster, BEd ’72 April 8, 2015 Philip Duffley, BA ’61 January 28, 2013
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TRIBUTE
Remembering
Dr. Daniel O’Brien 1939-2016
By President Dawn Russell
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TRIBUTE
Even though he retired as President and Vice-Chancellor over a decade ago, Dan was known personally by many on our campus and his legacy is still being felt today by faculty and students. The fact that today St. Thomas is a bustling and innovative university that attracts students, not only from Atlantic Canada but also from around the world, is due in no small part to his outstanding leadership over 16 years as President and Vice-Chancellor.
Dr. O’Brien led a period of transformation and unprecedented growth at St. Thomas University, which was the envy of many. He worked tirelessly to achieve the ideal of a liberal arts institution of higher learning - a community of scholars and students teaching, researching and learning in a beautiful environment designed to be conducive to higher education. St. Thomas University’s best interests were at the heart of all he undertook, even until his last day as President in 2006. I know because he called me late that day at Dalhousie Law School seeking assistance in connecting with a potential donor for STU. Dan was appointed President and Vice-Chancellor in 1990 and over three terms, his leadership on key development files was decisive and the accomplishments were many. Our student population doubled, academic programs were expanded, our faculty complement grew significantly, three successful capital campaigns were completed, four buildings were added to our main campus, and our Forest Hill property was acquired. Many will remember how well he fought for STU, with the fighting spirit of the Irish, when the existence of our small university was challenged. In recognition of his lasting impact on the university, the Study Hall in McCain Hall was named in his honour and the title of President Emeritus was conferred upon him. His contribution is an unforgettable part of our history. Before coming to STU, Dan had a successful teaching and research career. He held a bachelor of commerce degree from Saint Mary’s University, a master’s degree from the Maritime School of Social Work at Dalhousie University, a post-graduate advanced diploma in research and social planning, and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He was an authority in social research and planning, and his published scholarship encompassed more
than 20 book-length monographs, numerous scholarly articles, teaching manuals, book chapters and research papers. Dan and his wife Valerie were a team and they became an important part of the St. Thomas community and the wider community in Fredericton. Dan was generous and served on many community boards and committees. To list a few, he served on the Region Three Hospital Corporation Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors of the Greater Fredericton Economic Development Corporation, and Team Fredericton. He was Chair of the Fredericton United Way Campaign and Chair of the Board of Governors of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery. Dan was nationally recognized for his contributions to post-secondary education and the community. Among many awards, he received life-time membership in the Nova Scotia Association of Social Workers, a medal commemorating the 125th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation, a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, the Order of New Brunswick, the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory, and the Order of Canada. Since leaving St. Thomas, Dan had been very active. In the post-secondary education sector alone, he led a Teacher Education Review Panel for the Province of Nova Scotia and was a member of the Transitional Board of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Over the past several years, he brought his leadership and experience to other universities in the region. He served first as President of the Nova Scotia School of Art and Design, helping to restore that university’s fiscal health, and then as President of the Atlantic School of Theology. On behalf of St. Thomas University, I will offer our deepest condolences to Valerie; their son Peter, a Classics professor at King’s College, and his wife Paula and their children; and son, the Rev. Craig O’Brien, Anglican Minister at St. John’s Church in Savannah, Georgia.
ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY CONNECTIONS
FALL 2016 25
2016-17 TOMMIES ATHLETICS RAFFLE
VIP FUN IN THE SUN NHL & GOLF DREAM PACKAGE IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA MARCH 15-19, 2017 • IN SUPPORT OF STU ATHLETICS THE PACKAGE • •
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Return air fare for FOUR from Fredericton, Moncton, Halifax or Toronto FOUR BMW Lounge (All Inclusive Food & Beverage) seats to: -- March 17th Arizona Coyotes vs. Detroit Red Wings -- March 18th Arizona Coyotes vs. St. Louis Blues (see Fredericton Native Jake Allen take the ice with the Blues) FOUR Nights of accommodations (double occupancy) LIMO transportation to and from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport FOUR Tickets to a MLB Spring Training Game One Round of Golf with Cart (Four Golfers) RETAIL VALUE OF PACKAGE $10,000
ONLY 500 TICKETS AVAILABLE BEST DEAL – THREE (3) FOR $100 OR ONE (1) FOR $50 Draw Date: February 10, 2017 STU vs. Université de Moncton, Women’s Hockey Game Grant Harvey Centre, 2nd Intermission
TO BUY TICKETS CALL 452-0645
The personal information requested on this form is collected for the purpose of maintaining communication with alumni and supporters of St. Thomas University. Questions concerning the collection, use or disposal of this information should be directed to ph: 506-452-0522. Charitable Registration #10804 3282 RR0001.
Church, Politics, and STU In Church, Politics, and STU: The Relocation of St. Thomas University from Chatham to Fredericton, Drs. Spray and Rhinelander paint a nuanced historical picture of St. Thomas’s evolution from a small Roman Catholic college founded in 1860 on the Miramichi to the nationally recognized liberal arts university it had become by 1990 and remains today. This book deals primarily with the 1950s and 1960s and the political and religious circumstances in which the relocation of the university from Chatham to Fredericton was first discussed and eventually carried out. To order your copy of Church, Politics, and STU, please contact the office of advancement and alumni relations at 506-452-0521 or email alumni@stu.ca. Copies are available for $19.95. Copies can be shipped to your home for an additional $4.
Employment & Labour
An experienced team dedicated to workplace law At Cox & Palmer, we believe that pro-active policies and practices are the foundation of strong workplaces. Issues such as workplace harassment, human rights law, and terminations are always on the minds of employers, and that’s where we come in. You can rely on Cox & Palmer’s New Brunswick team for all your employment and labour needs.
Jamie Eddy jeddy@coxandpalmer.com 506.462.4751
St. Thomas University Seeks Nominations for 2017 Sports Wall of Fame
The Sports Wall of Fame, launched in 2010 to recognize the significant contribution of individuals and teams who have enhanced the image of the institution, includes athletes, builders – coaches, managers, athletics staff or administration – and teams.
The deadline for nomination is January 6, 2017. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT THE ATHLETICS SECTION OF STU.CA OR CONTACT LILY FRASER, VICE-PRESIDENT, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION, BY EMAIL VPFA@STU.CA OR PHONE (506) 452-0533.