Impact of Giving
ALUMNI NEWS MAGAZINE | Fall 2022
Eddy (DSc’22) and Diane Campbell were a driving force behind UNB for a decade. While Eddy, as UNB’s 18th president and vice-chancellor, was the face of the university, Diane worked quietly behind the scenes. Among other duties, she planned and hosted a myriad of events at her home for students, alumni, and friends of the university, taking care to remember details — like the names of guests’ children — that help to foster connection. “She worked hard at the job of being the spouse of the president,” Eddy says, adding jokingly that she was his “social manager.”
The couple was a few months from retirement – for which they had many plans and intended to spend in Diane’s hometown of St. John’s, N.L. – when Diane passed away suddenly from lymphoma in October 2018.
In the years before her death, the couple had established a scholarship fund. Eddy saw a need for increased support for students at the graduate level. Since Diane was a nurse and Eddy a mathematician, they decided on an award that would alternate between those two fields. After Diane’s death, friends and family generously contributed to the scholarship fund in her name.
The Diane Brennan Campbell Scholarship, valued at up to $12,000, is awarded toan outstanding full-time graduate student studying in the field of nursingor mathematics and statistics on eitherthe Fredericton or Saint John campus. Selection is based on academic achievement and significant contributions to the recipient’s academic or professional field.
The first recipient of the Diane Brennan Campbell Scholarship, Ruth Lue, is a third-year student in the master of nursing program. “It’s an absolute honour to be the inaugural recipient of this prestigious award,” says Ruth. “Receiving the Diane Brennan Campbell Scholarship has been an encouragement to remain dedicated to my passions and to continue to strive for excellence. This award has served as a massive investment in the development of my career and has provided reassurance to my family (and my lovely son) for their many sacrifices in my pursuit of a master’s degree. My gratitude overflows.”
Three years out from his retirement as president, Eddy is still passionate about the work of UNB. He still emphasizes the importance of its being the “university for New Brunswick,” and is still inspired by its people. “UNB is full of people who believe they’re helping to build a better province. They do it through their research, through their teaching, through the way they mentor their students … there’s a real passion for the institution and the work that we’re doing,” he says.
In May, Eddy was granted an honorary doctor of science degree from UNB in recognition of his significant and lasting impacts on the university, including his dedication to implementing the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and his tremendous fundraising success, doubling the university’s endowment. In his speech, he offered graduates some advice by quoting Winston Churchill: “When you find yourself in hell, don’t stop.”
“I interpret that phrase as ‘keep going.’ No matter what is happening in your life, keep going. In some ways, it’s your job to be your best self, to realize the potential that you have,” he says.
Eddy is grateful for the opportunity this scholarship offers to keep Diane’s memory alive. “She was just such a wonderful person, and this is a nice way to remember her, which is also one of the reasons why I’m looking forward to connecting with the students who hold the scholarship – I’ll get to tell them about her,” he says, adding with a laugh, “whether they want to hear it or not!”
“Grief, they say, is the price you pay for love,” he adds, “And it’s far better to be grieving than not to have loved.”
IMPACT OF GIVING
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