Letters from the Presidents
Alumni News Magazine | Fall/Winter 2020
A great deal has happened in the world since I wrote to you last fall. COVID-19 has figured large in all our lives. At UNB, thanks to the expertise, adaptability and dedication of our faculty and staff, we developed a plan for each of our campuses designed to provide quality educational experiences to our students while keeping them safe. Much of this requires alternative delivery methods, with many of our classes offered remotely, blended with small in-person classes, seminars and labs. Though the pandemic precipitated this dramatic change, on the positive side we are learning a lot about what makes remote education effective and identifying opportunities to extend UNB’s reach into the global community.
Health is a major focus in this issue of Alumni News. The leadership of UNB alumna Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health, has been a source of great pride not only in this province, but across the country. Indeed, we are proud of all the exceptional health care professionals among our graduates who have contributed to our safety. Thank you for your outstanding service.
Recognizing the importance of educating more forward-thinking, innovative and collaborative health care practitioners, we have just launched the Integrated Health Initiative. More than three years in the planning, this unique, interdisciplinary program of teaching, research, social innovation and knowledge transfer will help transform health care and address critical social issues in New Brunswick and beyond.
The Integrated Health Initiative is a prime example of UNB’s strategic vision in action. UNB Toward 2030 was developed through extensive consultation over the past two years. Faculty, staff, students, alumni and members of the community helped us to create a robust framework for our future on which I have been pleased to collaborate and to champion since my arrival last year.
As you would expect, the vision is aspirational but, I firmly believe, abundantly attainable over the next decade. Across the UNB community, the commitment to achieving our ambitious goals is palpable -- for growing our research, providing transformative education, serving the public good, investing in our people, building a modern, integrated and sustainable UNB, and much more. Underpinning every one of our objectives are the principles of reconciliation, equity, diversity and inclusion to which we adhere.
For the complete details of our strategic vision, please visit unb.ca/toward2030.
Our campuses are quite different this year than most of us would remember them. The crowds of students, array of events and spontaneous camaraderie have nearly all gone virtual this term. While we certainly look forward to the day campus life can resume its in-person vibrancy, in the meantime we are confident that the UNB community is as actively engaged as it ever has been through our scholarship, research, teaching and learning.
Proudly UNB,
Paul J. Mazerolle (BA'89)
