Milestones are meant to not only be recognized, but celebrated. Read a sampling of the ones that took place this past year at UNB.
Since it opened its doors in 1892, UNB law faculty and staff have encouraged students to think critically and pursue the areas of law in which they are most passionate. The Faculty of Law now has 125 years of doing exactly that.
“This is an important milestone for UNB Law,” says John Kleefeld, dean of UNB law. “I’m excited to be working with alumni, students, faculty and staff to make UNB law not only a ‘great small law school’ but an innovative and forward-thinking one too.”
Over the years, the faculty has graduated thousands of students. Apart from becoming prominent lawyers in New Brunswick, graduates include Supreme Court justices, political figures, law school deans and heads of successful companies.
Simone Cole, for example, is vice-president and general counsel at Weston Foods Inc. in Toronto. She graduated in 2006 and looks back on her experience in law school with fondness.
“Our professors were so committed and invested in us,” she says. “We were pushed hard but supported. It was a community that wanted to see students succeed.”
The Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research (MMFC) has spent the past 25 years leading the way towards a solution to violence against women and children.
The centre translates collaborative and action-oriented research, which has shaped policy and service delivery, into information that’s easily accessible to the public.
MMFC and its partners have contributed to society’s understanding of the different forms of family violence, the effects of family violence on women’s equality, and the different contexts which shape the services available to victims and perpetrators.
“When the centre opened its doors 25 years ago, violence against women was not an acceptable topic of conversation. We believe we have had a hand in changing the conversation,” said Dr. Cathy Holtmann, director of MMFC.
The centre, located on the UNB Fredericton campus, is the result of a unique partnership between UNB’s faculty of arts and the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation. It is named for the first female Speaker of the Senate of Canada who lobbied for social justice for women and families.
UNB’s Rina Arseneault headed to the United Nations headquarters in New York earlier this year to share her expertise on family violence with representatives from across the globe.
She was one of 12 Canadians joining representatives from member states, UN entities and non-governmental organizations from around the world as part of the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women. She was selected by a committee at Status of Women Canada after being nominated by the MMFC.
The session was an opportunity for delegates to share knowledge between countries on the lived realities of women and girls around the world, to look at best practices and to learn from each other with the goal of setting actionable outcomes to improve lives.
Ms. Arseneault has been widely recognized as an activist and educator on family violence, intimate partner violence and violence against women and children. She has received numerous honours throughout her career, including being named to the Order of Canada in 2013.
