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Giving to UNB

McKenna Institute is transforming NB

Dick Carpenter with Frank McKenna. Dick, an alumnus, along with other donors recently gave foundational gifts for the establishment of The Research Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at UNB. The Institute will lead growth in our region’s economy by accelerating talent, nurturing ideas and strengthening communities in the data science and AI sector.


It takes a lot of talent, energy and determination to change the economic trajectory of a province. That’s the premise that led former New Brunswick premier The Hon. Frank McKenna, PC, OC, ONB, KC, F.ICD (LLB‘74, LLD‘88) to create The McKenna Institute at UNB. The Institute’s mission is to facilitate the digital transformation of communities across New Brunswick, establishing a place for the people of this province in the future of commerce and industry.

Adrienne Oldford, the Institute’s executive director, says donor support is having
a direct impact upon education and social and economic outcomes in New Brunswick. In less than 18 months, the Institute has raised more than $50 million.

“The business and philanthropic communities have really responded to Frank McKenna’s call to action,“ Oldford says. “Through their support, we have been able to accelerate talent development dramatically, with some 1,000 students taking computer science and enrolment growing exponentially. We’ve been able to make large commitments to digital health, artificial intelligence, data science, digital agriculture, and digital entrepreneurship.”

Highlights from the past year include:

  • A new digital pathways program in partnership with NBCC to develop a talent pipeline to improve digital technology competitiveness for organizations in New Brunswick, made possible through a $1 million gift from J.D. Irving, Limited.
  • Inaugural McKenna Fellow in Digital Education, Matt McGuire, has created a framework for building digital literacy in K-12 classes which is rolling out to key educators through an annual Digital Learners Summit.
  • UNB’s successful Promise Partnership mentoring and tutoring program for children in economically disadvantaged communities is expanding to include a new curriculum to foster digital literacy.
  • The UNB Coding Boot Camp has offered $350,000 in financial support through our ongoing partnership with the Government of New Brunswick to learners who are traditionally underrepresented in New Brunswick’s IT workforce.
  • The McKenna Scholars program is helping underrepresented individuals to join the technology sector, awarding $125,000 in scholarship funding in its first year.
  • In conjunction with the Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI), Ulnooweg, and the Mastercard Foundation, UNB is developing an Indigenous youth digital acceleration program that will engage children in Indigenous communities across Atlantic Canada.

“These projects are just the beginning,” Oldford says. “Stay tuned for more announcements in the year ahead!”

Find out more! View the McKenna Institute’s first annual report. 

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