UNB’s New President Plans To Boost Partnerships With Businesses
FREDERICTON – Paul Mazerolle just moved from Australia 10 days ago and he’s only on day two of his job as the president and vice-chancellor of his alma mater, the University of New Brunswick. But he has big plans for the institution that’s been around for more than 230 years.
Mazerolle is replacing Eddie Campbell, who stepped down at the end of June after leading the university for 10 years. The dual Canadian-Australian citizen originally from New Brunswick obtained his bachelor of arts in sociology from UNB in 1989 before going on to obtain subsequent degrees from Northeastern University and the University of Maryland.
An award-winning teacher and researcher, he most recently served as the pro vice-chancellor of arts, education and law and the director of the violence research and prevention program at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.
Mazerolle says in his new role, he’s keen to build on UNB’s foundation since 1785, which will include looking at its financial sustainability as an institution and trying to tackle some global issues that are affecting people at home and abroad.
“Part of my vision is looking seriously at the kinds of new programs that we should be emerging in the Fredericton and Saint John corridors to be a university that’s really forward-looking, and a university that’s looking to be delivering for the community locally, provincially, nationally and in the global sense,” he said.
“So we really need to be looking at how are we anticipating change, how are we ensuring the future needs of employment are taken seriously in a university programme suite, and looking where we can make some difference.”
On the one hand, Mazerolle says UNB’s student body has been shrinking in the last five years due to demographic trends. Fewer young people in New Brunswick means fewer high school graduates looking to continue on to university. But Mazerolle says the university needs to go beyond attracting just high school graduates and look at adult learners and international students.
On the other hand, with technological advances like artificial intelligence expected to eliminate many jobs in the future, Mazerolle says universities need to prepare students for uncertainties. They need to have adaptability and employability skills that will serve them in an ever dynamic economy.
Mazerolle is also keen to ensure UNB’s research performance competes with institutions globally. That means not only enhancing UNB’s research strengths, like cybersecurity and smart-grid technology, but also enabling the university to engage with the world’s major challenges like climate emergency, human rights, or health and well-being issues.
“We need to look seriously at all those issues and try to reorientate some of our programs, our research, across these grand challenges,” he said.
“Across the whole university, there’s a very strong commitment to entrepreneurship and innovation…We want to keep that momentum going because it really illustrates what a university can do for the wider community – that our role is not just educating young people and doing research through our scholarship, but seeing how it makes a difference on the ground.”
More Partnerships With Industry, First Nations
The business community can expect to see more of an “open hand” from UNB, Mazerolle says.
“I believe strongly that universities need not be siloed institutions. I’m not suggesting UNB is, but I’ll be focusing on making sure that we have very open university campuses, porous boundaries, and that our successes will work better when we’re working in partnership with industry, government and [non-governmental organizations],” he said.
“Part of our success factors will be who we’re partnering with, what are we doing together to grow the knowledge economy, to create innovation and entrepreneurship for the region.”
The partnerships could be in the form of students working in businesses, joint research projects, and other “reciprocal relationships,” he said.
Recent plans to move UNB Saint John’s MBA program to the uptown area and include a potential incubation centre run by Economic Development Greater Saint John is an example of that, Mazerolle said.
Mazerolle is also hoping to create closer ties with Atlantic Canada’s indigenous communities, and take a look at UNB’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion as key priorities, he said. In his previous role at Griffith University, Mazerolle was in charge of engagements with the local community, which involved efforts for reconciliation with Aboriginal communities in Australia.
“I have a strong commitment to First Nations issues in terms of understanding context and working in partnership with First Nations,” he added. “I have a broad sense of [the issues] but I need to listen and learn so I can contribute and work in partnership with them.”
This year, as he works with UNB staff on a five-year strategic plan with a vision towards 2030, Mazerolle says he plans to make UNB more well-known.
“I talk to people around the world and they know a little bit about UNB but in the coming weeks and years and months, they’re going to know a lot more because there’s a great story to tell here,” he said.