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UNB To Honour Eight With Emeritus Distinctions

Author: Communications

Posted on May 17, 2011

Category: UNB Saint John

Eight professors who have had distinguished careers at the University of New Brunswick will receive honorary designations this week for their outstanding contributions. During UNB’s graduation ceremonies in Fredericton, May 18 and 19, professor emeritus designations will be awarded to Grace Getty and Judith Wuest in nursing, John Stewart in education, Robert Rogers in mechanical engineering and David Macneil in computer science.  Cheryl Gibson will receive the designation of professor emerita in nursing and dean emerita.  Janet Stoppard will be named professor emerita in psychology and dean emerita of Graduate Studies.  Finally, John McLaughlin will receive the designation professor emeritus in geodesy and geomatics engineering and president emeritus. Grace Getty is recognized nationally and internationally for her work with HIV/AIDS.  One of the founders of the Faculty of Nursing Community Health Clinic, she is known for creating innovative learning opportunities for students.  Prof. Getty was instrumental in developing UNB’s master of nursing program, and has received two UNB Merit Awards, the Allen P. Stuart Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Award of Excellence in Research from the Canadian Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Cheryl Gibson is known for her leadership in the faculty of nursing. UNB’s collaborative bachelor of nursing program with Humber College in Toronto was achieved during her time as dean.  She was also central to the faculty’s transition from apprenticeship models of training across New Brunswick to an integrated model including both the Bathurst and Moncton campuses. Her ability to mentor nursing professors in their research careers has helped the faculty to be recognized across Canada as a strong force in teaching and research. During David Macneil’s 21-year tenure as director of Computing Services, he became internationally recognized for building something that almost all of us use daily – the Internet. Prof. Macneil served for seven years – two as chair – on the NATO Science Committee panel on Computer Networks. He was a founding member of the Board of Directors of CANARIE, a federal government initiative to construct a world-class research network infrastructure throughout Canada and was one of original inductees to the Canadian Internet Hall of Fame. John McLaughlin is only the second person in UNB’s history to receive the president emeritus designation. As professor and chair of the department of geodesy and geomatics engineering, he introduced the first program in land information management in the world and was a driving force behind the establishment of UNB’s Centre for Property Studies. During his presidency (2002-2009), UNB undertook the largest fund-raising campaign in the history of Atlantic Canada, had one of the largest increases in research funding of any comprehensive university in the country, dramatically strengthened its standing in national rankings, and significantly enhanced the quality of its programs and student experience.  He was twice recognized as one of Atlantic Canada’s top CEOs and is a member the Order of Canada. Robert Rogers provided exemplary service to students and to the university for 33 years.  The first recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award in mechanical engineering, he served as a student advisor and as acting associate dean of engineering.  A member of many professional societies he has served as chair of the National Research Council’s Machinery Dynamics Subcommittee and as director of the Canadian Machinery Vibration Association.  He has co-authored 44 journal publications, 46 conference proceeding articles and acted as a consultant on 55 projects. John Stewart has made significant contributions to UNB and to the broader field of counseling psychology in Canada and internationally.  Dr. Stewart worked tirelessly to build a substantial master of education program in counseling psychology. He was nominated several times for teaching awards by students and has proven himself as a scholar. Not only has he admirably fulfilled his teaching duties, he also has taken on the duties of director of graduate studies for his division and director of UNB’s Bhutan project.  As such, he expanded UNB’s presence and influence in that country. Janet Stoppard was instrumental in the design and set up of the original Women’s Studies interdisciplinary program on the Fredericton campus, and played an important role in the development of UNB’s nationally accredited doctoral program in clinical psychology. Well respected by her colleagues and her students, Dr. Stoppard served in a number of important administrative roles, including dean of Graduate Studies. The recipient of numerous awards is recognized internationally as one of the foremost researchers in women’s mental health. A dedicated teacher and researcher, Judith Wuest helped establish the Centre for Nursing Research and initiated the faculty’s annual Nursing Research Day. Her research has focused on the areas of women’s health, partner violence, violent relationships and care giving.  She is first recipient of the New Brunswick Investigator Salary Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.  An internationally renowned and grounded theorist, Dr. Wuest has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles or book chapters, several considered landmark publications. The professor emeritus distinction is awarded only to retired faculty members. Criteria for the honorary rank include teaching performance of exceptional merit, extensive research and publication of unusually high quality, creative contributions to the administration and development of the university and a record of professional conduct that indicates fair and ethical treatment of students and other members of the academic community. The rank of dean emeritus is awarded to those who meet the criteria for professor emeritus and have served at least one term as dean. The president emeritus designation is awarded at the discretion of the university’s Board of Governors, upon recommendation by the University Senates.

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