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The following message was shared with the UNB community on behalf of Dr. Paul Mazerolle, UNB’s 19th President and Vice-Chancellor.

It is my honour and privilege to announce that H. Wade MacLauchlan (LLB’81) has been appointed as the next chancellor of the University of New Brunswick. A well-known Canadian legal expert, academic, university administrator, politician and community leader, Wade MacLauchlan is the perfect candidate to guide and inspire our institution as we move forward in fulfilling the goals outlined in our Strategic Vision: UNB Toward 2030. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will have significant positive impacts and opportunities for our university and the province of New Brunswick. I am delighted to announce his appointment as our next chancellor.

MacLauchlan served as premier of Prince Edward Island from 2015-19. During this time, he led an expansion and diversification of PEI's economy and the growth and rejuvenation of the province's population, while contributing to historic, regional initiatives in immigration, infrastructure and economic growth. Prior to politics, MacLauchlan was the longest-serving president of the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) from 1999-2011, where under his leadership the university saw significant growth in enrolment, research activity, philanthropic support and infrastructure.

With strong connections to UNB, MacLauchlan not only attended UNB law as a Beaverbrook Scholar, but he was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal at graduation. After graduating from UNB, MacLauchlan was awarded a clerkship at the Supreme Court of Canada and then began his academic career in the early 1980s working as an assistant and associate professor at Dalhousie University.

He returned to UNB to serve as dean of law from 1991-1996. As dean, he led the establishment of the $1.5 million Heritage Fund, which is still providing benefits to UNB law students to this day. In 1993–94, MacLauchlan was chair of the university-wide faculty-staff component of UNB's Venture Campaign, launching what became a successful $40-million initiative. From 1997 to 1999, MacLauchlan served as founding director of UNB's multi-disciplinary Centre for Property Studies and served on the advisory board of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research.

MacLauchlan’s passion for education and his commitment to lifelong learning is evident in his extensive academic background. Aside from his UNB law degree, he earned a business administration degree from UPEI, and a master of law degree from Yale University.

MacLauchlan was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2008 and Order of Prince Edward Island in 2014. In 2010, he received the Lieutenant Governor's Institute of Public Administration of Canada Award for Excellence in Public Administration. In 2013, MacLauchlan was an inaugural recipient of the Frank McKenna Award for outstanding contributions to public policy by Atlantic Canadians conferred by the Public Policy Forum of Canada.

In 2022, MacLauchlan was named chairperson of the Independent Advisory Board for Supreme Court of Canada Judicial Appointments, leading a process that resulted in the nomination of the first Indigenous person to serve as a Supreme Court justice. MacLauchlan has served on a number of other national and regional organizations including vice-president of the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice; as an executive member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC); as board member of the Public Policy Forum of Canada; as board member of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC); as a board member of CANARIE Inc.; as a member of the Atlantic Gateway Advisory Council; as executive member and chair of the Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU); and, as board member and chair of Atlantic University Sport (AUS).

MacLauchlan currently lives with his partner, Duncan McIntosh, in West Covehead, PEI, the neighbouring community to his hometown, Stanhope. Histerm as chancellor will begin July 2, 2023, and the official installation will take place at UNB’s convocations in October. In the meantime, please join me in thanking Wade MacLauchlan for his continued commitment and dedication to UNB in this newly appointed role.

With kind regards,

Paul J. Mazerolle
President and Vice-Chancellor

Media contact: talktous@unb.ca