May 29, 2009
UNB News Release: 09-096
Sandra Howland, Manager, Ceremonies and Events (506) 458-7968

Five professors who have had distinguished careers at the University of New Brunswick are receiving honorary designations for their outstanding contributions.

At UNB’s spring graduation ceremonies in Fredericton, May 27 and 28, professor emeritus designations were awarded to Barbara Trenholm in business administration, Jon Thompson in mathematics and statistics, and Jack Vanderlinde in physics. On May 29, at UNB’s Spring Convocation in Saint John, professor emeritus designations will be conferred upon Margaret Kayser, chemistry and Neil Ridler, economics. 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.

Margaret Kayser is internationally recognized as an authority on biotransformation. Over the last 20 years, she has published extensively and built a research network with institutions in North America and Europe. In addition to her many international collaborations and associations, she successfully forged a link with a local industry. Dr. Kayser has contributed to the development of the undergraduate and graduate chemistry programs at UNB, and is known for her excellence in teaching. She has a reputation for providing challenging projects that yield exceptional graduate students, many of whom secured study terms at prestigious institutions around the world. In addition, she contributed significantly to the training of other highly qualified chemists. Post Doctoral fellows and five visiting scientists from Europe and Asia joined her group to learn more about what she was discovering and accomplishing. Dr. Kayser has been appointed an Honorary Research Professor at UNB, and is the recipient of two University Merit awards.

Neil Ridler has made significant contributions to UNB since 1973. He has been actively involved in internationalization initiatives — delivering courses and workshops in Indonesia, China and Vietnam. He has maintained an active, externally-funded research program throughout his career, and he continues to do so in his retirement as the Principal Investigator on a $7.1-million project. Throughout his career, Dr. Ridler has taught 25 distinct undergraduate courses and 14 different graduate courses in both arts and business. He has also published more than 65 peer-reviewed articles, and 53 book chapters, technical reports and reviews. His aquaculture research program examining the socio-economic impacts of aquaculture has been recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Throughout all of this, Dr. Ridler, has maintained a passionate interest in students and has served terms on the Board of Governors, the Saint John Senate, as chair of the department of social sciences, and as the unofficial coordinator of the economics program.

Barbara Trenholm is known as one of the best teachers that the faculty of business administration has ever had. Her influence on creating a positive student-centered learning environment at UNB and her contribution to chartered accounting education in Canada have had a significant impact on students, alumni, colleagues and the accounting profession as a whole. Among her many awards for teaching is the Global Teaching Excellence Award from the International Academy of Business Administration. Prof. Trenholm’s scholarly work includes two accounting textbooks. One of these, Accounting Principles, is the most successful first edition in the history of higher education publishing in Canada. During her 28 years at UNB, she served on more than 50 committees, and was acting dean for 15 months. In recognition of her service to the accounting profession she was named a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants – an honour bestowed on less than five per cent of CAs in Canada.

Jon Thompson is widely recognized for his contributions to UNB and to the promotion of mathematical science and academic values. Soon after his arrival at UNB in 1970, he became a force in curriculum development at all levels of the university. As chair of mathematics and statistics for 17 years, he transformed the department’s scholarly culture. Dr. Thompson helped to establish the Atlantic Association for Research in the Mathematical Sciences and has been active in numerous professional and learned societies. His involvement with the Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers, from the first collective agreement – when he was association president — through the negotiations during the latest bargaining cycle, is a contribution of extraordinary importance to the academic community. However, it is Dr. Thompson’s exemplary work with the Canadian Association of University Teachers which has singled him out as one of the foremost defenders of academic freedom and due process in Canada.

Jack Vanderlinde is an outstanding physicist with a deep understanding of all branches of the field. A successful and well-liked teacher, he proved capable of teaching any course in the physics curriculum during his 34-year career, His textbook, Classical Electromagnetic Theory, is a major contribution to pedagogy. Now in its second edition, it has been adopted throughout the world as a text for graduate and senior undergraduate courses. Even in retirement, Dr. Vanderlinde is sought as resource by people in all fields of physics. Dr. Vanderlinde has an enviable record of service to UNB, including two terms of exceptional leadership as chair of the physics department. He served the Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers and the Federation of New Brunswick Faculty Associations in many official capacities, including terms as president. His contributions to these organizations has had a profound impact on the entire faculty complement at UNB and extends to universities throughout the province.

Established in 1785, UNB is one of the oldest public universities in North America. It’s also one of the top five comprehensive universities in Canada, according to Maclean’s magazine. UNB has more than 12,000 students from over 100 countries. As the largest research institution in New Brunswick, UNB conducts 80 per cent of the province’s university research. It has more than 3,500 faculty and staff, and an annual operating budget of more than $160 million. UNB’s two main campuses are located in Fredericton and Saint John, N.B.

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