Saint John honourees

The designation of professor emeritus is bestowed upon retired professors for their accomplishments and commitment to teaching, research and administration.

A - Z

(d) = deceased

Registrar Emeritus
Convocation Ceremony: Fall, 1999

Dr. Barry Beckett, holds degrees from St. Andrew’s University in Scotland (B.Sc., Dip.Ed.) and the University of New Brunswick (PhD, 1970).

A long-time professor of chemistry, recently retired registrar and assistant vice-president at UNB Saint John, Barry Beckett joined the campus in 1966. Joining UNB Saint John when the university operated with just a handful of professors at an uptown location, he was named assistant registrar in 1976 and registrar in 1979.

During his years as registrar, Dr. Beckett was credited as one of the guiding forces behind the quadrupling of UNB Saint John’s enrolment to 2,000. Quietly working behind the scenes, Dr. Beckett guided the Registrar’s Office through this growth, as well as through computerization of the student record system.

Dr. Beckett chaired the committee that studied, recommended and planned the first on-campus residence at UNB Saint John, and was a member of a number of new building and space allocation committees. In 1994 he was named Assistant Vice-President at UNBSJ, taking on responsibilities for student services, alumni relations and continuing educations as well as retaining his responsibilities as Registrar.

Well-loved by hundreds of UNBSJ alumni, students and colleagues, Dr. Beckett continued to teach chemistry throughout his 33 year tenure, the honour of Registrar Emeritus is a fitting tribute to this active and dedicated professor and administrator. The emeritus standing is one of the highest honours for a member of university’s faculty or administration.


Professor Emeritus in Physics, 1993


Vice-President Emeritus, 1996


Professor Emerita in Biological Sciences
Convocation Ceremony: May 19, 2017

Dr. Kate Frego has been an active, valuable and very enthusiastic member of the UNB Saint John faculty since 1993. She has served the University of New Brunswick for more than 20 years through exceptional contributions and leadership in teaching, research, and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.

Kate has been a champion of teaching excellence within the wider UNB community. She served as Chair of the Vice President’s Excellence in Teaching Committee from 1995 - 2008, and continues to remain involved. One of her first initiatives as Chair was to create its newsletter Teaching Matters, and she served as its editor, publisher and distributor for nine years.

Dr. Frego was a co-author of the proposal to restructure teaching committees at UNB, and pushed for the development of the Teaching and Learning Centre and the creation of new teaching awards on the Saint John campus. Kate has often acted as a mentor to new faculty and worked to establish a formal peer mentorship at UNB Saint John, named The Kate Frego Teaching Mentorship Programme in her honour.

Dr. Frego’s teaching excellence and educational leadership have been recognized through a series of awards, including the Dr. Allan P. Stuart Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching, a UNB Teaching Professor Award, and a Neil Scott Educational Leadership Award at UNB. She was the first person to receive both a Distinguished Teacher Award and an Instructional Leadership Award from the Association of Atlantic Universities. In 2008, she was the first person from UNB Saint John to be awarded a 3M National Teaching Fellowship.

Dr. Frego has served as the Director of Graduate Studies for the Biology Graduate Academic Unit in Saint John since 2000. She has worked tirelessly to advise graduate students and their supervisors, and to revamp the program to better suit student needs.

Dr. Frego is a recognized expert on regeneration of bryophyte (mosses) communities and impacts of forest management practices. She and her students have been involved in research in the Fundy Model Forest; in the Adirondack Mountains, NY; in northern Ontario; at Crane Mountain, NB; and elsewhere in Canada, including several studies on impacts of forest practices on diversity.

Dr. Frego has supervised numerous graduate and undergraduate students and has been successful in receiving funding from a variety of sources including Environment Canada, Sustainable Forest Initiative, NB Environmental Trust Fund, Fundy Model Forest and NSERC. She has published 24 peer reviewed research papers and given numerous presentations at national and international meetings.

In addition to the many significant contributions to the UNB community, Dr. Frego has been and continues to be heavily involved in public outreach through presentations to local schools, gardening clubs and other groups. Dr. Frego is truly liked and a highly-respected member of the faculty. She has served the university with distinction and today we bestow the honorary ranking of Professor Emerita in Biological Sciences at the University of New Brunswick.


Professor Emeritus in Computer Science
Convocation Ceremony: May 18, 2007

Lawrence E. Garey joined the University of New Brunswick Saint John in 1971 as a lecturer, became a full professor in 1982, and dedicated 35 years to UNB Saint John and its students.

He was instrumental in building the Saint John campus and maintained an exemplary research career, holding a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery research grant continuously throughout his years at UNB Saint John. He supervised numerous graduate students and published more than 100 papers.

Dr. Garey taught almost every Computer Science course offered at UNB Saint John, and helped revamp the Computer Science course offerings to be more applied and therefore more appealing to a wider audience. He single-handedly developed the interdisciplinary Data Analysis Degree program in 1978.

Larry Garey was involved in a variety of faculty and campus committees at all levels of university governance, and has been an active member of the UNB Saint John Senate since 1988.

As a teacher, Dr. Garey had an extensive record of course evaluations that reflected the respect and admiration his students felt for him. He was one of the first recipients of the Allan P. Stewart Memorial Award, which recognized exemplary teaching. His door was always open to students seeking extra advising or some sage advice.

Graduate work is an integral part of a professor’s research. Dr. Garey incorporated his research results into many of the senior level courses and graduate courses he taught for over 20 years, along with his regular course load. His effort to incorporate his research area with recent topics also resulted in his serving on graduate committees from mathematics, statistics, computer science, science and engineering.

He received a number of academic awards, and in 2005 he received the UNB President’s Medal for service, teaching and research.


Professor Emeritus in Psychology
Convocation Ceremony: May 18, 2007

Dr. Paul E. Gendreau joined the University of New Brunswick Saint John in 1990 as a Professor of Psychology, and went on to establish the Centre for Criminal Justice Studies at UNB Saint John in 1995.

He was director of the Centre from 1997 until his retirement in 2006. He was named a University Research Professor in 2002, an award honouring leading researchers at UNB.

Dr. Paul Gendreau is a top researcher who has received recognition throughout North America, and indeed throughout the world, for his studies of the criminal justice system. His research has greatly influenced how Canada deals with criminals in prison and in the community, including techniques on improving the practice of correctional psychology and reducing the risk of criminals re-offending. His research has also led to changes in the Correctional Service of Canada.

The success of Dr. Gendreau's research is shown by the esteem in which he is held around the world. Institutions and organizations in a variety of jurisdictions have invited him to give advice on their criminal justice systems, and he has received numerous awards from national and international organizations.

Paul Gendreau has been a Member of the Canadian Psychology Association since 1965, and also served as the President of the Association in 1987 and 1988.

There is no doubt about the magnitude of Dr. Gendreau’s contribution to correctional psychology in this country. In early 2007 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, an appointment given for achievement and merit of a high degree, especially service to Canada or to humanity at large.


Professor Emeritus in Statistics
Convocation ceremony: May 21, 2010

Dr. Rameshwar Gupta has been a valuable and active member of the University of New Brunswick Saint John faculty since 1980.

Serving as a member of numerous departmental committees, he has represented his department on many different levels. One of his most notable contributions was to initiate and maintain a seminar series to showcase the research of faculty and students to the wider university community. He strongly encouraged his colleagues to maintain an ongoing research profile.

Dr. Gupta’s tireless efforts to strengthen the statistics discipline on the Saint John campus continued until his retirement in 2009. Prior to leaving, he worked to develop a new focus at UNB Saint John in biostatistics to support the potential growth in programs such as health and environmental science.

Dr. Gupta has made a significant contribution in the area of graduate studies and, in addition to serving on four Graduate Academic Units, served for several years on the Graduate School Committee. He also took on a one year position as Acting Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at UNB Saint John, and was a member of the committee that established the research ranking recognition program at UNB.

Dr. Gupta’s research program is not only impressive, but also extensive. He held continuous NSERC support since his arrival at UNB and has published over 84 refereed journal papers. He has reviewed research papers and grant applications and has done editing work for journals and conference proceedings. He served on the NSERC Grant Selection Committee for Statistical Sciences from 1994 to 97 and was Chair for 1996 to 97. To date, he has presented 48 invited lectures worldwide and his publications are regularly cited, a measure of the impact his research has in his area of expertise.

Dr. Gupta is a dedicated teacher who has taught a wide range of courses over his career and supervised or co-supervised 24 fourth-year projects. His work supervising NSERC USRAs in the summer has influenced several students to pursue graduate studies. He has supervised nine graduate students and served on numerous thesis examining committees in a wide range of disciplines. His students speak highly of his expertise and his desire to see them do their best.

Dr. Gupta’s extensive research record, his commitment to students and his years of service to UNB are to be commended. His contributions in all areas have been recognized with four merit awards. And this afternoon we will bestow the honorary ranking of Professor Emeritus in Statistics.


Professor Emeritus in Business
Convocation Ceremony: May, 2004

A sailor, letter carrier and steel rigger in the 1950s, Robert Wayne Jollineau moved on to become a journeyman electric and acetylene welder before being called out from the Militia as Battery Commander in the Canadian Army.

For the next seven years he was an Industrial Engineer with Algoma Steel while taking a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree at Michigan Technological University and then continuing on to do an MBA and some teaching at the University of Alberta.

As a result of Professor Jollineau’s persistent drive while at UNB Saint John, he built Business Administration into a major player within the campus, the University and also within the Saint John business community. His skillful hand can be seen at work as the BBA degree became the first four-year degree program to be offered at UNB Saint John. The Faculty of Business was established in 1991, offering not only undergraduate degrees but also a part-time MBA and an innovative full-time one year MBA for international students.

He managed some scholarly publications, was very active in chairing and serving as a discussant at professional and learned society conferences, extensively involved in local, regional and national Boards of a host of professional associations, and was a member of a team of academics from Maritime universities that delivered seminars in Ho Chi Minh City to Vietnamese professionals as part of a project under the auspices of the Canadian International Development Agency.

Professor Jollineau received the University’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 1973. He retired in 1995.


Professor Emeritus in Biological Sciences
Convocation Ceremony: May, 2019

Dr. John Johnson has been an active and engaged member of the University of New Brunswick community for more than 35 years; he obtained his BSc, MSc and PhD degrees from UNB in 1984, 1986 and 1991 respectively, and joined the faculty of UNB Saint John as a lecturer in 1989.

In the 28 years that John served UNB as a faculty member, his commitment to the University and its faculty, staff and students never faltered. John has made exceptional contributions to UNB and has been recognised with multiple awards including: a UNB Merit Award for outstanding contributions to the University (1997), the Allan P Stuart Award for Excellence in Teaching (2013), the University Teaching Scholar award (2015), the President’s Medal for distinguished service (2015) and selection as the UNB Saint John Honorary Graduate (2017).

Although John’s recent retirement has brought some aspects of his distinguished career to a close, his appointment as an Honorary Research Professor allows his continued participation as an active researcher and mentor.

It is impossible to adequately summarize John’s contributions to the University because of their quantity, diversity and magnitude. He has taught more than 25 different courses to myriad undergraduate students, he has coordinated the Biology Honours programme, supervised 33 Honours and 12 graduate students, served on more than 21 graduate supervisory committees and examined a similar number of graduate theses from universities all around the world.

John has published 56 research papers and authored 30 technical reports for government, industry and as a consultant and expert witness. He co-founded the UNB Natural Products Research Group and has been co-principal investigator of the group for 12 years. He has held honorary and adjunct appointments at the University of Plymouth (UK), the Indian Mycology Institute (Chennai, India) and Dalhousie University Medical School, and his research has been funded by more than $2 million through grants from more than 25 different agencies including CIDA, NSERC, the Government of Bermuda, the British Council, NBIF and NBHRF.

In addition to his commendable records in both teaching and research, John has an extraordinary record of university service as a faculty member and administrator. He has completed four terms on the UNB Board of Governors, has served as Acting Assistant Vice-President, held academic appointments as the UNB Saint John Registrar twice, filled senior positions on numerous task-forces, working groups, steering committees, strategy groups and eight search and/or review committees at the presidential and vice-presidential levels.

He has led various special projects and helped negotiate the agreements that facilitated the development of the Dalhousie Medical New Brunswick program and the co-location of UNB, NBCC and Dalhousie Medical NB at Tucker Park. He was a UNB Senator for 16 years, served on the Executive Committee of AUNBT, a member of the UNB collective agreement negotiating team and chaired or served on more than 100 other committees at all levels within the university.

The University of New Brunswick has benefited immeasurably from John’s excellence as a teacher and mentor, his scholarship and research as a mycologist and plant pathologist, and his dedicated service and leadership as an administrator. Dr. Johnson is a valued and a highly-respected member of the UNB community, beloved by students and colleagues alike, who has always served the university with commitment, distinction and quiet, authentic enthusiasm. Today, in recognition of his exceptional achievements and service, we bestow the honorary rank of Professor Emeritus in Biological Sciences at the University of New Brunswick.


Professor Emerita in Chemistry
Convocation Ceremony: May 29, 2009

Dr. Margaret Kayser joined the University of New Brunswick Saint John as an Associate Professor in 1986 and became a full professor in 1992.

Her distinguished 20 year career has brought the University of New Brunswick in Saint John international repute because of her outstanding research and excellence in teaching and her international recognition as an authority on biotransformation.

During her time at this university, she published extensively in the area of biotransformations and has mentored graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. She contributed to development of the undergraduate and graduate chemistry programs, and was well-respected by her students and her colleagues for her efforts to strengthen science programs at UNB Saint John.

Her reputation for providing challenging projects that yielded exceptional students facilitated securing study terms for some of her graduate students at prestigious institutions in Europe and North America.

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.

Over the years, Margaret Kayser’s cutting edge research has been widely recognized, bringing over 3/4 of a million dollars to UNB Saint John. She built a research network with other institutions such as Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia), University of Florida, Max Planck Institut für Kohlenforschung (Germany) and the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands).

In addition to her many international collaborations and associations, she successfully forged a link with a local industry and, as a result, received a P. Oland Industrial Research Grant. Dr. Kayser was appointed an Honorary Research Professor, and is the recipient of two University Merit awards.

These successes are evidence of tremendous love of chemistry, love of students and of proven ability to improve this institution as well as society.


Professor Emeritus in Chemistry, 1985


Professor Emeritus in Geology, 1998


Professor Emeritus in Biological Sciences
Convocation Ceremony: November 7, 2020

Dr. Bruce MacDonald has been a valuable member of the University of New Brunswick Saint John faculty since 1992. He has been an exemplary faculty member who has contributed considerably and selflessly to the betterment of the University.

Dr. MacDonald is a well-respected and appreciated teacher who has had a significant impact on UNB’s undergraduate students and programs. He has taught more than ten different courses at introductory and advanced levels, was recipient of the UNB Departmental Award for Teaching Excellence and was one of the principal architects of UNB Saint John’s Marine Biology program, including its experiential-based Marine Semester.

Dr. MacDonald has had a prolific research career and is recognized as an authority in his field. He started at UNB as a University Research Fellow, supported by a highly competitive Senior NSERC Research Fellowship. He maintained a strong externally funded research program throughout his career, including leading major components of two multi-million NSERC-funded research programs. He trained several postdoctoral fellows, and well over 20 graduate and 30 undergraduate students. With his trainees, Dr. MacDonald published over 75 peer-reviewed articles and six book chapters and he delivered well over 150 conference presentations.

Recognized as a leader in his field, Dr. MacDonald was frequently invited to contribute to international workshops, and he organized and chaired many sessions at international conferences. He was member, for over 20 years, of the editorial board of one of the leading journals in his field, and he dedicated a large amount of his time and expertise to the review of scientific articles. At UNB he served on an ad-hoc Research Advisory Committee for several years.

Despite his numerous teaching and research accomplishments, Dr. MacDonald’s most important contributions to UNB may have been through his role in several leadership positions, where he excelled due to his intelligence, kindness and fair handedness. As Department Chair (six years), he played a major role in the development of a strong department that values and supports teaching and research equally, and his foresight and vision continue to be felt to this day. He demonstrated the same leadership as Associate Dean and Acting Dean of Graduate Studies (five years), where he made effective use of resources and was an unrelenting and effective champion for graduate students and research at UNB. Dr. MacDonald also served as Acting Dean of SASE (1+ year) with the same even-handed and fair-minded aplomb. In all these roles, Dr. MacDonald was widely recognized as accessible, fair, knowledgeable, wise and innovative.

Dr. MacDonald has had a truly distinguished career at the University of New Brunswick. His teaching, research and administrative accomplishments are both broad and deep. He is a pillar of our University and has the respect of everyone who knows him. He has served the university with distinction and today we bestow on him the honorary rank of Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at the University of New Brunswick.

Dr. Bruce MacDonald is most deserving of the honour of professor emeritus at the University of New Brunswick.


University Professor, 1997


Professor Emeritus in Engineering
Convocation ceremony: May 31, 2013

Dr. Ramesh Prasad joined UNB Saint John’s Department of Engineering in 1982 as an assistant professor and became a full professor in 1990. He has dedicated 30 years to this campus and his students.

Dr. Prasad actively participated in graduate teaching and supervision at UNB Saint John. He supervised or co-supervised 11 Masters and PhD students, served on the examining advisory committee for 36 graduate students, and taught five graduate courses in engineering. He has supervised over 50 undergraduate work and research projects and hired 13 student research assistants.

Dr. Prasad is widely recognized for his research success; maintaining continuous NSERC support from 1984 to 2009. As a result, a research facility has been established on the Saint John campus with some highly specialized capabilities. Dr. Prasad has the only transient hot-wire instrument based lab in Canada for the measurement of thermal properties.

His publication record includes 30 refereed journal papers, 44 refereed conference papers/abstracts and 16 additional reports and publications. He has also been an invited speaker at numerous conferences and seminars around the world. Although retired, he continues to be active in research. In 2011, he was invited to present his work on thermal conductivity at Shri Vaishnav Institute of Technology in India.

Dr. Prasad served in numerous administrative capacities ranging from the departmental level to university-wide. Over the years he served as both Acting Chair and Chair and participated on several university committees including Engineering Curriculum Committees and Saint John Senate. He also played a mentoring role in his department and guided several young faculty members in their own career path.

For his outstanding contributions to UNB he has received two UNB Merit Awards, in 1986 and again in 1994, and a UNB Distinguished Service Award in 2011.

Dr. Prasad is greatly admired for his commitment to the university, his students, his colleagues and his research. He has served the university with distinction and is bestowed the honorary ranking of Professor Emeritus of Engineering at the University of New Brunswick.


Professor Emeritus in Economics
Convocation Ceremony: May 29, 2009

Dr. Neil B. Ridler has made many significant contributions to the University of New Brunswick Saint John since taking up his appointment in 1973 as Assistant Professor of Economics.

He has been actively involved in UNB’s internationalization initiatives, delivering UNB 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 Principal Investigator with a project team that is investigating Integrated Multi-trophic Aquaculture. The research budget for this project alone is $7.1 million.

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 in academic journals, and 53 book chapters, technical reports and reviews.

Since 1999, his aquaculture research program examining the socio-economic impacts of aquaculture has been recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Since then, Dr. Ridler has been invited on several occasions to serve as a Research Scientist on FAO projects in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

Throughout all of this, Dr. Ridler, has maintained a passionate interest in students, and in the overall academic life of the Saint John community. He spearheaded a practicum course in Urban Economics at UNB Saint John, and has directly supervised, or been involved in the supervision of, more than 30 graduate students. In addition, he has served as a member of the UNB Board of Governors, the UNB Saint John Senate, on various Deans Search committees, as Chair of the Department of Social Sciences, and as the unofficial coordinator of the Economics program at UNB Saint John for many years.

Dr. Ridler’s record of accomplishment exemplifies the qualities of excellence and exceptional merit that are important criteria for the achievement of Professor Emeritus status.


Professor Emerita in Computer Science
Convocation Ceremony: November 7, 2020

Dr. Shaw has given her whole career to the university and we are pleased to bestow on her the ranking of Professor Emerita, a mark of distinguished service, awarded on retirement to deserving nominees.

Dr. Shaw has been affiliated with both the Department of Computer Science and the Faculty of Science Applied Science and Engineering at UNB Saint John for several decades, first as an undergraduate student, then as a graduate student and finally as a professor, chair and Dean.

Her successes, since becoming a full-time faculty member of UNB 1994 include teaching awards (the 1998 Dr. Allan P. Stewart Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching and the 2006 Departmental Award for Teaching Excellence), mentoring of seven graduate students, authoring of 50 refereed publications, 17 scholarly presentations, and securing upwards of $200k in research funding. Her service to UNB has been exemplary winning her four merit awards (1998/99, 2002/03, 2007/08, 2017/18).

While serving two terms as Dean of Science, Applied Science & Engineering from 2008 to 2016, she worked tirelessly on behalf of her Faculty supporting students, research, and governance of resources at UNB. She has an impressive list of accomplishments including the expansion of the Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, the Department of Biological Sciences, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, alignment of undergraduate computer science degree programs between campuses, MPHEC approval of the Data Analytics Certificate and successful applications for CRC (I and II), ACOA and Jarislowsky Chair positions.

In January, 2017 she returned to the Computer Science department where, in addition to teaching, she resumed the role of chief coordinator of the highly successful New Brunswick High School Programming Competition, initiated during her chair-ship of the CS department in the 2000's. Ruth was featured on the radio and news media for these activities. She has long been making tireless and selfless contributions championing CS and STEM disciplines, including a NSERC WISE Atlantic workshop for female faculty.

As if this was not enough, she took on a special project from President Campbell, as project lead for health research and programming initiatives at UNB Saint John. Ruth is particularly adept in stakeholder engagement and her ability to reach out and establish new partnership has been a tremendous resource for the campus. Her achievements in this capacity resulted in the UNB Saint John Academic Plan Subcommittee Report on Health Initiatives, the establishment of the bi-campus Graduate Academic Unit in Health, the proposal for a Health Research Institute on the UNB Saint John campus and a new NB-IRDT / RDC site at UNB Saint John.

Overall her work in this area has been commended in writing, in the strongest possible terms, by two Vice-Presidents, the Dean of Graduate Studies, the Regional Director of Research Services at Horizon Health and many faculty members involved in Health Research at UNB and resulted in her well-deserved fourth merit award.

Today we are in no doubt that her leadership in driving new health initiatives at UNB has been pivotal in placing our campus and university, at the forefront of health research and programming in New Brunswick. Dr. Shaw demonstrated exemplary leadership at a crucial time for UNB and made a pivotal contribution which will likely be recognised in years to come as transformational for the University and the Saint John campus. We are happy that she will join us again as Professor Emerita.

Dr. Ruth Shaw is most deserving of the honour of professor emerita at the University of New Brunswick.


Professor Emeritus of Biology
October 19, 2012

Dr. Jack Terhune has been an active and valuable member of the UNB Saint John faculty since 1975. Although he spent most of his career on the Saint John campus, his contributions to the University of New Brunswick as a whole exemplify the spirit of his being awarded a Professor Emeritus ranking.

Dr. Terhune has never shielded away from participating in the work of the university. Most recently, he served as co-chair for President Campbell’s Strategic Planning Initiative. His expertise in graduate studies and his wealth of institutional knowledge made him a perfect choice for this role.

Dr. Terhune has also served in numerous administrative capacities and, in all cases, exhibited a steadfast and effective leadership. Some of his more notable roles were as Chair of the Biology department from 1992 to 1997, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies for five years, and Acting Dean of the Faculty of Science, Applied Science and Engineering in 2007 to 08. Throughout this time, he was widely recognized as accessible, fair, knowledgeable, wise and innovative.

Some of the lesser known, but no less important, contributions Dr. Terhune has made to our community involve his outreach activities. He has always been involved with our Science Open Houses, Science Summer Camps and Fundy Science Fairs. He is passionate not only for his research, but also for sharing his research with students. Many times over the past 30 plus years he has been in the newspaper, on radio and television shows such as CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks, and National Geographic for Kids.

Dr. Terhune is a well-respected and loved professor who has taught a variety of biology courses from first to fourth level. He has actively participated in graduate teaching and supervision for close to 20 years.

At a time when NSERC funding has become more competitive, Dr. Terhune succeeded in maintaining continuous NSERC support since 1997. His publication record includes over 80-refereed papers and 16 additional publications. He has presented his work at numerous conferences over the years and has been an invited speaker at several. He has given seminars at universities around the world and is a member of numerous journal and research boards.

Dr. Jack Terhune’s years of service, teaching and research have left an impact on, not just his colleagues, but also the many undergraduate and graduate students he has taught and supervised. In 2010, he received a President’s Medal for his outstanding service to the university.

Jack Terhune is a pillar of our University and community and has the respect of everyone who knows him. He has served the university with distinction and is bestowed the honorary ranking of Professor Emeritus of Biology at the University of New Brunswick.


Professor Emeritus in Biology, 1995


Professor Emeritus in History
Convocation Ceremony: October, 2008

Peter Michael Toner is one of UNB Saint John’s longest serving faculty members. Since arriving in 1970 he has made contributions to the university in all areas of academic life.

He was one of the first appointments in History and played a key role in the formation of the History program. He is an acknowledged expert in the field of Irish Canadian History. As one colleague observed, he “single handedly created the field of Irish Canadian history of New Brunswick” and this work has resulted in a series of edited books, journal articles, conference papers and archival collections.

Dr. Toner’s research has always been revisionist, challenging traditional norms and stereotypes and it continues to be so even to this day. In recent years, Dr. Toner’s research has gone through a renaissance. He has been invited to give several addresses to national and international conferences on Irish history, he was consulted by the Canadian National Library/Archives about the digitalization of the 1901 Irish Census and just last year he was appointed as an International Research Fellow, at the Institute of Ulster-Scots Studies, University of Ulster, Colraine, Northern Ireland.

As a teacher, Peter Toner has had a great impact on his students and he was one of the most popular professors on campus with his dry wit and somewhat gruff style. It was because of him that many students over the years have been drawn to BAs and even post graduate degrees in History. As Dr. Greg Marquis, a current History professor at UNB Saint John, has said, “Taking courses from Peter Toner is one of the reasons that I am an historian.”

Finally, we can not ignore the service that Peter Toner has provided to this institution and to his discipline of history. He was the recipient of the 1989 UNB Merit Award, one of the few members of the Faculty of Arts at UNB Saint John at the time to receive this honour for his contribution to the university. He has sat on the editorial boards of several prestigious academic journals such as Acadiens is and The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, and served as a reviewer for several others. He has been asked to adjudicate grant proposals for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and to act as an External Examiner for graduate theses in History at universities across the country.

Dr. Toner has served as an active member of the UNB community over the past 38 years. His contributions in terms of teaching, research and service have helped to develop the culture and reputation of this institution and he is a deserving recipient of the title of Professor Emeritus.