Degree deserved

[SIZE="3"][B]Honour Head of UNBSJ says premier's commitment to education makes him worthy of award[/B]

The head of the University of New Brunswick's Saint John campus says Premier Shawn Graham meets the criteria to receive an honorary degree from the school.

Dr. Robert MacKinnon, UNB's vice-president for Saint John, says that Graham's commitment to improving post-secondary education and his goal to make New Brunswick a "have" province make him deserving of the award, despite the controversy surrounding the decision.

"He's earned distinction for leading a political party, becoming leader of the Opposition and finally becoming a premier, and he's a UNB alumnus," MacKinnon said Tuesday. "You put all that together and he's made a great contribution to the province at such a young age. On top of all that, there is a tradition at the university to give an honorary degree to the (serving) premier dating back to the 19th century."

MacKinnon's comments come after it was revealed that more than 100 faculty and staff from the school's Saint John and Fredericton campuses signed a petition protesting the decision to give the premier an honorary doctorate of laws at a convocation ceremony in Fredericton on May 27. There are more than 3,000 faculty and staff working on both campuses.

The petition, addressed to David Stevenson, chairman of the university's board of governors, states it would be "impossible" and "irresponsible" to forget that Shawn Graham government's considered changes to the post-secondary education system.

In 2007, the Liberals backed away after widespread protest over the changes recommended in an independent report on post-secondary education. Some of the recommendations would have led to major structural changes, including converting the UNB satellite campus in Saint John into a polytechnic institution.

"Given what this government attempted to do a couple of years ago, this just seems to be rather contradictory," Robert Whitney, a history professor at the University of New Brunswick and one of the authors of the letter, said Monday. "(Recipients) are usually public figures that have obviously played a role in supporting and encouraging education and knowledge in general, which are obviously what universities are about."

MacKinnon acknowledged the post-secondary reforms explored by the Liberal government led to a "very difficult time" for students and faculty, but added that the government listened to their concerns and "didn't accept the controversial decisions that people were upset about."

"Since the (post-secondary education) debate, I see the university moving in a new direction," he said.

MacKinnon said the Saint John campus has entered into several positive partnerships with the government, citing in particular UNB's new medical school in the Port City and its strengthened alliance with the New Brunswick Community College Saint John.

Graham told reporters in Saint John on Tuesday that he would accept the degree and was "humbled" by the honour.

"I respect that there are differences of opinion and our academic institutions are where those differences of opinion should be voiced," said Graham, who holds a bachelor's degree in physical education from UNB and an education degree from St. Thomas University.

"The independent report sparked discussion. But our government's response to that independent report has seen significant investments in our universities and our community colleges."

In particular, he said his government's reforms have made it easier for students to transfer credits between community colleges and universities, [COLOR="Red"][B]lightened student debt load and improved campus infrastructure at universities and colleges[/B][/COLOR].[/SIZE]