Parr-Johnston, Elizabeth

ENCAENIA, MAY, 2004
ELIZABETH PARR-JOHNSTON
to be Doctor of Letters

It is our great pleasure to welcome back UNB's first woman president and vice-chancellor who served here with distinction from 1996 to 2002. She came to us with an impressive background in business, government service, and university administration, and with impeccable academic credentials in economics. Yet she wore all of her achievements lightly, insisted that we just call her "Liz," and turned to the serious business of guiding this University with a warmth and affability that became her trademark for the six years of her tenure.

Her unassuming style was a bonus, behind which lurked a sharp mind and a most impressive resume. She was born in New York City, earned the bachelor of arts degree with honours and election to Phi Beta Kappa at Wellesley College; and received master's and doctoral degrees in economics from Yale. She moved to Canada in the late sixties to teach at Huron College and the University of Western Ontario, and soon thereafter became a Canadian citizen. She continued with teaching positions at the University of British Columbia and Carleton. She then held a number of senior appointments with the federal government, as a senior policy advisor, director of economic development analysis for DREE, and senior analyst with Stats Canada. For ten years, she held senior executive-level positions in the private sector, as a senior policy analyst for Inco and manager of products strategic systems for Shell Canada. Before coming to UNB, she served as president of Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax, where she was also chair of the Council of Nova Scotia University Presidents. Over the years, she has served as a director of several major companies and as a member or governor of numerous academic bodies.

For all of that, Liz and her husband Archie, who is a native of Prince Edward Island, preferred the simple life of the Maritimes. They brought with them to Fredericton a down-home style that took a few people here off guard. Not long after they moved into the president's house on Waterloo Row, Liz phone up a local take-out and asked them to deliver a pizza. When he heard the address, the guy on the other end was certain that this must be a student playing a practical joke. He had no intention of sending out the order until Liz convinced him that, indeed, Liz and Archie were ordinary mortals who happened to like pizza. After that initiation, Liz was ready for whatever came her way.

We have simply to look about us to see that Liz made a significant difference as president. During her tenure, the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre was completed; a new wing was added to the Biomedical Engineering Building; and the Maggie Jean Chestnut House - once abandoned as a residence - was given a new lease on life as Renaissance College which itself was an innovative approach to leadership training. Her role as a builder continued when she helped in convincing the federal government to locate its new e-commerce research centre here on the Fredericton campus, in recognition of the University's excellence in computer science. To her accomplishments here, we must add her impressive record as UNB's ambassador across Canada and around the world. She visited alumni chapters in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Ireland, the United States, and from coast to coast in Canada. One of the direct benefits of her outreach was the significant increase in the number of foreign students on both the Fredericton and Saint John campuses, enriching our cultural life and redefining our mission as the University of choice for people from many lands. She brought prestige to UNB by serving on national bodies, carrying the message of the value of higher education to the highest levels while pressing both federal and provincial governments for a greater financial commitment. Whether speaking for UNB or for all universities and colleges in Canada, the message was clear and consistent: it was that public investment in higher education is an investment in excellence, without which neither our province or country can compete in global markets or the free trade of ideas.

As an economist, Liz brought to her presidency a penchant for clearly articulated goals. She led the University in defining a new mission statement. She chaired the Senate, carefully balancing efficiency with collegiality. She responded quickly when students raised concerns about campus safety and the treatment of women, and she advanced the place of women faculty and students by insisting on full equality and by bringing more women into the ranks of administration. She remained a constant advocate for students, raising money for scholarships while confronting rising costs and the difficult challenge of holding tuition fees as low as possible. Importantly, she has continued the work she began as president in identifying potential donors to the University, only recently helping land the largest private donation ever received by this institution in the form of the Dr. William Lewis Scholarships for doctoral studies.

Liz served UNB with distinction and grace. To our great satisfaction, she now becomes more than past-president as she joins the ranks of UNB's honorary graduates. Before retiring to their dream home on the shores of beautiful Chester Basin, she and Archie won for themselves a permanent place in our affections. We welcome them back today, and wish them both the fullest measure of happiness in their retirement.

From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 4