McCain, Margaret

ENCAENIA, MAY, 1993
MARGARET MCCAIN
to be Doctor of Laws

It is our great pleasure today to welcome to this special encaenia the Chancellor of our sister institution, Mount Allison University. The ties between UNB and Mt. A are many. Students, faculty, and administrators have moved easily from one institution to the other, while we have shared the goal of achieving educational excellence in New Brunswick. In a real sense, Margaret McCain symbolizes our common commitment, for there is no person in this province who has been a more forceful advocate of education than she.

When Margaret McCain entered Mount A as a student, she was upholding a strong family tradition. Her father was a graduate and her mother an instructor, and at the time of Margaret's birth, her great uncle was the president. After her graduation in honours history, she retained the ties with her alma mater and, in 1980, became a member of the Board of Regents and an active participant in its many committees. Thus, when she became the Chancellor of Mount A in 1986, it was after a lifetime of close association. It was her observation that chancellors define their own role, and her choice was to be an activist, mixing with students to learn of their interests and aspirations, while also carrying the university's message to government, business, and the broader community. This is the role she once described as "ambassadorial," providing a liaison between university and community. Another role, she said, was to use the chancellorship as a soap box from which to champion the cause of education. Needless to say, in whatever way she has acted as chancellor, she has filled the position with distinction.

For us at UNB, there is another side to Margaret McCain which merits our admiration and thanks. In a life which has been full of service to the community, ranging from her extensive volunteer work and benefactions in the town of Florenceville, New Brunswick, to service on the boards of such national institutions as the National Ballet School of Canada, she has also found time for one of our most promising undertakings. Margaret McCain was one of the founders of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation which is devoted to solving the problem of family violence. She currently chairs the financial drive which seeks to raise 2.5 million dollars to endow a research centre here at UNB devoted to the study and elimination of family violence. Her attachment to this cause stems not only from a deep concern with the issue of family disintegration and violence against women and children, but also from her fondness for Senator Fergusson whose dedication to the cause of women and the family she has admired since her youth.

In a world in which violence and intolerance seem to presage self-destruction, Margaret McCain stands out as one whose vision of the social order is as clear and compelling as any you might find. For in her determination to preserve the family, to maintain social programs and the means of supporting them, and to raise the quality of community life, she has placed education at the centre and has dedicated her considerable talents to promoting it. For this, UNB expresses its grateful thanks.

From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 3