UNB Saint John - Important to Saint John

Saint John benefits from having a fully functioning multidisciplinary university. Over several posts this blog will explore several of the benefits of having such an institution in the city.
This entry will discuss the importance of having academics in the community.

One example is when the business community in the city of Saint John started working on its Growth Strategy initiative several years ago. This initiative used experts from various fields including academics from UNBSJ. UNB's presence in the community was useful when it came to assessing the project's success. Dr. Robert MacKinnon of UNBSJ's Faculty of Arts was asked to create a "report card" that gaged the successes and failures after the first year. Having this academic in the community allowed the Growth Strategy committee to have a critical analysis of their progress so that the initiative could continue to improve the community.

A second example is the importance of research done regarding the waterways and aquatic life in the city that has taken place at UNBSJ. If the city did not have experts on marine issues working at the university, there would be less research supporting the harbour clean up that the city will benefit greatly from.

A third example is the ability to have "local experts." Dr. Jason Childs has been interviewed on the CBC regarding various economic issues. If the city did not have a research economist working here, we would not have expert local perspective on issues.

These and other examples are some of the reasons Saint John should not loose its university in favour of a polytechnic school.