Press Release

Monday, May 13, 2019

Université de Moncton to bestow seven honorary degrees at May graduation ceremonies

During May graduation ceremonies at its three campuses, Université de Moncton will bestow seven honorary degrees upon prominent figures who have distinguished themselves through their exceptional contribution to their respective fields.

At the Shippagan campus graduation ceremony to be held on Friday, May 17, beginning at 2 pm at the sports pavilion, Chancellor Louise Imbeault, will award two honorary degrees, one in Public Administration to Alvery (Bill) Ferguson and one in Health to Louise Mallet.

At the Edmundston campus, the chancellor will award an honorary degree in Communication to Rino Morin Rossignol. Jean-Marie Binot will become professor emeritus of Forestry and André Leclerc will become professor emeritus of Economy. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 18 at 2 pm at the Cité des jeunes A.-M.-Sormany.

At the Moncton campus graduation ceremony, Jean-Guy Ouellette will become professor emeritus of Counselling and Omer Chouinard will become professor emeritus of Environment. The ceremony will be held on May 25 at 1:30 in the Vance Toner Stadium of CEPS Louis-J.-Robichaud.

Jean-Marie Binot
Professor Emeritus of Forestry
Edmundston campus

The university career of Jean-Marie Binot at Université de Moncton, Edmundston campus, spans over thirty years. In 1985, he joined the School of Forestry as assistant professor. Moreover, he was the first professor to be hired by the School. He then became associate professor in 1990, and full professor in 1995. Between 2008 and 2011, he was dean of the Faculty of Forestry.

Mr. Binot’s teaching style, characterized by his vitality and intellectual finesse, were well appreciated by his students. He developed a dozen courses in areas in a variety of areas, including silviculture, forest entomology, dendometry, artificial regeneration and international forestry.

During his career, Mr. Binot was very engaged in the development and outreach of the School of Forestry. He played a key role in several important projects, including that of the first national accreditation of the School’s undergraduate program. He was actively involved in the establishment of the Northern Hardwoods Research Institute, housed on the School’s premises and made possible by public and private funding. The Institute is considered a major Université de Moncton asset, and it received the KIRA Award for innovation from the premier. Mr. Binot was also responsible for the Médiaterre New Brunswick portal, created in 2011 and based at the School of Forestry. This International Organisation of La Francophonie project is today the premier Francophone information network on sustainable development.
 
Convinced of the need for the university to open itself up to the world, from the outset, he was a strong advocate for the institution’s international outreach. He organized the first International Development Week on the Edmundston campus. From 2000 to 2007, he chaired the Comité de la coopération et des échanges internationaux. He also spearheaded several international collaborative agreements with Belgium, France, Benin, Haiti, Peru and Romania.

Carried out primarily in the field of silviculture, his research interests primarily involve commercial thinning, artificial pruning and regeneration cutting. Some of his research tools on the effects of thinning and pruning are among the oldest in Canada and are invaluable to Canadian forestry.

Mr. Binot holds an Engineering degree (water and forests) from Université de Louvain, in Belgium, a master’s degree and PhD in Forestry from Université Laval. Retired since 2016, he continues to lecture at Université de Moncton. He also pursues his research efforts.

Omer Chouinard
Professor Emeritus of Forestry
Moncton campus

Recognized as one of the initiators of the Master in Environmental Studies program at Université de Moncton, Professor Omer Chouinard played a crucial role in the emergence, development and outreach of environmental studies throughout his university career, which spanned over 20 years. He was also a strong advocate of interdisciplinarity within the university community.

With a Bachelor or Social Sciences from Université de Moncton (sociology), a master’s degree in Social Sciences (sociology) from Université Laval and a PhD in Developmental Sociology, Mr. Chouinard began his career at Université de Moncton in 1995. He first worked as an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, then as deputy director of the Master in Environmental Studies program. In 1999, he became a full professor in the Department of Sociology. Mr. Chouinard was director of the Master in Environmental Studies program from 1999 to 2007. With an excellent regional, national and international reputation, he was a visiting professor at several universities in Canada, France, Haiti, Slovakia and Martinique. Retired since 2018, he remains associate professor with the Master in Environmental Studies program of Université de Moncton.

Mr. Chouinard led and took part in close to one hundred research projects, working within multidisciplinary teams on issues involving coastal and rural areas, whether related to adapting to climate change, protecting ecosystems, water quality or fisheries management. He redefined community-university links and opened the way for a new generation of researchers. He is regularly cited for his knowledge, his practice and his scientific publications with, by and communities. He co-signed five books with renowned publishers, a hundred peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and over forty proceedings. A sought-after speaker, he has over 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers to his credit.

Very involved in his community, he served as a representative of Université de Moncton and in a personal capacity on numerous committees, boards, institutes, networks and coalitions. Notably, for 18 years, he was a member of the Association française pour l’avancement des sciences.

Alvery (Bill) Ferguson
Honorary Degree in Public Administration
Shippagan campus

Alvery (Bill) Ferguson was born and grew up in Tracadie-Sheila. In 1967, he obtained a bachelor’s degree from Université de Moncton, making him one of the first graduates of the young institution founded in 1963.

For 37 years, Mr. Ferguson led a distinguished career in the federal public service, where he stood out for his qualities of leadership, communication, creativity and influence that he used to contribute to the economic and social development sector. He also possesses considerable experience in federal-provincial relations.

Starting his career in Bathurst as an employment counsellor with the Department of Employment and Immigration in 1967, he rose through the ranks and held several management positions within this department in New Brunswick and Ontario.

He then held management positions with various departments, including director of operations with Employment and Immigration for New Brunswick; director general for New Brunswick of the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission; director general for Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) for New Brunswick. He also served as assistant deputy minister within this department until his retirement from the federal public service in 2004. In this capacity, he played a key role in the development and implementation of the Réseau de développement économique et d’employabilité throughout Canada.

He then went into business with an old colleague and founded the Ferguson and Robichaud consulting firm, specializing in leadership. From 2004 to 2008, he was principal policy advisor with the Office of the Official Opposition and, from 2008 to 2011, he was principal advisor of New Brunswick’s Population Growth Secretariat. 

He chaired the New Brunswick Council of Senior Federal Officials from 1993 to 2000 and co-chaired the National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resource Development from 1997 to 2004.

Mr. Ferguson served on many boards of community organizations in a volunteer capacity: Fédération des associations de parents et instituteurs francophones de l’Ontario, Centre communautaire Sainte-Anne, Institut de Memramcook, Board of Governors of Université de Moncton, Association du Nouveau-Brunswick pour la vie en communauté, Association des aînés de la région de la Capitale.

André Leclerc
Professor Emeritus of Economics
Edmundston campus

André Leclerc has made an exceptional contribution in the areas of teaching, research and community service throughout his university career. He is well respected within the university community and the community as a whole, in Acadie, Canada and on the international scene. His work on cooperatives and the economy of Acadian regions is recognized for their quality and have showcased our university in Canada and elsewhere in the world.

For 36 years, Mr. Leclerc taught economics at the Edmundston campus to students enrolled in different programs. He always updated his teaching approach based on changes to information technology tools and manuals offered in French. Throughout his career, his devotion to professional development led him to actively participate in workshops and training activities offered to faculty members. Moreover, his numerous research collaborations and services to the community allowed him to develop practical and interesting teaching material for students.

Mr. Leclerc has authored a hundred publications, many of which were peer-reviewed and published in economics journals and has also authored as many scientific papers and taken part in as many conferences in a variety of forums.

His most important research contributions deal with the cooperative field and economy of Acadian regions. Throughout his career, he was involved in various research networks in the Atlantic Provinces, Québec and other regions in the country. For example, he took part in three Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) projects: a program funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Social Economy of Atlantic Canada, a CURA project under the direction of Leslie Brown from Mount Saint Vincent University; CURA’s Développement territorial et coopératif under the direction of Bruno Jean of Université du Québec à Rimouski (2006-2012) and CURA’s Mesuring the Cooperative Difference under the direction of Sonja Nockovic of Saint Mary’s University (2010-2016).

Mr. Leclerc also led several research projects as holder of the Chaire des Caisses populaires acadiennes en gestion. He published many articles and studies, organized symposiums, conferences and workshops and was very active in establishing youth cooperatives. His research results on Lamèque’s renewable energy cooperative, cooperative housing for low-income New Brunswickers, the mobilization of the cooperative in Lamèque and Miscou and the place of collective entrepreneurship and territorial development in agricultural, fishing and agroforestry cooperatives was presented at regional, national and internation symposiums and was the subject of publications.

Mr. Leclerc was involved with many committees, associations and organizations throughout his career, both with Université de Moncton and within the community. He contributed to services in the community with the Groupe de recherche sur l’Acadie contemporaine since its creation in 1983; participated in many current affairs programs as an analyst; helped organize symposiums like L’Acadie dans tous ses défis (Congrès mondial acadien 2014); sat on editorial boards of scientific journals; and was committed to the Commission industrielle du Nord-Ouest.

Louise Mallet
Honorary Degree in Health
Shippagan campus

As a pharmacist specializing in geriatrics, researcher, author, clinician and lecturer, Louise Mallet is a true specialist in her field both nationally and internationally.

Full clinical professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Université de Moncton, Ms. Mallet is also a geriatric pharmacist with the emergency department at the McGill University Health Centre. She has been a visiting professor at the University of Picardie Jules Vernes, in Amiens, France, since 2010 and Université catholique de Louvain, in Belgium, since 2004.

Originally from Shippagan, Ms. Mallet holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Dalhousie University and a PhD in Pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, in Boston. She then completed two fellowships at the University of Georgia.

A prolific author, Ms. Mallet co-authored three books in the field of geriatrics and authored some thirty chapters for a variety of publications. She authored over fifty peer-reviewed articles and many articles for professional journals. A sought-after speaker, she has given over 150 conferences over the course of her career and delivered over 70 scientific papers both nationally and internationally.

Since 2008, Ms. Mallet has been assistant editor of Pharmactuel, the international Francophone journal on institutional pharmacy care, and she has been responsible for the chronicle Risque, qualité et sécurité, since 2011. She is secretary of the communication committee and also heads the geriatrics coalition of the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy.

The many awards and distinctions she has received include prix Louis-Hébert, the highest award given by the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec, for her commitment to her profession and her outreach in 2012; the national excellence in education award from the Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada, the Roger Leblanc Excellence Award from the Association des pharmaciens des établissements de santé du Québec and a fellow from the European Society of Clinical Pharmacists.

Ms. Mallet is a member of the Order of Regents of Université de Moncton. Beyond her many professional accomplishments, it is her humanism, integrity, generosity and commitment toward her patients that make her an exceptional pharmacist.

Rino Morin Rossignol
Honorary Degree in Communication
Edmundston campus

The career of Rino Morin Rossignol has been guided by the love, defence and promotion of the French language. Writer, columnist, translator, strategist and essayist, he is first and foremost a great communicator.

For 17 years now, he has had a column in Acadie Nouvelle. His texts are of great interest to his readers, both in terms of their originality and the pertinence of his rich, insightful and humorous words.

Born in Saint-Basile, Mr. Morin Rossignol has a bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts from the Université de Moncton.

After having worked as a translator for four years for the Kidney Disease Foundation of Canada, he worked as a political advisor to the provincial government. In this capacity, he was in charge of drafting the arguments and speeches of Premier Richard Hatfield, relating to the articulation of the cultural relation harmonization policy aimed at passing An Act Recognizing the Equality of the Two Official Linguistic Communities in New Brunswick. In 1986, he made the leap to print media as editor-in-chief and columnist of Le Matin in Moncton, until its closing in 1988. For over 30 years, he has worked as a communication and marketing advisor. In addition to his professional activities, he was responsible for the French adaptation of the show Fashion File that was broadcast on RDI between 1995 and 2003 as Griffe.

Mr. Morin Rossignol is a very talented writer. What is fascinating about him, besides the unquestionable literary quality of his work, is his incredible versatility. In 30 years, he published one play, five poetry collections, one book, and many essays, texts and poems, which were published in anthologies, journals and schoolbooks. He is also sought after as a speaker for his erudition, verve, humour and eloquence.

Jean-Guy Ouellette
Professor Emeritus in Counselling
Moncton campus

A figurehead in the world of counselling in New Brunswick, Mr. Ouellette is a true pioneer in his field among the Francophones of New Brunswick, and Canada. In 1968, he started his studies in education at Université de Moncton. His career path is exemplary and his commitment to his alma mater exceptional.

Mr. Ouellette holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Université Sainte-Anne, a Bachelor of Education and Master of Arts in Education from Université de Moncton and a PhD in Counselling from Université Laval.

Université de Moncton hired Mr. Ouellette in 1970 as a lecturer at the School of Psychology and Education (1970-1973) and guidance counsellor with the Student Affairs Department (1970-1974). Over time, he rose through the ranks to become a full professor in the Faculty of Education Sciences. His career at Université de Moncton spanned 41 years of full-time work.

Passionate about education sciences and counselling, Mr. Ouellette was particularly interested in teaching in the field of educational and occupational information, career development and the activation of career development at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He was involved in important revisions to the master’s program in Counselling. In addition to teaching, he remained very active in supporting and supervising internships, theses and dissertations, in spite of his many administrative responsibilities. His tireless devotion, instructional leadership and rigueur in his work and research brought excellence to his endeavours.

In addition to his work as a professor, Mr. Ouellette held various administrative positions at the Faculty of Education Sciences, including that of head of the department (1980-1984), assistant to deputy head (1985) and head of the counselling program for seven years. Combining various duties, he was vice-dean (1987-1997), in addition to maintaining his teaching load, support for internships and research. His clear and fair vision of student life led to the creation of a peer support group and the strengthening of academic requirements in education, while participating actively in major changes implemented by all teacher preparation programs and the redesigning of graduate programs.

Mr. Ouellette received close to $1.5 million in grants and research contracts throughout his career. He has over 70 publications as well as many scientific and popular papers to his credit. He took part in over 100 congresses, symposiums, training courses and workshops, both far and wide.

In 2001, Mr. Ouellette became associate vice-president (academic), a position he held for close to 10 years. Sitting on many institutional committees, he demonstrated remarkable administrative leadership. He expressed his ideas and concepts easily, and they had a direct impact on student life, notably with respect to the realization of the Consortium national de formation en santé and the Programme d’appui à la réussite des études. He was also one of the people behind the Unité académique réseau de la discipline and Excellence in Education Award.

Following his retirement, Université de Moncton continued to call on the services of Mr. Ouellette as interim associate vice-president (academic) (2013), interim dean of the Faculty of Education Sciences (2014), lecturer (2013-2018) and consultant.

He remains to this day a leading figure in the field of counselling both provincially and nationally.


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