Faculty of Business Administration - University of New Brunswick

Stephanie Marie Brady, of St. Catherines, Ontario, has been awarded the Sir Howard Douglas Award in recognition of her academic standing and contribution to the community. Now in her third year of the BBA program at UNB, Stephanie is planning to enroll in the BBA/LLB joint degree program.

Having a lawyer as a father, Stephanie grew up hearing and learning about the law all the time. This had a great influence on her decision to take law courses in high school. After visiting a few universities in the Maritimes she chose to attend UNB because she liked the campus and the people were very helpful. The most important factor in her decision to attend UNB however, was the opportunity to enrol in the BBA/LLB program.

The newly established Sir Howard Douglas Award is open to full- and part-time undergraduate students who have completed at least two years of an undergraduate degree program at UNB, and have achieved the Dean's List in the previous year. Candidates must be nominated by their Faculty. Selection is based on scholastic attainment and demonstrated involvement in extra-curricular and/or curricular activities. Twenty-five students from UNB Fredericton and UNB Saint John were selected to receive the award, which will be presented at a dinner hosted by President John McLaughlin on February 27.

Posted at 1:41 PM

With March Break coming up soon most students are planning to head somewhere warm to get away from the snow and cold of New Brunswick. Not Andrea Kelly though, she plans to spend the break on the ice at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario. Kelly and her rink from Fredericton’s Capital Winter Club will be New Brunswick’s representatives in the 2006 Scott Tournament of Hearts.

Already having success on a national stage (she is a national junior curling bronze medalist and the 2005 gold medalist), the importance of representing her province in the Canadian championships was not lost on Kelly.

“It’s pretty important to us because we’re going to the Scott Tournament of Hearts, which is, really huge. I always thought, ‘well someday I might get to go there.’ When I think of some people who said ‘well she went to the Scott Tournament of Hearts,’ it actually meant something to me. I think that’s huge. I never treated Juniors the same way I guess. Women’s is a whole different competition.”

The third year UNB Fredericton business student from Aroostook, New Brunswick, has had to find a balance between curling and school.

“I think it’s busy but, really, I’m not too stressed with school. I am taking six courses, and I took six courses last term, too, but last year when we won Nationals I dropped down to four. All my profs have been really understanding too, so I think that’s been a huge help. Other than that I just do work when I can and try not to conflict the two though, it’s not really good for either one. But, it works. I really don’t know how, but it does.”

Kelly says she hopes to major in human resources and has thought about getting her MBA.

As for the Scott, she and the team haven’t set any goals yet.

“We never really sat down and thought about this because we didn’t expect this to happen. We do want to do well. New Brunswick isn’t known to do very well at the Scott so we do want to represent them well and get quite a few wins,” she says.

“I do know we want to do well and I do want to go there playing well; and, really, anything can happen.”

Posted at 1:38 PM

He is arguably the best student UNB Fredericton’s bachelor of business administration program has ever had.

That’s certainly saying a lot, but Feiber Omana has delivered both academically and socially at UNBF.

“Feiber Omana is clearly one of the best, if not the best student currently in the BBA program,” said Daniel Coleman, dean of business administration. “He’s probably one of the best students we’ve ever had. He is a focused and dedicated young man. I’m sure he will succeed wherever he puts his efforts and considerable abilities.”

High praise indeed.

Mr. Omana, who has a 4.3 grade point average, will take those abilities with him to Cambridge, Mass., where he has been accepted into the Harvard Business School, an elite program considered a worldwide leader in financial training and education. He will graduate from UNBF in May.

Mr. Omana’s admission to Harvard has been deferred until 2008, an ideal arrangement for his plans.

“Harvard deferred my admission so I could gain some work experiencing prior to commencing my MBA,” said Mr. Omana, who arrived at UNBF in 2001. “When I do attend Harvard Business School, it will no doubt be a transformational experience. I know I will learn more about myself and my responsibilities as a member of society.”

Originally from Columbia, Mr. Omana wasted little time immersing himself into academics and social activities at UNBF.

His background is impressive.

From 2001-05, he achieved the highest cumulative GPA in the faculty of business administration. He was awarded 13 different internal and four external scholarships including the prestigious Frank H. Sobey Business Excellence Award in 2004 and the Sany Leckie Memorial Bursary, one near to his heart, from donor Irene Leckie.

Mr. Omana also won the Atlantic Canada CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Society award which recognizes the best student in UNBF’s Student Investment Fund (SIF) program. The SIF program, under the guidance of Glenn Cleland, director with the Centre for Financial Studies, allows students to invest nearly $2million in capital markets and is rapidly becoming a national leader in this area of education.

Mr. Omana was responsible for conducting industry analysis, making equity investment recommendations and devising bond investment strategies. He covered the Upstream oil and gas sector and implemented investment decisions using enhanced indexation or a short-long approach.

“I can’t say enough about the importance of the SIF experience and the student investment fund in my studies,” said Mr. Omana. “Glenn Cleland and [SIF mentor] Susan Boyce were so important to me through their commitment to excellence and integrity. They have both greatly impacted the lives of many students including myself. The entire faculty, particularly those in the area of finance, has also been essential through research and teaching excellence.”

The feeling was indeed mutual, says Prof. Cleland.

“Feiber is a natural leader who was highly regarded by everyone here,” he said. “The news of his acceptance into Harvard has inspired other faculty of business administration and SIF program students to set the bar higher and follow their dreams. I hope we assisted him in some way to meet his goals.”

Mr. Omana, who majored in finance with a minor in international business, in addition to completing the requirements for the co-op program, excelled outside of the classroom as well.

He has worked as a peer mentor, represented UNBF in major international financial competitions, volunteered with the Canada Revenue Agency, helped Colombian children learn English, and still found time to work on his growing interests in kayaking and canoeing.

At times, he has to take a deep breath to draw in all he has accomplished during his time at UNBF.

“The first years here were particularly difficult because I had to cope with the transition to university life and the fears and uncertainties of being in a foreign land all on my own,” he said. “With persistence and a firm commitment to build my future in Canada, I became active in the community and earned the trust and support of many people who are now an integral part of my life.

“I’ve always remained faithful to my ethical principles and moral duties to society. A Harvard Business School MBA will allow me to interact in a truly unique global community. I can learn and share my unique perspective as an accomplished new Canadian originally from Colombia.”

Posted at 10:05 AM