I came to Fredericton and joined the Residence team at the University of New Brunswick, as Director, in September 2005. Based on its reputation, what I thought I’d find was a vibrant residence community committed to a high degree of student leadership and participation—one that puts a lot of energy and resources into residence life and the development and continuance of strong house teams. What I’ve found has exceeded even these high expectations. Each residence building or “house”—generally 100 students—has strong individual traditions; and each house has an enormous impact on its residents. In my first month here, I met senior students who had gone on to graduate or professional schools at UNB or elsewhere, and they would tell me that they were “alumni” of a particular residence house. Now the terms “alumnus/alumna/alumni” are almost universally used in connection with a particular university after graduation. I think there are very few university residence systems in North America (or elsewhere) which have such a strong impact on students that, after graduation, they would so totally connect with their residences as to identify themselves principally as “alumni” of the houses.
I’ve also found the houses open to further development. When I approached one house to consider growing beyond some well established traditions to embrace a new “International Hall”, I found not only acceptance but partners interested in working with me to shape the concept; I found current residents who wanted to maximize the benefit to the International and domestic students coming into the house as part of the initiative.
I’ve found students who care deeply, where each house has strong ties to a specific charity and well established traditions of fund-raising for that charity. I found residents who flocked to see Stephen Lewis when the residence community participated in bringing him to UNB to support his socially-conscious worldview and his fund-raising for Africa. Interested students not only filled the main lecture hall but three other large surrounding lecture halls which had to be video-conferenced in—and still we had to turn people away.
I’ve found residences with strong traditions of socializing and community-building within the houses—places where people have fun, while being respectful of the interests of other members of the community, and knowing how to balance socializing with the studies which are their core reason for being here.
I’ve also found a growing residence community. This year we are building a new 173 bed suite-style residence, focused on senior and graduate students, which provides full kitchens and private washrooms shared among 2 or 3 suitemates. This will add to our current stock of traditional residence rooms (almost 1,500) and apartments (100). When this new residence opens next fall, it will expand the living options open to students in this already varied and vibrant UNB residence community.
I’ve found here staff dedicated to the maintenance of this community, including its facilities and the administrative processes which allow it function—also a highly developed conference operation, which makes the residences and other university facilities available to conference attendees and other guests, mainly during the summer period.
I also found a community poised above wooded hills, facing down over the picturesque St. John River—a setting so physically beautiful, particularly in its fall colours, that the best photographs can barely suggest it.
James Brown PhD
Director, Residence Life & Conference Services
University of New Brunswick
April 2006