Image: Brad Perry
The past year has been a busy one for the new vice-president of UNB Saint John.
Dr. Petra Hauf joined the university in March after the retirement of Robert MacKinnon.
“Coming to UNB Saint John was an incredible move for myself and I have to say the best choice of my life,” said Hauf in a year-end interview.
Hauf said 2019 has been a busy year for the university with several highlights.
In July, officials announced the reintroduction of a bridging program to help train licensed practical nurses to become registered nurses.
The program expanded four months later when the province announced 10-year funding agreements with UNB Saint John and the Université de Moncton.
“It adds another pathway into nursing which helps to address one of our major issues here in New Brunswick, namely the shortage of nurses,” said Hauf.
The province is expected to face a shortage of at least 130 registered nurses over the next decade.
In November, university officials broke ground on a new $10-million residence building on the campus.
The building, which will be the first geothermal heated and cooled residence at UNB, is expected to open in September 2020.
Hauf said there is a lot of excitement on campus, particularly among students.
“As we all know very well, the next generation of young people are caring deeply about their environment and the environmental impact they have,” she said.
Hauf said construction of the 104-bed building, which has not yet been named, is on time and on budget.
Also this year, the university moved part of its MBA program to the uptown.
Hauf said they hope to finalize everything early in the new year.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity, especially as a majority of our students in the MBA program are international students, and having them uptown contributes to the province’s population growth strategy,” she said.
Looking ahead to 2020, Hauf said she looks forward to continue working on the university’s new academic plan.
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