Université de Moncton to appoint officials to study potential name change

Université de Moncton will appoint two officials to review whether to pursue a name change for the institution.

This announcement came after the university's board of governors met Saturday afternoon. The decision is in response to calls for change from some Acadian groups.

According to the university, the officials will be asked to examine various aspects of changing the name and the potential impacts of a change.

"A decision as critical as whether or not to change the name of the university requires a rigorous process," said Denise Frenette, vice-chair of the university's board of governors.

"That is why board members need more information and evidence to make an informed decision. We will leave it to the officials to carry out their mandate with all the independence required."

Speaking in French, Frenette also said the university's executive would propose candidates for the two positions. The board of governors will make the selections.

A report examining the political, social, legal and economic aspect of changing the university's name is expected by October. 

Some Acadian groups renewed calls for the university to be renamed as the school celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

Denis Prud'homme, the president and vice-chancellor of the university, said last month the university is open to a name change if public interest calls for it.

In response, a petition was signed by approximately 850 people supporting a change, including former New Brunswick ombud Bernard Richard, MLAs such as Kevin Arseneau and Robert Gauvin, and other political and cultural figures.

Meanwhile, several prominent Acadians in the province wrote an open letter in a New Brunswick French-language newspaper, calling themselves a silent majority who oppose a name change. They included Canadian public policy expert Donald J. Savoie, former New Brunswick deputy premier Aldéa Landry, and former Supreme Court of Canada justice Michel Bastarache.

The university and the city take their name from Robert Monckton, an 18th-century British military figure who was involved in the deportation of Acadians.

The issue of whether to rename the university goes back to its incorporation in 1963.