UdeM name change estimated $1.2 million: citizens' group

Report from citizen committee estimates UdeM name change would be $3 million cheaper than report commissioned by university board

Sarah Seeley

Published Apr 23, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago • 4 minute read

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Universite de Moncton's Moncton campus is seen in this file photo. A report commissioned by a citizen's committee pushing for the university to change its name states the costs to change the name would be about $3 million cheaper than the costs mentioned in the report commissioned by the university board. Photo: BRUNSWICK NEWS ARCHIVES

A report commissioned by a citizens’ committee says the cost of renaming l’Université de Moncton would be almost $3 million cheaper than the university’s own cost estimates.

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The committee, led by Jean-Marie Nadeau and Lise Ouellette, recently appointed a team headed by economist André Leclerc to review an earlier report commissioned by the university’s board of governors.

That report, written by Stéphanie Chouinard and Maurice Basque, was presented to the board last year, and stated the approximate cost to rename the university would be about $4.5 million.

The highest cost was expected to be changing the infrastructure, which would cost about $935,000. Another $1,240 000 would be needed to update information technology, including the university’s website and email addresses.

The board eventually voted against pursuing a name change.

Conversely, Leclerc and his team came up with an estimated total of $1.2 million for the name change.

During a news conference Tuesday, Leclerc said the Chouinard-Basque report referred to rebranding experiences at larger universities, such as Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) with 48,000 students, and Utah Tech University (formerly Dixie State University), with 12,500 students.

Those universities needed a larger budget for the name change than UdeM, which has about 5,000 students.

Leclerc gave examples of two other universities that changed their names with smaller budgets. The University of Wisconsin spent US$480,000 (CDN$656,000) and the University of Galway, in Ireland, spent about 500,000 euros (CDN$730,000).

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Leclerc said some of the expenses in the Chouinard-Basque report are for things the university needs but that are not directly related to rebranding, such as information technology upgrades.

Leclerc’s report estimates lower costs for a communication and marketing strategy, developing a new logo and replacing sports equipment and uniforms.

“In reality, it is possible to do the institutional changes that we want to do using the internal resources of the university,” he said.

The report has been presented to UdeM board of directors, but the committee said it has not received a response from the university.

Ouellette said the committee is willing to work with the university on a financing campaign to raise the funds to pay for the name changes, rather than having the university and the students absorb the costs.

Though the committee is disappointed with the university’s response to its demands, the members realize it could take time. Ouellette said it took about 10 years for Ryerson to become Toronto Metropolitan University.

“It’s a marathon. It’s not a sprint,” she said. “The committee is engaged in this marathon.”

The group said they will continue their push and will ask the board to reverse its decision, and instead embark on a public consultation with the broader community.

More than 1,100 people, including municipal leaders, lawyers, writers, musicians and university alumni signed a petition last year asking for the university to change the name.

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The group says the name needs to be changed because Moncton refers to Robert Monckton, a British officer who played a major role in the expulsion of the Acadians in the 1750s and 1760s.

Ouellette said there have been other efforts in the past to change the name, but the push was mostly coming from within the university. This time there is more outcry from the public and almuni.

“It’s a community movement,” she said.

Denis Mallet, president of the university council, said in a statement Tuesday that in February 2023, community members raised questions about UdeM’s name, then presented a petition to the council for consideration.

Following the request, members of the council, representing the university and civil community of the three campuses, alumni, and the provincial and national francophones decided to commission a status report to document the socio-historical, political, social, reputational, legal, and economic aspects that a name change would entail.

“The writing of this report required the collaboration of several of our internal resources and external resources to provide the most realistic and comprehensive picture possible of everything this entails,” said Mallet, noting more than 15 services of Université de Moncton were consulted by the experts, to ensure no “blind spots” were overlooked, in addition to “reputable” firms and universities that have already experienced a name change.

“The Chouinard-Basque report was rigorously drafted in all its aspects, and we made sure to give them time to consider all publicly available elements,” said Mallet, adding the report was made public.

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“Considering this report, our consultations done as part of strategic planning, and the provincial and national representation of our Acadian communities within the Council of the University itself, we made the decision, highly considered, and accepted by nearly unanimous consent, not to proceed with a process of reflection concerning the naming.”

The university is currently facing major challenges, said Mallet, such as aging infrastructure, with over $139 million anticipated for renovations, as well as the need to build new housing “as soon as possible.” There is also the “urgent need” to modernize the digital infrastructure, and Mallet highlighted the uncertainty of the impact of the federal government capping admissions of international students.

The council’s priority is to implement its strategic plan called “Heading Towards the Future 2023-2028.” Mallet said the strategy will “optimize administrative, academic, research, and community service operations for the well-being and transformation of the student population, our staff, and the Acadian and Francophone society.”

“Our goal is to have as much impact on Acadian society in the next 60 years as the University of Moncton had following its creation in 1963,” he said. “This is the advancement on which we want to capitalize.”

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