Congress showcases city to the world

06/06/2011

The process of hosting the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences has helped improve collaboration between Fredericton"s universities, showcase the city to the world and advance intellectual ideas, two officials say.

 

University of New Brunswick president Eddy Campbell, left, and St. Thomas University president Dennis Cochrane are shown in McCain Hall on Friday, where they spoke about the success of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

 

Sitting together and chatting about the week-long event Friday morning, University of New Brunswick president Eddy Campbell and St. Thomas University president Dennis Cochrane agreed the academic conference has been a successful endeavour.

 

The two thanked the staff of the two universities and the more-than-400 volunteers who logged long hours to help ensure each presentation was successful and visitors were able to take advantage of their time in the capital region.

 

They"re incredible. That"s the only word I can use. For example, one of our organizers has moved into residence on the campus in order to be available 24-7 through the whole event, said Campbell.

 

People have just gone all out. They"ve given everything they"ve had to make sure the experience of the delegates was wonderful. The folks who work here have enormous pride in what they do.

 

Cochrane said it"s almost as if everyone affiliated with the two institutions became ambassadors for the universities, for the city and this part of Canada.

 

It"s interesting to watch the grounds crews - to see the pride they take in the campuses, he said.

 

They"re out there and people are coming up to them and asking for directions and those sorts of things. They do their work every day. And because we"re here every day, we appreciate it and we know they do a good job. But when they see people come in from outside, who are so taken with the beauty of the campuses, these people are puffing up with excitement.

 

With discussions about aboriginal rights and the experiences of immigrants, and the examination of historical literature happening throughout the week, it was an opportunity for many local residents to join the dialogue.

 

Campbell said those discussions inspire new ideas and debate.

 

We don"t make enough opportunities for the people of the province to interact with our researchers, he said.

 

Research is really important. It helps us build a better society. It helps us base our decisions on evidence, rather than on ideology. I think that has to be a good thing. I ran into a number of members from the Fredericton community and from elsewhere in the province who just came to listen to some of the talks because they were curious.

 

Cochrane said delegates from around the world passed positive feedback about the event, the university campuses and the city"s friendly citizens and natural beauty.

 

It"s rocking downtown. Every restaurant was full, people were walking up and down the streets, he said.

 

Putting 5,000-6,000 people in Fredericton is like putting 200,000 in Montreal or Toronto. So the city knows they"re here. And I think a lot of people go to these other centres and they"re used to those cities not even knowing they"re there. So when they come to Fredericton and people embrace them, I think that"s a special experience. It really shows off the best of the city.

 

David Seabrook, manager of Fredericton Tourism, said the congress allowed members of the community to show off its best attributes.

 

I think we did a great job as a community. We had concerts downtown, we had the lobster boil and the cultural kitchen party at the convention centre, we had the cultural crawl and the art galleries. I think there was a great community effort to put our best foot forward, he said.

 

Certainly the reviews about how beautiful the community looked and how nice it is this time of year was just great to hear from these delegates.

 

He said giving the visitors a positive experience is an excellent opportunity to spread the good word about the community.

 

There are almost 6,000 delegates fanning out across the country and the world and telling people what a great community Fredericton is and explaining things about the

 

Beaverbrook Art Gallery and its proximity to the Bay of Fundy and Kings Landing and all the galleries that we have, he said.

 

And the congress will help establish the city"s reputation as a growing conference destination, he said.

 

What we have now is a proof of capacity - that the community was able to execute something of this size, he said. What that shows is that we"re capable of hosting almost all of the conventions we would want to have come to this community.

 

(www.dailygleaner.canadaeast.com)