(Moncton) The board of directors of the University of Moncton, in New Brunswick, has decided: the institution will not change its name, despite its link with a controversial historical figure.
“After studying the multiple issues related to the name, the members of the University Council decided not to extend the reflection process and not to change the name of the Université de Moncton,” confirmed the university Saturday in a press release.
This decision followed the publication of a report, commissioned by the university, which described the participation of British colonial officer Robert Monckton in the deportation of the Acadians.
The Université de Moncton owes its name to the location of its flagship campus, in the city of Moncton. It was British settlers, several centuries ago, who named the town in honor of Robert Monckton.
In their report, the authors estimated that changing the name of the institution, which is Canada’s largest French-speaking university outside Quebec, would cost up to $4.6 million.
Rather than proceed with a name change, the board of directors of the Université de Moncton finally indicated that it will support the development of strategies aimed at contextualizing the origin of its name, as well as an update of its toponymy policy.
“60 years ago, when the name of the University of Moncton was identified, it was in consensus with its three campuses and based on the geographic location of its head office in the city of Moncton and not based on “a historical character,” explained the president of the University Council, Denis Mallet, in a press release.
“Acadian and French-speaking since its creation, the University of Moncton remains anchored in its communities by remembering history and looking to the future,” he added.
More than 1,000 people signed a petition to sever the university’s link with Robert Monckton earlier this year.