This text is part of the special notebook Université du Québec à Rimouski
The rector of the University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR), François Deschênes, is very proud to say: “It is thanks to its roots in the environment that UQAR was ranked four times first in its category in Research Infosource’s ranking of the best Canadian research universities since 2011.”
This small university was originally intended to produce undergraduate graduates, but against all odds it developed a research capacity early on. It now offers around sixty graduate programs and several sectors now offer doctoral studies. “For us it was a question of overcoming our challenge of attractiveness,” he said, “but also of meeting our mandate of service to the community. »
It all started from the foundation. The maritime sector was included in UQAR’s letters patent, explains the rector, but the university quickly became interested in northernity and regional development – these three centers of excellence which make its reputation. “But we are now deploying research efforts in all other sectors where we have study programs, both in health sciences and in education, in letters and humanities or in economics according to the demands of the field,” indicates -he.
François Deschênes, who grew up in Rimouski, returned in 2008 to serve as dean of graduate studies and research, then vice-rector for training and research, before becoming rector of the university in 2021. Professor of computer science, he explains that the two pillars of UQAR’s action in research are “proximity with the environment” and “interdisciplinarity”.
He gives as an example the center of excellence in rurality and regional development where the social dimension is still very strong. This is transposed, for example, into the interdisciplinary Chair on health and social services for rural populations. Its two co-owners, professors in health sciences and social work, collaborate very closely with the regional hospital and the CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent. “How do we organize services in the context where we will no longer be able to provide one doctor per village? » he sums up.
This interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the work of its researchers in all fields of study offered by the university, whether in education, health, administration or biology.
The sea, always starting again
One of the great advantages of a small university, explains the rector, is that it is not possible to work in your own bubble. “We don’t have a faculty restaurant: everyone eats in the same cafeteria, which encourages discussions. »
The result is great collaborations, such as those between people in marine sciences and those in education around how to develop teaching that takes into account environmental research and which instills in young people the power to act and overcome the anxiety-provoking side of environmental issues. “Their collaboration has made it possible to develop an environmental pedagogy which offers children possible solutions and a way of influencing things. »
In Rimouski, all the disciplines intersect, but you are never far from the sea and the Nordic world. This is how the “Eat our Saint-Laurent” project, which aims to develop edible animal and plant resources from the Saint-Laurent, arises from a broader movement called the Réseau Québec maritime, of which UQAR was the instigator.
“For us, marine sciences have always been very interdisciplinary and we realized in 2014 that a lot of great research was being done elsewhere without generating much dialogue and collaboration. Essentially, the Réseau Québec maritime transposes to the outside world what we were doing inside. »
UQAR also has a mission to bring together institutions active in marine science in order to position Quebec in Canada and internationally. With Laval, Dalhousie and Memorial Universities, the quartet is sharing historic funding of more than $154 million for the Apogée project to carry out research on climate action and the role of the oceans.
“We have had several great successes in research, but for us, it is not an end goal, research must be a springboard towards something else. »
The rector, who belongs to the first generation of academics in his family, insists on the fact that the primary mission of UQAR is to be useful in eastern Quebec. “The regions must benefit from local graduates, that’s the idea. Eight graduates per year can make a big difference in our ability to offer services. »
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