UNBeknownst

About UNBeknownst

A podcast for UNB alumni, by UNB alumni. Sharing interesting and surprising stories of people you may not have known attended the University of New Brunswick. Discussions on lessons learned, insights gained and hot takes on current topics.

Publisher

UNB Associated Alumni

Category

business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Sept 2021

Latest episode

4 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 51 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   4 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT

   #51: Paul Mazerolle on his presidency and why the world needs more UNB

   Dr. Paul Mazerolle, UNB's 19th president and vice chancellor, grew up in Fredericton and is a proud UNB graduate. He earned his bachelor's degree in sociology in 1989, before completing a master's in criminal justice at Northeastern University and a PhD in criminology at the University of Maryland. Paul returned home to New Brunswick to lead UNB in 2019 after a distinguished academic career abroad, including senior leadership roles at Griffith University in Australia and work with major research and policy organizations. During his presidency, he has guided our community through growth and change, championed UNB's strategic vision, Toward 2030, helped lead the university through the pandemic, and expanded UNB's impact locally, nationally, and around the world. Paul will be stepping down in March 2026 to pursue a new opportunity abroad. Host Kathy Wilson (BN'87, PhD'08) UNB's vice provost of learning and student experience, chats with Paul about leading UNB through challenging years, the value of higher education and his hopes for UNB in the future. Highlights from the episode What it meant to return to Fredericton to lead the university that helped shape his own post-secondary years. The challenges of leading a university through COVID-19, and how they were able to close the physical doors of the university and open the doors online. The personal reasons for deciding to step away from UNB and pursue new opportunities in Australia. Why UNB is well positioned to tackle world challenges in AI, science, climate change, and more. How our community of over 100,000 alumni play an important role in advancing UNB and why connecting with alumni has been a highlight of his presidency. The three words of advice Paul gives to the next president of UNB and his hopes for UNB in the future. Links and resources: UNB Toward 2030 Growing One UNB Thanks to: Our alumni host Kathy Wilson (BN'87, PhD'08), UNB's vice provost of learning and student experience Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance and Manulife To listen to past episodes of UNBeknownst, and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website. (https://www.unb.ca/alumni/news/tag/podcast.html)

2. 

   4 Jun 2025

   #50: Matt Symes on confronting change – and why every business must embrace A

   Serial entrepreneur Matt Symes discusses confronting change and developing strategies to navigate uncertain times with hosts Kayla Ossachuk and Andrew Martel, focusing on adopting AI for efficiency and growth in this interview.

3. 

   22 May 2025

   #49: Mike LeBlanc on innovative tech for good

   Mike LeBlanc discusses his innovative tech startup BlueKit, a platform empowering students to explore technology's potential for solving real-world problems, in an interview with hosts Kayla Ossachuk and Andrew Martel.

Inside a recent episode

#51: Paul Mazerolle on his presidency and why the world needs more UNB

Published 4 Mar 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And I know you've alluded to that in your previous answer, but can you just drill into that a little bit more? Yeah, no, no, thank you. So the world is uncertain and it's looking for assurance and it's looking for certainty. And in our role, I think with ourselves and with others, is a chance to step up and illustrate that, you know, this is how we matter, this is how we can help. And so whether it's, and thinking beyond, you know, who attend university, who, you know, I'm a big commit, commit to lifelong learning. So universities are not really important for high school graduates, but they're important for adult learners, they're important for people in the workplace who want to pick up on micro credential or pick up another degree, or are looking to have a career pivot. […]

Who has been a guest on UNBeknownst

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Matt Symes
• Mike LeBlanc
• Aimée Foreman
• Andrew MacLean
• Alexandre Hayward

Podcast Authority Score: 45 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

79

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

27

Contact UNBeknownst

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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