1998 - Professor Brian Ouellette

Department of Social Work
BA (St. Thomas), MSW (Dalhousie)

Professor Brian Ouellette has been a member of the St. Thomas faculty since 1983 and is highly respected within the broader St. Thomas community by both faculty and students. A graduate of St. Thomas (BA ‘73), Ouellette is a recognized Social Work professor who believes that "Learning is an exciting, empowering, and enjoyable experience".

This belief is demonstrated in the work that Professor Ouellette does, both within the classroom and without. Professor Ouellette is a valuable part of the St. Thomas experience and has actively contributed to St. Thomas' sense of social responsibility through hosting Crisis Intervention training with Chimo Helpline, speaking on issues such as AIDS and suicide, being a member of the Regional Suicide Prevention Committee, and co-ordinating the annual AIDS Walk.

Professor Ouellette's teaching philosophy comes from his experience as a social worker. He feels that his role as a professor is to provide a secure learning environment for his students, while maintaining focus, direction and encouragement. "In the planning and organization of my courses, I not only spend time researching the material and developing the format of presenting it, but I also spend time on creating a positive learning environment" Ouellette says.

Professor Ouellette's belief that students are deserving of respect and need to be treated with dignity, honesty and worth, makes his classroom one in which a student can learn and grow without feeling apprehensive. Ouellette believes that the climate of a classroom should be one that "encourages the exploration of the new, allows for the acknowledgment of the unknown, and challenges students to reflect on and rethink the way they have always seen things".