NJCU to bestow honorary doctor of human letters degree upon Canadian
businessman Bernard Poulin at campus ceremony

MONTREAL , Dec. 9 /CNW Telbec/ - New Jersey City University will bestow an honorary doctor of human letters degree upon Bernard Poulin , president and chief executive officer of S.M. Group International Inc., on Wednesday, December 9 .

Mr. Poulin , a Canadian businessman and humanitarian, will receive the degree at a special campus ceremony that will be attended by distinguished members of the University community, including vice presidents, deans, trustees, and foundation members.

The ceremony will be held at 5:00 p.m. in Room 202 of Hepburn Hall, 2039 Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City.

Joanne Z. Bruno, J.D, NJCU interim vice president for academic affairs, will preside over the ceremony and Dr. Carlos Hernandez , NJCU president, and Rafael Perez , J.D., chair of the NJCU Board of Trustees, will participate in conferring the degree. The honoree will then speak.

Bernard Poulin

Bernard Poulin is a Canadian businessman who has distinguished himself at home and across the world.

President and C.E.O. of the S.M. Group International Inc. (SMi), an international corporation based in Montreal with over 1,200 employees working in more than thirty countries (in North America , Central America , South America , Africa , Asia, Europe , and the Middle East ), SMi is ranked among the top five engineering firms in Canada . Through his efforts, the company has grown from a small laboratory, performing soil engineering, to a world leader in environmental and energy project management.

One of Mr. Poulin 's notable achievements at SMi was participation as a member of the Management Committee for Hydro-Quebec's James Bay hydro-electric initiative, a $10 billion project that greatly benefited Quebec and its citizens.

He has advised the Canadian Minister of Industry as a member of the Special Advisory Group on International Trade and is currently a member of the Advisory Committee of the Association of Consulting Engineers of Quebec and the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada .

Mr. Poulin is not only a visionary business leader, but an active civic and community leader as well. He leads and participates as a member of numerous hospital boards and cultural organizations, including several museums, symphony orchestras, and three theatre companies.

Mr. Poulin holds both master of science and bachelor of science degrees in civil engineering from the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec . He has also taken management training in international business and financial management at George Washington University and Harvard Business School.

An advocate of higher education, Mr. Poulin has served for ten years on the Board of Overseers of Seton Hall University's John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations. He is a longtime member of the Harvard University Alumni Association, Montreal Chapter, and the University of Sherbrooke Alumni Association.

Creating educational opportunities that promote cultural understanding, strengthen international cooperation, and helping build a better future for all are what Bernard Poulin stands for. He is forging an alliance with New Jersey City University and has begun to assist the University in partnering with the French company Dassault Systemes and others in order to facilitate new opportunities for NJCU and its students.

Mr. Poulin will be honored by NJCU at the University's 80th Anniversary Gala on October 28, 2010 when he will be presented with the Global Leadership Award.

For further information: Louis Massé, [phone]; Source: New Jersey City University/ The SM Group International Inc.