In July 1903, Marguerite Michaud was born in Bouctouche, New Brunswick.  From an early age, she was interested in her studies and at the age of thirteen, her hard work and excellent scholastic results earned her a medal from the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick.  She continued her studies at a number of institutions including St. Mary's Academy (Newcastle); Teacher's College (Fredericton); St. Francis Xavier University, where, with a Carnegie Foundation scholarship, she was the first Acadian woman to obtain a university degree, a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction, in 1923 and her master's degree in literature and history the following year.  She enrolled in La Sorbonne in Paris (under the recommendation of St. F. X. Professor René Gautheron) where she received her diploma in French literature.  Dr. Michaud earned a second Masters of Arts degree from Columbia University in New York, and her doctorate in history (with honours) in 1947 from the University of Montreal.
   Author of more than a dozen publications, she received bursaries from the Council of Arts, a Centennial Commission bursary, the medal of l'Alliance Francaise and the medal of l'Association Acadienne d'Education, as well as a Canada Council Grant.  She was one of three Canadians to attend the United Nations seminar in Holland on the teaching of human rights in secondary schools and a delegate to the Ottawa Conference on Education, discussing the importance of the growth of languages (1952).  Her honours were many, being named to the Order of Canada (1964), receiving the Médaille de l'Alliance Française (Paris), and honourary doctorates from Université de Moncton, a Doctor of Education from the former St. Joseph's University, and Doctor of Letters from St. Francis Xavier University in 1975 and a Doctor of Laws from St. Thomas University.  In 1977, she received a special medal from Queen Elizabeth II during the sovereign's silver anniversary and in 1979, received New Brunswick's highest award, the Meritorious Award from the NB French-speaking Teachers Association.
   In 1961, she became the first woman to occupy the position of assistant principal of the Teachers' College. She was the vice-president of UNICEF for New Brunswick, on the board of directors for The Beaverbrook Foundation, and Le Cercle Français de Fredericton, York Sunbury Historical Society; Faculty Club, Council of Women; StFX Alumni Fredericton chapter; and many other groups.  Fluent in both French and English, she was a popular public speaker, very involved in her community. 
   Countless schools and libraries now bear her name, paying honour to a woman who "never forgot the struggle and achievement of her French-speaking countrywomen."

Eligibility

This monetary prize is conferred on a graduating Bachelor of Arts student who has successfully completed courses under the rubric of 'Canadian Studies.'  Students may select from a prepared list of courses (see Academic Calendar, section 7.7 or click here) that have as their common characteristic, a substantial Canadian content. 

Selection Process

Graduating students in Economics, English, French, History, Political Science and Sociology  will have their transcripts reviewed for (i) total credits in Canadian Studies; (ii) combined course average; and (iii) the inter-disciplinary nature of their course selection.

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*Looking south, the skyline of St. Francis Xavier University and the spires of St. Ninian's Cathedral.  This cathedral of Romanesque architecture, was constructed of locally quarried blue limestone and granite.  Dedicated in 1874, St. Ninian's did not officially become a cathedral until the Seat of the Diocese was moved to Antigonish from Arichat in 1886.