I was very fortunate to take many courses from Professor Kernaghan including a Canada's first university course in Electronic Government/Electronic Government. I also was one of the few students to take a course in Government Ethics, and the Honours seminar in Public Administration.
It is a tribute to his work and commitment to Ethical Government and Public Administration in general.
Retired Brock professor named to Order of Canada
Posted By SAMANTHA CRAGGS, STANDARD STAFF
Posted 1 day ago
A local researcher striving to keep government ethical and accessible has been named to the Order of Canada.
Kenneth Kernaghan, a retired Brock University political science professor, was among the 60 people named to various ranks of the country's highest honour Tuesday. For more than 30 years, the Fenwick resident has advised the government on issues such as the ethics and accountability of public servants and how to use telephone and Internet to make services more accessible.
"I was flattered and flabbergasted," Kernaghan, 68, said of getting the news. "I'm still not sure it's sunk in completely."
A Brock professor since 1968, Kernaghan retired from teaching last year. He has written several books, including the recent Digital State at the Leading Edge and the textbook Public Administration in Canada: A Text, in its fourth edition, co-authored by fellow professor David Siegel.
"He's well-known around Ottawa as a real guru in terms of ethics and values," Siegel said. "He's had a tremendous career."
Kernaghan is the first Brock faculty member to become a Member of the Order, although Brock's inaugural president, James Gibson, became a Member in 1992, and former president Allan Earp was appointed Officer in 1987.
The Order has three tiers -- Member, Officer and Companion. Singers Celine Dion and tenor Ben Heppner were elevated to Companions this round. Also named a Member was Willie O'Ree, the first black player to compete in the NHL.
Kernaghan received a call about a month ago asking if he would accept the honour. "I'm sure you don't get many refusals," he replied.
There have, in fact, been a handful of refusals, including Prince Philip of England.
Kernaghan was not one of them.
"It was a remarkably enjoyable phone call," he said.
Kernaghan said he is excited to travel to Ottawa in 2009 for the ceremony. He would like to take wife, Helgi, and his three sons. His wife and Brock colleagues are instrumental, he said.
"My first thought was how much I owed to so many people for this honour," he said.
Already a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Kernaghan said this motivates him to do more research.
"If anything, this has given me impetus to continue."
Kernaghan is the first Fenwick resident to receive the Order.
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When Kernaghan receives the Order of Canada at an installation ceremony in Ottawa in 2009, he will become the second member of the order to have lived in his Foss Road home.
Dorothy Rungeling, who was named a member as a pioneer female pilot and trainer, used to live in the house and landed her plane along side of it.
Professor Ken Kernaghan of the Department of Political Science, in the Faculty of Social Sciences
Professor Kernaghan's lengthy career at Brock is remarkable in both research and teaching. Former students say that his ability to present them with cutting-edge knowledge was inspirational to them at Brock and in their chosen careers. In doing so, Professor Kernaghan certainly achieved the foundation of his teaching philosophy, which is "to teach is to touch a life forever."
Professor Kernaghan has contributed to teaching through the many books, articles and other materials he has published on Canadian public administration and public policy. He was the founder and has been a significant contributor to the Case Program in Canadian Public Administration, which has produced a significant amount of teaching material in the field of public administration. He is widely sought to instruct professional development courses for public servants.
In 2003, Professor Kernaghan won the Pierre DeCelles/IPAC Award for Excellence in Teaching of Public Administration. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and was awarded the Vanier Gold Medal for distinguished contribution to the field of public administration in 1996. Teaching was cited as a contributing factor in the granting of these two latter awards.
Among Professor Kernaghan's many professional accomplishments, he recently served as Chair of the Federal Task Force on the Disclosure of Wrongdoing.
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