Saint Mary’s Faculty of Arts welcomes first cohort of students from Chinese university

Saint Mary’s Faculty of Arts Welcomes First Cohort of Students from Chinese university

Saint Mary’s Faculty of Arts is the first Arts faculty in Canada to welcome a cohort of students from China to its campus. For the next two years, Saint Mary’s University will be a home-away-from-home for 37 students from Beijing Normal University - Zhuhai (BNUZ), who will complete the final two years of their undergraduate degree at Saint Mary’s.

See also:
Between Two Worlds

The unique exchange between Saint Mary’s and Beijing Normal University – Zhuhai is creating extraordinary opportunities for students, and professors like Dr. Cecilia Qiu

“Saint Mary’s is the first university in Canada, and maybe first in the world, to have implemented a 2+2 Program in Arts,” said Dr. Margaret MacDonald, Dean of Arts at Saint Mary’s.

The program is a result of a unique and longstanding partnership with BNUZ. The first partnerships date back to 2002, and since then, hundreds of students from BNUZ have attended Saint Mary’s. Saint Mary’s is now expanding its 2+2 agreements to all three campus faculties—Business, Science, and Arts faculties, enabling BNUZ students to complete the first two years of university study on campus at BNUZ, and transfer to Saint Mary’s to complete the final two years of their degrees in Halifax.

“The links between China and Canada are growing with each passing year, and the next generation of leaders from both our countries will benefit from the international exchanges we establish today,” said Dr. Eric Henry, an Assistant Professor in Saint Mary’s Department of Anthropology. “Having the BNUZ cohort integrated with our regular classes is definitely fostering those connections.”

Jonathan Shaw, an Educational Developer for Intercultural Learning at Saint Mary’s Studio for Teaching and Learning, is a part-time instructor with the Faculty of Education teaching a course entitled “English as an International Language”. Last semester, he had 11 Chinese students as part of the BNUZ 2+2 Arts cohort, majoring in disciplines such as International Development Studies, History, and Asian Studies.

“Although they are really excited and interested to learn about Canada, they really see their time at Saint Mary’s as part of a global experience,” said Shaw. “These students chose to come here to be part of a very outward-looking, international campus.”

Yajie Cao, a third-year Asian Studies and History major, says that her cohort feels that the variety of support they have received – from the university, individual faculty and staff, as well as Canadian and other international students – has greatly eased their transition to life on campus. “We got to know everyone really quickly. The university really made us feel welcome, and the other students from Canada and abroad are so friendly and helpful. But when we do need some extra help, I know we can always rely on our mentors and tutors!”

Beijing Normal University - Zhuhai is located in Guangdong province near Hong Kong and Macau. BNUZ has 35,000 to 40,000 students studying a number of courses including economics, management, law, and engineering. Its location in Zhuhai places it in a steadily growing business and financial region.

BComm Grad Sayem Taking Flight in Bangladesh

See the original story at http://www.smu.ca/academics/sobey/blogs/blogentries/flightexpert.html

Building the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem... on Facebook

See the original story at http://www.smu.ca/academics/sobey/blogs/blogentries/ns-startup-community.html

Saint Mary’s takes a close second in New England venture capital competition

Premier Stephen McNeil acknowledges Saint Mary's team during 2018 State of the Province Address: "You demonstrated to us what's possible."

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A team of Sobey School of Business graduate and undergraduate students took second place in the Venture Capital Investment Competition (New England region), held in Boston.

On February 2, the Saint Mary’s students joined teams from MIT, Babson, Yale, Rochester and Dartmouth in evaluating three entrepreneur’s pitches, and completing a term sheet describing which they would invest in, and why.

Finalists Saint Mary’s and Rochester then negotiated with their entrepreneur. Industry professionals judged the competition based on the quality of analysis and insight and the calibre of the final deal. The final judging was 6/6, meaning Saint Mary’s had tied with Rochester. To determine a winner, the judges referred back to initial discussions with the entrepreneurs, which gave Rochester the edge.

The students who competed were chosen from Saint Mary’s venture capital program and the multi-university Venture Grade student venture capital fund.  Competing were Findlay Hilchie and Anu Gupta, from the Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation program; Stephanie Fitzner, BComm; and David Hatcher and Avi Chandrapati of the MBA program.  Stu Clow (MBA) was the shadow.

In March, Sobey School will host the Canadian VCIC at Saint Mary’s University.

Recognition is accorded to team coach Ellen Farrell and local business leaders who helped the students prepare: Rob Barbara, Build Ventures; Andrew Ray, Innovacorp; and Chris Legg, Progress Partners of Boston and CENE member.

Celebrating business excellence among alumni at the Halifax Business Awards

Dave O’Connor, winner of the Gold Award for Business Leader of the Year

Saint Mary’s University is celebrating the success of the Saint Mary’s alumni and business leaders who were a part of the 2018 Halifax Business Awards.

Joe Metlege (left) receives the Silver Award for Business Leader of the Year

The sold-out award ceremony from the Halifax Chamber of Commerce took place in the brand new Halifax Convention Centre. It was a spectacular night of entertainment, prestige, and celebration, recognizing risk takers and the success of Halifax’s thriving business community.

It was a particularly spectacular night for Saint Mary’s University alumni. Saint Mary’s University is pleased to congratulate Christopher Webb, BA’97, and Dave O’Connor, BComm’92, who both took home top prizes. Mr. Webb is the Co-owner of PAVIA Gallery – Espresso Bar & Café. PAVIA won the 2018 Gold Award for Business of the Year. Mr. O’Connor is the President of GLOW The Event Store and was the recipient of the Gold Award for Business Leader of the Year.

The University is also celebrating:

• Joseph (Joe) Metlege, EMBA'12, President, JONO Developments Limited & Templeton Properties Ltd., who was the recipient of the Silver Award for Business Leader of the Year;
• Leah Skerry, BComm'09, CEO, Squiggle Park, who won the Silver Award for Innovative Business of the Year; and
• Jean Paul (JP) Furey, Bcomm'03, CEO, BlueLight Analytics, who won the Silver Award for Export Business of the Year and the Bronze Award for Innovative Business of the Year.

Jean Paul Furey (left) receives the Silver Award for Export Business of the Year

Also worthy of praise are the contributions of the Santamarians whose business acumen was recognized by being nominated.

Congratulations to:

• Ross Argante, BA’01, a Partner with Integrated Staffing Limited, who was nominated for Business Leader of the Year;
• Chris Robertson, Bcomm'02, Owner, Home Instead Senior Care Cape Breton, nominated for Business of the Year;
• Steve Davies, EMBA'98, President, Third Wave Consulting Inc., nominated for Innovative Business of the Year;
• Jeff Farwell; BComm'00, Owner, J Farwell Sailing, nominated for New Business of the Year; and
• the great group of Santamarians at B4Checkin, nominated for Export Business of the Year, that includes:
• Martin Mackinnon, MBA'88, CFO and Co-Founder
• Steve Miles, Bcomm'84, Vice President – Operations; and
• Greg Thompson, EMBA'04, VP - Customer Relations

Celebrating African Heritage Month 2018

This month, students, faculty, and staff, and people across Nova Scotia are being invited to celebrate, experience and learn about the rich culture, history, achievements and contributions of people of African descent during African Heritage Month 2018.

We’re proud to celebrate African Heritage Month on our @smuhalifax campus. @SMUHfxLibrary #dowhatyoudo #AHM2018 pic.twitter.com/hvJflSJxJE

— Rob Summerby-Murray (@smuprez) February 2, 2018

As part of African Heritage Month, Saint Mary’s Patrick Power Library is proud to host an event and exhibit highlighting the Lynn Jones African-Canadian & Diaspora Heritage Collection, a major recent addition to the University archives.

The collection chronicles over 50 years of African, African Diasporic and African-Nova Scotian heritage and history, including civil rights and social justice struggles, Dr. Lynn Jones & her family members' lives and activism, and diverse local, regional and international aspects of Black life, through everything from an obituary collection to news clippings, programs, reports and political campaign literature.

An exhibition of samples from the collection will run February 1-28 in the lobby of the Patrick Power Library. The public is invited to join Dr. Jones to learn about of the collection’s history and some of the way in which it’s being used, Tuesday, February 13 from 5:15 pm - 6:15 pm, in the SMU Library Classroom (room LI135).

More than 100 events are planned across Nova Scotia as part of African Heritage Month.

Click here for the Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs’ African Heritage Month 2018 event calendar.

President's Video Blog: Student-led mental health initiatives on campus

See the original story at https://president.smu.ca/blog/2018/1/29/student-led-mental-health-initiatives-on-campus

Saint Mary's University student-athletes lead charge on campus mental health initiative

Carlie Nugent, student-athlete and SAMHI member; Scott Gray, Director of Athletics & Recreation; and Brent Martindale, student-athlete and SAMHI member. 

Staying mentally healthy during the university years is important – not only when it comes to academic achievement, but also when it comes to athletic success and playing an active role in the community.

With one in five Canadians living with mental illness, the student-athletes at Saint Mary’s University are leading the charge on gaining the knowledge and understanding to best support themselves, their teammates and their university community.

“The mental health and wellbeing of our entire athletics community are incredibly important to us at Saint Mary’s,” said Scott Gray, Saint Mary’s University’s Director of Athletics & Recreation. “We know that student-athletes are incredibly busy and can be a vulnerable population for mental health concerns. That is why we offer many on-campus supports including some great student-lead initiatives.”

A great example of this leadership is demonstrated through the Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative (SAMHI). SAMHI is a country-wide charitable organization dedicated to promoting wellness and mental health. The organization also supports student-athletes who may suffer from mental health concerns or illness.

At Saint Mary’s, student-athletes use the SAMHI model to help their community access resources, increase supportive conversations and get trained on evidence-based educational modules. Currently in its second year on campus, the group also leads fundraising efforts and hosts mental health-related events.

“Having an initiative like SAMHI on campus has allowed students to come together and create a community in which we can talk to each other about the problems we face,” said Carlie Nugent, a fifth-year student-athlete at Saint Mary’s. “We aren’t doctors or counsellors, but we have been trained on how to listen effectively and be better teammates on and off the court.”

Nugent says that by taking the little steps to support each other on campus, the university is making a real change.

“People need to know that they don’t have to suffer in silence,” continued Nugent. “There is always someone willing to listen.”

Provincial ministers meet at Saint Mary's CLARI facility

Robert Summerby Murray, President of Saint Mary's gives a tour of the Atrium to Labi Kousoulis, Nova Scotia Minister of Labour and Advanced Education; Richard Brown, Prince Edward Island Minister of Communities, Land and Environment; and Zach Churchill, Nova Scotia Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development

Saint Mary's was honoured to host a meeting of members of the Council of Atlantic Ministers of Education and Training (CAMET)  at our CLARI facility today.

The council is an agency comprised of the provincial departments across Atlantic Canada responsible for public and post-secondary education, and its purpose is to enhance cooperation in public and post-secondary education by working together to improve learning, optimize efficiencies and bring added value to provincial initiatives.

"CLARI is an example of the positive change promoted by CAMET. This space allows us to work together across geography, across sectors and across organizations. So it is very fitting you are here."
- Robert Summerby Murray, President of Saint Mary's University

CLARI is a cross-province, multi-post-secondary education partnership designed to support Nova Scotia communities with academic and research expertise, designated spaces and communications technology to address social and economic challenges.

Saint Mary’s University to provide students with more study time through fall break

Students and faculty at Saint Mary’s University will now have more time to prepare for the end of the term and get ready for final examinations next fall, due to a new pilot project.

“The creation of a week-long fall break demonstrates that Saint Mary’s University is committed to tackling issues such as student mental health, student retention, and student engagement,” said SMUSA President Ossama Nasrallah. “SMUSA did the research, provided the reasoning and championed this initiative at the University Senate. Students should take pride that the university listened to them and took action based on their concerns.”

The decision to try a full week break as a pilot, opposed to the previous two-day break, was made last Friday, January 12th, at the Saint Mary’s University Academic Senate. The suggestion for the change came from the Saint Mary’s University Students’ Association (SMUSA). SMUSA surveyed more than 1000 students on the fall break. The survey results showed that more than 88% supported extending the break.

“SMUSA provided the Senate with a detailed and thoroughly researched proposal,” said Dr. Madine VanderPlaat, Chairperson, Saint Mary’s University Academic Senate. “There was clear interest from students for this change; and a willingness on the part of Senate to support a pilot project for fall 2018.” 

Saint Mary’s 2018 fall break will take place from November 12 until November 16, 2018.

Dr. Madine VanderPlaat named Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts

From February 14 to May 14, 2018, Dr. Madine VanderPlaat will serve as Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts, while Dean Dr. Margaret MacDonald travels to Rome to take up a three-month position as McCarthy Chair in Biblical Studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

Dr. Madine VanderPlaat

An accomplished academic with a strong interest in social justice and marginalized populations, Dr. VanderPlaat has had a distinguished career at Saint Mary’s University, beginning in 1991 as a lecturer in Sociology & Criminology. She served as Chair of the Department of Sociology & Criminology between 1999 and 2006, and was Director of the Atlantic Metropolis Centre—a consortium of researchers, government representatives, and NGOs dedicated to policy-relevant research—from 2003 to 2013.

“Dr. VanderPlaat brings a history of strong leadership and experience within the Faculty to her new role, and will continue the great work underway in the Faculty of Arts at Saint Mary’s,” said Dr. Malcolm Butler, Vice-President, Academic and Research.

An engaged member of the campus community, she has served on the Academic Senate, University Budget Committee, the Panel of Full Professors, the University Review Committee, and the University Appointments Committee, among others.

Since 2013 she has been the Associate Dean of Arts, Research and Outreach and is currently the Chair of Senate.

Dr. James Morrison appointed professor emeritus after long career at Saint Mary’s

When James Morrison was growing up in Economy, Nova Scotia, in the 1950s, his father was often known to entice local characters and storytellers into the family home. “He wasn’t a storyteller,” says Dr. Morrison, “but he loved to hear stories. Eventually of course, I went off to university, and decided that those stories and that kind of knowledge weren’t very important—but I came back around.”

And then some. Dr. Morrison, who this past year became Professor Emeritus of History after nearly 40 years at Saint Mary’s, has spent much of his career developing the field of oral history in Canada, and becoming one of its most prominent and important advocates.

“Growing up where I did,” he says, “I’m sure it put me even subconsciously in the mindset that this kind of folklore, when accepted for what it is, absolutely constitutes a record of history.”

Dr. Jim Morrison at a gathering in the International Education Centre with students Maria and Juan Canales (wearing traditional Chilean dress) of Halifax. 1980. University Archives

First, however, Dr. Morrison turned to the world. He first studied History and English at Acadia University, where he developed an interest in social-political issues within Nova Scotia, especially those affecting marginalized populations and the African-Nova Scotian community. He then earned a Commonwealth Scholarship to study at Nigeria’s University of Ibadan, graduating in 1976 after working on oral traditions in the Nigerian highlands as part of his thesis work. From there, he returned to Canada and began working with Parks Canada as an oral historian, compiling an oral history of Kejimkujik Park.

Finally, in 1979, Dr. Morrison began his career at Saint Mary’s, coming on board as Executive Director of the International Education Centre (IEC)—an early example of what would become Saint Mary’s hallmark dedication to international education and outreach.

“It’s wonderful how Saint Mary’s has continued down this path,” says Dr. Morrison. “When I began the IEC was the only game on campus in terms of international studies. We had speakers’ programs in schools, with graduate students from around the world making presentations and raising the interest level of people locally in what was happening globally.”

Dr. Morrison later became Dean of Arts in 1983 until 1989, and in 1988-89 (and again in 2001) served as Program Coordinator of the International Development Studies program, and was Coordinator of the Asian Studies program at various points between 1992 and 2012. From 1990 onwards, he served as a Professor of History and taught courses on South East Asia, India, African, Atlantic History as well as oral history and ethnic/cultural  history of Nova Scotia.

Dr. Morrison has balanced these on-campus commitments with a similarly impressive record of community service. He has been President and Vice-President of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, a historian and archivist with Frontier College since 2000, and an advisor for the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia and the Black Loyalist Museum. Since 2007 he has been a member of the Advisory Committee on the Interpretive Master Plan for Heritage in Nova Scotia.

Dr. Jim Morrison discusses education in developing countries with Dr. John Orkar on the weekly Halifax cable TV show 'Your World'. 1980. University Archives.

One of his most significant achievements was his work, between 1997 and 2011, as an advisor and historian with the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, which would later become the first national museum outside of Ottawa. “Museums are one of the institutions that the public trusts the most,” says Dr. Morrison. “Developing this infrastructure is tremendously important.”

In the 1990s, Dr. Morrison conducted some of the first interviews with individuals sent to Canada as children during World War 2, as well as medical personnel and customs officials, helping to put together the nascent museum’s first exhibits, based significantly on oral history, an achievement of which Dr. Morrison is justly proud.

“When I was in Africa, we were coming out of a long period in which the history of the elites was regarded as the only real history—military and political history, the history of the powerful. And that’s important and crucial, but the history of others, women, labour leaders, farmers, and ordinary people, were always missing from these accounts. Oral history is not a matter of putting a microphone in front of someone and simply taking what they say at face value, but when done properly, it is of critical importance. And, there is a broader acceptance of it now than ever.”

Dr. Morrison was recognized in 2009 with the Order of Canada for “lasting contributions to his province and to the field of historical research.” In 2013, he was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal in recognition of his research and advocacy on immigration and oral history.

He has also been the recipient of many fellowships and accolades, including Senior Visiting Fellow at Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (1989-90), Visiting Scholar at Hokkaido University of Education (1996, 2004), and a Visiting Fellow at Jawaharlal Nehru University (1999).

Finally, his impressive publication history includes authorship and editorship of 13 books and monographs, as well as many papers, editorials, reviews, and other vital contributions to the study of history in Nova Scotia and beyond.

Dr. Morrison’s career has mirrored so many of Saint Mary’s strengths—community and international outreach especially. And it is still not finished. He continues to juggle multiple projects, including annotating the logbook kept by a Minas Basin schooner captain from 1894 to 1901, a biography of the founder of Frontier College, Alfred Fitzpatrick and editing the diary of a Queens County farmer dating from the 1870s to the 1930s.

“ I have always felt that history  may never end all our differences but it may help us make the world safe for the diversity that is all around us.”