On October 9 and 23, Saint Mary’s University welcomed over 40 students, staff, faculty, and sport industry professionals from across Canada and the US to participate in strategic planning for the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business, and Health.
The new Centre's mandate is to enhance, produce, and deliver socially responsible approaches to sport through the lenses of business and health.
Centre Director Dr. Cheryl MacDonald organized the sessions to inform the development of priorities in support of the mandate, specifically as they relate to marketing, community engagement, research, and the SMU student and athlete experience.
“It was important to have a diverse group of voices in this conversation, not just from the SMU community but also from experts in the field,” said Centre Director Dr. Cheryl MacDonald.
Prominent advocates in the sport community included Jessica Platt, the first openly trans woman in professional hockey, and Mark DeMontis who founded the Canadian Blind Hockey Association. Additional industry experts included Maritime Women’s Basketball Association Executive Director Crystal Watson and Jennifer Cotterill, a Senior Manager in Event Operations for the Events East Group. Centre Research Associate and author Dr. Brian Kennedy of Pasadena City College in California also attended.
Kieran Block, the first Black national-level parahockey athlete in Canada and a current Master of Counselling student, joined from Edmonton, Alberta. Notable alumni who participated in the in-person meetings included former Huskies Soccer athlete and current CBC Sports commentator Signa Butler and former Huskies Hockey athlete and recent honorary degree recipient Bob Dawson.
Early feedback from the sessions suggests that Centre priorities should include student experiential learning opportunities within the sport business industry, research on athlete wellbeing and mental health, and programming that pays special attention to the experiences of marginalized members of the sporting community.
“What is going to make this Centre unique is its focus on social responsibility in the context of its connection with Athletics and Recreation as well as the Faculty of Arts and the Sobey School of Business,” said Dr. MacDonald. “I’m grateful to everyone who has generously shared their time and energy with us. The Centre will be better and stronger as a result of this collaborative work that will set a precedent for excellence in its future endeavours.”
New speaker series: Men's Elite-Level Ice Hockey Culture
The Centre is continuing on with previous programming plans including a free monthly online speaker series on men’s elite-level ice hockey culture and a weekly online writing group beginning in January 2024 for students and scholars working on socially responsible approaches to sport in the areas of business and/or health.
The speaker series, which begins Wednesday, November 22nd, will feature academic experts in the field such as Dr. Courtney Szto of Queen’s University, Dr. Taylor McKee of Brock University, and Dr. Janice Forsyth of the University of British Columbia.
