Saint Mary’s alumni appointed to Supreme Court positions in Nova Scotia
Congratulations are in order for two Saint Mary’s alumni who were both appointed as Supreme Court judges in Nova Scotia.
Darlene Jamieson, Q.C., managing partner of Merrick Jamieson Sterns Washington & Mahody, is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in Halifax. She replaces Justice K. Coady, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective November 5, 2018. Justice Jamieson graduated from Saint Mary's University with a B.A. (summa cum laude) in 1985.
Scott Norton, Q.C., a partner at Stewart McKelvey, is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in Pictou. He replaces Justice N.M. Scaravelli, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective December 16, 2016. Justice Norton previously served as the Vice-Chair of Saint Mary's University.
Read the official release announcing the appointments.
Sobey School of Business MBA ranks #8 in the world for sustainability
The Sobey School of Business is eighth in the world for sustainability, according to the recently released Corporate Knights Better World MBA ranking.
The eight place finish marks the highest ranking yet for the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University. The school attributes its success to the way sustainable development and ethics are deeply embedded in its courses, the strong ethnic and gender diversity of its student and faculty, and the faculty’s extensive research on sustainability themes. Corporate Knights assessed 141 business schools across 25 countries for its rankings.
“Placed as we are here on the east coast of Canada, the impacts of climate change are strongly felt. At the same time, our province is a leader in immigration, and has a deep history in co-operative and alternate business models. We understand how important sustainability must be in business today,” noted Dean Harjeet Bhabra. “We are proud of our faculty’s strengths in international research and ethics, and the growing expertise in social enterprise development at Saint Mary’s, which have helped us achieve this recognition.”
The Sobey MBA program ranked second in Canada, with Schulich, at York University, placing first nationally. Warwick University in Exeter, UK, was ranked first in the world
Corporate Knights introduced two new metrics to this year’s ranking: the gender and racial diversity of graduate business department faculty. Such diversity can influence student perception of what leadership looks like, and means that business schools can model meaningful standards for more diverse corporate boards and management.
According to Corporate Knights, The University of Connecticut's School of Business and the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax led the way on racial diversity with 51 percent of faculty identified as visible minorities.
Participating schools were graded on five indicators: the number of institutes and centres dedicated to sustainable development; the percentage of core courses that integrate sustainable development; faculty research publications and citations on sustainable development themes; and faculty gender and racial diversity.
In 2014, the Sobey school’s faculty unanimously voted to become signatories to the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Management Education initiative (PRME). A central part of this commitment is a pledge to advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
For Saint Mary’s and the Sobey School, the ranking was helped by research and work conducted through the school’s centres: the Atlantic Research Group on Economics of Immigration, Aging and Diversity, the new International Centre for Co-operative Management, the Centre for Leadership Excellence, the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services, and the Centre of Excellence in Accounting and Reporting for Co-operatives.
Saint Mary’s University celebrates the new Viola Desmond Bursary
African-Nova Scotian students attending Saint Mary’s University will soon have more support available to them as a result of a newly established bursary.
The Viola Desmond Bursary was announced on November 8, the date of Viola’s heroic anti-discrimination action in 1946. The bursary is fully-endowed and will be given out every year to full-time African-Nova Scotian students at Saint Mary’s.
“At Saint Mary’s, community is at the heart of what we do. We are very proud to be part of commemorating Viola Desmond, and to have a financial award named in her honour,” said Dr. Malcolm Butler, Vice-President, Academic and Research. “This award will assist generations of African-Nova Scotian entrepreneurs attending Saint Mary’s on their path to success.”
The initial award amount will mark the year of Viola Desmond’s anti-segregation action, 1946, with students receiving $1,946. While this award is not renewable, it may be awarded to the same student more than once.
While preference for the bursary will be given to students in the Sobey School of Business, the bursary may also be awarded to students in programs featuring entrepreneurship. Preference will also be given to female students from Halifax County. Students must also have a financial need.
This award was established with the permission of the Desmond Family and through the generosity of The Honourable Wilfred P. Moore, Q.C., LL.D., and Ms. Jane Adams Ritcey.
“Viola Desmond has been very good to our city, our province and our country,” said Senator Wilfred Moore. “My family is very pleased to assist Saint Mary’s University in this most noble virtue—the transfer of knowledge. We do so in keeping with the bedrock tradition of Saint Mary’s, offering a hand up.”
Saint Mary's 1977-78 men’s basketball team inducted into NS Sport Hall of Fame
Members of the Saint Mary’s Huskies 1977-78 Men’s Basketball Team.
In photo: Head Coach Brian Heaney, Assistant Coach Willie Follette, Managers, John Landry and Calvin Smith, Trainer Richard Bishop and the players, Ron Blommers, Bruce Holmes, Tom Kappos, Derrick Lewis, Ross Quackenbush, Roger Tustanoff, Mike Solomon, and Frank White.
You could not make this stuff up.
It was a packed house with 11,000 fans jammed into the newly-minted Metro Centre in downtown Halifax in 1978. Two Nova Scotia university basketball teams were locked in a pitched battle to win the national championship.
Fans were divided with half cheering for Saint Mary’s Huskies and the other for the Acadia Axemen. Both teams were stacked with talent, spirit and a hunger for victory.
Acadia took the lead early in the game, but Saint Mary’s fought back and defeated their opponents to win the CIAU title 99-91.
On Friday, Nov. 2, the 1977-78 Men’s Basketball Team was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame, 40 years after a victory that will go down in history as one of the most exciting university sporting events in Canada.
All but a few of the team members returned to Halifax from all over Canada and the US to receive their honour at the Halifax Convention Centre.
They were presented with their honour by Owen Carrigan, who served as President of Saint Mary’s University that year and Doug Wright, a long-serving member of the Saint Mary’s Sport Hall of Fame Committee.
“It was the greatest game ever played at a college level in Canada,” said Coach Brian Heaney. “That CIAU national title took basketball to another plateau in Canada.”
Even 40 years later, players and fans remember that night. Saint Mary’s was the host team and seeded last. The magic ignited when they defeated the top-ranked Manitoba Bisons (92-81) who were favoured to win the championship. In the next round, they beat the University of Victoria Vikings with a score of 82-79.
That earned them a spot in the final against the Acadia Axemen. It was a grudge match and a showdown of hometown rivals, according to player Rick Plato.
“If you wrote it up for a movie you wouldn’t believe it. We were two power houses, tough, determined, confident skilled and talented,” he said.
With a victory and winning score of 99 points, they set the record for most points scored in a final game. That record was not broken until 2016.
“It was the time of our lives,” remembers player Tom Kappos. “We were a bunch of 18-year old Canadian kids, and this entire stadium was overflowing with people, fans, emotion.”
That game and season didn’t just change varsity basketball in Canada. It changed the lives of certain players too.
“It changed my life after being in the US,” said player Frank White. “People here were warm, welcoming, kind, they treated me with love and respect. Everyone had such a sense of purpose. In our hearts, we knew we were going to win that game.”
Player Ross Quackenbush, who later went on to coach men’s varsity basketball at Saint Mary’s, called that night the highlight of his career. Looking back at pictures, he laughs about the styles of 1978.
“Back then it was the time of short shorts and long hair. Now the shorts are long, and the hair is short.”
Whatever the fashion, that night was all about basketball. Player Ron McFarland received the Most Valuable Player award, finishing with 38 points.
The Saint Mary’s team were victorious in a game that will never be forgotten by either team or the 11,000 fans.
The Saint Mary’s team were: Ron Blommers, John Brown, Bruce Holmes, Derrick Lewis, Tom Kappos, Ron McFarland (MVP) Rick Plato, Ross Quackenbush, Art Screaton, Mike Solomon, Roger Tustanoff, Mark Vickers, and Frank White; (Coaches) Brian Burgess, Brian Heaney, and Willie Follette; (Managers) Hector Corkum, John Landry, Calvin Smith and Allan Wentworth; (Trainer) Richard Bishop; and, (Team Doctor) Dr. David Petrie Sr.
Fence signage offers glimpse into the future The Dauphinee Centre
The Dauphinee Centre is sporting a new look thanks to new fence signage on the build site.
Installed in time for Homecoming, the signage showcases various members of the Saint Mary’s community, acknowledges donors, and helps promote the centre slated to open in time for the 2019 hockey season.
The signage is designed to reflect the fact that centre will make a significant contribution not only to varsity athletics but to the wellness of our entire community, with 50% of its usage capacity dedicated to community groups. SMU varsity athletes Marc Terriault and Siobhan Birch are featured wearing their Huskies gear. Another panel pictures Tyler Naugler, Assistant Coach, Men’s Hockey with his daughter as they walk by the Homburg Centre. The Saint Mary’s student body is represented with a photo of students Mohammad Ashiq, Jesus Hernandez, Jillian Taylor, Ashley Brewster and Sehmat Suri.
Additional panels highlight the Saint Mary’s University branding, and promote the arena name as well as the Pseudio Link and the Barbara Holmes Gathering Centre.
The Dauphinee Centre construction on track
A rendering of The Dauphinee Centre.
Excitement is building as work continues on The Dauphinee Centre, the new arena at Saint Mary’s that will feature an NHL-sized ice surface and accommodate more than 1200 fans.
With the arena design 95% complete and construction progressing well, the $14.8 million facility is on track to open in time for the 2019 hockey season. This fall, neighbours can expect to see the large, precast concrete walls (about 85 pieces in total) go up on the build site. Work is now underway on the foundations to support the walls and on the underground water and electrical services.
When completed, the centre will feature an upper-level warming room with an attached fan room overlooking the ice surface, a pedway link to the Homburg Centre for Health & Wellness, and men’s and women’s varsity dressing rooms that are equal to the best junior hockey facilities in the country. These enhancements to the project were made possible by a generous gift of $2 million from local entrepreneurs Glen and Nancy Holmes, parents of two current Saint Mary’s students. Glen and Nancy Holmes are the owners of Pseudio, Samuel & Co and Envy.
Saint Mary's community celebrates the contributions of Jack Keith
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Saint Mary’s enhances entrepreneurship and innovation through new centre
To celebrate more than 25 years of cultivating entrepreneurship at Saint Mary’s, the school is today introducing the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre.
Meet the disruptive entrepreneurs from Saint Mary's
“Although Saint Mary’s has always aimed to instill an entrepreneurial mindset within our students across all academic disciplines, we’re now taking our focus on entrepreneurship to the next level,” says Saint Mary’s University President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray.To launch the new entrepreneurship centre, more than 200 Saint Mary’s alumni, business partners, and government representatives are gathering tonight at a special venture showcase. In conjunction with the centre’s launch, the university is also kicking off a creative campaign celebrating graduates’ entrepreneurial successes.
“We created this campaign to highlight the immense number of inspiring stories that started in the hallways of Saint Mary’s University,” says Dr. Patricia Bradshaw, Dean of the Sobey School of Business. “Today, and over the coming months, we’re celebrating the success of our alumni by showcasing the great entrepreneurial careers launched by graduates in Arts, Business, and Science.”
The Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre, formerly known as the Sobey School Business Development Centre (BDC), has played a key role in building workforce skills, creating employment, supporting start-ups, and growing companies. It has also offered undergraduate and graduate students hands-on business research and consulting experience.
“Approaching the BDC’s 30-year mark, we’ve helped thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of graduates,” says Michael Sanderson, the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneur Centre’s Acting Director. “As a bridge to the community, we’re pleased to see the repositioning of our role through the launch of the Saint Mary’s Entrepreneurship Centre; we’re ready for growth.”
“Saint Mary’s has been developing and mentoring entrepreneurs for decades,” says
Dr. Summerby-Murray. “We’re proud to play a key part in the ongoing growth of Atlantic Canada. And I hope that when our federal, provincial, and industry partners look to Saint Mary’s, they see eager learners and doers who spark innovation within our region, across Canada, and around the world.”
Staff member chosen as TD Insurance Fellow in Advancement
Susan MacCormack
Susan MacCormack, Calling Program and Outreach Coordinator at Saint Mary’s, has been selected as one of two TD Insurance Fellows in Advancement by the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE).
The annual program selects two exceptional emerging professionals and helps provide them practical experience in the field. This is the first time this prestigious position has been awarded to Saint Mary’s.
The TD Insurance Fellowship award funds Susan’s salary for a year. As part of the Advancement team, she will have access to professional development opportunities and gain experience in alumni relations, development, marketing and communications. Susan will be officially inducted as a 2018-2019 Fellow at CCAE’s national conference in June, which is being hosted in Halifax.
“I’m really excited and honoured to receive this fellowship”, says Susan. “I can’t wait to get started on some great projects and help celebrate the success of the Saint Mary’s community.”
To learn more about Susan and her accomplishments, visit the CCAE website: https://ccaecanada.org/en/awards-fellowships/td-fellowships-in-advancement
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
Back-to-back national football champions inducted into the Saint Mary's Sport Hall of Fame
Back-to-back national championships were honoured this year as two Saint Mary's University football teams were inducted into the Saint Mary's University Sport Hall of Fame, October 15.
In 2001, the Saint Mary's Huskies knew they had a special football team. The team went on a blistering 11-0 run that season, outscoring their regular league opposition 480-35 and post- season opponents 128-31. During this dominant season, the team did not give up a single rushing touchdown.
Blake Nill, head coach of the Huskies 1998 - 2005 commented, "What makes this time of my career so special was not just the on-field accomplishments by an outstanding group of athletes and coaches but how we were viewed off field. There was a Huskies presence throughout campus, the city of Halifax and the province. The 2001 and 2002 editions of Huskies Football were teams that truly represented the Maritimes, their pride, and the long standing traditions of this community".
Then assistant coach Steve Sumarah said that he considered the 2001 Huskies "the most dominant team in the history of Canadian university football." The team went on to defeat the Laval Rouge et Or 48-8 in the Atlantic Bowl and then the Manitoba Bisons 42-16 in the Vanier Cup game where they became national champions.
The 2002 season proved more challenging for the defending Vanier Cup Champions. Losing to both Acadia Axemen and St. Francis Xavier X-Men, the team went on to post a 6-2 regular season record, tying St. Francis Xavier for top spot in the conference but claiming the conference's top spot due to a greater point spread. The Huskies went on to defeat St. Francis Xavier 63-14 for the Atlantic Championship.
Led by quarterback Steve Panella, who would be named the Vanier Cup's Most Valuable Player, Saint Mary's would go to defeat their dogged rivals the Saskatchewan Huskies 33-21 in the national championships to become the first repeat winner of the Vanier Cup in 25 years.
The 2001 and 2002 Saint Mary's Huskies championship football teams were inducted into the Saint Mary's University Sport Hall of Fame during Homecoming Weekend, October 15th.