Certificate in Health, Wellness and Sport in Society sees first graduate

At the end of a challenging year, it’s important to celebrate the positive highlights – including a milestone for the new Certificate in Health, Wellness and Sport in Society.

Julie Naugler BA’20

The first student to graduate with the new certificate, Julie Naugler BA’20 says it adds extra value to her Bachelor of Arts degree and nicely complemented her major in Anthropology. She graduated in May just a few months into the global pandemic, which brought another dimension of timeliness to the new program.

“Everyone has been impacted by this,” she says. “The pandemic will definitely strengthen interest in the program – it has shaped the way people are learning, and the things they want to learn about. The program offers a great opportunity for people to study health and wellness in more depth.”

Open to students in all three faculties at Saint Mary’s, the interdisciplinary program is administered by the Faculty of Arts in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Sport and Health. With three core courses and a flexible range of electives, the program delves into the social, cultural, political and moral aspects of health, wellness and sport.

“For me, it really broadened my education,” says Naugler. “Health and wellness are a really big part of workplace culture, so it’s valuable knowledge in a lot of different fields.”

The certificate can provide an extra edge going into further studies and job interviews. Upon graduating, Naugler landed a job right away with Manulife in Halifax. Health and wellness are central aspects of the insurance industry, so she’s grateful for the academic background. The certificate is also beneficial to students who are interested in health care administration, health policy, sport management, the personal wellness or recreation fields, and much more.

“I would also recommend it because it’s a unique classroom situation,” says Naugler. “The professors are great and the other students add so much to the whole experience, with a lot of open dialogue and class participation.” 

A rugby player and student leader at Saint Mary’s, Naugler was first drawn to the HWSS program because it combined her academic interests with her experience in sports. The 2016 AUS Rookie of the Year for women’s rugby, she was named to the AUS All-Star Team for three seasons. She volunteered on the SMU Athletic Council and also helped organize the first TEDxSaintMarysU event in late February, with talks by a wide cross-section of students, alumni and faculty.

“Athletics are my passion, so I hope to get back to campus soon to support the Huskies!” says Naugler, who also plans to stay involved with rugby through her summer league, high school coaching and volunteering.

Proud to be the first to graduate with the new certificate, Naugler watched the virtual spring ceremony with her parents and enjoyed a socially distanced driveby from friends. 

“It wasn’t a graduation I had ever pictured before but I will remember it forever,” she says. “It was really special. And I’m definitely looking forward to a day when we can be back on campus with friends to celebrate together!”   

• Find out more about the Certificate in Health, Wellness and Sport in Society at www.smu.ca/sportandhealth/certificate.html. The next application deadline is April 15.

International book award for Dr. Stella Gaon

Dr. Stella Gaon

A Political Science professor at Saint Mary’s is the winner of the 2020 Annual Symposium Book Award, presented by the Canadian Society for Continental Philosophy (CSCP/SCPC). Dr. Stella Gaon received the 15th annual award for her monograph, The Lucid Vigil: Deconstruction, Desire and the Politics of Critique (Routledge, 2019).  

The competition is organized by the CSCP/SCPC and Symposium: Canadian Journal of Continental Philosophy, and judging criteria include originality and the importance of a book in its field of investigation. The award results were conveyed on December 11 by Symposium’s Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Lorraine Markotic of the University of Calgary’s Department of Philosophy. As with previous winners, Dr. Gaon has been invited to deliver a plenary paper at the 2021 annual conference of the CSCP/SCPC, to be held at Memorial University next fall.

The Lucid Vigil: Deconstruction, Desire and the Politics of Critique

The Lucid Vigil is the first publication in Routledge’s new Psychoanalytic Political Theory series, which aims to “deepen our understanding of the complex relationships between the world of politics and the inner world of the psyche”. In this contribution Dr. Gaon explores the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud through the lens of his contemporary interpreter, Jean Laplanche. The intent, she explains, is to “demonstrate the imperative nature and the political implications of deconstructive practices of reading, particularly with regard to contemporary debates about political identity.”

The Saint Mary’s Department of Political Science held a book launch on campus last year, and since then The Lucid Vigil has received positive reviews in the U.S. as well. It's a “brilliant new work,” says a review by Michael Naas of DePaul University, Chicago. “This work should set the record straight once and for all and should cause anyone interested in questions of ethics and politics to return to Derrida’s work, both early and late, with renewed attention, passion, and urgency."

In another review, Elisabeth Weber of the University of California, Santa Barbara adds, “For Gaon, deconstruction exemplifies critical thinking: the unflinching interrogation of the categories through which good and evil, fact and fiction, the righteous and the reprehensible are established. With admirable conceptual clarity, Gaon’s captivating book explores the pivotal ramifications of a deconstructive mode of analysis for pedagogy, politics and ethics.” 

Dr. Gaon specializes in political theory and contemporary social and political thought. She is also Adjunct Professor of Women and Gender Studies. Previous publications include Democracy in Crisis: Violence, Alterity, Community (Manchester UP, 2010) and, most recently, an article entitled “Lies in the Time of COVID.”

SMU named among top 50 Research Universities in Canada: Research Impact and Funding Rises

The impact of Saint Mary’s University’s research continues to rise, according to a new report released this week detailing Canada’s top 50 research universities.  

“Saint Mary’s continues to maintain a strong position among Canada’s top 50 research universities,” says Dr. Adam J. Sarty, associate vice-president, Research and Dean, Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. “The university shows continued excellent performance and growth in obtaining external research funding with an 18 percent growth in external research income compared to the year prior. It brings the university up to $10 million in external research funding, to rank 8th among other Canadian undergraduate universities.” 

The report comes from Research Infosource Inc., which releases a yearly list titled Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities. This year, Saint Mary’s ranked 48th overall and saw its ranking under ‘publication impact’ rise from 41st to 20th overall. 

“This strong growth in external research funding, coupled with the powerful impact of our research publications, continues to tell the story of Saint Mary’s University professors who are conducting top-level research,” says Dr. Sarty. “They are achieving research success while balancing a mission that is also dedicated to excellence in undergraduate education and support of select graduate programming.” 

Eight universities in Atlantic Canada were featured on the list, posting a combined research income of $408.9 million in Fiscal 2019. It marks a growth of 19.7 percent for Atlantic Canada in 2019, far surpassing the national increase of 5.7 percent. Saint Mary’s had the third-highest gain of all Atlantic universities. In Fiscal 2019, Atlantic universities accounted for 5% of the national research income total, up from 4% in Fiscal 2018. 

For more information on Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities list, visit https://researchinfosource.com/top-50-research-universities/2020. 

Supporting resilience and recovery focus of two new initiatives from the SMU Entrepreneurship Centre

960 Tower Road: Home of the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre (SMUEC) and the SMU Language Centre.

The Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre (SMUEC) is expanding its investment in the economic recovery and resilience of Nova Scotia with two new initiatives to support businesses and entrepreneurs amidst the pandemic.

“Saint Mary’s is known for our positive impact on the Atlantic economy through education, research, successful alumni, and our entrepreneurship centre helping people grow their businesses,” says Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, President of Saint Mary’s University.  “As businesses closed due to COVID-19 to protect the health of our community, people’s livelihoods were in jeopardy. As a result, our entrepreneurship centre expanded its services. Now they are doing so again to help those directly impacted by the pandemic and to gather the information needed to build new programs and data-driven policy.”

The two new initiatives from SMUEC are an entrepreneurship certificate and research survey, which focus on the impacts of COVID-19 on business and entrepreneurship.

The Entrepreneurial Mindset Success Certification - COVID-19 Career Resilience Edition is a certificate made up of eight online workshops. It supports individuals who have found themselves unemployed or unable to find employment due to COVID-19. The certificate takes a customized approach to provide relevant skills training and exposure to entrepreneurship to help individuals feel prepared to re-enter a new and changed job market, return to work, or start their own business. Seven career experts from Job Junction, ISANS and the Career Service Centre of Sobey Business School act as mentors for the participants and deliver the workshops.  Registration is now open, and the workshops will run from Jan. 15 to Feb. 5, 2021.

The centre is also is studying the impacts of COVID-19 on Atlantic Canadian business through the COVID-19 Business Impact Survey. This longitudinal survey will collect quantitative and qualitative data using phone interviews and online surveys until the end of 2021. The main areas of interest are the use of government support, main challenge areas, and the tactics that businesses employ to respond to the specific challenges faced by their industries.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the centre has focused on two questions: how can they support businesses and entrepreneurs to be resilient enough to weather this storm? And how can they help them recover?

The centre’s first step was to expand their free business coaching sessions with the help of their new entrepreneur-in-residence, prominent alumna and successful serial entrepreneur Shannon Byrne Susko BComm’89 BSc’92. A series of presentations and workshops on various topics supplemented those sessions. Then came the launch of the Sobey School of Business’s Sobey Community Revitalization & Prosperity Network, of which SMUEC was an active participant. Now the centre's focus is on collecting the data needed to inform future pandemic business policy and a new initiative working with those who have found themselves unemployed due to COVID-19.

“We know the importance of evidence-based decision making. That is why we are gathering the information needed for policymakers and program developers like ourselves to best support the business sector during the pandemic,” says Michael Sanderson, Director of the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre. "On the opposite end of that sector-wide view is the immediate impact the pandemic has had on employment. By adapting our existing Entrepreneurial Mindset Success Certification, we can help directly with the immediate recovery while keeping an eye on data-informed methods to increase resiliency for the long-term." 

For more information about the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre and its initiatives, visit https://smuec.ca/.

Dr. Skye Stephens receives New Health Investigator Grant from Research Nova Scotia

Dr. Skye Stephens

Saint Mary’s University researcher Dr. Skye Stephens is receiving a New Health Investigator Grant from Research Nova Scotia. Dr. Stephens is one of 21 recipients across Nova Scotia receiving funding for new health research.

The New Health Investigator Grant supports new health researchers engaged in work that aligns with Nova Scotia’s health research priorities. The grant aims to provide two years of support of up to $100,000 for researchers who are within the first five years of their academic appointment in Nova Scotia or who are new to the field of health research. For the 2020-21 academic year, funding for this grant comes from the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness.

“There has never been a greater need to support new health researchers in Nova Scotia to help inform practice, policy and decision making,” says Stefan Leslie, CEO of Research Nova Scotia. “Today, we’re pleased to announce funding for these researchers and are confident their work will positively impact the health of Nova Scotians.”

Funding provided will support the establishment of independent research programs, support and expand the research productivity necessary for obtaining long-term funding from national and external agencies and expand the potential for early-career investigators to make significant contributions in their field.

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Project title: The Feasibility of a Program for the Prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

Project description: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a universal public health problem impacting 18% of girls and 8% of boys worldwide. Children are overrepresented as victims of sexual abuse, as 56% of police-reported sexual assaults in Nova Scotia involved victims under 18. Rates of sexual abuse in Nova Scotia are above the national Canadian average. CSA contributes to a significant disease burden, as it connects to a wide range of adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Effective prevention programs could stop CSA from occurring in the first place and prevent adverse health outcomes. In Nova Scotia, a significant gap in prevention programming is delivering comprehensive mental health services to individuals who may be at risk of CSA perpetration. Previous research has suggested that there are individuals who have not offended but struggle to stay offence free and experience mental health challenges. Through her research, Dr. Skye Stephens and the team aim to enhance capacity to provide CSA prevention programming in Nova Scotia by exploring development barriers. Knowledge gained during this study will lay the groundwork for developing and evaluating a prevention program that could reduce the occurrence of CSA and associated adverse health outcomes. Overall, the project could increase the health and safety of Nova Scotians by proactively addressing risk factors for CSA perpetration.

Team members: Etta Brodersen, Loren Klein, Angela Connors, Christina Shaffer, Amy Ornstein, Ray MacNeil, Ian McPhail, Jamie Livingston & Ainslie Heasman

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Research projects span a broad range of topics, including diabetes, cancer and dementia care, pre-term infant gut health, and food security during the COVID-19 pandemic. For a complete list of recipients and projects, visit https://researchns.ca/new-health-investigator-grant-recipients/.

Dr. S. Karly Kehoe helms national group of leading scholars

At a Canada-wide annual general meeting held November 29 on Zoom, Dr. S. Karly Kehoe became President of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. The role carries a two-year term and means Dr. Kehoe is also a member of the RSC Board of Directors.  

Dr. S. Karly Kehoe

“It’s important for Atlantic Canada,” says Kehoe. “It puts our early- to mid-career scholars on the national map, and that’s empowering.”

The College of New Scholars represents Canada's emerging generation of scholarly, scientific and artistic leaders. Elected members have demonstrated artistic or research excellence within 15 years of their post-doctoral program or its equivalent.

For faculty members in small-to-medium-sized universities, membership in the College can help boost the national profile of their contributions to Canada’s research ecosystem, Kehoe says. First elected to the College in 2017, she is an associate professor of History at Saint Mary’s, graduate coordinator of Atlantic Canada Studies, and the Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities.

Her new presidency comes with a lot of responsibility, but it’s a great opportunity, she says. She looks forward to working with colleagues on key priorities, including Reconciliation, increasing interdisciplinary collaboration within the College, and fostering a close relationship between the College and the RSC. One primary focus of collaboration right now is a joint Covid-19 Task Force.

“Internationalization is important for me as well,” adds Kehoe. “Making those connections with similar organizations elsewhere. It’s very good to have Canadian scholars at the table and participating in moving forward the important research development discussions happening around the world.”

Her primary research areas are religion, migration, and minority identities in the British Atlantic. Still, she’s also interested in sustainable development and rural change in Nova Scotia and the Scottish Highlands. She runs the SMU Emerging Researcher Program, a 12-week program for grades 11 and 12 students in rural Cape Breton. She also leads the Gorsebrook Research Institute for Atlantic Canada Studies and is an alumna of the Global Young Academy and the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Young Academy of Scotland.

Kehoe is a strong advocate for displaced, refugees and at-risk academics. She recently co-edited the book, Responsibility for Refugee and Migrant Integration, released in 2019. This year saw the publication of British Colonization in Atlantic Canada, 1700-1900: A Reappraisal, co-edited with SMU colleague Dr. Michael E. Vance.

Her research continues on 'A Catholic Atlantic? Minority Agency in the British World, 1763-1860', supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. This fall, a related conference was scheduled to take place at Saint Mary's but postponed due to the pandemic. With support from CLARI, Kehoe is also embarking on an exciting project on Nova Scotia's South Shore, titled "Kingsburg: A Social and Economic History in 10 Objects" with Dr. Seán Kennedy of the Irish Studies program and students in her Community Leadership course.

The Faculty of Arts at Saint Mary’s has four more scholars associated with the Royal Society of Canada. Dr. Peter Twohig, Associate Dean of Arts, and Dr. Gavin Fridell, Canada Research Chair in International Development Studies, and Dr. R. Blake Brown, Professor of History, are members of the College of New Scholars. Dr. John Reid, Professor Emeritus of History and Atlantic Canada Studies, is a Fellow of the RSC’s Academy of the Arts and Humanities.

Kehoe first got involved as an active member of the RSC’s Atlantic chapter and highly recommends it. “What a great bunch of people to work with. It’s important for us to work together to see how we can harness the cutting-edge research that is happening here for the benefit of the region, and also make it more accessible to communities beyond the universities.” 

The Royal Society of Canada has existed since 1882. Established in 2014, the College of New Scholars now has more than 370 members. Learn more at rsc-src.ca/en/college-members.

SMU Studio for Teaching and Learning lands Universities Canada Innovation Fund Grant

Saint Mary’s mandate to foster intercultural education got an important boost this month with news that a grant application submitted through the Office of Global Learning and Intercultural Support was successful, paving the way for the University to hire ten student Global Learning Ambassadors.

As part of Canada’s International Education Strategy 2019-2024, Universities Canada launched the Innovation Fund as part of Canada’s new Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program, which includes provisions to fund innovative outbound student mobility projects across the country.

“Our successful application included a proposal to launch Intercultural Learning for Students by Students, a peer-support project designed to help students develop intercultural competencies while they research access to international opportunities,” says Miyuki Arai, the Director of Global Learning and Intercultural Support. “The $25,000 award attached to the Innovation Fund will be used to hire ten students as part-time Global Learning Ambassadors, so we see this as an exciting investment in interculturalism and student mobility for our whole university community,” she adds.

Saint Mary’s new Global Learning Ambassadors will participate in knowledge creation and sharing, community outreach, and intercultural relationship-building initiatives guided by the principles of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with a particular focus on enhancing the accessibility of international opportunities for students from historically marginalized groups. Stakeholders include students, faculty, staff, alumni, and local organizations that tackle a range of systemic social and environmental issues.

A second Universities Canada funding application, submitted by a consortium of universities in Atlantic Canada, including Saint Mary’s, was also successful. The $40,000 project “Increasing International Student Mobility in Atlantic Canada: Reducing Barriers and Enhancing Capacity to Deliver Programs” will be led by UNB.

“While the pandemic has interrupted study abroad opportunities all over the world this year, it feels like the news of this award is a harbinger of the wonderful intercultural learning opportunities that lie ahead for our students,” says Ms. Arai.

Engineering student Emily Veinot wins the 2020 Montreal Women’s Memorial Scholarship

Emily Veinot

Congratulations to Emily Veinot, the winner of the 2020 Montreal Women’s Memorial Scholarship at Saint Mary’s University. Typically this award is presented at a ceremony on campus to observe the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women.

Awarded each year to a female Engineering student, the scholarship honours the memory of the 14 women who were killed on December 6, 1989 at the École Polytechnique, the engineering school at the Université de Montréal. At the time it was the deadliest shooting in Canada, and gunman killed only women in the anti-feminist attack.

“As a woman in engineering but also as a Francophone,
I believe it is extremely important that we remember and honor the lives and goals of the women who were lost on that day,” said Emily.

“This award is an important reminder of the vital role that women play in scientific fields, and that there is still work to be done to reach the goal of gender equality in all disciplines,” said Dr. Lori Francis, Dean of Science at Saint Mary’s.

“Congratulations Emily on achieving this honour, your enthusiasm for engineering is inspirational, and I’m so proud that your hard work has paid off.”

Emily grew up in the Acadian community of Clare on the south-western tip of Nova Scotia and attended École Secondaire de Clare. She was athletic, playing soccer and track and field, and was very interested in environmental work, doing a volunteer study with a teacher and professor from the University of Saskatchewan, looking at human infrastructure influences on wildlife.

With a diesel mechanic father who taught her how to how to change tires and the oil in her car, Emily grew up around cars, and says she has always found mechanical and technological systems complicated and exciting.

“I’ve been around machinery my whole life. That sparked my passion for problem-solving and led me to pursue a career in mechanical engineering,” she said.

“My parents are proud,” she said. “If I was ready to do it, they were ready to support me.”

Now in her second year of study, Emily has an impressive 4.04 GPA. She has won a number of academic awards and bursaries, including a renewable entrance scholarship to Saint Mary’s, the Dr. Robert and Suzanne Van Den Hoogen Bursary, and a Nova Scotia Future Engineers Award.

“I always loved math and physics and design…calculus is a good time for me,” she laughed. My first year I really loved it, and during Design I we built boats and I thought that was so cool… I thought “I’m doing mechanical, that’s so fun.’”

Along with her studies, Emily is a Teaching Assistant for the Design I class. She is a member of the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students and the Atlantic Council of Engineering Students. As the bilingualism commissioner for the Atlantic Council of Engineering students, she provides French representation so it’s more linguistically diverse, and appreciates learning from her colleagues, most of whom are in their fourth year of study.

Next year she plans to attend Dalhousie University to complete her degree in Mechanical Engineering, and has applied to the co-op program to further develop her professional skills.

Emily says that while she’s happy to have been born at a time with a lot more gender equality, “it’s still an uphill battle, and there’s still a lot of underrepresentation of women in sciences and engineering. I think a lot of women are intimidated and talked out of it, and I think that’s so unfortunate. It’s never going to change if we don’t make the change.”

SMU community raises $30K on Giving Tuesday

On Giving Tuesday, 138 members of the Saint Mary’s community came together in support of students with gifts totaling $32,580!

These gifts were matched through the generosity of the J & W Murphy Foundation and the Saint Mary’s Alumni Association, with all funds going directly to the Saint Mary’s Student Wellness Fund.

Gifts and the matching funds will help students through initiatives such as the on-campus Community Food Room, the Enactus Saint Mary’s Square Roots vegetable bundle program and provide some holiday cheer in the form of care packages for those students not able to travel home over the holidays due to COVID-19.

A special thanks is extended to faculty and staff members who made this Giving Tuesday one of the most successful ever. Thank you for uniting together to offer immediate support to students.

Dr. Linda Campbell wins Professional of Distinction at the 2020 Discovery Awards

Dr. Linda Campbell

Saint Mary’s University is pleased to announce that Dr. Linda Campbell has won the Professional of Distinction award at the 18th annual Discovery Awards, held virtually on November 26, 2020.

Dr. Campbell, a Professor and senior research fellow in Environmental Science at Saint Mary’s University, has risen to the top of her field in environmental research, conducting and coordinating research groups across four continents. Her research and teaching at SMU focus on contaminants in the environment, as well as on sustainability and resilience issues with emphasis on aquatic ecosystems and water resources.

“Dr. Campbell is most certainly a professional, and person, of distinction. Dr. Campbell is recognized as a leader in environmental science research and is known as a scientist whose work increases our understanding of the impact of humans on the natural world,” said Dr. Lori Francis, Dean of Science at Saint Mary’s. “Her remediation work illustrates her drive to use new approaches to remedy historic contamination problems.”

“We here at SMU are proud of the work that she does and so very impressed by her desire to share her knowledge with the many students she has mentored.”

Her leadership was recognized early in her career; she received the W.B. Pearson medal for her PhD research, and building on this, her early career accomplishments were rewarded with a Canada Research Chair and a Canada’s Top 40 under 40 award in 2009. She is the recipient of over $10 million in funding for research, and despite working in environmental remediation, which often involves non-peer reviewed work, she has authored over 75 papers, given 150+ presentations around the world, and has supervised more than 20 graduate theses, and 30 undergraduate theses/projects. 

Within the university community she has served on Senate and is currently on the Board of Governors at Saint Mary’s University while also serving as a Trustee of Gallaudet University in Washington DC. This experience builds on her three terms as a Board member of the Canada Hearing Society from 2006-17. These accomplishments clearly demonstrate her leadership is sought at all levels, from local to international.

Dr. Campbell and her team at the Dynamic Ecology and Environmental Health Research (DEEHR) Group provide expertise and technological infrastructure to the study of contaminants in the aquatic environment. Her research extends to aquatic food webs, invasive species, terrestrial wildlife and human consumers of aquatic food.

As a researcher, she is shaping a new path for the study of environmental contamination in Nova Scotia. Her more recent work has uncovered new vectors for human-aquatic ecosystem interrelationships.

Along with her significant contributions to the scientific world, Dr. Campbell, who has been Deaf since birth and communicates in American Sign Language (ASL), has spent hours building awareness of accessibility in society. She has received a Nova Scotia Human Rights Award, as well as the Mel Hebb Hourglass Action Award as part of the Bill-59 Community Alliance. She has also worked closely with ASL-English interpreters to develop collaborative scientific and academic interpreting.

Successful in breaking ground in media accessibility, Dr. Campbell has worked with arts communities to introduce environmental issues to new audiences. In 2016 she led the development of an ASL movie detailing the impact of the Halifax Explosion on the children and staff at the Halifax School for the Deaf.  

Dr. Campbell has demonstrated time and again, that situations many would consider obstacles, can in fact be moments of opportunity. She is a role model whose passion, values, commitment to community, selflessness, and ability to overcome obstacles make her an invaluable asset to Saint Mary’s community, and Nova Scotia.

The Discovery Awards celebrate the outstanding achievement of scientists and innovators in Nova Scotia. Along with the Professional of Distinction category, awards were presented for Emerging Professional, Innovation, Science Champion, a Youth award, and Hall of Fame.

On Giving Tuesday, Nova Scotia universities encourage support for student-led food security programs

In an unprecedented move, nine Nova Scotia universities, in partnership with their student unions, are combining their efforts to improve food security for students on Giving Tuesday, Dec. 1. The J & W Murphy Foundation inspired this collaboration, providing a minimum donation of $3,500 to each university with the potential for additional matching funds if the campaigns exceed this threshold.

Today is #GivingTuesdayCA. Thank you for considering your gift to the @smuhalifax Student Wellness Fund. The J & W Murphy Foundation will match your gift, doubling the impact on increasing food security for our students. https://t.co/91Br4Z84iJ #Food4thoughtNS #SMUCommunity pic.twitter.com/Am46ZrgvH5

— Rob Summerby-Murray (@smuprez) December 1, 2020

 "As COVID-19 shut down our schools and universities, libraries and restaurants, drop-in centres and meal support services, we knew we had to step up to help prevent vulnerable Nova Scotians from falling through the cracks,” says Lisa Murphy, on behalf of the family foundation she and her sister, Karen Spaulding, co-direct. “That includes students, many of whom have lost jobs and access to on-campus food services," says Murphy.

Food insecurity is the uncertainty that an individual is and will be able to eat well. It means they  struggle to afford, access and store healthy food, or to have the time and skills to shop for and prepare nutritious meals. According to Statistics Canada, food insecurity affects between 10 and 14% of Canadians and is more prevalent in families with children. Other studies show that these rates approximately triple amongst post-secondary students, suggesting that two out of five (39%) of Canadian university students have experienced some degree of food insecurity.

The nine universities participating are Saint Mary’s University, Dalhousie University, Mount Saint Vincent University, St. Francis Xavier University, Acadia University, Cape Breton University, Atlantic School of Theology, NSCAD University and the University of King’s College.

The excellence of SMU's Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation recognized by major gift

The excellence of Saint Mary's University's Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MTEI) program is being recognized by a major gift from a leading figure in Canada's business and entrepreneurship community.

Rishbah Arora, MTEI student; Dr. Robert Steele, DComm’18; and Laura Russell, MTEI student.

"I have always been impressed by Saint Mary's University and the Sobey School of Business. From my time as a student and in every interaction I have with a Saint Mary's student going back decades," says Dr. Robert Steele DComm'18. "I have seen the impact that a strong business foundation from Saint Mary's provides students. I know that through this gift, Saint Mary's will be able to continue to attract amazing students from Atlantic Canada, Canada and around the world to the MTEI program and the Sobey School. Students will learn from great professors and receive the support they need to successfully develop their business ideas and start-ups into thriving businesses that will give back to the economic vitality of our region."

Dr. Steele is investing a $2 million philanthropic gift in the Sobey School of Business' Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation program which will enable it to double the size of the program, create new resources for research in the area of entrepreneurship, and support students by providing scholarships and awards to student entrepreneurs.

Over ten years, three major initiatives will be supported by this gift. They are:

• The Steele MTEI Scholarships: These scholarships will support bright, creative and motivated students who have chosen the MTEI program to help them achieve their dreams of being an entrepreneur.
  

• The Steele Entrepreneurship Awards: These entrepreneurship awards will be awarded to MTEI student entrepreneurs who are in the earliest stages of starting new businesses.
  

• The Steele Professorship in Entrepreneurship in the Sobey School of Business: This new professorship will provide additional capacity and support to expand and broaden entrepreneurship research intensity at the Sobey School. 

“This gift reflects the outstanding success of our MTEI program over the past six years and recognizes the tremendous impact of the program on entrepreneurship and innovation in Atlantic Canada,” says Saint Mary’s University President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. “Saint Mary’s and the Sobey School of Business are the entrepreneurship leaders in our region, and programs like MTEI show why we are part of a rising entrepreneurship tide both nationally and internationally.” 

“On behalf of Saint Mary’s University, the Sobey School of Business, and the MTEI program, I want to thank Dr. Steele for his commitment to the continued success of our institution and entrepreneurship in Atlantic Canada and beyond,” says President Summerby-Murray.  

The Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Saint Mary’s University is a comprehensive, cross-sector program that combines the knowledge and skills of a management program with marketing, leadership, finance, accounting, communications, economics and information technology. Alumni from the program have started their own companies ranging from rope-less lobster traps to companies specializing in customized lighting, water quality measurement, and training for recreation gaming to e-sports. Alumni have also added value to companies by bringing their MTEI expertise to management at different businesses. Those business areas include companies that deal with cybersecurity, virtual conferencing solutions, and transitioning traditionally retail-based services to at-home delivery.   

“The Sobey School of Business is preparing the next generation of Canadian entrepreneurs and researchers in business and entrepreneurship,” says Dr. Harjeet Bhabra, Dean of the Sobey School of Business. “With the rapid change this year in how businesses operate, programs focused on the integration of technology and innovation like MTEI are more important now than ever before. With this gift, we can continue to expand the scope of the program, engage more entrepreneurs and researchers in growing knowledge creation and expanding the entrepreneurship and start-up sector.”