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$25 million landmark investment in Saint Mary’s University

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Loyola Conference Hall was overflowing with excitement on March 8 with students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends celebrating the news of a $25 million investment in the university.  

Announced by the Honorable Brian Wong, Minister of Advanced Education, Saint Mary's University is the recipient of a $25 million investment from the Province of Nova Scotia to expand its programs, research and capacity in healthcare data analytics, management, and leadership, with a focus on creating solutions to improve the province’s healthcare system.   

"I want to thank Premier Tim Houston, Minister Wong, and the provincial government for putting their faith in Saint Mary's University and our ability to improve the health and well-being of Nova Scotians through our excellence in data analytics, health research and professional development expertise," says Alan R. Abraham, Jr. BComm'80, Chair of the Saint Mary's University Board of Governors.  

The $25 million investment marks the most significant single government investment in the history of Saint Mary's University. 

"Thank you to all the faculty, students, and staff who joined us on Wednesday for this landmark announcement," says Erin Sargeant Greenwood, Vice-President of Advancement and External Affairs. "Your support and excitement made this event a resounding success."  

This investment will support the university’s capacity to expand and grow and will include, but not be limited to:   

  • expanding health data analytics programming and research at Saint Mary's. This will support hiring additional faculty members and researchers and creating the right spaces to support growth in our student population and research activity. This includes investments in technology to support teaching, learning and research; 

  • developing management and leadership programming for healthcare professionals. This programming would target healthcare administrators, family doctors, and office directors. Delivery could take several forms, including micro-credentials, diplomas, certificates, and executive professional development; and 

  • expanding the articulation agreements with the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC). This will create and promote new pathways between the healthcare programs at NSCC and undergraduate degree programs at Saint Mary’s University.  

“Community is at the heart of all that we do at Saint Mary’s University,” says Saint Mary’s University President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. “Expanding our focus to support a vital component of any great community, its health and well-being is an excellent part of the solution to improving healthcare in Nova Scotia.”   

This tremendous investment recognizes Saint Mary’s strength in interdisciplinary collaboration and engagement with community. Saint Mary’s students have world-class opportunities while benefiting from exceptional student-faculty relationships. Here, ideas and possibilities from diverse and varying perspectives are nurtured and explored. New pathways, breakthroughs and careers emerge.  

Watch for more news and ways to get involved in maximizing the impact of this opportunity for Saint Mary’s, for our students and faculty and for all Nova Scotians. 

Watch clips from the announcement on March 8, 2023

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Saint Mary’s becomes a Fair Trade Campus

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Ever wonder where your hot cup of coffee comes from? At Saint Mary’s University, you can be sure your coffee is Fair Trade certified and farmers have received fair compensation for their product. In today’s globalized world, our purchases can significantly impact people around the globe and the environment. Saint Mary’s faculty, staff and students are dedicated to making a difference, and as a result of their efforts, all on-campus purchases are now Fair Trade certified.  

Fair Trade is an alternative approach to business based on partnerships between producers and consumers. Farmers receive a minimum price, improved terms, and a social premium that helps improve their lives and enables them to plan for their future. SMU professor and Canada Research Chair in International Development Studies, Gavin Fridell, is a noted expert on Fair Trade and recently published The Fair Trade Handbook: Building a Better World, Together.

"Saint Mary's University has long demonstrated academic leadership around issues of the global trade system and the role of Fair Trade in addressing injustices, we are pleased to welcome you as the 45th Fair Trade Campus of Canada. Saint Mary's students, faculty and staff continue to lead the way in taking initiatives that directly benefit farmers and producers in the Global South and build environmental resilience in their communities. Congratulations!"  says Loïc de Fabritus Gautier, Senior Manager of Advocacy & Citizen Engagement at Fair Trade Canada. 

Saint Mary’s meets a variety of requirements for the national program, including: 

  • Ensuring all applicable food service locations on Saint Mary’s campus offer Fair Trade certified coffee, tea, and chocolate options as required by Fair Trade Canada standards. 

  • Ensuring one Fair Trade chocolate option is available at all applicable snack vending machines on campus. 

  • Establishing and maintaining a Fair Trade Committee for our campus (the Sustainability Sub-Committee on Fair Trade) that meets regularly to monitor and further Fair Trade at Saint Mary’s. 

SMU Dining hosted events and giveaways in early March to celebrate Saint Mary's campus certification. 

You can learn more at  Fair Trade Canada. 

Saint Mary's brand wins 2 international awards

The updated Saint Mary’s University branding was recognized recently with two more international awards.

The new branding received a global Circle of Excellence award (Bronze) as well as a Best in District award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

CASE’s Circle of Excellence Awards are the premier recognition program for educational advancement. These peer-selected and adjudicated awards honour colleges, universities and schools worldwide whose talented staff have advanced their organizations with resourcefulness and ingenuity.

Winners were selected based on several factors, including overall quality, innovation, use of resources and the impact on the institution or its external and internal communities, such as alumni, parents, students, faculty, and staff. 

The awards drew 4,510 entries from 636 institutions in nearly 30 countries around the world. Something to celebrate! 

Student entrepreneurs vie for top spot in SMU’s national pitch competition

Who has the best entrepreneurship idea in Canada? Tune into the 2023 Saint Mary’s University March Madness Pitch Competition to see aspiring student entrepreneurs present their ideas and hone their pitching skills in a bid to win cash and prizes valued at over $19,000.

Now in its third year, the March Madness Pitch Competition is run by the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre and aims to give student entrepreneurs the chance to acquire skills, resources and training to jumpstart their businesses. Modelled after the NCAA March Madness basketball competition, the month-long virtual event sees 64 students from across Canada compete head-to-head in brackets as they strive to be declared the best in the country.

In the Final Round, the top two pitchers square off to deliver their most compelling, four-minute pitch. Final pitches and live Q&A are judged by a panel of nationally renowned entrepreneurs.

This national competition is a major draw for Canada's top student entrepreneurs. It features twenty-four universities from coast to coast, from as far west as the University of Victoria and the University of Alberta, to participants from central Canada such as the University of Waterloo, Carleton University, and Western University. Eastern Canada is also well represented with many participants, including HEC Montreal, Mount Allison University, Saint Mary's University and the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Thousands of viewers from around the world will tune in online to support their favourites and follow the action. To keep up to date on all the latest teams, pitches and results, visit https://smuec.ca/march_madness/ or www.facebook.com/smuec.ca for the live streams.

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The Province of Nova Scotia makes a historic investment in healthcare data analytics and management at Saint Mary’s University

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Brian Wong, Minister of Advanced Education, announced today, March 8, 2023, a historic investment in Saint Mary's University for healthcare data analytics and management programs.   

“The future of patient care is increasingly dependent on new technology and innovation -- our students need to be ready so they can help provide better, faster, and more options for care across the province,” said Brian Wong, Minister of Advanced Education. “We’re fortunate to have post-secondary institutions, like Saint Mary’s, that are ready to help us train the workforce we need to take advantage of these modern tools.”   

The $25 million investment represents a significant step forward to support the future of healthcare in Nova Scotia. The investment also recognizes the success of Saint Mary’s unique programs and strengths in data analytics, management and leadership. 

“I want to thank Premier Tim Houston, Minister Wong, and the provincial government for putting their faith in Saint Mary’s University and our ability to improve the health and well-being of Nova Scotians through our excellence in data analytics, health research and professional development expertise,” says Alan R. Abraham, Jr. BComm'80, Chair of the Saint Mary's University Board of Governors. “Nova Scotia will become a magnet for healthcare provider management and leadership training, led by Saint Mary’s, as a result of this historic investment from the Province of Nova Scotia.”  

A diploma in healthcare data analytics, micro-credentials targeted to support healthcare administrators, office directors and family doctors, and an articulation agreement with the Nova Scotia Community College’s (NSCC) healthcare programs to provide a Bachelor of Science are amongst the new initiatives that form this transformational healthcare investment.  

“Community is at the heart of all that we do at Saint Mary’s University,” says Saint Mary’s University President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. “Expanding our focus to support a vital component of any great community, its health and well-being, is an excellent part of the solution to improving healthcare in Nova Scotia.”  

“Our faculty and researchers have the expertise needed to be solutionists and help build a better Nova Scotia, and I am incredibly proud to share the news of this historic investment in our institution,” adds President Summerby-Murray. “I want to extend my gratitude to the provincial government for their support as we cultivate excellence together.”  

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Saint Mary’s joins TRIUMF, Canada's national particle accelerator centre

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A large facility with machinery and containers

Meson Hall is TRIUMF’s first and largest research facility. Four storeys high with another four storeys below ground, the building houses the laboratory’s 520 MeV cyclotron – certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest accelerator of its type in the world.

On March 6, 2023, Saint Mary’s University became a full member of TRIUMF, Canada's particle accelerator centre, joining a group of 21 universities across the country.

TRIUMF is a hub for discovery and innovation along with its partner institutions—solving problems, from the hunt for the smallest particles in our universe to advancing research that discovers the next generation of batteries or develops isotopes to diagnose and treat disease.

As a full member, Saint Mary’s will be empowered to participate in and lead the TRIUMF science program, including the laboratory’s vision-setting and its multifaceted and intersectional portfolio of collaborations and network opportunities.

“Saint Mary’s University is honoured to be enhancing our partnership with this renowned facility," says Dr. Adam Sarty, Associate Vice-President, Research. “By committing to now change our status to have full membership with TRIUMF, our professors and students will be ensured to maintain their access to sophisticated, isotope science and technology to innovate, inspire and educate. Working more fully within the TRIUMF family of member universities, we will achieve greater collaboration across communities and disciplines, from nuclear and particle physics to the life and material sciences.”

TRIUMF is one of the few subatomic research facilities in the world that specializes in using particle accelerators to produce extremely intense beams of isotopes. Particle accelerators use a combination of electric and magnetic fields to accelerate and guide streams of charged particles to relativistic velocities. 

In fact, TRIUMF is home to the world’s largest cyclotron, a special type of particle accelerator that accelerates particles up to 75% of the speed of light as they follow a spiral path through it. 

Particle accelerators are useful tools for science, medicine and business. For example, they can produce some of the most extreme conditions in the universe, allowing researchers to study how exotic, unstable isotopes form and break apart, as well as particles and molecules in their work. Some of these isotopes also have tremendous value for use in diagnostics scans for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, or even direct therapies for diseases like cancer. At TRIUMF, scientists from around the world use particle accelerators for particle and nuclear physics, life sciences and medical research, materials science, and more.

Saint Mary’s has long had a collaborative relationship with TRIUMF, and two years ago Saint Mary’s led a national project for rare isotope research at the facility. A team of scientists including SMU Principal Investigator Dr. Rituparna Kanungo achieved a major milestone, accelerating for the first time a radioactive isotope beam through the CANREB (CANadian Rare isotope facility with Electron Beam ion source) facility and delivered to the IRIS experiment in the ISAC-II experimental hall. The IRIS facility is also a SMU-led CFI project that unveils the secrets of the rare isotopes with nuclear reactions.

About TRIUMF

TRIUMF was founded in 1968 by Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria; it has expanded to include members across Canada. The science program has expanded from nuclear physics to a multidisciplinary effort that includes particle physics, molecular and materials science, and nuclear medicine. TRIUMF provides research infrastructure and tools that are too large and complex for a single university to build, operate, or maintain.

Located on the UBC campus, the houses almost 600 scientists, engineers, and staff performing research. A hub for discovery and innovation, the laboratory attracts almost 900 national and international users every year and provides advanced research facilities and opportunities to 150 students and postdoctoral fellows. In addition to the onsite program, TRIUMF serves as a key broker for Canada in global research in particle, nuclear, and accelerator physics.

Brightening lives in our community: SMU United Way event schedule

UPDATE: The deadline to make donations via payroll deduction is Sunday, March 26, 11:59 pm. Donate today!

Sam found relief with a United Way-funded housing support worker in her corner.

The SMU United Way committee is excited to release the schedule of events for the 2023 United Way campaign, which begins March 27!

The line-up includes traditional events like the Pizza Party kick-off and the Book & Board Game sale, as well as favourites from last year such as massage therapy sessions provided by student practitioners from Eastern College and free yoga at the Homburg.

New this year is Lunch-hour Trivia in the Gorsebrook Lounge. Teams of up to four are encouraged to flex their trivia skills and match wits for a good cause.

All proceeds raised from these events go to the United Way Halifax Community Fund,

When you give, you are helping people who are struggling to keep up with their basic needs: safe shelter, nutritious food, and mental health support. At a time when costs are rising and housing is scarce, United Way Halifax is bridging gaps with short-term and long-term solutions. Your support right now is crucial.

Every donation counts and helps to improve people’s daily lives right here in our community. Thank you for your support.

Let’s come together, have some fun and take action to ensure there are brighter days ahead for everyone in our community!

Event schedule

Monday, March 27

Kickoff Event: Pizza and Prizes
Help launch the campaign with some delicious pizza and a chance to win great prizes!

12-1 pm, Loyola 290
Donations appreciated

Tuesday, March 28

Book & Game Sale
10-3 pm, Loyola Colonnade
Hard cover books, games & puzzles: $2; Soft cover: $1

Massages
12-4 pm, Patrick Power Library
Provided by Massage Therapy Program, Eastern College
Minimum donation: $5/30 minutes

Wednesday, March 29

Yoga in the Homburg
10 a.m., Homburg Centre, Studio A
Donations appreciated

Wellness Walk & Hot Chocolate
Two walks: Noon and 2:30 p.m.
Meet at O’Donnell Hennessey Student Centre (Inside route if the weather doesn‘t permit)

Thursday, March 30

Book & Game Sale
10-3 pm, Loyola Colonnade
Hard cover books, games & puzzles: $2; Soft cover: $1

Lunch-hour Trivia
11:30 a.m - noon, Gorsebrook Lounge
No registration needed. $20 for groups of up to four people.

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International Women's Day at Saint Mary’s

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On Wednesday, March 8, the Saint Mary’s community joins the global celebration of International Women’s Day.

To shine a light on women’s and girls’ social, economic, cultural and political achievements, and on the work still being done towards gender equality and empowerment, we’re highlighting some of the many stories that celebrate our students, faculty and alumni.

Saint Mary’s is also hosting special lecture, titled ‘Women's Bodily Autonomy and the Right to Bare Arms’, in partnership with Mount Saint Vincent University and SMUSA. See below for details.

Learn more about International Women’s Day, and be sure watch @smuhalifax channels for more inspiring stories.

Lecture: Women's Bodily Autonomy and the Right to Bare Arms

Wednesday, March 8
4:30—6 p.m.
Burke Theatre B 

Dr. Meredith Ralston is a professor of women’s studies and political studies at Mount Saint Vincent University and a documentary filmmaker. In her book,Slut-Shaming, Whorephobia, and the Unfinished Sexual Revolution, she examines the common denominators between the #MeToo movement, the myths of rape culture and the pleasure gap between men and women to reveal the ways that sexually liberated women threaten the traditional patriarchy. Join us for an engaging discussion on her latest book.

 

Stories

Science student and SMU Husky Shae Demale garners Top 8 Academic All-Canadian award

Saint Mary’s Huskies women’s hockey forward Shae Demale was honoured recently as a Top 8 Academic All-Canadian for the 2021-22 season by U SPORTS.

Shae was named the most valuable player in AUS women’s hockey last season and registered a perfect 4.30 GPA in both 2020-21 and 2021-22. She is also a volunteer hockey coach with the Metro West Force Female Hockey Club in Halifax, and a volunteer in the emergency department at the IWK Health Centre. Read more.

Dr. Benita Bunjun honoured for teaching excellence and educational leadership

Dr. Benita Bunjun’s innovative teaching methods resonate deeply with her students and colleagues at Saint Mary’s University, inside the classroom and out in the community.

An associate professor in the Department of Social Justice and Community Studies and the Women and Gender Studies program, Dr. Bunjun is “invested in envisioning programs, curricula and resources that promote alternative and diverse perspectives and knowledge systems which have predominantly been omitted, silenced and excluded from academic spaces of learning.”
Read more.

Multiple degrees enhance the family business for mother and daughter

Simultaneous studies in Arts and Commerce added up to the perfect combination for Elora Gehue of Halifax—and for her mother, Olwyn Terris-Gehue.

“It’s been a great experience, honestly,” says Gehue, herself a mother of two young sons. “I think it made us closer too, being able to learn and grow with each other.”

The mother and daughter share an appreciation for the interdisciplinary learning options at Saint Mary’s. They took quite a few classes together, and are graduating with an unusual combination of credentials. Read more.

Thinking, Making, Crafting: Crafts___Ship

Photo: Pam Corell

Learn about the latest exhibit at the Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery, Crafts___Ship, in an article for Billie by Elissa Barnard.

By: Elissa Barnard, Billie: Visual ∙ Culture ∙ Atlantic

In Crafts___Ship: Carley Mullally, Gillian Maradyn-Jowsey and Inbal Newman, three Nova Scotia artists distort the notion of craft as a female domestic art in a cheerful, cozy show steeped in the Maritimes’  history of rural life and seafaring at Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery.

To walk into the gallery is to enter a playful, storybook home of multi-coloured, ceramic candlesticks, a cozy heart towel and a dory with yellow, blue and orange pompoms and tassels. While bringing humour and whimsy to their work, this trio is rigorously contemporary in examining gender, women’s history, Nova Scotia craft history and the value and nature of craft itself.

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Creating a Black Student Society at SMU: Reflections from inaugural president, Oratile Mogae 

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Oratile Mogae is a fourth-year student in Marketing and Entrepreneurship and has a strong passion for the Black student experience at Saint Mary’s. Currently serving in the role of Black Student Coordinator within the Black Student Advising centre, Mogae works to enhance and engage the Black student experience through student-led programming and initiatives. She strives to create a space for “Black students to come together, learn from each other, network, have fun and just be ourselves.”  

Under the Student Affairs and Services portfolio, the Black Student Advising centre (BSA) is a support hub for the Black student community at SMU. Mogae describes it as “a place to discuss any challenges or concerns, whether academically, at home or in life in general.” She emphasizes that “the BSA is a place where you don’t have to worry about what people think about you. It’s a safe space to talk and get support.” 

Mogae also recently co-founded the Saint Mary’s University Black Student Society (BSS) and currently serves as the society’s inaugural president.

“It is history that we finally have a Black Student Society,” she says proudly. “It was important for us to start it before Black History/African Heritage month to create a space for all Black students to come together.”  

SMU is fortunate to have established societies for African students and Caribbean students, however, Mogae notes that “some students don’t belong to a specific ethnic group while others represent more than one Black identity. Establishing a Black Student Society was an opportunity to broaden the scope of belonging for all Black students.”

Mogae was driven to help create a student society “to show our cultures, teach our histories and be unapologetically loud together…this can be the space where we learn from and grow with each other.”  

As she prepares to complete her fourth year and transition out of school, Mogae reflects on what she has helped create, noting, “there can often be division amongst different Black groups, but the BSS is all about coming together to celebrate those differences.” She shares that her hope for the Black Student Society “is to unite Black students and become a community together at SMU; to uplift each other in a positive way.”  

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Winemaking and place-making? Nova Scotia’s craft wine industry is revitalizing rural areas

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Dr. Claudia De Fuentes

Nova Scotia’s thriving craft wine industry is playing a key role in transforming rural areas of the province into vibrant communities. In interviews with winery owners, winemakers and experts from a variety of supporting organizations, Dr. Claudia De Fuentes, a professor in the Sobey School of Business, is exploring how industry specialists from different parts of the world are collaborating with Nova Scotia’s wineries to create and accumulate skills for continuously innovating their processes and products. The result of this collaboration is a one-of-a-kind craft wine industry in Nova Scotia.

The first two wineries in Nova Scotia—Jost Vineyards and Domaine de Grand Pre—began with their trailblazing founders’ vision. They saw the region’s potential, back when it was only a blank canvas. Their vision, and that of those who followed, unleashed Nova Scotia’s potential for wine production.

Today, the region has a truly inclusive innovation ecosystem which has led to the development of new products and services and constitutes a crucial socio-economic engine for rural Nova Scotia. Results of this innovation include the ‘Tidal Bay’ appellation, which is one of the few Canadian products to have a denomination of origin. Wineries continuously experiment with ways to improve their wines and contribute to place-making through the growth of the industry in rural Nova Scotia while connecting with local communities and providing visitors with a relaxing environment.   

“Thanks to the evolution of the local industry, we are enjoying the ‘transfer and creation of knowledge’, where practices developed in other wine-producing countries are embraced and transformed to fit the very specific characteristics of the province’s terroir,” says De Fuentes. “The momentum of these efforts has contributed to place-making via the attraction and retention of talent, by contributing to the diversity of industry in rural Nova Scotia, and to the relevance of the wine industry in particular.”

Dr. De Fuentes and Sobey School of Business PhD student Fariba Seyedjafarrangraz, along with colleagues from HEC Montréal and the University of Waterloo, will soon release an SSHRC-funded research publication outlining the impact of Nova Scotia’s thriving craft wine industry on rural revitalization.

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The Turner Bursary for African Canadian and Indigenous Women

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Keisha Turner BA’12.

Saint Mary’s is proud to offer a new bursary to African Canadian and Indigenous women through the generosity of SMU alumna, Keisha Turner BA’12.

The Turner Bursary reflects Keisha’s identity as a community leader and her own lived experience as a Black female entrepreneur:

"I am so excited to be able to offer this bursary over the next five years. It was bursaries just like these that allowed me to succeed and finish my degree with the stability and support I needed to get where I am today.  It is with great pride and gratitude that I am able to do the same for the next generation of Black and Indigenous leaders."  

During her time at Saint Mary’s, Keisha studied Sociology and won an AUS Championship with the women’s volleyball team in 2010. She has since established an impactful career as an entrepreneur and consultant in Ontario and Nova Scotia. With her husband Michael Polak BComm’14, she has formed Akwekon – a consulting firm that guides Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations in the reconciliation of colonial and Indigenous practices.

It is in this spirit of cultivating positive change that Keisha invests in Saint Mary’s students, and in turn strengthens our community and the world beyond.  

Read more about Keisha’s story in Maroon + White