Student Success Week: March 27-31

Student Success Week schedule

The Student Success Centre (SSC) at Saint Mary’s University is excited to announce the first annual Student Success Week!

From March 27-31, 2023, the Student Success Centre will host a variety of engaging, informative and fun events to introduce students to the team and the vast array of resources available to help set students up for success throughout their time at Saint Mary’s and beyond.

“The Student Success Centre reflects the university’s commitment to excellence in student support,” says Amy McEvoy, Manager, SSC. “Our goal for the Centre is to become a hub for students to connect, get involved, learn new skills and strategies and make the most of their university experience.”

Join the SSC for a meet and greet Monday morning, visit the info booths in the Student Centre lobby from Tuesday through Thursday, check out the workshops to help prepare for the end of term and sing your exam stresses away at the Karaoke and Games Night!

“As a graduating Peer Success Coach, I am so excited for Student Success Week,” says Maria Donovan, soon-to-be BComm’23. “There are so many resources under the Student Success Centre that I wish I knew about back in my first years at Saint Mary’s. The week’s events have everything from informative sessions to help you prepare for the end of term, to opportunities for just plain fun!”   

Check out the full Student Success Week schedule here and find more information on the Student Success Events Calendar. Follow @SMU_StudentLife channels for daily updates.

Announcing the launch of the newly designed Sexual Violence Support Centre website

Saint Mary’s University is proud to launch a new website for the Sexual Violence Support Centre under Student Affairs and Services (SAAS).

The Sexual Violence Advisor, in conjunction with members of SAAS and the Saint Mary’s web team, have been working over the past year to develop a new website that enhances the user experience, aligns with more intuitive web navigation and better showcases the supports, education and initiatives within the centre.

“With the full overhaul of the SVSC website, the content structure is more intuitive making it easy to quickly navigate to supports or resources,” says Dee Dooley, Sexual Violence Advisor. “This helps ensure the SMU community has access to comprehensive, accessible and survivor-centric information and supports.”

The refreshed website derived from a need to present written and visual content that was trauma-informed and survivor-centric. Vector graphics replaced stock photography to reduce potential visual triggers for survivors, content was modernized to reflect evolved understandings of sexual and gender-based violence and harassment, and pages were audited to ensure accessibility and ease of use.

“This renewed website is a tremendous upgrade to the experience of people using the site,” says Tom Brophy, Associate Vice-President, SAAS. “We want survivors to know that we are here for them, and we want to make it as easy as possible for them to access supports. The refreshed content also makes it easier for members of the SMU community to get informed, educated and involved in initiatives.”

The new website comes on the heels of the revised Sexual Violence and Harassment policy that was announced at the end of January. “Our understanding of sexual and gender-based violence have evolved significantly over the past several years,” says Mark Moffett, Associate Vice-President, People and Culture. “It is important that we continue to adapt our efforts to reflect this new insight in order to better respond to the needs of our Saint Mary’s community.”

New Website Highlights

1.     Enhanced user experience: removing stock photography in favour of vector graphics means reducing the risk of potential content triggers for a survivor. The vectors quickly and accurately depict sub pages for an easier web journey.

2.     Updated navigation: the SVSC landing page creates an intuitive interaction opportunity with audience sub-page architecture to help each user find the information they need more intuitively and efficiently.

3.     New Ways to Explore: users can now explore supports, resources, forms, policies, initiatives, programs and education through the vector card landing page and the simplified mega menu navigation bar.

“This was a huge labour of love for me,” says Dooley, who has been working on the web updates since last July. “This website is a digital doorway to the vast array of offerings we have, so these updates are an important step towards ensuring our campus is a safe and respectful culture for students, staff and faculty.”

Research Expo 2023

Each year in March, talented Saint Mary’s researchers in the faculties of Science, Arts and the Sobey School of Business gather to share their academic achievements and projects. The Research Expo showcases work from students, faculty members and researchers.  

The event is hosted by the Office of Innovation and Community Engagement (OICE), which facilitates research relationships between faculty members, government departments and the SMU Community. The OICE supports joint research initiatives, assists faculty in research contract development, intellectual property protection and private sector sponsorship The Office works to establish collaborations between researchers and external partners and license technologies to industry. 

Events like Research Expo are key to building partnerships across university departments and with external organizations. presenters at the 2023 Research Expo included: 

Dr. Steven Smith, Psychology 
Dr. Diane Crocker, Criminology 
Dr. Joniada Milla, Economics 
Dr. Yasushi Akiyama, Mathematics and Computer Science 
Dr. Karly Kehoe, History 
Dr. Danielle Tokarz, Chemistry 
Dr. Erin Adlakha, Geology 

To learn more about the research at Saint Mary’s University, click here.  

Notice: Inventory & Distribution closure

Please be advised that Inventory & Distribution (I&D) will be closed for the year end inventory count on March 29, 30 & 31, 2023.

Please ensure that all I&D requisitions for stocked supplies (e.g. copy paper, etc.) are submitted to I&D no later than 12 p.m. on Friday, March 17, 2023.

If requisitions are received after 12 p.m. on March 17, 2023, orders will be filled after March 31, 2023. 

Departments are encouraged to submit requisitions for supplies prior to this date. 

• I&D staff will continue to receive incoming shipments on March 29, 30 & 31, 2023.

• All receiving documents for incoming goods will be noted with the proper date and time of receipt, for the purposes of year end activity.

• I&D staff many not be able to forward the received goods to the end user until after the count is complete.

Any questions should be directed to Pat Josey, Inventory & Distribution Representative, at 902-420-5467.

We appreciate your patience at this time. 

The annual International Night returns in epic fashion

The 27th Annual International Night was certainly one for the books! Students, faculty and staff were thrilled to see the event return in person, following a three-year hiatus due to the global pandemic.

The event concept, originating from a group of international students, was designed to bring enhanced international representation to campus, giving international students an opportunity to showcase their culture and cuisine. What started as a potluck gathering in the International Centre back in 1996/7 has now evolved into an impressive cultural production that has become a highlight of the winter term.

“The significance of the event is huge for our international students,” says Tom Brophy, Associate Vice-President, Student Affairs and Services. “Many of our international students are unable to travel back to their home countries during Winter Break, so this event gives them an opportunity to come together, celebrate their culture and feel a bit closer to home.”

Within just a few years, the International Night grew into a highly anticipated, gala-style event, incorporating international cuisine and cultural performances, organized annually by the International Student Centre alongside the Students Acting for Global Awareness (SAGA) volunteers.

This year’s International Night kicked off with a flag ceremony, with students proudly carrying their home country flags through the audience onto the stage. The event boasted speeches from notable personalities at Saint Mary’s including President Rob Summerby-Murray, Student Affairs and Services AVP Tom Brophy and SMUSA President Isobel Tyler before moving into a buffet dinner filled with an array of internationally inspired selections.

“This event is of paramount importance to our international students and to our SMU Community at large,” says President Summerby-Murray. “We are a dynamic campus with a large international student population, and this event is an important component in reinforcing a sense of belonging and recognition at Saint Mary’s.”

Following dinner came an exceptional experience of cultural celebration featuring eleven different performers/groups representing their countries through song and dance:

• SAGA – Flags Presentation

• Nepalese Dance – Traditional Nepalese Dance

• NS Chinese Culture & Arts Club – Erhu Performance

• Glimpse of Nepal – Nepalese Folk Dance

• Team Bangladesh – Pop Music Acoustic Performance

• Imani Tribe – African Christina Acapella/Acoustic Performance

• NS Chinese Culture & Arts Club – Paper Fan Scholars Dance

• Aasha – Classical & Modern Bollywood Dance

• Team Bangladesh – Cultural Heritage Dance

• Shiray Tan – The Parent Song

• The Spice Girls – A mix of traditional dances

Prior to the event’s conclusion, Ysaac Rodriguez, Manager of the International Centre, spoke about the importance of the event and the work coming out of the International Student Centre. “When you’re living away from home,” says Rodriguez, “having an opportunity to wear and showcase your cultural/traditional clothes, or to perform something representing your culture is such a meaningful experience and gives the students enormous pride.”

The International Student Centre and SAGA wish to thank the emcees, speakers and performers for their contributions to an incredible evening. International Night was made possible by sponsorship from: The President’s Office; Student Affairs and Services; the SMU Bookstore; Aramark; SMUSA; Loong 7 Chinese Restaurant; and Zuya Production.

New! Branded templates for the SMU community

You asked, we listened! 

In response to community feedback, the External Affairs team has launched a new suite of branded templates across a variety of applications to make life a little easier for the SMU community. 

Since the official debut of the refreshed brand in June 2021, we’ve been collecting feedback from faculty and staff about what works, what doesn’t, and what was on their ‘wish list’ when it came to helpful templates. 

The new updates and additions to the Templates and Guidance web page reflect this feedback, and will help us all to communicate professionally and consistently while effectively leveraging our memorable SMU branding. 

From short and long-format professional reports in Microsoft Word, to email invitations and new, expanded PowerPoint presentation templates to printed posters and digital promotion graphics that can be created in Microsoft PowerPoint or Canva, the new templates address some of the most common requests we heard from the community.  

In addition to the templates, you’ll find more tips and guidance, including a Best Practices Tip Sheet for Working with MS Office Templates,  and even tips within the “Notes” in the PowerPoint templates.  

We want your feedback! 

Is there something missing, or something we can improve? Your input is what helps us create the most useful tools. Please send your thoughts to branding@smu.ca  

$25 million landmark investment in Saint Mary’s University

The Honourable Brian Wong, Minster of Minister of Advanced Education, at the podium.

Brian Wong talking to students and others at the funding announcement event.

The crowd at the funding announcement.

The Honourable Brian Wong, Minster of Minister of Advanced Education, and the Honourable Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care, with Associate Professor Michael Zhang and a group of Master of Business Analytics students.

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

Saint Mary’s becomes a Fair Trade Campus

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.

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

The Honourable Brian Wong, Minster of Minister of Advanced Education, at the podium.

Brian Wong talking to students and others at the funding announcement event.

The crowd at the funding announcement.

The Honourable Brian Wong, Minster of Minister of Advanced Education, and the Honourable Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care, with Associate Professor Michael Zhang and a group of Master of Business Analytics students.

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.”  

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

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.

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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.