Saint Mary’s unveils Sobeys Inspiration Hub A flagship of innovation and entrepreneurial excellence
On October 11, donors, alumni and friends of Saint Mary's gathered to celebrate the official opening of Saint Mary's newest building, the Sobeys Inspiration Hub.
The Sobeys Inspiration hub creates a natural intersection for business, academic and student communities. Its incubators, accelerators and technology labs will provide a catalyst for innovation where students can seamlessly participate in classes, workshops, internship opportunities, seminar series, conferences and business plan competitions. The Hub is adjacent to and integrates the Sobey School of Business building with the Loyola Building.
Opening with a smudging ceremony performed by Elder Gerri LeBlanc, speeches by donors, government leaders and students preceded a ribbon cutting.
The four-storey, 43,000-square-foot building is named in recognition of a $5-million investment in the building, part of an $18-million gift from the David & Faye Sobey Foundation, The Sobey Foundation and Sobeys Inc., as well as the personal donations of Paul Sobey DComm'11 and Marsha Sobey BEd'82 and Janis Sobey-Hames Associate Alumni'22 and Chris Hames, all longtime supporters of the university.
In attendance were several generations of the Sobey family, many of them alumni of Saint Mary's, who came in recognition of the profound and long-standing relationship with the university and to pay tribute to Dr. David Sobey, C.M., DComm’91 Chancellor Emeritus, who passed away in September. Janis Sobey-Hames, Chair of The David & Faye Sobey Foundation, spoke warmly of her late father's admiration for Saint Mary's.
"My father was so proud to be a part of the Saint Mary's community. He was proud of the work being done here to support students on their academic journeys and so proud to be able to help them as they pursue their dreams. He believed in the transformative power of education and that by supporting Saint Mary's, he could ignite the flames of ambition and inspire generations to reach their fullest potential."
Students work on the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing & Services retail robot project
Michael Medline, President and CEO of Sobeys and Empire, joined the Sobey family to participate in the ribbon cutting. "This environment is about tapping into potential, the incubation and growth of ideas, the space to challenge, take chances, even fail, and in turn create greatness. It is a space where students are sure to thrive."
Guests attending the opening ceremony included former Lieutenant Governor Myra Freeman LLD'07, former Saint Mary's Board Chairs Larry Freeman and John Fitzpatrick BA'81 LLD'17, former Senators Terry Mercer BA'77 LLD'13 and Wilfred Moore BComm'64 LLD'07, along with Derek Isaacs Associate Alumni'21 and Charlotte Isaacs who travelled from Colorado for the occasion.
Guests gather for the unveiling of the Sobey Inspiration Hub
The Sobeys Inspiration Hub is home to the new David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services, which focuses on cutting-edge retail research, innovation and education. The centre features a mock store for testing new retail concepts and technologies, a biometric lab for neuroscience research and a digital lab for developing apps and AI solutions. Students, researchers and industry partners work together at the David Sobey Centre to lead innovation in Canada's retail sector.
A centrepiece of the Sobeys Inspiration Hub is the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre, supported by a $5-million gift from Arthur L. Irving, Sandra Irving DCL’10, Sarah Irving, the Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation and Irving Oil.
Visitors to the centre marvelled at the collider space, discovery zone, digital prototyping lab, meeting spaces and podcasting production studio.
Students spoke about their passion for start-ups, pitch competitions and social enterprises that serve local communities across Nova Scotia and beyond.
Members of the Irving family arrived early to spend time with the students and their professors to hear first-hand how the centre is igniting their love for business.
"We are proud to support Saint Mary's University in their pursuit to provide the very best in business education, instilling the values of hard work, respect and passionate commitment to community," says Arthur Irving. "We are honoured to have the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre as part of The Sobeys Inspiration Hub, inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs in Atlantic Canada."
In an early effort to spur entrepreneurship and innovation for the province, the Government of Nova Scotia made a significant contribution to this project with its funding of $11 million in 2018. The Government of Canada contributed $8 million to support green energy and green campus infrastructure, including the Sobeys Inspiration Hub.
President Summerby-Murray was proud to lead guests through the Sobeys Inspiration Hub. "This transformational addition to our campus is a demonstration of how we are responding to the needs of our curious, forward-thinking scholars who need the environment and resources for those natural collisions to happen—so different perspectives can come together to create innovations for the times ahead."
Elevating Saint Mary’s leadership in sport, business and health through philanthropy
(L-R): Julie Naugler BA'20, President Summerby-Murray, Scott McCain, Leslie McLean, Dr. Cheryl MacDonald BA'10, Dr. Colin Howell at the announcement of the $3-million gift supporting the Centre for the Study of Sport and Health.
“Sports brings us together, unites us and enriches our lives and our communities.”
While true for many, these words from Scott McCain, chairman of McCain Foods, director of SeaFort Capital Inc. and owner of the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, ring especially true in the Saint Mary’s community.
With this belief at the forefront, the university received a major gift from Scott McCain and Leslie McLean this past June, aimed at forging a stronger strategic partnership between athletics, research and industry and developing new sport, business and health academic programs.
“It is widely recognized that sport plays an integral role in health,” says McLean. “By partnering with Saint Mary’s University, we can make a direct contribution to the lives of young people involved in sport by furthering their career goals and, in turn, watch them advance health and wellness in communities across Atlantic Canada and beyond.”
To recognize their generous $3 million gift, the Centre for the Study of Sport and Health was renamed to the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business and Health. With a renewed mandate, the centre aims to design, enhance and deliver socially responsible approaches to sport, business and health through academic research, knowledge mobilization, community engagement, partnerships and student experience.
This gift will also support the development of new academic programs—building on the success of the existing undergraduate certificate in Health, Wellness and Sport in Society in the Faculty of Arts—creating new programs in the Sobey School of Business in sport and business, an exciting new area for the university. By expanding research capacity and resources, the gift will also enable greater collaboration between scholars, students and community members, all working in the sectors of sport, business and health. It will also fuel unique leadership and social responsibility training and personal development opportunities in partnership with the Athletics and Recreation department.
“Thanks to their extraordinary generosity, we will become one of the country’s leaders in sport innovation, combining the strengths of internationally recognized researchers and dedicated faculty to create the next generation of sport industry trailblazers, health and wellness policy-makers and community leaders,” says President Summerby-Murray.
This marks a major milestone for McCain and McLean’s continued philanthropic support for Saint Mary’s. In 2022, they established the Scott McCain and Leslie McLean Diversity Excellence Award in support of undergraduate Black and Indigenous students through a $500,000 gift. Through these gifts, students, faculty and staff will be able to excel in ways that weren’t possible before, ensuring their generosity will be felt by many for years to come.
For more information on the Scott McCain & Leslie McLean Centre for Sport, Business and Health, visit smu.ca/mccainmcleancentre/.
More than $37,000 raised for Food Room on Giving Tuesday
We are beyond thankful to all those who helped us raise over $37,000 to help support food security for hundreds of students!
Sadly, food security is a challenge faced by too many in our community, including many students. Last year alumni, faculty, staff and friends helped us raise more than $30,000, allowing the Community Food Room to host almost 3,000 student visits. This year, we are proud to be able to support even more students!
Donations made on Giving Tuesday—which were matched by the J & W Murphy Foundation—will help provide access to nutritious food and other essentials, allowing students to better focus on their studies while here at Saint Mary’s.
We are truly grateful for the support of our alumni, faculty, staff, friends and community surrounding Saint Mary’s students with care and support as they finish their fall semester.
If you are interested in making a tax deductible contribution before December 31, you can do so here.
Watch these videos to learn more about the SMU Community Food Room from the Food Room Co-coordinators Yeshani and Simbarashe (Simba), and SMUSA Board Member Anushka.
Food Room Co-coordinators Yeshani and Simbarashe (Simba)
SMUSA Board Member Anushka.
