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Campus News
Saint Mary’s University wins the Enactus World Cup!
The Enactus Saint Mary’s team captured the global championship at the 25th Enactus World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand. Their 12-minute presentation on two student-run social enterprises — Alaagi and Square Roots —outperformed finalists from Zimbabwe, Tunisia and Germany. This victory marks the first world title for Saint Mary’s University, which competed against 28 national champion teams from around the globe.
This recognition is a momentous achievement for Saint Mary’s University, Nova Scotia and Canada, showcasing student entrepreneurship, impact and innovation on the world stage.
"The true win here isn't the trophy, it's the global proof that profit and purpose can coexist,” said Courtney Dingle. “We are constantly showing that our generation is ready to redefine what a successful business looks like. We're building enterprises that heal the planet."
Read more about one Enactus presenter: From Pugwash to the World Cup stage: BComm student champions community, entrepreneurship and global impact
AI Playground launches in the Sobeys Inspiration Hub
Saint Mary’s University has unveiled a new AI Playground, an innovative resource space designed to provide students, faculty and community members with handson experience in artificial intelligence.
Located in the Sobeys Inspiration Hub within the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre, the room offers a collaborative environment for learning and development.
The space features 11 AI-powered applications, supporting everything from organization and notetaking to creating simple websites for small businesses. Beyond software, the room incorporates voice command lighting, a smart TV and visual displays.
The AI Playground is open to all students, faculty, and community members. Learn more on their website.
Huskies celebrate Fall season AUS success
The SMU Huskies had a successful fall AUS season, with a Loney Bowl AUS Championship win for the football team. The team advanced to host the U SPORTS Uteck Bowl at Saint Mary’s in November. Coach Steve Sumarah was named AUS Coach of the Year, while Cameron Brown won the Student-Athlete Community Service Award and Cailob Allaby was named Outstanding Lineman of the Year.
First-year student Frances MacLeod won the Women’s AUS Championship in Cross Country. She became the first Huskies athlete to win the Women's Cross Country championship since 2009, and just the fourth first-year athlete ever to win gold. She was also named as a First Team All-Star, a member of the All-Rookie team, AUS Rookie of the Year and AUS Athlete of the Year.
In soccer awards, Saint Mary's Huskies midfielder Jake Wilcox was awarded the AUS Student-Athlete Community Service Award while forward Cara Freeman was named 2025 U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian and 2025 AUS First Team All-Star.
A pair of Saint Mary's Rugby Huskies - scrum half Katherine Fairbrother and winger Elliana Porter - were named 2025 AUS All-Stars.
SMU Community Food Room recognized for their innovation
The SMU Community Food Room was recognized at the first-ever Feed Nova Scotia Member Awards with the Food of the Future: Innovation Award.
The SMU Community Food Room was recognized for showing how food banks can innovate through action. From meeting clients where they are, offering food pick-up locations across campus, using social media to connect on platforms students already use, and creating new programs like the Tuesday Breakfast Club and Iftar Kits during Ramadan — the Food Room team is always looking to improve.
Did you know? Every summer, SMU Alumni organizes a cross-campus competition to collect donations for the Food Room. Read how SMU departments collected more than 2,500 lbs of food this July: Staff, faculty and alumni fill the shelves of the Community Food Room
STARS Gold: Saint Mary’s earns national recognition for sustainability
Saint Mary’s University has achieved a STARS Gold rating for sustainability. Awarded by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), Saint Mary’s joins a select group of universities around the world recognized for high performance in sustainability across academics, operations, planning and community engagement.
Sustainability shines at Saint Mary’s through environmental courses and research, campus features like the integrated solar wall on Loyola Residence, the Atrium green wall and Community Garden, as well as our commitment to being a Fair-Trade Campus and partnerships with organizations like TransCoastal Adaptations, Square Roots and Alaagi.
Preliminary funding for this project came from The Linton Family Sustainability in Business Trust, a generous gift from Bill Linton BComm'75 DComm'22 and his wife Marilynne Day-Linton.
A place of belonging: Indigenous student space officially named “Qomuti”
The name of the new Indigenous Student Space at Saint Mary’s was unveiled during National Indigenous History Month. The space is named “Qomuti” (pronounced ho-mo-dee), a Mi’kmaw word meaning “a place of safe haven.”
“We really need that safe space of community,” said Indigenous Student Advisor Kylar Johnson BComm’23. “And I think our selected name today represents that perfectly.”
The Indigenous Student Space was designed in consultation with students and built with intention: a space where Indigenous learners can study, share, smudge without barriers and feel seen. While the room has quietly served students since fall 2024, the June naming ceremony marked a formal celebration of what it has already come to represent: a sense of home.
Finding community on campus: Saint Mary’s also opened the Black Student Commons in Fall 2025, a welcoming environment to study, relax and foster community. It is a place rooted in respect and belonging, where students can recharge, connect with peers and celebrate culture.
Star Finder program prepares NS teachers with astronomy lesson plans
An enthusiastic group of elementary and junior high educators attended the first Star Finder Teachers’ Workshop in August, and they are now ready to share an appreciation of astronomical understanding and discovery with their students across Nova Scotia.
The workshop taught lesson plans, developed in part by alum Andrea Misner BSc’06, to help foster enthusiasm, engagement and understanding of astronomy among school children — especially in rural and underserved communities in the province. All teachers and their classes in Nova Scotia now have access to use the Burke Gaffney Observatory remotely from their classrooms, plus an extensive archive of the observatory’s data and images.
Star Finder – The David Lane Astronomy Outreach Program is funded by a $250,000 philanthropic gift from the late David and Michelle Lane. During his 29-year career as the Astronomy Technician in the Department of Astronomy and Physics and the Director of the Burke-Gaffney Observatory at Saint Mary’s, Dave single-handedly automated the Observatory, making it available to users worldwide through social media accounts.
Indigenous Youth Business Camp builds early pathways and community at Saint Mary's
This July, Saint Mary’s University welcomed Indigenous youth from Cape Breton for a week-long immersive business and university experience through the inaugural Indigenous Youth Business Camp.
Led in partnership by the Sobey School of Business and Kylar Johnson BComm’23, Indigenous Student Advisor, the pilot initiative was designed to create early pathways to post-secondary education for Indigenous youth in Atlantic Canada. Over the course of the week, students lived in Saint Mary’s residence, explored life on campus and in Halifax and participated in a range of programming focused on entrepreneurship and business fundamentals.
“This week was all about connection,” said Kylar. “It was about giving students a feel for what it’s like to live here and learn at Saint Mary’s, helping them build relationships with our Indigenous community at SMU, showing them what supports exist within Student Affairs and Services and beyond, and giving them a chance to explore what SMU has to offer.”
Dr. Karly Kehoe named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
Saint Mary’s University is proud to announce that Dr. Karly Kehoe, a distinguished scholar in the Department of History, has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). This prestigious honour recognizes Dr. Kehoe’s groundbreaking historical research on the displacement and migration of religious minorities from the Scottish Highlands and Ireland, and their settlement in Atlantic Canada.
The Royal Society of Canada Fellowship is among the highest honours a Canadian scholar can receive, celebrating outstanding achievement in the arts, humanities and sciences.
“Her influential scholarship and exceptional public outreach informs global migration and integration strategies, including world-leading initiatives to support displaced academic researchers,” said the Royal Society of Canada in their announcement.
Dr. Kehoe holds the esteemed Canada Research Chair in Atlantic Canada Communities at Saint Mary’s. She is the board chairperson and academic lead of the Gorsebrook Research Institute for Atlantic Canada Studies.
Video link: https://vimeo.com/1136180822/229c035483?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci
Read more about the incredible work being done by Saint Mary’s faculty and researchers: Celebrating excellence: Saint Mary’s faculty recognized for external research funding
SMU gets in the Halloween spirit during Monster Fest
Saint Mary’s hosted its first Monster Fest in October with events across campus and at Halifax Central Library. Celebrating the rapidly expanding field of monster studies, the four-day international conference featured academic panels with 50+ speakers, free horror film screenings, a Bazaar of the Bizarre and more.
The conference was created by professors Dr. Michele Byers, Coordinator of the Women and Gender Studies program and Dr. Lindsay Macumber, Graduate Coordinator in the Department for the Study of Religion. It was modeled after the Festival of Monsters at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
The festival attracted international academics, students and fans of all things creepy with its blend of academic research topics and lighthearted fun, including a Halloween costume party! Stay tuned for future Monster Fest events.
