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Campus News
Sounds of welcome, community and reconciliation
Robert Summerby-Murray, President and Vice-Chancellor of Saint Mary’s University, and Kyle Cook, Vice-President Advocacy for the Saint Mary’s University’s Student Association (SMUSA).
An important form of Indigenous cultural expression is becoming a mainstay at Saint Mary’s University. Through a partnership with the Saint Mary’s University’s Student Association (SMUSA), a community drum will become a permanent part of the university’s campus, events, and ceremonies, reinforcing the collective commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.
“This is a time for community to come together to embrace and celebrate Indigeneity. The community drum will provide the platform to foster a sense of welcome, community, and reconciliation,” says Kyle Cook, Vice-President Advocacy for SMUSA.
The community drum initiative is an opportunity for Indigenous cultures to be more visible on campus, increase the accessibility of Indigenous lessons and provide a greater sense of welcoming for current and future Indigenous students. The drum will support various teachings and land-based learning opportunities by Indigenous professors, SMUSA and community allies of Saint Mary’s.
Preparing the next generation for the data-driven world
Dr. Michael Zhang, Assistant Professor, Finance, Information Systems & Management Science and students.
Introducing the Master of Business Analytics (MBAN) Program
Saint Mary’s University recently received a gift of a $1 million from Dr. Robert (Bob) P. Kelly BComm’75 DComm’97, to establish the Dr. Robert P. Kelly Master of Business Analytics Scholarship. “I am thrilled to be a part of preparing the next generation of our country’s top business, data-driven leaders,” says Dr. Kelly, a well-known leader in the financial industry and a former Chancellor of Saint Mary’s. “This program will allow students to further develop their statistical evaluation abilities along with the presentation and influence skills required to help management understand how they, and their customers, can use their data to build new products and improve insights and profitability.” Valued at $10,000, the scholarships will be presented to four students per year who wish to pursue the new Masters of Business Analytics (MBAN) program at the Sobey School of Business, the first program of its kind in Atlantic Canada. In recognition of Saint Mary’s commitment to supporting greater participation by women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields, at least two of the scholarships will be available to female students.
Saint Mary’s announces historic $3-million gift to graduate student research
Saint Mary’s University Chancellor Dr. Michael Durland BComm'87 DComm'10 and wife Catherine Durland BComm’87.
On April 5, 2022, Saint Mary’s announced the establishment of the Durland Scholarships in Graduate Research. The scholarships are supported by a $3-million gift from the Durland Learning Foundation and the Durland family to A World Without Limits: The Campaign for Saint Mary’s University, marking the single most significant investment in graduate student research in the university’s history.
“We want this gift to reflect the past, the present and the future. It’s our way of saying ‘thank you’ to all the many special faculty members at Saint Mary’s who have so greatly inspired me and so many others throughout the years. Words cannot express our collective gratitude for all you do,” says Saint Mary’s University Chancellor Dr. Michael Durland BComm'87 DComm'10.
The Durland Scholarships will help the university recruit and retain top graduate students to its research-based programs. The scholarship program will grant supplemental awards of $10,000 per year for graduate students and $15,000 per year for PhD students, as an addition to other awards and funding from the university. The awards are university-wide, renewable and available to students beginning in fall 2022.
SMU Astronomers Ready to Probe the Universe Using Most Powerful Space Telescope Ever Built
James Webb Space Telescope
After two decades of work preparing for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb), Saint Mary’s University professor and researcher Dr. Marcin Sawicki is looking forward to using the Hubble successor—and most powerful space telescope ever built—for research along with his students.
Because of Dr. Sawicki’s involvement in Webb’s key NIRISS instrument, Saint Mary’s University researchers will have unprecedented access to Webb for research. Led by Dr. Sawicki, Saint Mary’s has the largest Canadian team of Webb scientists outside of Montreal.
“At Saint Mary’s our postdocs and students will be using JWST to observe the birth of the first galaxies soon after the Big Bang, and to study how these baby galaxies then grew over cosmic time to become beautiful giant structures like our home, the Milky Way Galaxy,” says Dr. Sawicki. “With Webb, the potential for extremely impactful science is enormous, and we are ecstatic that the launch and telescope deployments have gone so perfectly and are eager to begin using Webb for world-leading research here in Nova Scotia.”
Lagomorph story by Dr. Alexander MacLeod wins Nova Scotia’s top arts prize
Dr. Alexander MacLeod
A special handbound letterpress edition of Lagomorph is the 2021 winner of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award, the largest award for a single work of art in any medium in the province.
First published in Granta magazine, Dr. Alexander MacLeod’s short fiction about the impact of a family’s pet rabbit has earned international accolades, winning the prestigious O. Henry Prize in 2019. Last year, Dr. MacLeod collaborated with bookmaker Andrew Steeves of Gaspereau Press to immortalize the story as an exquisite stand-alone book.
The $250,000 award was presented Dec. 1, 2021 at Government House, at a reception hosted by the Honourable Arthur J. LeBlanc, ONS, QC and Her Honour Mrs. Patsy LeBlanc.
Saint Mary’s University continues Maclean’s rankings momentum
For the second year in a row, Saint Mary's University ranks fourth among undergraduate universities in Canada.
According to Maclean's magazine, the university is ranked fourth among primarily undergraduate universities for 2022. Saint Mary's University is also the top-ranked primarily undergraduate university in Nova Scotia. Saint Mary's has continued to climb in the rankings over the past decade.
In addition to ranking fourth among undergraduate universities, the rankings recognize Saint Mary's University and the Sobey School of Business's national prominence. Saint Mary's once again ranks among Canada's top 50 universities. The Sobey School of Business continues its prominent position among Canada's top 20 business programs. The university's business program has the highest reputation for business research in the Atlantic region, and the Sobey School of Business remains the top-ranked business school in Atlantic Canada.
New book captures unique Canadian approaches to Fair Trade advocacy
L-R: Joey Pitoello, General Manager for Just Us! Coffee cooperative with Dr. Gavin Fridell and Dr. Kate Ervine at the Grand Pre roastery and head office.
Hope for a better world is the inspiration behind the discussion of the global trade system and the fair-trade movement in a new book that launched at Saint Mary’s University. The Fair Trade Handbook: Building a Better World, Together book launch took place on October 1, which is also International Coffee Day.
The first of its kind in Canada, the new handbook is co-edited by Dr. Gavin Fridell of Saint Mary’s, with fair trade advocates Zack Gross and Sean McHugh. The collection of essays brings together 28 fair traders, trade justice activists and scholars who offer insights on the Canadian movement’s common goals of advancing trade justice and South-North solidarity.
Coffee is a common theme throughout, as a product that is foundational to fair trade along with bananas, tea and cocoa. The book launch also toasted the 25th anniversary of Nova Scotia’s own Just Us! Coffee cooperative, Canada’s first fair trade and organic coffee roaster, which contributed content to the book.
Frank H. Sobey Award for Excellence in Business Studies win for Sobey School student
Laura Eamon Photo: Steve Smith - VisionFire Studios
Laura Eamon, a fifth-year student at the Sobey School of Business who is completing a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Economics, was awarded the Frank H. Sobey Awards for Excellence in Business Studies.
Laura, a part-time project coordinator with the Sackville Business Association and a member of the Saint Mary’s University Environmental Society, credits her sobriety—she has been in recovery for eight years—as the reason for her success.
“It’s an immense honour to receive the Frank H. Sobey Excellence in Business Studies and to celebrate the Sobey legacy,” says Laura. “All of my hard work has been validated, and my sobriety is the reason I’m here. The support from the university and Sobey family is immeasurable, and I look forward to continuing those relationships for a long time.”
