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Campus News
Saint Mary’s University announces Dr. Michael Khan as the next President and Vice-Chancellor
Saint Mary’s University announces the appointment of Dr. Michael Khan as its next President and Vice-Chancellor, effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Khan will join Saint Mary’s from Trent University, where he currently serves as Provost and Vice-President Academic.
Dr. Khan brings a wealth of experience and a diverse, international perspective to his new role. He has been Provost and Vice-President Academic at Trent since 2020. Dr. Khan’s distinguished career includes his tenure as Dean of Human Kinetics at the University of Windsor, where he oversaw the Department of Kinesiology and Athletics & Recreational Services. Prior to this, he was the Head of the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences at Bangor University in Wales, U.K.
“I am deeply honoured and delighted to join Saint Mary’s University as President and Vice-Chancellor, said Dr. Michael Khan. “Saint Mary’s is celebrated both nationally and internationally for its excellence in research, teaching and community engagement. The university’s values align closely with my own. I am committed to supporting students in realizing their goals and aspirations.”
Saint Mary’s celebrates African Heritage Month with special event
To kick off African Heritage Month, members of the Saint Mary’s University community gathered for an inaugural event centred around this year’s theme: Legacy in Action: Black Brilliance.
Organised by the Black Student Advising Office, the event blended powerful performances and speeches with vibrant drumming from Sanmi Conga and a soul food meal catered by R&B Kitchen. Special guest speakers included Damini Awoyiga, Halifax Youth Poet Laureate; David Woods, multidisciplinary artist and the organizing founder of Nova Scotia’s first African Heritage Month; Colin Campbell, Director of Government and Community Relations at African Nova Scotian Affairs; Twila Grosse, Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs and a number of Saint Mary’s students.
It was both a joyous celebration and a deep reflection on the histories, perseverance and impact of Black and African Nova Scotians.
Saint Mary's student entrepreneur wins $10,000 award for mental health app start-up
Bachelor of Commerce student Olivian Sanderson, Co-Founder of Sociable, a mental health app designed for students, won the Dream Chaser Change Maker (DCCM) Foundation Social Impact Award and $10,000.
Olivian competed against thirty contestants and was shortlisted as one of seven finalists at the DCCM Award Pitch Competition held at the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre.
The award, which provides a scholarship supporting tuition and start-up costs, celebrates student entrepreneurs who use their businesses to address pressing social and environmental challenges. Following the competition, all finalists were invited to a pitch training program led by the DCCM team to refine their pitching skills further and advance their businesses.
Square Roots reaches one million pounds of food diverted from landfills
Square Roots, founded by Saint Mary’s University Enactus students, addresses the twin issues of food waste and food insecurity. In March, Square Roots celebrated the major milestone of delivering one million pounds of food since its beginning in 2016!
At the farm level, 30% of harvested produce is dumped into landfills due to cosmetic imperfections despite being perfectly healthy. Square Roots rescues this "less attractive" produce that would otherwise be discarded, offering it at affordable prices to those with limited access to healthy food.
Working with local contacts, Square Roots is currently bringing food to over 25 communities across Nova Scotia—the newest being Port Hawkesbury, D’Escousse, Sydney, Baddeck, Cornwallis Park, Digby, Yarmouth, Shelburne, Mill Village and Lunenburg.
Women's athletics leading the pack at SMU
A year of celebration for the 50th anniversary of women in varsity sport at Saint Mary’s University culminated in some major wins for the Women’s Huskies.
The Saint Mary's Huskies women’s volleyball team became the AUS Champions for the first time since the 2011-12 season. The Huskies defeated the Memorial Sea-Hawks to win the 2024-2025 AUS Championships and went on to play at the 2025 U SPORTS National Championship in Winnipeg.
The Huskies also won their third consecutive AUS Women's Basketball Championship, defeating the UPEI Panthers on March 2. The win secured the team’s spot in the U SPORTS Final 8 National Championship in Vancouver.
SMU MBA student Clara Gascoigne was named the AUS Women's Basketball MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Tournament MVP, as well as the 2024-25 U SPORTS Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Canadian.
Saint Mary's students are reimagining global action from the ground up
In the fall of 2024, the newly-established SMU Gardening Society took root with the goal of expanding SMU’s Community Garden to attract more pollinators to campus and establish vegetable and herb plots that could provide fresh produce to students.
The society has hosted a number of events throughout the academic year including an overhaul of the SMU Community Garden, a collaborative event with the Environmental Society and the Outdoor Society. Members of the community came together to repair old garden beds, prepare the soil and plant this year’s pollinator plants.
On her hopes for the future of the community garden, SMU Gardening Society President Lizz Dixon says, “Right now, our hope is to bring fresh food to students this year and eventually expand to selling our fresh produce at local markets. We’re playing around with ideas like bee hives and mushroom sheds, and we really hope to establish a greenhouse for year-round growing.”
Student-led start up named Canadian Champion at Hult Prize National Competition
The Alaagi team—comprised of SMU students Sheheryar Khan, Gabe Martin and Vaishali Sachdeva—was named National Champion at the Canadian Hult Prize Competition in March. The Hult Prize is a globally recognized social entrepreneurship competition that challenges students to tackle the world’s most pressing issues through innovative business ideas.
Alaagi is on a mission to replace traditional plastics with sustainable, biodegradable alternatives. Using seaweed and other marine resources, the company creates fully compostable plastics.
With the national win, the Alaagi team immediately moves on to the next phase of the competition, working toward the grand prize of $1 million to be awarded at the Global Finals in London in September 2025. Good luck to the Alaagi team!
Dr. Shannon Dea to join Saint Mary's as new Provost & VPAR
Saint Mary's University is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Shannon Dea as the university's first Provost & Vice-President, Academic and Research (PVPAR). Dr. Dea will assume her new role on July 1, 2025, bringing a wealth of experience and a distinguished career in academia.
Dr. Dea joins Saint Mary's University from the University of Regina, where she has served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts since 2020. Her commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is evident in her work, particularly in her efforts to Indigenize academic spaces and promote social justice.
SMU community members receive King Charles III Coronation Medal
Saint Mary’s University is delighted to congratulate three members of the SMU community who recently received The King Charles III Coronation Medal, which recognizes a significant contribution to a particular province, territory, region or community in Canada. Congratulations to President Emeritus and MFin Director Dr. J. Colin Dodds, History professor Dr. Karly Kehoe and Criminology instructor Aileen K. McGinty.
