So much to crow about at MSVU

So much to

crow about at MSVU

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Let me tell you about MSVU – a small wonder of a university having impact far beyond its peaceful presence on the banks of the Bedford Basin.

MSVU opens doors to higher education that otherwise remain closed.

This isn’t new. We’ve been challenging the status quo for 150 years. And we’ve been trailblazers when it comes to making education accessible to underserved populations.

MSVU is the leading and longest standing university in Canada for the advancement of women. Founded in 1873, we were one of the few institutions of higher education for women and girls in Canada at a time when women could not vote.

Today, we prioritize access and impact for all underserved groups.

We support all students to achieve their academic goals, including Indigenous students, students of African descent, students with disabilities, mature students, parents, and students in remote communities.

Because we know that education changes lives, societies and communities.

Research changes lives too – and MSVU researchers are solving social, health and economic problems, including through research programs rooted in community partnerships. They’re also advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in research. MSVU is the only Atlantic university in the federal Dimensions program to advance EDI in research.

In fact, equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) is all of us at MSVU. As well, meaningful, continual action on our journey toward truth and reconciliation is a deeply held priority. We work closely with Indigenous Peoples to build education programs and services in support of Indigenous youth and communities and promote Indigenous world views.

Ultimately, an MSVU education nurtures socially responsible global citizens, by emphasizing social justice, EDIA, and in particular, Indigenous and feminist perspectives.

The bottom line is that the world is a better place when more diverse people have access to higher education.

Learn more about what makes this university so special in the pages of this book. We really do have a lot to crow* about.

Joël Dickinson, PhD President and Vice-Chancellor Mount Saint Vincent University *PS. Another unique tidbit: throughout the fall and winter, thousands of crows from across the region descend on the MSVU campus at dusk to roost. Their caws and silhouettes in the trees make for quite an incredible scene! Our mascot is (fittingly) a crow – among the most intelligent birds on the planet.

EXCEPTIONAL ACADEMIC PROGRAMS We’re known for our quality academic programs that nurture socially responsible global citizens across: • Arts • Science • Education (including an Inter-University Doctoral Program in Educational Studies) • Professional Studies (e.g. Child & Youth Study, Public Relations, Applied Human Nutrition, Business Administration, and Tourism & Hospitality Management).

Some firsts: • First English-speaking Bachelor of Public Relations degree in Canada; • First and only Child and Youth Study program of its kind in Atlantic Canada; and • First Tourism and Hospitality Management program in Atlantic Canada.

We continue to launch new programs that reflect emerging needs, including: • A graduate certificate in Health Communication and Aging (first of its kind in the country); • A Community Leadership degree (only one of its kind in Atlantic Canada); • A Psychology minor in Neuroscience; and • Graduate program options in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Every MSVU program has a co-op, internship or practicum opportunity attached.

• Among Nova Scotia universities, we are home to the longest-standing accredited co-op program (established in 1979) and the second highest number of co-op students.

• MSVU’s onsite Child Study Centre (among the best in the region) provides care for preschool-aged children of students, faculty, staff and broader community members and experiential opportunity for students in Child & Youth Study.

ADVANCING GIRLS AND WOMEN MSVU is the leading and longest-standing university in Canada for the advancement of women.

Founded in 1873, Mount Saint Vincent was one of the few institutions of higher education for women and girls in Canada at a time when women could not vote.

And while men have also been attending MSVU for more than 50 years, we continue to emphasize knowledge and understanding of issues related to women, girls, gender, and social justice.

Now is not the time to slow our pace in this regard. In light of the pandemic’s disproportionate effects on women, a focus on fostering gender equity has never been more critical. The outcome will be a better society for all.

Did you know?

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We are home to what is believed to be the first Women’s Studies Department at a Canadian university, and our faculty members are leaders in research on women and gender studies.

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The Alexa McDonough Institute for Women, Gender and Social Justice at MSVU aims to achieve equity and improve lives through feminist initiatives.

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MSVU is home to the NSERC Atlantic Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), Dr. Tamara Franz-Odendaal, who empowers girls in the pursuit of STEM careers.

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Established in the mid-1980s by former Senator and philanthropist Nancy Ruth, CM, MSVU’s Nancy’s Chair in Women’s Studies raises awareness of women’s issues by bringing to campus distinguished scholars and activists.

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The Margaret Norrie McCain Centre for Teaching, Learning and Research at MSVU is the only building on a Canadian university campus dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of women.

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Our commitment to women and girls extends beyond our campus. We support women entrepreneurs through the Centre for Women in Business, host the region’s largest annual empowerment event for girls, and are home to the internationally recognized scholarly journal Atlantis: Critical Studies in Gender, Culture, & Social Justice.

MEANINGFUL TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION We work closely with Indigenous Peoples to build educational programs and services in support of Indigenous youth and communities, and promote Indigenous world views in our work.

Current programs, services and initiatives include, for example: • Increased financial supports for Indigenous students (more than $1 million in new investments in 2022); • A university access program hosted by the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre in partnership with MSVU; • An Indigenous Student Centre, called Kina’masuti aqq apoqnamasuti (which means “learning and help”); • An Indigenous Student Services Coordinator; • A Special Advisor on Indigenous Affairs; • The L’nu Advisory Circle – a vital advisory body made up of community and university Indigenous and non-Indigenous representatives; • Efforts by a number of MSVU departments to Indigenize course content; and • A wikuom on campus providing a gathering space for all (the first in Atlantic Canada).

In October 2021, our then Interim President Dr. Ramona Lumpkin apologized, on behalf of MSVU, to residential school survivors, their families and communities, and all Indigenous Peoples, for the university’s role in the tragedy of residential schools in Canada. The founders and previous owners of MSVU (the Sisters of Charity Halifax) had members who staffed two residential schools. Dr. Lumpkin also shared a series of 12 commitments for further action.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & ACCESSIBILITY We make education accessible to underrepresented groups, including Indigenous students, students of African descent, students with disabilities, and mature students.

Did you know?

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More than 500 students with disabilities are supported by our Accessibility Services team.

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We are home to a high number of first-generation university students (54% compared to a national average of 41%)*.

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We were the first Atlantic Canadian university to provide a tuition-waiver program for former youth in care.

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Our Mount Ability program provides a pathway to university studies for students who self-identify as having a disability that might otherwise have been a barrier to university studies.

Through a dedicated hiring initiative, we recently welcomed several new Black scholars to full-time positions across all faculties, as well as our first Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Advisor.

MSVU was the only Nova Scotia post-secondary institution selected to be part of the Federal government’s Dimensions Program designed to increase equity, diversity and inclusion in research.

MSVU formalized its commitment to redressing anti-Black racism and fostering Black inclusion as an early signatory to the Scarborough Charter which identifies actions post-secondary institutions can take to help end systemic racism. *Source: National Survey of Student Engagement 2020

FLEXIBLE LEARNING We broke ground in distance learning in 1982.

MSVU’s first distance courses – cutting-edge at the time – were broadcast on TV, with students phoning in questions or comments. The approach removed barriers to post-secondary education for learners from across the Atlantic region and supported women with families seeking to upgrade their credentials.

Today, we offer about 200 online courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, 11 complete online undergraduate programs and four online graduate programs.

And we continue to lead in the delivery of programs in ways that meet the diverse needs of today’s students – including offering courses via a variety of delivery modes (e.g. in-person, online, blended, and multi-access courses), part-time study options, cohort programs, 2+2 programs with community colleges, and more.

Through our emphasis on accessibility and flexibility, we are meeting the needs of residents of rural communities, people with disabilities, mature individuals, working students, international students, and participants in partnership programs (for example, programs in collaboration with NS and NB community colleges) who wish to remain in their home communities.

RESEARCH WITH IMPACT Researchers at MSVU are agents of social change improving the lives of individuals and communities.

Leading faculty researchers in all of our departments – among them several Canada Research Chairs and other named Chairs – are making a difference for people across the lifespan (from early childhood to aging), around the globe (from Canada to Cambodia), and in a vast array of fields (from the social-emotional development of children to the effects of climate change on plants and countless points in between).

As members of the Change Lab Action Research Initiative (or CLARI), for example, researchers at MSVU are working with Nova Scotia communities to solve social and economic problems identified by those affected.

Meanwhile, our award-winning fundamental scientists are making world-leading discoveries in areas at the foundation of so many fields, for example, filling knowledge gaps in biophysical chemistry (with impacts on human health) and more.

UNIQUE RESEARCH CENTRES MSVU is home to several centres of innovation: • Nova Scotia Centre on Aging • Global Aging and Community Initiative • Jessie MacIssac Campbell Maritime Data Centre for Aging Research and Policy Analysis • Alexa McDonough Institute for Women, Gender, and Social Justice • Centre for Social Innovation and Community Engagement in Military Affairs • Early Childhood Collaborative Research Centre • Developmental Psychobiology Research Centre (DPRC) • Food Action Research Centre (FoodARC) • WISEatlantic (Women in Science and Engineering Atlantic) • Sheila A. Brown Centre for Applied Research – Home to researchers breaking ground in areas of human health (e.g. nutrition, Alzheimer’s disease detection, and early childhood development)

INVESTING IN A BETTER FUTURE More so than for any other Nova Scotia university, investing in MSVU is investing in the futures of women and those who have historically faced barriers to higher education.

For that reason, our sustainability is paramount.

We’ve long been exemplary stewards of our resources.

Our sources of revenue for the 2022/2023 budget year: - 35.5% from our Nova Scotia government grant - 56.7% from tuition - 2.2% from ancillary net revenues - 5.6% other Essential student supports (like expanded student mental health services, scholarships, and bursaries) are requiring additional investment by the university.

Our generous donors provide valuable support for student awards and financial aid, cutting-edge research, and state-of-the-art teaching, learning and community spaces.

Continued investment by government and donors is essential to the university’s strategic growth in support of future generations of women and other change-makers.

OUR PURPOSE

OUR VISION

OUR PLAN

We foster the education of women and other engaged thinkers, while committing to social justice, and to an equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible community.

We are a model of creative teaching and research that nurtures socially responsible global citizens.

Review MSVU’s latest strategic plan, Strength Through Community, at msvu.ca/strategicplan

CONNECT WITH US

@MSVU_Halifax

msvu.ca | 902.457.6788

/MountSaintVincentUniversity

166 Bedford Highway, Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada B3M 2J6

@MSVU_Halifax @msvutiktok TheMountVideo

UPDATED FALL 2022