The Gerald Schwartz School of Business Annual Report 2016-2017

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The GERALD SCHWARTZ SCHOOL of BUSINESS ST. FRANCIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY 2016 - 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

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MORE THAN 950 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS CALLED THE SCHWARTZ SCHOOL HOME IN THE PAST YEAR

MESSAGE

FROM THE DEAN

The 2016-17 academic year was another one of significant accomplishment for the students and faculty of the Gerald Schwartz School of Business. In September of 2016, we welcomed one of the largest incoming classes ever which contributed to the largest number of students in the School’s history. More than 950 undergraduate students (almost one-quarter of all undergraduates at StFX) called the Schwartz School home in the past year.

The highlight of our academic year may have been the establishment of a new endowed chair in honour of Dr. John T. Sears, a retired faculty member who gave 40 years in service to StFX and the university’s academic business program. To many of his former colleagues and students, J.T., as he is affectionately known, was truly the father of business studies at StFX. We felt honoured to be able to recognize him for his very significant contributions in the building of the Gerald Schwartz School of Business. The full story on this new endowed chair is found within this report.

The stories that follow in our second Annual Report are only a snapshot of the many activities that our students and faculty are involved in, and only a glimpse of the accomplishments that they have achieved in the past year. What you will see is that the faculty and students within the Schwartz School are engaged, accomplished, and committed. I hope you enjoy reading of the many and varied ways that our students and faculty enhance the academic reputation, and increase the profile, of the Gerald Schwartz School of Business at StFX.

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Tim Hynes PhD Professor and Dean, Gerald Schwartz School of Business St. Francis Xavier University

THE GERALD SCHWARTZ SCHOOL OF BUSINESS I StFX

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CA R V I N G A PAT H F O R

THE FUTURE

The Women in Business Society (WiB) started in 2010 with a vision. The vision was to carve out a space for women in business at StFX— including students, faculty, alumni, and businesswomen—to establish connections and build an informal network of support and mentorship. Seven years later the society is thriving, so much so that the group was named “Society of the Year” at StFX for 2016-17.

One of the Society’s major undertakings during the past year was the hosting of an inaugural conference focused on women in leadership. Its primary aims were to inspire young individuals in their academic and professional pursuits, promote and develop authentic leadership, and provide an opportunity to network with other student leaders. The two-day event included a packed schedule including speakers, workshops, a panelist event, and a mini case competition. The conference featured keynote addresses by illustrious businesswomen including Colette O’Hara, Vice-President of Market Strategy and Product Design at the Chronicle Herald, Barb Stegemann, founder and CEO of The 7 Virtues, and Elanor Beaton, a women’s leadership coach who has worked one-on-one with powerful leaders such as the Dragon’s Den’s Arlene Dickinson.

For some students, organizing the conference was as much of a learning opportunity as the event itself. WiB Society President, Gillian Crosby, reflected on the event offering: “I learned a lot about myself from organizing this event in terms of my ability to be a leader, and my ability to not be afraid to take on new initiatives”.

1. The Women in Business Society Executive Team. L-R: Sarah Jahrig, Alexa Baker, Rachel Dickey, Lauren Vogel, Marissa O’Neill, Jolene Humble, Gillian Crosby and Erin LeBlanc. Missing: Alexa Traynor 2. Colette O’Hara, Vice-President of Market Strategy and Product Design at the Chronicle Herald, delivers a keynote address on women’s empowerment and her journey in the business world to a packed house during the opening evening of the conference. 3. Barb Stegemann, founder and CEO of The 7 Virtues, delivers her keynote address in the McKenna Centre at StFX during the Schwartz Women in Business Conference.

4. Students present in the mini case competition during the Schwartz Women in Business Conference. L-R: Bridget Schlotzhauer, Simon Smith, Kylie Ito, Natalia Gutierrez and Emma Savage. 5. Women in Business Society with their 2017 Society of the Year trophy.

2016 - 2017 ANNUAL REPORT

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“

THE GIFT IS NOT GIVING, BUT GIVING BACK.

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John Peacock

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THE GERALD SCHWARTZ SCHOOL OF BUSINESS I StFX

L-r, Schwartz School Dean Dr. Tim Hynes, Dr. John T. Sears, and Adrienne and John Peacock

ENHANCING

OUR COMMITMENT TO ACADEMICS

THE DR. JOHN T. SEARS ENDOWED CHAIR IN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The impact a professor can have on his or her students can last a lifetime, and the legacy they leave is often palpable. This certainly was the case at least for Mr. John and Mrs. Adrienne Peacock (both class of ’63) who remember their time at StFX fondly in no small part because of Dr. John T. Sears.

A native of Antigonish, Dr. Sears, often known around the university as Johnny, was a professor of Business at StFX, and served the university as Dean of Arts, Dean of Science, and Academic Vice President and Provost. For John and Adrienne, however, Dr. Sears is an exceptional man to whom they feel a debt of gratitude—gratitude they decided to express by funding an endowed chair in his honour. As a former student of Dr. Sears, Mr. Peacock says that the gift is “not giving, but giving back”. At the announcement ceremony, Mr. Peacock spoke of the impact Dr. Sears had on him, not only during his time at StFX, but afterwards, too. “It was a long time ago,” noted Mr. Peacock, “but my memory is totally clear as to the enjoyment I had being his student. We, fortunately, from time to time, stayed in touch over the years. I have great respect and admiration for the man.”

The Dr. John T. Sears Endowed Chair in Social Corporate Responsibility is funded by a $3 million gift from the Peacocks—one of the single largest donations in the university’s history. The chair will help StFX augment its teaching and research capacity in the field of corporate social responsibility, which examines how businesses and institutions contribute to the well-being of their communities at large. “It is not every day we have the good fortune to name an endowed chair of studies,” Gerald Schwartz School of Business Dean Dr. Tim Hynes noted at the an nouncement ceremony. The focus of the Chair in Social Corporate Responsibility is fitting both because, as Dr. Hynes pointed out, Dr. Sears was known to give back to the community of Antigonish as well as for sharing his expertise both regionally and nationally, and because the chair suitably reflects StFX’s longstanding commitment to social justice and social responsibility.

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I WAS INTERESTED IN THE IDEA OF INVESTIGATING WAYS THAT PATIENT ACCESS TO PRIMARY CARE MIGHT BE IMPROVED DR. BOBBI MORRISON

DR. BOBBI MORRISON

STRATEGIES

F O R A H E A LT H I E R F U T U R E

Have you ever wondered about the new services pharmacists in Nova Scotia are offering? Did you know that pharmacists in Nova Scotia can now administer flu shots or prescribe for minor ailments? What does this mean for practicing pharmacists, and how are people reacting to these changes? Gerald Schwartz School of Business Professor Dr. Bobbi Morrison has asked these questions. “I was interested in the idea of investigating ways that patient access to primary care might be improved” says Dr. Morrison. “Many people close to me did not have family doctors, and I regularly heard from people how difficult it was to access timely care.” From these concerns germinated an exploration of Nova Scotian pharmacists’ recently expanded scope of practice.

The answers she is uncovering through her research are already yielding big results. For instance, the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists has drawn on her research concerning pharmacists’ working conditions to inform policy. Her research could also influence how pharmacists’ role within the healthcare system is perceived, how their services are accessed, and how other provinces or jurisdictions may go about expanding the role of their pharmacists to enhance access to healthcare.

In discussing her research, Dr. Morrison is quick to note the importance of a strong research community and support when undertaking projects such as this one. “What most inspired me to undertake this research were my colleagues, Dr. Tom Mahaffey and Dr. Todd Boyle.

They have been doing high-quality ground-breaking research in pharmacy safety and, when I completed my doctoral thesis in 2013, they approached me about integrating some of my doctoral work on trust with their project.” From that evolved a continuing research project that has grown into a collaborative effort with a team of researchers from StFX and Dalhousie Universities, and has been funded by the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists, StFX University Council for Research and the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation.

As for what comes next, Dr. Morrison is not short on ideas. The project can still take many directions, and the stakes are noteworthy.

Solutions to current barriers impeding pharmacists’ ability to provide these expanded services need to be realized “if expanded scope of practice is to successfully improve patient access to timely primary health care” urges Dr. Morrison. Since pharmacists’ expanded scope of practice is a recent change, disseminating research findings, gathering data from additional pharmacy stakeholders, and confirming models are all ways in which Dr. Morrison anticipates moving her significant research forward.

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THE GERALD SCHWARTZ SCHOOL OF BUSINESS I StFX

THE BUSINESS FACULTY ALWAYS SEEMED TO PUSH STUDENTS TO BE THE BEST THAT THEY CAN BE BEN LAMBOURNE

BEN LAMBOURNE

RISING TO THE

CHALLENGE

It is not always obvious when opportunity knocks. Sometimes, it is not until you’ve already answered the call that you realize that you are embarking on a truly remarkable journey that will leave a lasting impact. Ben Lambourne may not have known exactly what he got into when his Faculty Advisor, Dr. Lent, encouraged him to apply for a university research grant so that he could get a summer job doing research in enterprise development, the field which happened to be his chosen major as a Business student. He certainly rose to the occasion, however. “A lot of research projects are driven by the professor” noted Professor Lent, “but in this case I encouraged Ben to apply for an internship. Ben is a very bright student and had plans to start his own business. I knew he was bright enough and would be up for that challenge.” Ben was awarded the internship grant to explore the role entrepreneurship plays in the capacity for non-profits to resp ond to current opportunities and challenges.

The project was formative and insightful and, with encouragement from Professor Lent, Ben submitted his completed work to the Atlantic Schools of Business Conference last Fall. His paper was so well received that he was approached to have his worked published in an academic book on entrepreneurship. “I don’t know of any paper [by an undergraduate] written up as a single author paper for publication” reflected Dr. Lent.

“If you asked me 5 years ago that I would have published an academic paper, I probably would have laughed,” Ben remarked, but is quick to add that “that is what was so great about my time at StFX. The Business faculty always seemed to push students to be the best that they can be, which in my opinion is incredibly important in a university environment, as it ensures students get the most out of their education.”

Ben will not soon forget the impact his time at StFX has had on his future career path. Since graduating in the Spring of 2016 with his Honours in Enterprise Development, Ben has continued on his path to build his own business: “I am pursuing my interests in both entrepreneurship and carpentry. I did my business degree at StFX to get some practical business knowledge so that I could successfully start my own carpentry business. I am currently training as a carpentry apprentice under the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency in pursuit of becoming a Red Seal Carpenter”.

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William Forsay, Schwartz School of Business Finance student, visits Norway while on exchange at the Hanken Business School in Helsinki, Finland.

Business student Nia MacFarlane spent her Winter 2017 semester attending CEU San Pablo in Madrid, Spain.

SCHWARTZ

STUDENTS AROUND THE GLOBE

Carissa Hewitt traveled all the way to Herzliv, Israel to study at the Interdisciplinary Centre during the Winter 2016 semester

Business Students Tristan Latta-Goddard and Curtis Bietz enjoy the sights of Budapest while attending the International School of Management during the Fall 2016 semester.

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THE GERALD SCHWARTZ SCHOOL OF BUSINESS I StFX

There’s a strong commitment to experiential learning at StFX, and that experiential learning can take place in various impactful and memorable ways, such as going on exchange. StFX’s exchange program offers students the opportunity to study for either a semester or a full-year abroad. Students can choose from partner universities located across 23 countries. Have a look at where Gerald Schwartz Business School students can be found around the globe!

Third year Business Student Kina Malt spent her Winter 2017 semester studying at Heriot-Watt in Edinburgh, Scotland.

FRANK MCKENNA AND CHRISTINE KINGAN

NICOLE MACFARLANE (SECOND FROM LEFT) AND ALESHA BAKER (THIRD FROM LEFT) BOTH THIRD YEAR BUSINESS STUDENTS WHO WORKED AT CABOT LINKS IN THE SUMMER OF 2016.

R E A L - W O R L D E X P E R I E N C E : A G R E AT

A GREAT TEACHER The reasons students enroll in Co-op are as varied as the placements themselves. For some students, Co-op is an opportunity to discover potential career fields; for others, it’s an opportunity to bring to life what they’ve learned in the classroom and discover the ways in which they can hone in on their strengths and develop them within a workplace setting. What some students may not anticipate, however, are the professional development occasions that could include meeting and chatting with former Premier of New Brunswick, and the current Deputy Chair of TD Bank, Mr. Frank McKenna. “An opportunity of a lifetime” and an “absolute pleasure” are the ways Christine Kingan describes the co-op placement with TD Bank Group in Toronto that gave her the opportunity to meet Mr. McKenna. She not only shook hands with Mr. McKenna, but notes that he really made a difference in her Co-op experience in taking the time to meet with her and introduce her to a handful of TD Bank executives. Christine credits StFX and the Gerald Schwartz School of Business saying that the experience “revealed to me the experiences that I wouldn’t otherwise have.”

For Alesha Baker, Co-op was a no-brainer. “Every day since I was in grade 10 my mom expressed to me the importance of real-life experience.” Having understood the crucial importance of real-life experience from a young age, Co-op was, as Alesha puts it, “not a choice; it was something I had to do and is one of the best decisions I have made.” Co-op not only gave Alesha an edge in the classroom when it came to case study analysis, but it also helped cement her career aspirations. Her placement at Cabot Links in Inverness, NS taught her about her chosen field, Human Resources, including what she likes and dislikes about it.

Equipped with this knowledge, Alesha feels better prepared to undertake the journey to reach her goal of becoming a Human Resources Director. Alesha’s Co-op experience was life changing in more ways than one, too. “Cabot has been a once in a lifetime opportunity, from gaining invaluable work experience, the maritime inspired food, the friendly locals, sitting by the beach and taking in some Celtic music on a Friday afternoon. Cabot is not something that can be described, it must be experienced and I owe it all to Co-op!”

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I HAVE A STRONG PERSONAL INTEREST IN THE STABILITY OF RURAL COMMUNITIES, SPECIFICALLY THOSE IN THE MARITIME PROVINCES. THIS PASSION HAS A PROFOUND INFLUENCE OVER MY FUTURE EDUCATION AND CAREER JORDAN MACDONALD

JORDAN MACDONALD

EXTRAORDINARY

D E T E R M I N AT I O N A N D D E D I CAT I O N

Jordan MacDonald has worn many hats since beginning his studies at the Gerald Schwartz School of Business at StFX. He has enthusiastically occupied the role of debater, house equity and diversity representative, dance instructor, tourism development officer, committee vice-president, and even entrepreneur—all while maintaining an exceptional academic record. Not only is Jordan an impressive all-around student scholar, but he has demonstrated his ability to effectively leverage classroom learning to create entrepreneurial success that is grounded in the things that really matter to him. Jordan’s deep commitment to better himself and his community guides his ambitions. His interest in local economic development and entrepreneurial activities at the rural community level evolved into action when, during his summers, he successfully founded and operated his own agriculturalbased business in his home province of Prince Edward Island while maintaining a full-time job.

His champions consistently note his work ethic, initiative, and “keen entrepreneurial spirit” as characteristics that both define Jordan and that make him stand out amongst his peers. Jordan “has an excellent attitude and is always looking for ways to gain experience” a former employer enthusiastically notes. “There were many times when he was able to anticipate future requirements and deliver on required tasks without guidance.”

Jordan was, therefore, a natural choice for the Frank H. Sobey Award for Excellence in Business Studies. The prestigious and highly competitive $25,000 award, which has been in existence since 1989, is presented yearly to only eight students enrolled full-time in undergraduate Business studies programs across the Atlantic Provinces. The award was created to support the development of future business leaders, and its recipients are an esteemed community that can be proud to count Jordan MacDonald as a member.

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THE GERALD SCHWARTZ SCHOOL OF BUSINESS I StFX

2016 - 17

SCHWARTZ SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

Students of Enactus StFX were recognized for their entrepreneurial efforts at the 2017 Enactus Canada Regional Exposition. The group earned plaudits for their project, X-DENN, an on-campus consignment shop where students can buy and sell a wide variety of products. The team is comprised of students (l-r) Logan Armstrong, Nick Papulkas, Ian Rotz, Carly DiMaulo, Hannah Chisholm, Jack Wallace, Coulter Deacon, Maura Brennan, and advisor, Rhonda MacIver.

Gerald Schwartz School of Business students posted an impressive result at the 2017 Atlantic Business Case Competition. Andrew Kinzie, Kyla MacDougall and Jakub Hass (l-r) earned a first-place finish. The competition requires students to analyze a business case received at noon on Friday and to present their results to a panel of judges the following morning.

Their faculty advisors, Rhonda McIver and Ken MacAulay, were a huge part of the success, spending countless hours sourcing practice cases and critiquing mock presentations.

For the second year in a row, students from StFX reached the Top 10 in Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec competition, the nation’s largest advertising and marketing experiential program. This year’s lead partner, GM, asked students to develop a marketing plan to launch GM’s new car-sharing service with a $200,000 marketing budget. Fourth-year students Kate Perkins-McVey (left) and Maddie Gillmeister’s (right) Top 10 campaign was chosen from amongst 215 submissions from 25 schools across Canada.

The Schwartz team of Jacob Buffam, Megan Hawkins and Jessie Hoole won First Place at the Atlantic Throwdown, an annual case competition hosted by the Rowe School of Business at Dalhousie. The team presented a prepared case on Friday evening, and then a second case Saturday afternoon which they prepared in a 3 hour lockdown. Megan, Jessie and Jacob beat 10 teams from the Atlantic provinces to win the coveted Atlantic Throwdown Ship Trophy.

In January 2017, Mr. Robert Hardt, President & CEO of SIEMENS Canada, visited campus to speak on how trends such as digitalization and disruptive technologies are shaping the business landscape in Canada and globally.

He also discussed how diversity plays a vital role in cultivating this culture of innovation.

Lauren Vogel and Allison Randall (l-r) are two impressive women whose names have been added to the list of recipients of the Dr. Trudy Eagan Women in Business Award. Given out yearly since 2000, the award recognizes female students who demonstrate a combination of high academic achievement, determination, perseverance, and a positive influence on their classmates. Dr. Eagan, a community advocate and Xaverian, established the scholarship to encourage and support the education of women in the field of business.

In February 2017, Ms. Deborah Gillis, President and CEO of Catalyst, visited the Schwartz School to talk on the subject of “Inclusive Leadership”. The event was co-sponsored by the McKenna Centre for Leadership.

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UNIVERSITY

3090 Martha Drive l St. Francis Xavier University l Antigonish, NS l B2G 2W5 10

THE GERALD SCHWARTZ SCHOOL OF BUSINESS I StFX