Saint Mary's University (Halifax)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Mary's University


Motto:	Age Quod Agis (Latin: What you do, do well)
Established:	1802
Type:	Public
Endowment:	$16.9 million
Chancellor:	Archbishop Anthony Mancini
President:	J. Colin Dodds
Faculty:	246
Staff:	393
Students:	8,800
Doctoral students:	89
Location:	Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Campus:	Urban
Colors:	Maroon and White
Nickname:	Saint Mary's Huskies
Mascot:	Husky
Affiliations:	AUCC, IAU, CIS, UArctic, ACU, CUSID, AUS
Website:	http://www.smu.ca/

Coordinates: 44°37′54.07″N, 63°34′47.09″W Saint Mary's University (SMU) is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada. The school is best known today for having one of the best football programs in Canada, strong undergraduate programs, and nationally leading programs in Business, Astronomy and International Development Studies.

The campus is situated in Halifax's South End and covers approximately 30 acres.

1 History
- 1.1 Huskies Football
2 Faculties
3 Notable Alumni
4 Saint Mary's University Academic Senate
- 4.1 Function
5 See also
6 External links
7 References

[edit] History

Founded in 1802 by Reverend Edmund Burke, Saint Mary's is the second oldest English-speaking and first Roman Catholic initiated university in Canada. With meagre resources Burke initiated instruction for young men at Glebe House, located on the corner of Halifax’s Spring Garden Road and Barrington Street.

In 1841 the Nova Scotia Legislature bestowed the degree granting charter to Saint Mary’s and eleven years later granted the University formal legal status. After a great deal of uncertainty, in 1913 the Christian Brothers of Ireland were asked by the Archdiocese of Halifax to direct the college and academic programs. With this change of leadership the University's reputation thrived as a Liberal Arts Institution and expanded its undergraduate programs, with the most notable being the Faculty of Commerce in 1934 (now known as the Sobey School of Business), which was the first of its kind in Canada. In 1940 the Upper Province of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) was invited to succeed the Christian Brothers as both administrators and faculty.

The next 30 years would see the University flourish under the Jesuit supervision, with such advancements as the formal recognition of the "college" as a University in 1952 and purchasing the first computer in Atlantic Canada (a Royal McBee LGP-30) in 1959. In 1970 the Jesuits formally incorporated the University under the "Acts of Incorporation" which gave all administrative and academic duties to the Board of Governors and Academic Senate.

main entrance

Since then the University has continued expansion of its academic programs with the most notable being the offerings of doctoral level studies in Astronomy and Business and the accreditation of the business school with the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). At the same time the University has expanded its campus facilities with noted additions of the Burke-Gaffney Observatory in the 1970's and the Sobey Building in 1998.

In 1992, the Faculty of Commerce was renamed the Sobey School of Business, after Frank H. Sobey, founder of Sobeys.

In 2001, SMU's Huskies were the first Atlantic Canadian university team to advance to the world finals in the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals.

In March 2005, Saint Mary’s started the “Science Building Renewal Project” which was estimated to cost $25.5 million. This project is part of the larger project the “University’s Strategic Directions and Academic Plan” which was developed by meeting with Students, Faculty and local Citizens in order to meet both the needs of the University and local community over the next decade. The first stage of the project focused on:

Modernization and expansion of the Science Facility's resources
Renew the architectural, mechanical and electrical infrastructures of the Science building and its surroundings
Provide additional office and research space to every faculty member
Improve lab layout for hands-on teaching purposes
Integrate flawlessly with future projects in both function and appearance

[edit] Huskies Football

The Huskies won back-to-back Canadian University Football Championships (2001 & 2002), the third university to do so (after Manitoba and Western). It is the only university to have appeared in three consecutive tournements.

In 2003 the Huskies lost to the Laval Rouge-et-Or.

In 2007, the Huskies won the Uteck Bowl and advanced again to the Vanier Cup, but were unsuccessful, losing to the Manitoba Bisons.

[edit] Faculties

Saint Mary's comprises five faculties:

Arts

Dean: Dr. Esther Enns

Sobey School of Business

Dean: Dr. David Wicks

Science

Dean: Dr. Malcom Butler

Education

Acting Dean: Dr. Esther Enns

Graduate Studies and Research

Dean: Dr. Kevin Vessey

[edit] Notable Alumni

Glenn Graham, fiddler and Celtic musician
Robert P. Kelly, CEO of the Bank of New York and Mellon Financial Corporation
Joseph Phillip Kennedy, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia
Steven Landry, CEO of DaimlerChrysler Canada
William Linton, CFO of Rogers Communications
Steve Armitage, CBC Sportscaster

[edit] Saint Mary's University Academic Senate

The Saint Mary's University Academic Senate is the part of a bicameral university governance structure responsible for academic decisions at the University. It is paired with a board of governors responsible for administrative and financial decisions.

The Senate consists of ten ex-officio members comprising of the President, Vice-Presidents, Deans, Registrar, Director of Student Services, Director of Continuing Education and University Librarian; fifteen faculty members elected to three year terms; and five students elected by the general university population to one year terms.

[edit] Function

The academic senate is governed by the Saint Mary's University Act. It is subject to the powers of the university's Board and is responsible for the educational policy of the University in addition to:

May create, maintain and discontinue such faculties, departments, schools or institutes and establish such chairs as it may determine and may fix the duties of those employed therein
May recommend to the Board the affiliation or discontinuance of the affiliation of or with other universities
May determine courses of study, admission standards, qualifications for diplomas, certificates and degrees, examinations, scholarships and bursaries and may issue university calendars and other official publications
Shall be responsible for the library
Shall be responsible for student discipline
May create such committees as it deems necessary or useful
May make regulations governing the matters that are assigned to it by this Section