9 minute read
Interim President’s Message
CONTENTS
14 Canine companionship in long-term care 14 Effects of war aging 15 Voyage of Indigenous youth published in new book 16 Social justice for butterflies 17 End of life care and physician impact 17 Reducing barriers for vulnerable populations 18 Effects of cannabis and caffeine on the brain 18 Nutrition needs for people with HIV/AIDS 18 The science behind better wine
THE PATH FORWARD
20 MSVU Strategic Plan 2021-2028 23 New alumni brand 25 Tailoring on-line learning for effectiveness
3 Interim President’s Message 5 Message from MSVU Community
UNIVERSITY NEWS
6 MSVU welcome 7 New academic programming 7 MSVU program receives national accreditation 7 Dr. Ramona Lumpkin inks new book 8 MSVU’s new equity advisor 8 Teaching award recipients 8 MSVU joins Women’s College Coalition 9 Tuition waiver program first in Atlantic Canada
ALUMNI PROFILES
11 Jill Provoe – The empowerment of education 12 Danielle Cyr – Leading the way 13 Aris Hernandez, Christine Qin Yang, & Randy Headley named Most Inspiring Immigrants
HIGHLIGHTS
26 Food culture in long-term care 27 New app helps students learn differently 28 MSVU Art Gallery marks 50 years 29 Celebrating MSVU’s newest graduates 30 Athletics & Best of the Blue awards
ALUMNI NEWS
31 MSVAA President’s message 31 2020-2021 MSVAA Board of Directors 31 2020 Alumni Award winners 32 Dr. Sheila A. Brown Centre for Applied Research 32 Gift from Joyce Family Foundation 33 Reunion Weekend 34 College class of ’56 celebrates 65th anniversary 35 Class notes 37 Retirements 38 In memoriam
In fall of 2020, under lessened COVID restrictions, graduating students had the chance to access gowns and have photos taken.
A Message from the MSVU Community
Editor
donalee Moulton Quantum Communications
Managing Editor
Lori Lancaster, Alumni Relations University Advancement
Articles written by donalee Moulton, University Advancement, MSVU Communications and other contributors as noted.
University Advancement
Meghan Bolhuis Denise Green Marguerite Holland Lori Lancaster Erin Patrick Kari Shannon Anne Thibodeau
Design & Production: Rand Gaynor
Digital Imaging, Prepress Film and Printing
Advocate Printing & Publishing, Pictou, NS
Fulfilment Services: Russell House
Cover Photo: Dean Casavechia
Contact Us | Address Change | Class Notes
Alumni Relations, University Advancement Advancement House Mount Saint Vincent University Halifax, NS B3M 2J6 Canada T: 902-457-6470 / 1-888-MSV.ALUM (678-2586) (Toll free in Canada / USA / Bermuda only) F: 902-445-3962 E: alumni@msvu.ca W: msvu.ca/alumni-donors
Publication Agreement Number: 40063269
With deep respect
Mount Saint Vincent University acknowledges our location in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This territory is covered by the Treaties of Peace and Friendship, which Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) People first signed with the British Crown in 1725. The treaties did not deal with surrender of lands and resources but, in fact, recognized Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations.
Mount Saint Vincent University acknowledges, with deep respect, the long history and cultural traditions of the Mi’kmaq. We are committed to maintaining and building relationships based on the principles of mutual trust, respect, reciprocity, and collaboration in the spirit of reconciliation.
Our hearts are broken.
Our resolve is firm.
We will do better.
We will be better.
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alumniandfriends @msvu_alumni Mount Saint Vincent University msvu_alumni
MSVU is pleased to welcome new Chancellor
Dr. Margaret Mary Fitzpatrick, S.C., was elected Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Charity Halifax, and in that role, also serves as Chancellor of MSVU and as a member of the Board of Governors. Dr. Fitzpatrick served as President of St. Thomas Aquinas College in New York for 25 years during which time she became a recognized leader in higher education across the U.S. for her ability to find strategic ways to adapt to rapidly changing times.
“I am honoured to join the MSVU community,” said Dr. Fitzpatrick. “I have been engaged in higher education for my ministry and look forward to working with the MSVU community to foster its mission. It is a privilege to serve.”
Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Massachusetts, Dr. Fitzpatrick holds a bachelor of science in mathematics, a master of arts in religious studies, a master of education, and a doctorate in higher education from Columbia University.
As a member of the Sisters of Charity, she has devoted her life to serving the world through education.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Margaret Mary Fitzpatrick, S.C. to the MSVU family,” says Anne McGuire, Chair of the MSVU Board of Governors. “The Board of Governors specifically, and MSVU community broadly, will benefit greatly from her deep passion for and extensive leadership experience in higher education.” FM
New Chair of MSVU Board of Governors
Mount Saint Vincent University is pleased to welcome Amanda Dean (BPC ’03, CMG ’03) as the new chair of its Board of Governors effective July 1, 2021. Dean joined the board in 2015 as a communityat-large member and has served as vicechair since 2019. She is currently chairing the Human Resources and Governance Committee, and is an active member of the Nominating Committee, Senior Administrators’ Compensation Committee, and the Joint Board Senate Liaison Committee.
As vice-president for the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s Atlantic region, Dean advocates and is responsible for eliciting positive change and sound public policy on key priorities for the private home, auto, and business insurance sector. She is known for her consensus-building leadership and strategic stakeholder engagement.
Dean holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from MSVU and a master’s degree in business administration from Saint Mary’s University. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Marine Environmental Observation Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR). An avid community leader, Dean has volunteered with Symphony Nova Scotia, has served on the YWCA Halifax Board of Directors, and has lectured on government relations at MSVU. Earlier this year, she obtained her Chartered Insurance Professional designation. FM
New Dean of Professional and Graduate Studies
On August 1, 2021, Dr. Susan Trenholm will join MSVU as the Dean of Professional Studies and Graduate Studies.
A proud graduate of MSVU (BPR ’88), Dr. Trenholm is deeply committed to student success across a diverse student body and demonstrates a strong dedication to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in her teaching, research, and leadership.
Dr. Trenholm has also earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Dalhousie University, a Master of Business Administration from York University, and a PhD in Management from King’s College London (UK).
She brings a valuable diversity of experience to her new role, most recently serving as director of the Public Policy and Management program at King’s College London. As well, Dr. Trenholm was chair of the Postgraduate Education Committee and an elected member of the Academic Board (Senate) and College Council (Board of Governors). She has taught at both the King’s College Business School and the University of Melbourne’s Department of Management and Marketing. She is currently a coinvestigator with the SSHRC-funded Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub based at Ryerson University. FM
New academic programming
Dr. Brenda Hattie-Longmire
Online queer studies course first in Canada
MSVU has launched what is believed to be the first online intro to queer or LGBTQIA++ studies course in Canada. While most Canadian universities offer a program or courses in gender studies program, those focused specifically on queer studies are uncommon. Dr. Brenda Hattie-Longmire, a faculty member in Women’s Studies at MSVU and the lead developer of the course, believes that such a course is vital, particularly at a university committed to social responsibility.
“Around the world, including here in Canada, sexual and gender minorities are oppressed, attacked, and violated for being who we are. This is a human rights issue, and it’s important to analyze and understand the ways in which sexuality and gender are socially constructed, and the way they function in relation to human history and cross-culturally,” says Dr. Hattie-Longmire. “It’s also important to explore the work of those who have resisted, rejected, and worked to reform institutionalized heterosexuality.” FM
MSVU launches Canada’s first Health Communication and Aging program
The departments of Communication Studies and Family Studies & Gerontology at MSVU have established a graduate certificate in health communication and aging – a first in Canada.
The program will provide an opportunity for advanced and specialized study of the interplay between human communication, aging, and health. Recent events with COVID-19 have highlighted the critical link between health communication and aging and emphasized the importance of expertise in this interdisciplinary field. FM
MSVU’s business administration program’s major in Strategic Human Resource Management has achieved accreditation by the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of Nova Scotia (CPHRNS).
“This accreditation confirms the exceptional quality of the MSVU program in human resource management,” says Dr. Peter Mombourquette, Business & Tourism Department chair. “It means our students are getting an education that will set them up for success, starting with a leg up in achieving their professional HR designation.”
Through this accreditation, students graduating from MSVU with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resource Management and a GPA of at least 2.70 are eligible to apply for a waiver for the CPHR National Knowledge Exam, putting them one step closer to achieving their CPHR designation. With the exam waived, applicants become CPHR Candidates who must then attain three-years of applied HR experience.
This accreditation is also retroactive; students who graduated from MSVU with a Bachelor of Business Administration (major in Human Resource Management) in 2015 or later are eligible to apply to have their CPHR National Knowledge Exam waived. FM
Dr. Ramona Lumpkin authors biography of Canadian feminist leader
Though she knew of the crusading work of Nancy Ruth for years before their first meeting, MSVU Interim President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ramona Lumpkin, first connected with the well-known activist, philanthropist, and former Canadian senator through Mount Saint Vincent University. Now she has written a book about her. Ruth is the namesake of Nancy’s Chair, established at MSVU in 1986 to raise awareness of women’s issues by bringing to campus distinguished scholars in women’s studies and activists who have contributed to the advancement of women. Both Ruth and Dr. Lumpkin were drawn to MSVU because of its leading commitment to the advancement of women. Through that shared strong feminist ideology, a friendship emerged.
Ruth asked Dr. Lumpkin to write her biography, and the timing was impeccable. Dr. Lumpkin, who holds a PhD in English Literature from the University of Kentucky, was retiring from MSVU at the time, and this became her primary endeavour. The Unconventional Nancy Ruth was released this spring, just in time for Dr. Lumpkin to return as interim president of MSVU. FM
