The Gerald Schwartz School of Business 2019 - 2020 ANNUAL REPORT
DEAN’S MESSAGE The 2019-2020 academic year at the Gerald Schwartz School of Business was marked by transformation and change. The school enthusiastically undertook a number of timely initiatives to enhance the educational experience of our students and further grow the school’s established academic reputation. One of the changes that will impact the future of education at the Gerald Schwartz School of Business was our signing on to the United Nation’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative. Being a signatory provides access to a global learning community to collaborate on initiatives focused on corporate sustainability and responsibility. PRME also provides a global network of business schools committed to socially responsible management education in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The year 2019-2020 also saw the launch of our first post-baccalaureate diploma. The Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Enterprise IT Management is tailored to meet the increasing need for graduates with the latest knowledge, skills, and best practices related to data analytics, business intelligence, and enterprise systems. To help all of our students further develop their professional toolkit, Success @ Schwartz, a student-tailored academic support and development initiative, was also launched. And while the Gerald Schwartz School of Business is constantly innovating in anticipation of the needs and challenges of ever-evolving educational and business landscapes, there are some things that have not changed. The school continues to produce outstanding students whose work impress at the university and beyond: Taylor Kennah and Mairi McKinnon each received the Frank H. Sobey Awards for Excellence in Business Studies; our business students represented our school well by placing at regional and national case competitions; and our alumni are carving a place for themselves in competitive arenas of business, sport, media, and elsewhere. Schwartz faculty are managing innovating research and outreach projects, acquiring funding from national granting agencies, and publishing in leading outlets, while delivering a high quality and engaging learning experience for our students. Change took another form in March when the university quickly pivoted to remote instruction as a result of the spread of COVID-19. Classes continued online and our graduating students were able to receive their degrees. It was not how anyone envisioned the academic year wrapping up, but I am heartened by how our faculty, staff, and students gracefully adjusted to these unexpected and challenging circumstances. We look forward to welcoming our new and returning students through on campus, online, and blended learning models in the fall.
Todd A. Boyle, Ph.D. Acting Dean of Business
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Dr. Brad Long, John T. Sears Chair in Corporate Social Responsibility
The Gerald Schwartz School of Business Signs on to UN Global Compact’s PRME Initiative It’s been a big year for the Gerald Schwartz School of Business. The school has taken an additional step in its transformational journey toward providing a more sustainable and responsible business education by signing on to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative. In becoming a PRME signatory, the Gerald Schwartz School of Business joins a worldwide network of business schools (including 19 in Canada) that have declared a commitment to responsible management education in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Organizations that join PRME are expressing their conviction that higher education institutions that integrate universal values into curriculum and research can be contributors to a more sustainable and inclusive global economy and can help build more
“PRME implementation boils down to embedding the values of corporate sustainability and responsibility into the daily activities of the Gerald Schwartz School of Business.” Dr. Brad Long
prosperous societies. Working through six principles, the United Nations PRME initiative is a framework to promote this sense of responsibility, urgency, and ethic in future business leaders – our students. “Ultimately, PRME implementation boils down to embedding the values of corporate sustainability and responsibility into the daily activities of the Gerald Schwartz School of Business through a wide range of potential projects, actions, policies, and structural changes,” said Dr. Brad Long, John T. Sears Chair in Corporate Social Responsibility who introduced the initiative to StFX. “PRME is a way of holding us accountable for developing the responsible business leaders of tomorrow.”
Additionally, as PRME signatories, faculty and staff have access to dynamic local and global learning communities that collaborate on projects and events addressing the complex challenges facing business and society in the 21st century. PRME speaks to the core of the school’s identity: a business school grounded in the values of service and social responsibility, within a university for which social justice, community engagement, active citizenship, and a global sense of responsibility are hallmarks of our history and the very foundational principles that guide our mission.
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2019-2020 Schwartz Scholarship Recipients
Gerald Schwartz School of Business Welcomes First Cohort of Schwartz Scholarships Recipients The Gerald Schwartz School of Business proudly awarded 44 entrance scholarships to high-achieving students that began their studies at StFX during the 2019-2020 academic year, as well as 20 bursaries. With over $4 million in scholarships available, the Gerald Schwartz School of Business is delighted to offer among the highest per capita financial aid in the country. These scholarships are made available through a generous gift from The Gerald Schwartz and Heather Reisman Foundation. They help the Gerald Schwartz School of Business—named in recognition of Mr. Schwartz’s already significant contributions to the university— attract the brightest and most engaged students from Canada and abroad by allowing them to focus on their studies without worrying about the cost of university. There are six categories of awards, including the Schwartz National Scholars awards and Heather Reisman Women in Business Scholars, which are valued at $80,000 and $30,000 respectively. Recipients of the awards are deserving future leaders who we are proud to have in our classroom at StFX. The winners were celebrated by University President, Dr. Kevin Wamsley, at the Schwartz Scholars Reception this past February.
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The Gerald Schwartz School of Business Launches New Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Enterprise IT Management Students today recognize that laddering complementary credentials and building a skillset that is unique but also in-demand will position them to become effective team contributors and leaders. That is why the Gerald Schwartz School of Business launched in 2019-20 a diploma for students who want a strong foundation in IT, enterprise systems, and business. The Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Enterprise IT Management is a two-year program focused on designing, deploying and managing enterprise systems solutions in organizations. Students will gain hands-on experience with the most popular tools related to enterprise system design, use, and management (e.g., SAP ERP), project management, systems analysis and design, business intelligence and analytics, technology implementation, and mobile commerce. The diploma is open to students with a previous degree in any discipline who want to supplement their first degree with knowledge of the latest technology used by organizations around the world. It will allow aspiring IT management professionals to quickly and effectively develop the robust skillset they need to contribute to an area in which qualified professionals are in high demand.
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Frank H. Sobey Award for Excellence in Business Studies for undergraduate students. Front row, left: Dr. Todd Boyle and StFX Sobey award winners Mairi McKinnon and Taylor Kennah
Two StFX Gerald Schwartz School of Business Students Honoured With Prestigious $30,000 Sobey Award The Frank H. Sobey Awards for Excellence in Business Studies are awarded each year to up to eight undergraduate business students attending an Atlantic Canadian university who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement in business and dedication to extracurricular, community, and entrepreneurial activities. This year, the Frank H. Sobey Awards for Excellence in Business Studies celebrated its 30th anniversary. To celebrate, the eight awards, which in previous years were valued at $25,000 each, were extended to $30,000. For the 2019-2020 academic year, StFX proudly celebrates two recipients of this prestigious award: Taylor Kennah of Bathurst, NB and Mairi McKinnon of Halifax, NS. Ms. McKinnon’s leadership and community engagement initiatives are numerous. At StFX, she has been engaged with the Schwartz Women in Business Society, the StFX Student Experience Office, and StFX Service Learning for which she serves as a student leader. Mairi is also a published author, having researched and written a business ethics case with Dr. Brad Long. She has had varied and formative work experiences including the IWK Hospital, Beaumont Advisors Limited, and CarbonCure Technologies. Ms. Kennah recently served as president of the Schwartz Women in Business Society, hosted the Women in Business Conference, which featured the theme “Make your Mark.” She is also engaged in her local community. Taylor is the founder of Bathurst on Broadway, a highly successful not-for-profit musical theater camp in Bathurst, NB that provides dance, drama, and theater instruction to children aged five to 13 years. Ms. McKinnon and Ms. Kennah as well as the six other award winners from other universities in the Atlantic provinces gathered for a formal event at The Crombie House in Abercrombie, NS to celebrate their superb achievements.
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Making Their Mark: Women in Business Society Hosts Conference at The Gerald Schwartz School of Business The Women in Business Society was the proud host to the Schwartz Women in Business conference on March 6 and 7. The conference, which welcomed approximately 100 delegates, included talks by notable speakers, socials, panels, and one-on-ones with industry leaders. This year’s conference theme was “Make your Mark,” which aimed to promote a transformative attitude that helps emerging leaders feel comfortable in challenging situations and to pursue unique experiences. The conference featured keynote speaker Tisha Parker Kemp, a senior talent developer and adult education professional with more than 20 years experience. Other notable speakers at the conference included Lisa M. Smith, CEO of Glen Haven Manor; Sadira Jan, Partner at Stewart McKelvey; and Alice McVittie, Associate at Davis Pier Consulting.
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Cultivating Success at The Gerald Schwartz School of Business At the Gerald Schwartz School of Business, we invest in student success and advancement. That’s why the 2019-2020 academic year featured the launch of Success @ Schwartz, an academic support service that helps students develop the professional toolkit they need to succeed in their studies and in their future professional lives. The services provided by Success @ Schwartz are specifically tailored towards the type of work and projects students will encounter in the business environment, including report and essay writing, presentation development and delivery, collaborative project management, time management, note taking, and studying. Staff from Success @ Schwartz also offers individualized instruction to students and gives numerous classroom presentations. At the heart of Success @ Schwartz is the desire to make sure that Schwartz students get the support they need right when they need it. “If there is a need for group work instruction, we do it. If there is a need for group tutorial sessions for particular courses, we do it, and move them online in a hurry as well. If there is a need for training in presentation work, we do it. This year we did all of those, and when new needs become apparent to the students or faculty, we can act quickly and not wait until the following academic year,” remarks Dr. Mark Leeming, Learning Skills Coordinator at the Student Success Centre and Success @ Schwartz. To provide services that will really benefit students, Success @ Schwartz couples their services with providing Schwartz students with access to state-of-the-art equipment, including a newly renovated presentation and collaboration room featuring a high-quality video recording camera and a large-screen monitor with conference call capabilities. Students are encouraged to book this room to practice and record presentations, to work on collaborative projects, and to participate in online meetings or discussions. This is just yet another way the Gerald Schwartz School of Business makes sure its students are provided with the opportunities they need to succeed.
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Sarah Bruce, Eilysh Keith, Christian Vandervoet and Zoe Butson
Maxwell Gauthier, Isabel Hunter, Jonas Lawrence and Hannah Leonard.
Zoe Butson, Cameron Fritz and Jonas Lawrence
Schwartz Students Impress at Regional and National Case Competitions Schwartz students Zoe Butson, Eilysh Keith, Sarah Bruce, and Christian Vandervoet took home first place at the Regional CFA Society Ethics Challenge Competition. The strong showing earned them the right to participate at the national competition, which will be scheduled in the future. Maxwell Gauthier, Isabel Hunter, Jonas Lawrence and Hannah Leonard travelled to Halifax in November to participate in the Scotiabank Ethics in Action competition. Ethics in Action is a student-led initiative that exemplifies the importance we place on values-led management. The case competition challenges students with complex ethical dilemmas they are likely to face in today’s corporate world. The Schwartz students did not disappoint, taking home third place, and its accompanying $1,000 prize. JDC Central (JDCC) is the largest undergraduate business school competition in Central Canada, which brings over 700 student delegates together from Ontario, QuÊbec and Atlantic Canada. Cameron Fritz, Zoe Butson and Jonas Lawrence represented the Gerald Schwartz School of Business fantastically, placing third in the Business Strategy stream.
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Emma Logan
Joshua Stewart
Schwartz Alumni Success Stories Emma Logan ‘19 competed for Team Nova Scotia in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. She also won her first Canadian women’s curling championship. Marie Wright ‘16 received the honour of “Best Documentary” at Mosaic Festival Halifax for her film “Transform.”
2019-2020 Gerald Schwartz School of Business Graduation Awards: The ONEX Corporation Gold Medal • Joshua Donald Stewart, Antigonish, NS CIBC Wood Gundy Prize in Finance • Samuel Joseph Studnicka, Novi, MI, USA CPA NS Award of Excellence • Joshua Donald Stewart, Antigonish, NS East Coast Credit Union Prize in Entrepreneurship • Joseph Hunter, Waterloo, ON Killam Apartment REIT Prize in Marketing • Molly Ann Mullin, Orangeville, ON Schwartz Prize in Enterprise Systems • Ji Xu, Antigonish, NS Schwartz Prize in International Business • Luke Singh Bhatia, St. John’s, NL Schwartz Prize in Management & Leadership • Maxwell Joseph Gauthier, Freeport, Bahamas
Additional Graduation Prizes Awarded to Business Students: Ambassador of Switzerland Book Prize for German • Christian Lucas Vander Voet, Milton, ON Dr. D.J. MacDonald and Dr. A.B. MacDonald Memorial Prize for Economics • Danielle Anastasia Lucier, Dover Centre, ON The Governor General Graduate Medal • David Kyle Mattie, Antigonish, NS
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The Gerald Schwartz School of Business 3090 Martha Drive • Antigonish, NS • B2G 2W5