Jan. 27, 2003
The Future of Health Care
The Honourable Roy Romanow To Deliver MacEachen Lecture At StFX
ANTIGONISH, NS --- The Hon. Roy Romanow, former premier of Saskatchewan and recently chair of the national Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, will deliver the sixth Allan J. MacEachen Annual Lecture in Politics at StFX University on Wednesday, February 19.
StFX president Dr. Sean Riley invites everyone to hear Mr. Romanow’s lecture “The Future of Health Care in Canada” at 7:30 p.m. at Immaculata Hall, Mount Saint Bernard College.
Mr. Romanow was first elected to the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly in 1967, and was re-elected seven times. He served his province as deputy premier and attorney general, and then most notably, for 10 years as premier from 1991 until his retirement from political life in 2001. Throughout his career, he established himself as a statesman of national reputation. In 1979, as Saskatchewan's first minister of intergovernmental affairs, he played a key role in the federal-provincial negotiations that resulted in the Constitutional Accord on November 1981. Political leaders, government officials, academics and the wider public recognize him as a leading thinker in public life.
In April 2001, Mr. Romanow was appointed a senior fellow in public policy at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina, and is also a visiting fellow in the School of Policy Studies at Queen's University.
The theme of the Allan J. MacEachen Lecture Series, established through the support of friends and associates to commemorate Mr. MacEachen’s distinguished career in political life, is politics and governance in Canada. Previous speakers have included the Hon. Bob Rae and the Hon. Frank McKenna, former premiers of Ontario and New Brunswick respectively, the late Dalton Camp, renowned political strategist, Senator Jerry Grafstein, and the Rt. Hon. John Turner, former prime minister of Canada
Jan. 23, 2003
Family literacy program highlight of national conference at StFX
Alumni mark StFX's 150th anniversary with community-based literacy conference
ANTIGONISH, NS -- Community workers, educators, health care workers and StFX alumni from across Canada will convene at St. Francis Xavier University in June to gain new ideas for increasing literacy opportunities in their communities.
The XYZ Community-based Literacy Conference is one of several special events planned to mark StFX University's 150th anniversary in 2003.
"Hosting this conference is what our Alumni Association decided to do to mark this milestone anniversary," explains alumni affairs officer Noreen Nunn. "It’s the association’s way of making a contribution to literacy education in Canada, in honour of our alma mater’s 150th."
In conjunction with the conference, the new Read To Me! Family Literacy Program will be launched at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital in Antigonish. This program is making an important contribution to the future of literacy in Nova Scotia by ensuring that every new baby is greeted by the gift of books and the message that reading is their birthright. During the conference, program spokesperson and children’s author Sheree Fitch will be joined by program facilitators in discussing the Read To Me! program and exploring the latest research in infant brain and language development.
Other conference presenters include John Daniel O’Leary, president of Frontier College and Deborah Gordon-El-Bihbety, director of national programs for the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA).
Sensing interest from alumni across Canada in making a contribution to literacy, conference organizers also plan to develop a framework for alumni to respond to literacy needs in their own communities, and hope to see this framework become a model for other universities to undertake similar projects.
“Ultimately, our goal is to help increase literacy opportunities in communities across Canada,” explains Bill Kiely, national president of StFX’s Alumni Association. “We’ve worked hard to attract a number of engaging speakers and terrific workshops for this conference so that participants come away with new strategies they can implement in their own communities.”
For more information on StFX University’s XYZ Community-based Literacy Conference please contact Katy Mahon at 902-867-5264, or email kmahon@stfx.ca.
Jan. 23, 2003
Skin Games
Dr. Christopher Spence delivers lecture at StFX on racism, sport and education
ANTIGONISH, NS --- Noted lecturer and educator Dr. Christopher Spence will address the issues of racism, sport and education in a public lecture at StFX University Monday, Feb. 3, 2003 at 7:30 p.m.
“Success in sports has led athletes to become the number one role models of black youth. This success often operates in concert with peer group pressure to underperform academically. I challenge you to go into any elementary school and you'll find that somewhere near 90 per cent of all black males want to be a professional athlete when they grow up," Dr. Spence says.
"There is nothing wrong with having goals. The problem is that, realistically, less than one per cent of them will ever see that goal achieved. What happens to all the rest?”
Dr. Spence will address this topic in his lecture in Nicholson Hall 138. A reception will follow, 6th Floor Lounge, Nicholson Hall.
Dr. Spence, a superintendent for the Toronto District School Board, is an educator, motivational speaker, author (The Skin I’m In: Racism, Sport, and Education; and On Time! On Task! On a Misson!), filmmaker (“No 'J'”, “SkinGames and Football’s Pioneering Duo”, “Teammates”), former CFL player, and lecturer on issues of race, equity, sport and education at York University.
He is an educator with a strong record of community service, and is recognized for his pursuit of excellence, equity and social responsibility as well as leadership in developing policies, programs and procedures.
StFX's Department of Sociology & Anthropology, the Department of Education, the Dean of Arts Office, Student Services, Department of Human Kinetics, Brothers and Sisters of the African Diaspora and the Sociology/Anthropology Student Society are sponsoring the lecture.
Jan. 16, 2003
StFX Student Offers Keys To Success
ANTIGONISH, NS --- Alicia Brett, a 19-year-old StFX University student, has been chosen to share her strategies for beating stress.
An article written by Ms. Brett, her photo, and the StFX University logo will appear in the spring 2003 publication of Keys for Success (Carter et al). Previous editions of the book have included anecdotes from students from different universities.
StFX Writing Centre coordinator Nancy Marenick says Andrew Winton from Pearson Education Canada contacted the Writing Centre looking for possible participants for the Stressbusters sections of the book. He asked the students to write 250-300 words about research and writing and what part of the writing process causes the most stress. He also wanted to know what techniques they use to minimize stress when writing longer papers and giving oral presentations.
"I applaud Pearson for showcasing Canadian university students. They have given students an opportunity to offer their peers strategies for dealing with stress," Mrs. Marenick says. "It is a great tribute to Alicia Brett, who will be featured in on one of the Stressbusters sections in the new edition. Moreover, the book highlights the quality of students we have here at StFX and how they deal with everyday academic situations."
Mrs. Marenick says the editor told them all seven StFX students who participated demonstrated strong writing skills.
Alicia says using the services of the Writing Centre has been quite beneficial to her academic career. "They've helped me with my papers tremendously."
Jan. 10, 2003
Jennifer Desmond Receives StFX’s Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Award
ANTIGONISH, NS --- Congratulations go out to Jennifer Desmond of Upper Big Tracadie, NS, the recipient of the 2002-2003 Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Award at St. Francis Xavier University.
The award is presented annually at StFX to an African Nova Scotia student with the highest academic average.
Ms. Desmond, 27, will graduate this spring from StFX with a Bachelor of Education degree. She completed her undergraduate degree at StFX in 1998 in sociology. This is the second time she has been honoured with the Martin Luther King Jr. Award.
"It feels good. I was quite shocked as I didn't know it was granted twice to the same person. I'm quite honoured."
Ms. Desmond, who worked as an African Canadian student support worker at Guysborough Academy and Chedabucto Elementary, says she is pleased to be associated with the late civil rights leader.
"I look at him like a mentor. His beliefs are similar to my beliefs in equity and equality," she says. "We need to get ourselves in positions in society where we can make a difference for those who are less advantaged or visible minorities.
"Martin Luther King believed in working hard and making a difference where opportunities are made available."
As an elementary school teacher, Ms. Desmond hopes to be a role model to her future students. "We often don't have enough African Nova Scotians in the education system. It's time for children to start seeing more."
She encourages anyone, from any visible minority, interested in the field of education to consider StFX. "It's a great program at StFX. I definitely recommend it."
Jan. 9, 2003
Prestigious Friend of Education Award for StFX Alumni President Bill Kiely
ANTIGONISH, NS --- StFX University is thrilled to learn Bill Kiely, president of the StFX Alumni Association, is this year's recipient of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District I Distinguished Friend of Education Award.
The award, presented to a volunteer who has made outstanding contributions to education and whose extraordinary leadership has influenced an institution's cause or the cause of education in general, will be presented during a gala dinner in New York Feb. 1.
"I didn't even know I was nominated," a humble Mr. Kiely of Antigonish, NS said Jan. 8, a day after receiving the good news. "The first I heard of it was yesterday when (StFX Alumni Affairs officer) Noreen (Nunn) came running in saying, 'you won, you won,' and I didn’t know what she was talking about.
"I'm still kind of numbed. When they explained it to me, I was pretty excited and humbled, and elated all at the same time. Not only is it great for me, but it's great for the university."
Mr. Kiely, a 1967 StFX grad, was selected for this prestigious award from a district that includes universities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Rhode Island and Vermont. Advancement vice-president Heather Magotiaux and Ms. Nunn were the catalysts behind Mr. Kiely's nomination.
A modest Mr. Kiely deflected praise away from his own accomplishments, saying he is certainly going to share this award with everyone in advancement and the alumni association. He says much of the reason why he won is due to what's happening with the alumni and the university. The renewal and expansion at StFX has been a catalyst for the alumni association. "It's easier for me to create chapter development and rebirth as everyone seems to want to be part of this new renaissance. I think our ranking nationally as a university and alumni have a great deal to do with what's happening."
"Bill Kiely has devoted his life to education and to StFX," Ms. Nunn says. "His contribution has been outstanding. A retired teacher by profession, Bill is a walking encyclopedia of information on his alma mater and has contributed more than 40 years of volunteer time to our cause."
For the last four years he has worked as a volunteer on a full-time basis in the alumni office. He has been alumni association president for the last two years. During this time, Maclean's magazine has ranked StFX the top university in the country in terms of alumni support. This year, StFX was also named Canada's top primarily undergraduate university.
Mr. Kiely has been instrumental in traveling the country, developing alumni chapters. He has served on the alumni board of directors for the last 10 years and is currently a member of StFX's Board of Governors.
"I cannot say enough about his contribution to our recent success," Ms. Nunn says.
He was a founding member of an alumni group that raised nearly $1 million for an alumni fund designed to support StFX athletics. Annually he is instrumental in raising about $10,000 for this fund through a golf tournament he organizes. He is an announcer at many varsity sports game at no charge.
The alumni association is also participating in Xtending Hope, a project that will place StFX alumni in community development projects in Botswana and Rwanda to assist them in their battle against the HIV/AIDS crisis. The association will also host a national literary conference in June 2003 designed to establish a network of StFX alumni working for the cause of literacy in their own communities.
"Bill isn't the kind of alumnus who can donate millions of dollars in support of the university, but he is considered to be 'solid gold' in our advancement department," Ms. Nunn wrote in her nomination letter.
Jan. 9, 2003
StFX, Shell Canada, Local Students Team Up To Help The Environment
ANTIGONISH, NS --- StFX University and Shell Canada Limited are teaming up with local students to give the environment a helping hand.
StFX has received a $5,000 grant from the Shell Environment Fund for a student/community partnership to clean up various aquatic sites in Antigonish, Pictou and Guysborough counties.
Students in StFX's Service Learning and Aquatic Resources societies will partner with student volunteers from local elementary and junior high schools to increase their understanding about aquatic environments by participating in river and estuary clean-ups and beach sweeps.
"This is a unique opportunity for participants to share their knowledge and to learn from others while conducting hands-on activities that will improve their local environment and community," says Marla Gaudet, StFX Course-Based Service Learning coordinator.
The StFX students, in consultation with faculty and program advisors, will take the lead in organizing and coordinating clean-up activities. They will facilitate discussions with teachers, confer with representatives of local municipalities and environmental organizations and complete site reconnaissance.
Information from the project will be shared in the community. Digital photographs will be taken before, during and after completion of each clean-up. These photos will be shared to enhance community awareness of the clean-up activities and build popular support.
"Participation in the proposed activities will help students understand their responsibility to the community and build their commitment to the environment," says Lynn Patterson, StFX program officer with Aquatic Resources. "Building a strong, mutually educational relationship between university students and local school children, with the common purpose of understanding and protecting the Canadian environment, will ensure the continuation of this project beyond the funding period."
The Shell Environment Fund, created in 1990, is a national program intended to help Canadians turn ideas into action. Individuals, schools, community associations, service clubs and environment groups have used the grants, of up to $5,000 per project, to improve and protect the Canadian environment. Application forms and further information can be found on their website at www.shell.ca/sef or by calling 403-691-2071.
Jan. 6, 2003
The demographics of Antigonish
ANTIGONISH, NS --- People interested in learning more about the demographics of Antigonish may be interested in dropping by the Angus L. Macdonald Library at StFX University to see the results of student research into this topic.
Students in Marian MacLellan and Jane Moseley’s Community Health Nursing course were given a unique assignment in October 2002. They were required to collect the most current demographic data for the town of Antigonish and compare such characteristics as population, ethnic distribution, income, education, family, etc. over two separate years.
The nursing students made their way to the university library and used Statistics Canada material found in the Government Documents section, namely the Census of Canada for the years 1991, 1996 and 2001. Using both the paper format and Statistics Canada Census community profiles available over the Internet, students were able to find statistics for the town of Antigonish, the province of Nova Scotia and Canada.
For the month of January 2003, three display boards showing the results of their research are available for viewing in the Government Documents section of the Angus L. Macdonald Library. The displays highlight the wealth of information available at your fingertips.
Students, faculty and staff and local residents are invited to come to the library look at these displays. The abundant resources available through Statistics Canada publications offer limitless research possibilities.
Jan. 6, 2003
StFX's SRSF wins almost $400,000 in additional research funding
ANTIGONISH, NS --- It's an additional $399,980 grant for StFX University’s Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) ‘Social Research for Sustainable Fisheries (SRSF).' SRSF has won two additional years of funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
The SRSF project, established in 1999, develops social research know-how and capacity within a collaboration of Mi’kmaq and non-native fisheries organization partners and university researchers and programs such as StFX's Interdisciplinary Studies in Aquatic Resources.
SRSF director Dr. Anthony Davis of StFX’s department of sociology and anthropology, says the new award is essential to realizing SRSF’s full potential. "It is critical that the results from our research projects be prepared fully and distributed as widely as possible. Likewise, this funding will position SRSF to pursue the resources necessary to sustain more permanently the research capacity that has been developed.”
Dr. Davis says most of the new funding will continue to be invested in student internships and organization-based researchers.
SRSF has provided research internships for 15 senior Mi’kmaq and non-native StFX students as well as employment for four recently graduated students as project officers. The new funding will support as many as 10 new student internships and two project officer positions. SRSF will continue to support three full-time community research coordinator positions within the partner organizations and one full-time research coordinator based at StFX.
Documenting life histories in fishing and fish harvesters’ knowledge of marine ecosystems are among the research activities undertaken to date. Research results are prepared and distributed in the form of research reports, fact sheets, newspaper articles for trade and general outlets, research papers, and postings to the SRSF web-site at www.mystfx.ca/research/srsf.
SRSF’s core community partners are the Gulf Nova Scotia Bonafide Fishermen’s Association, the Guysborough County Inshore Fishermen’s Association, and the Paq’tnkek Fish and Wildlife Society. For further information visit the website or telephone the StFX SRSF Project Office at (902) 867-2292.