Friday, December 14, 2012

Looking Back, Looking Forward


As we approach the end of another year, it’s a fitting time to reflect on a few highlights from 2012. It was a remarkable year for our community, as the Mount celebrated a number of key accomplishments and anniversaries.

Looking Back

In February, to great fanfare, we announced the largest donation in the history of the Mount. Margie McCain’s generous gift of $2.25 million for the new Margaret Norrie McCain Centre for Teaching, Learning and Research was welcomed by an enthusiastic and supportive Mount community. Her gift will ensure a legacy of high-quality classroom, research and learning space for future generations of Mount students and faculty.
This year also marked an important milestone as we celebrated our first graduates from the Bachelor of Science (Science Communication) program. This ground-breaking program combines the rigours of science and the study of communication practice, positioning our graduates to explain the complexities of science and technology to our communities and to the media.

Program Anniversaries

The year 2012 also marked the 35th anniversary of the Mount’s highly-regarded Bachelor of Public Relations program. All across the globe, Mount PR grads are making a difference in industry, non-profit, and the public sectors by bringing their stories to life.
Distance Learning and Continuing Education (DLCE) recognized their 30th anniversary this past year. The occasion was marked by bringing together staff, students, and faculty who have been part of the Mount’s successful outreach to distance education students over the past three decades.
It was also the 20th anniversary for two important cornerstones of the Mount community. The Nova Scotia Centre on Aging celebrated its 20th anniversary with a high-profile national conference called “Our Future Is Aging”. The Centre for Women in Business also marked 20 years dedicated to supporting local and regional women business leaders and entrepreneurs.

Looking Forward

The year 2013 promises to be no less exciting. We’re marking 140 years of history and an impressive legacy of commitment to the advancement of women, to social justice, and to supporting and nurturing accessible learning for all members of our community. We recently launched our Facebook Timeline to mark some of the key moments in our collective history. I’m hopeful that our recent work with Nova Scotia’s Mi’kmaq communities, the hiring of our first Aboriginal student advisor, and the opening of the Mount Aboriginal Friendship Centre will help ensure that we serves the needs of an under-presented Nova Scotian community on our campus.
Early in the new year, we’re also planning to celebrate the sod-turning for the McCain Centre, an accomplishment in which we can all take pride. I’d like to recognize the tremendous work of our campaign volunteers and everyone who has supported the vision for this project. At last we’ll have the chance to see the next stage of our journey as an institution unfold. As of this month, we’re very close to our fundraising goal, having raised over $11.3 million toward the $12 million needed to wrap the campaign.
I know you’ll have your own goals, accomplishments, and milestones to celebrate as we head into the new year. It’s a pleasure to work with such a dedicated group of faculty, staff, and students. I wish everyone a great holiday season, and all the best for a productive and rewarding 2013.

Until next time,

Ramona
PS. Check out the Mount’s holiday video