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Mission
- At Mount Saint Vincent University, we are committed to academic
excellence, and our passion is a rich and rewarding university experience.
-
We are dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge: scholarship, teaching, and
intellectual endeavour of the highest quality, and we promote accessibility
through flexible learning opportunities and services.
- We are inspired by
our strong tradition of social responsibility and our enduring commitment to the
advancement of women.
- Our people are our foundation and our relationships
are built on respect and accountability.
Vision
- We will be the
national leader in creating the best university experience for all members of
our community and in developing thoughtful, engaged citizens who make a positive
impact on their world.
Values
- Academic Freedom
-
Accountability
- Creativity
- Engagement
- Professionalism
-
Respect
The history of the Mount is a story of humanity and growth.
From its inception, the University has been concerned about the welfare and
fortune of individuals and communities, at home and abroad. Established by the
Sisters of Charity in 1873, the Mount was one of the only institutions of higher
education for women in Canada. At a time when women could not vote, the Mount
provided an opportunity for women to learn and participate equally in
society.
The original purpose of the academy was to train novices and
young sisters as teachers, but the Sisters also recognized a need to educate
other young women and therefore opened the academy to young women who lived in
the city of Halifax.
By 1912, the Sisters recognized a need to offer
greater opportunity through university education. In keeping with their
progressive thinking, they immediately adopted a plan to establish a college for
young women. To ensure that the education provided by the future college would
be of the highest quality, Mother Mary Berchmans Walsh sent a number of Sisters
to earn doctoral degrees at institutions such as Notre Dame, the Sorbonne,
Fordham, and the Catholic University of America.
In 1925, through the
efforts of such people as Dr. Mary Evaristus Moran, S.C., the Nova Scotia
Legislature passed a bill granting a charter to Mount Saint Vincent College
empowering it to grant its own degrees. With that, Mount Saint Vincent College
became the only independent women s college in the British Commonwealth. It
offered degrees in Education, Nursing and Arts.
Sister Evaristus served
as the first President (1925-1944) of Mount Saint Vincent College. She worked
tirelessly for the development of the new college and for the young women who
came to be educated there. When she became Superior General in 1944, Sister
Maria Rosaria Gorman succeeded her as President.
Sister Rosaria s term
as President (1944-1954) saw many significant changes in the college,
particularly in its physical plant. A fire in January of 1951 completely
destroyed the original Mount: Motherhouse, novitiate, academy and college.
Students and Sisters were temporarily housed elsewhere in the city and classes
were conducted in borrowed space. Fortunately, a new building had been started
in 1949 and was ready by the Fall of 1951. This building, now recognized as
Evaristus Hall, served as the only residence, administrative and academic
facility until 1966. During these years, the Sisters carried the total financial
responsibility for the operation of the college and provided the land and the
funding required for the construction of Evaristus Hall. There were also changes
made in program offerings during Sister Rosaria s term. By 1951, degrees were
offered in Arts, Secretarial Science, Music, Home Economics, Library Science,
Nursing and Education.
Also in 1951, the first lay person was hired as a
faculty member. Until then, the college had been staffed solely by Sisters, who
until 1956 received no salaries other than minimal living expenses. In fact,
even when salaries were recorded for the Sisters, all but living expenses were
contributed back to the institution until 1973. Those who taught and worked at
the institution were fully committed to its mission and to the young female
students whom they served. It was because of this commitment and the fact that a
large percentage of the college s income came from contributed services that
the institution was able to grow. At no other university would faculty members
(Sisters, in this case) be found setting dining room tables, making beds,
providing general housekeeping and maintenance, fixing clocks, and staffing the
switchboard, in addition to carrying out regular teaching and research duties.
Contributed services accounted for 35 per cent or more of the total income for
the college until at least the mid-sixties.
As the Mount moves into its
future, it is preparing to transform an academic environment that will
ultimately transform lives. A recognized leader in Flexible Education,
professional studies, traditional Arts and Sciences and applied research, the
Mount is on the threshold of a future as vital as the ocean within its
sightline. Building on its distinct features and esteemed history, the Mount
will become an environment for transformative learning and a university with
unparalleled social impact at home, across the country, and overseas. It is
these distinctive features that make the Mount unique in the post-secondary
landscape and connect our past to our future. |
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