A Timeline of Saint Mary’s, its Evolution, and Impact on Alumni
Written by Simon Auffrey Arsenault
Thumbnail & Banner Photo by R. MacLean on Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 5
Saint Mary’s University is a post-secondary institution now located on Robie and Inglis streets in the beautiful city of Halifax. Like most post-secondary institutions, there have been several changes made over the years since operations have begun, to accommodate the ever-changing educational and personal needs of the students frequenting the University. Keeping in mind that Saint Mary’s has roots dating back to 1802, we can explore the history of what is now Saint Mary’s, what changes it has gone through to become a very diverse, open-minded, and supportive university for its students, and how those changes impact its alumni.
In 1802, Reverend Burke, hence the name of the Burke building we now have today, began teaching only boys at a school located on the corner of Barrington and Spring Garden Road, which was described as anything but big. In 1806, a document was created to certify that only young Catholics were allowed admission to the school, and the school strictly taught using catholic morals, to catholic individuals.
With very limited resources available to him, Rev. Burke worked very hard to educate these individuals, which resulted in the school evolving into a college, and then into a university. The founder unfortunately passed away in 1820, after having a significant impact on religion and education in Nova Scotia, which means the university had to go into new hands. For the majority of the 19th and 20th centuries, Saint Mary’s was operated and managed by religious figures, such as the Irish Christian brothers, and Jesuits over the 19th and 20th centuries, when in 1970, it was converted to be operated by a board of governors, a model still used as of 2024.
Academic Disciplines, Faculty, and Grades, Then and Now:
Moving onto the academic evolution of the university, what was then the College of Saint Mary’s officially received permanent degree-granting abilities in April of 1852. Since it was granted the ability to provide degrees to its students, it was mentioned in a note dating to 1908, that only two courses were offered, the commercial, and classical courses, respectively. As of today, there are now four bachelor programmes available, the bachelor of arts, commerce, environmental studies, and science, along with the engineering program, and graduate studies. Over the last year, a significant change took place at Saint Mary’s, being the cap on final exam weightage at 40%, courtesy of the Saint Mary’s University Student Association, more commonly known as SMUSA, which has also created a list of free textbook courses available at our university, for students to access and review. This page being created is significant as with rising expenses in the food, rent, and transportation sectors, saving money is crucial, and having a guide of courses that have free access to textbooks may influence students’ decisions, and ultimately help them financially.
From the faculty perspective, with the creation of virtual meeting platforms, such as Zoom, and Microsoft Teams, students are now able to easily set a meeting with their professors to address some questions or concerns they may have, something becoming more common in the past 4 years, due to the unexpected arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had significant impacts on how we interact with each other, and how we function. As of 2024, professors still offer students the option to meet virtually, or in-person as they wish, thus ensuring students have help regardless of their circumstances and location.
Student Life, Extracurriculars and Societies:
For some young individuals beginning post-secondary studies the adjustment is easy, while for others, it may be difficult and worrisome. Nowadays, there are many ways for students to feel at home while studying, such as getting involved in societies and associated extracurriculars. Back in 1802, it is possible to say that minimal resources were available, as the college at the time was the result of one man’s dedication and hard work. Over the years, the number of societies has increased, and so has the number of resources available to students, which has also ultimately had an impact on the amount of students enrolled.
In terms of societies, the debate society, perhaps one of the oldest standing societies, was originally founded in 1905, along with the drama society, which was founded 2 years later, in 1907, with a goal to provide SMU’s students an opportunity to contribute to the world of performing arts. The debate society hosted weekly practices for individuals of all ages with an interest in expression and debate to collaborate. Students debate on various topics, which were occasionally referred to as “interesting”, as per a memo named “College Notes”, which was published in 1908 in what was referred to as “The Santamarian”, whose author remains unknown to this day. 15 years later, the first monthly student newspaper was launched in September known as the “Tattler”. Over the years, it wore several names, to now be named The SMU Journal over a century later.
Since it has been open, Saint Mary’s students have become more and more creative with ideas to reunite students, by creating societies for almost every interest and category, such as academic, cultural, and social. Societies have been, and continue to be, a method for students to engage themselves on campus, and make connections along the way.
Student Resources and Enrollment:
Since its opening in 1802, changes in the world of education have resulted in some individuals having specific needs due to specific circumstances. Saint Mary’s is now able to offer incoming students assistance with both their physical and mental health, academic advising to help them align their future, as well as financial aid, which as many of us know, is necessary as more expenses seem to be rising as time goes on.
When Saint Mary’s originally opened its doors, it was referred to as a very small institution in a letter written to the Bishop of Quebec, in July of 1802. Interestingly enough, as of today, Saint Mary’s University remains a small community of students, with a total of 11,847 students enrolled as of fall 2023, with 7,115 in an undergraduate program, and 4,727 in graduate programs. With increased enrollment also comes a need for more resources. Considering Saint Mary’s is a multicultural community, composed of students from over 80 countries, along with individuals from various backgrounds, it is considered a must-have resources to accommodate the needs of various individuals, as they all come from different backgrounds.
University Alumni:
Working on a degree is a big step for most individuals who enroll in university. Being an alumnus is something that many take pride in. Studying at university for several years has an impact on many individuals, and through resources, societies, and other methods, they can develop both professional and personal skills, to help them with their future endeavours. Students who have available resources, and assistance with areas of concern related to their courses, and employment, are more likely to make informed decisions in regard to future projects and endeavours they may enter themselves into.
A positive experience at Saint Mary’s will more than likely result in the graduate having a positive outlook on the university, and post-secondary education. Over the two centuries that it has been open, Saint Mary’s has been able to educate and create successful individuals, such as Steve Armitage, a now retired Canadian athletics broadcaster, who graduated from Saint Mary’s in 1968, with a bachelor of arts degree.
More recently, Saint Mary’s also saw David Culligan graduate from the bachelor of commerce program in 2015. Upon graduation, he successfully founded his very own company, named Threesixfive, which assists various companies in several industries to create promotional content through videos, and now has offices in both Toronto and Halifax respectively.
Staying in Touch:
Considering many individuals have created connections and friendships, which is easy to do due to the very close-community feeling at Saint Mary’s, there are now several methods for fellow alumni to keep in touch, through the newsletter, alumni networks, and the alumni association.
Alumni who have had a great experience and wish for others to share the same experience can donate to the university, which will directly have an impact on future and current students. There are also benefits associated with being an alumnus of Saint Mary’s, such as insurance discounts with the university’s partnered insurance company, TD Insurance, the Alumni Card, which gives its cardholder discounts at many participating restaurants and stores, and Communauto, a car-sharing platform based in several Canadian provinces.
To conclude, Saint Mary’s University as we know it today has gone through a series of changes and challenges since its original opening in 1802 by Reverend Burke, and has had impacts on thousands of students over the years. The changes it has gone through have helped students succeed in their disciplines, and more successful students mean more satisfied Alumni. With the resources available today, they can remain involved on the campus they have worked hard on, and remain in contact with connections made along the way.