Mounties head coach named

Mount Allion is pleased to announce that Kelly Jeffrey has been named the head coach of the Mount Allison University Football Mounties. Following an open national search Jeffrey was rehired without reservation to remain as full-time head coach and offensive co-ordinator of the team.

Hired as an interim head coach last season, Jeffrey led the 2008 Mounties to a playoff berth for a second time since 1999. His 2008 team was more than a legitimate contender in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) conference. His squad was guided by an explosive and exciting offence that thrilled football fans across the country, and in three contests this season the Mounties were edged out in just the closing minutes. This year’s Mounties also boasted the conference’s MVP, five AUS all-stars, two All-Canadians, and the AUS Hec Crighton Award nominee for the nation’s top player.

Jeffrey joined the Mounties in 2006 and was the quarterbacks coach, an offensive co-ordinator, and the special teams co-ordinator, before taking the head coaching reins this past season.

Jeffrey came to Mount Allison after being the head coach and offensive co-ordinator at Mayville State University (MSU) in North Dakota for four years (2002-2005). During those four seasons his team set numerous offensive records for most yards per game and total yards in a season, and he coached the all-time single season record holders for individual rushing, receiving, completions, and passing yards. Overall the school set nine offensive records while producing five Don Hanson All-Americans.

Before MSU in 2001, Jeffrey coached quarterbacks at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), and at the University of San Diego (1998-2000), where he trained three all-conference quarterbacks in his three seasons and coached the all-time leading passer in touchdowns, completions, and yardage. He also coached running backs at Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD (1996-1997) and wide receivers at North Dakota’s Dickinson State University (1994-1995), a team that finished with a perfect 10-0 season in 1995, and were conference champions in both 1994 and 1995.

Jeffrey has his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Dickinson State University, and his Master’s degree in health, physical education and recreation from Northern State University in Aberdeen.

Read more: http://athletics.mta.ca/

New Executive Director on PEI

Congratulation to Bill Bishop ('70), who has been named the new executive director of the L.M. Montgomery Land Trust Inc.

Bill has returned home to his native PEI to live full-time following his retirement from a career in the oil industry, working with Petro-Canada primarily in supply and logistics.

He and his wife Bev, also an Islander, have a summer home in Long River and have bought a condo in Charlottetown for the winters. They have two adult children, Megan and Ben. Megan lives in Calgary with her husband Shane and kids Zac and Ivy, and Ben lives in Toronto with his partner Melissa.

Bill has been involved in various volunteer organizations over the years including community associations, hockey and swimming clubs, and was involved with the alumni association at Mount Allison, serving two years as its president.

Learn more about the L.M. Montgomery Land Trust.

Grad wins at "Arctic Change" conference

Congratulations to Ryan Jameson ('07) who won first place in the terrestrial series for his poster “Moving In? Coniferous seed production and its role in treeline advancement.” at the Arctic Net “Arctic Change” 2008 conference held in Quebec City this December.

Ryan is part of both the Labrador Highlands Research Group and the PPS Arctic Canada network. He earned his BSc in biology at Mount Allison and worked in the Mount Allison Dendrochronology (MAD) Lab.

Learn more about the conference.

Writer wins Commonwealth prize

Congratulations to writer, psychiatrist, and Allisonian Julie Curwin ('86), who won the Commonwealth Short Story Competition.

Her story, World Backwards, came first among 1,700 entries from around the Commonwealth. The story had to be less than 600 words and Curwin says she wrote it mainly as an exercise to see if she could do it.

She came in at 526 well-chosen words and a surprisingly funny ending about an elderly lady accompanying her friend to Italy to spread her friend’s husband’s ashes.

To read more, see Sydney writer wins Commonwealth prize (Halifax Herald)

How Green Are You?

Mount A is celebrating the Year of the Environment, and we hope you are too. You will see on the Mount A home page that we have launched the How Green Are You? Video Campaign.

We invite you to take part and win some great prizes. It's open to everyone -- students, staff, faculty, alumni, and future students.

Just send us a short video (two minutes or less) showing us what you are doing to help the environment. Be creative, have fun, but think green.

The deadline is February 15, 2009. All you have to do is create the video, upload it to YouTube, send the URL to Lesley Johnson at ljohnson@mta.ca, and starting March 1 you can go online to vote for your favourite.

All the details can be found at www.mta.ca/environment/howgreenareyou

Allisonian among winners at Canadian Investment Awards

Congratulations to Chancellor Emeritus Purdy Crawford ('52) for winning the Person of Influence of the Year award at the Canadian Investment Awards on December 3.

Read more in the Financial Post (December 4).

Canadian Heritage Quilting: Quick Creative Designs

New tools and techniques have brought new life to the traditional craft of quilting. This has revived interest in the many attractive designs which are part of Canada's cultural heritage.

Authors Karen Neary ('77) and Diane Shink ('63) are both knowledgeable quilters with a special interest in the quilting history of Canada's Maritime provinces. They are also experts in the new techniques which make quilting a more enjoyable and less time-consuming activity.

In this book, they provide the patterns and instructions which allow quilters to sew many attractive heritage quilts -- and explain how to create innovative variants on traditional patterns.

Karen, who lives in Amherst, Nova Scotia, specializes in original interpretations of traditional patchwork patterns aimed at contemporary quilters. A prolific designer since 1989, her work has appeared in books and magazines.

Diane is a retired teacher who divides her time between Montreal and Nova Scotia. Diane is a certified quilt appraiser. She lectures on all aspects of quilting and gives trunk shows of her quilt collection.

Book Signings:

December 5 & 6: Country Quilter, 3444 McBean, Richmond ON; Book Signings: Saturday Dec 6th 10:00-12:30; 613-838-5541; countryquilter@hotmail.com

December 13: Quilt Classique, 63 D Donegani Ave, Pointe Claire QC; From 12:00-1:00; 514-630-8885

January 23: Leeds County Books and Picket Fence Quilts, 73 King Street West, Brockville ON; From 11:00-2:00; 613-342-5728; jennifer@picketfencefabrics.com

January 28: Museum of Costume and Textiles of Quebec; 349 rue Riverside, Saint Lambert QC; 1:30 appraisals 3:00 book signings; 450-923-6600

February 8: Aux Delices, La Maison de Calico, 324 Lakeshore Pointe Claire QC; Tea and scones with Diane Shink at 2:00. Trunk show. Buy a book and get it signed; Cost $10 +$23 for the book if desired; 514-695-0728

Order the book on Amazon.com

Allisonian in the running for CBC's Canada's next Great Prime Minister

Camille Labchuk ('05) is one of 136 contestants in CBC-TV's "Canada's Next Great Prime Minister" contest. With your help, she could be one of the eight semi-finalists with a chance to move on to the televised finals.





Check back for updates soon as Camille will be posting new videos on the CBC web site in response to candidate questions.

Camille has been the Green Party of Canada's press secretary for the past two years and is now employed as the public relations specialist with Humane Society International. She was a federal candidate in 2006 and worked on the campaign for proportional representation in PEI. She has a BA in psychology from Mount Allison.

Are you an Allisonian or do you know one who is also in the running for the next Great Prime Minister? Let us know!

Vote for Camille: http://www.cbc.ca/nextprimeminister/candidates/camillelabchuk.html

Alum finds meteorite fragments

Fragments of a huge meteorite that lit up the skies across Alberta and Saskatchewan at the end of November have been found near the border city of Lloydminster.

University of Calgary planetary scientist Dr. Alan Hildebrand, and graduate student (and Mount A alum) Ellen Milley ('07) announced Friday morning they located several meteorite fragments.

They believe thousands of meteorite bits are strewn over 20 square kilometres near the Battle River. They led a group of reporters to the site — a region called Buzzard Coulee, about 40 kilometres from Lloydminster.

Meteorites fell near Buzzard Coulee, Sask., about 40 kilometres southeast of Lloydminster. There, close to a frozen pond, numerous small rocks and pebbles could be seen that the scientists said were from the meteorite.

No large chunks were spotted, however. The fireball that streaked across western Canadian skies on Nov. 20 was witnessed by thousands. Researchers believe it was a 10-tonne fragment from an asteroid.

It was also captured on video by a number of people. Reporters were told those observations, combined with the physical evidence, give scientists a treasure trove of data that could give them a better understanding of the solar system.

Mount A Alum Hockey Team

Seen here is the Mount A alumni team for the 5th annual Molson Old Stars tournament that takes place on the last weekend of September every year in Halifax.

All 10 present and former AUAA (AUS) hockey schools had teams this year. While Mount A has participated every year, this was the first year that every player on the team was a Mount A alum.

Here is a list of the team members:

Front row (L-R): Andy Clark '96, Darren Rimmer '95, Paul Bourque '79, Mike Roberts '88, Dave Curnew '02, Andy Meth '96

Back row (L-R): Perennial Team MVP Brad MacCharles '99, Brian Harriman '99, Mike Mullaly '95, Craig Pitcher '96, Brad Rusaw '94, Duane Irvine, Joey Zappia (Joey from Joey's, so that pretty much means honorary degree), Andrew MacGillivray '95, Mark Farwell '87

Missing from photo: Jeff Thompson '99

Anyone looking to play in the tournament next year is encouraged to contact Andy Clark at ac@cicnova.ns.ca or Jeff Thompson at jeff.thompson@astratech.com.

Thanks! Andy Clark

Alumnae Named Most Powerful Women

Mount A is pleased to announce that four alumnae have been recognized by the Women’s Executive Network as Canada’s most powerful women for 2008.

Mount Allison alumnae the Hon. Margaret McCain ('54) and Dr. Nancy Grant ('69), in the Trailblazers & Trendsetters category, as well as Dr. Vianne Timmons ('79) and Dr. Kimberley Amirault ('95) in the Professionals category, were all honoured among Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100™ in Toronto on November 25.

Now in its sixth year, Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100™ list has also included several Mount Allison alumnae on past lists including Karen Radford, the Honourable Catherine Callbeck, Dr. Ruth Goldbloom, Brenda Robertson, Annette Verschuren, Lynn Loewen, and Jane Craighead. Other past Top 100 winners include Mount Allison honorary degree recipients Madam Justice Rosalie Abella, Dr. Roberta Bondar, and Judith Maxwell.

For the full list of recipients please visit: http://www.wxnetwork.com/.

MTA's New Homepage!

You will notice a brand new Mount Allison Home Page with some exciting new features.

Computing Services has been working with the Communications Office for the past few months to create a new look for Mount Allison and a new way of telling our story. The Home Page is a reflection of this collaboration.

Some of the new features on the Home Page include more scope for showing what is happening on campus photographically. The design also gives us ample room along the bottom of the page to highlight more news releases, a new way of showcasing events, and a method of sharing the details about faculty, staff, and students who have been featured recently in the media.

Now consistent with many interior pages designed last year, the Home Page includes a number of features that have begun to be part of our look for both web and print applications - stacked images on the left and a series of images at the top of the page that can be changed often. It also provides as much navigational and news information on the first page as possible.

We hope you enjoy the modernized Home Page and we welcome your news stories!

Mount A; Most Vegetarian-Friendly University in Canada

Mount A has been named the "Most Vegetarian-Friendly University in Canada" by Peta! A big thanks to all those that voted! Congrats!!

After tens of thousands of votes, the winners were revealed with the top five universities in Canada receiving certificates to be displayed in their dinning halls (since this really was a campus-wide victory).

After a modest placement on the list two years ago, Mount Allison has risen to the top in 2008, powered by the most creative and delicious vegan options in all of Canada!

Some of the many options that Allisonians rave to Peta about include the Italian tempeh mock sausage, the vegan enchilada bake, and vegan sloppy Joes.

We even offers a fully vegan dining station, with more than 100 vegan dishes to choose from!

Go Mounties!

Check out all the finalists.

Mount A #1 Again!

It is my pleasure to let you know that Mount Allison University was once again named the top undergraduate school in Canada by Maclean's magazine in its 18th annual University Rankings Issue, announced today.

Thank you to all of our faculty, staff, and students who have once again made this possible.

Robert Campbell
President and Vice-Chancellor
Mount Allison University

More details are available at http://www.macleans.ca/oncampus.

Related Links:
#1 again! — Mount Allison receives top spot in Maclean’s University rankings
(Mount Allison press release)

Mount Allison top university again
(Moncton Times & Transcript)

Acadia ousted from top perch in MacLean's poll
(Halifax Metro News)

Maclean's 18th annual (and biggest ever) University Rankings issue
(Maclean's news release)

Top schools still tops in Maclean's
(Windsor Star)

Vote for Mount A!

Mount A has been nominated as veggie-friendly, along with 15 other Canadian universities, in peta2's annual Most Vegetarian-Friendly Colleges competition.

The schools will compete in 4 rounds of voting before reaching the finals. On peta2's website, each university is represented by their sports logo with a paragraph describing their vegetarian offerings.

Other Canadian competitors this year are Dal, McGill, York, uToronto, Brock, UoGuelph, McMaster, uWaterloo, UWO, Brandon U, uSask, uAlberta, SFU, UBC, and uVic.

Take a minute to VOTE FOR MOUNT A!

Green Acts

CBC's The Hour has launched a new web campaign - One Million Acts of Green and we want you to be part of it! Sign up, log your everyday "green" acts, and join the Mount Allison group to show your support.

Mounties' Gary Ross

UPDATE: Mounties’ QB Hughes is named AUFC MVP

Gary Ross ('10) has made a name for himself as the top special-teams player in the country the past three years, but it has been his unique back story that has drawn a lot of the attention at Mount A.

Gary, 26, is a married father of three children aged five and under and balances a busy home life with a full schedule of football practices and games.

An academic all-Canadian, he plans to pursue medical school and has a sterling grade-point average as a biology major.

As good a football player as Gary is, he's an even better person.

Gary had made a deal with his wife, Tenecia, that in order to raise their family, he would work while she went to university, with the two switching roles once she graduated.

A football and basketball star in high school in Windsor, Ont., he spent five years at a factory assembling welding guns and didn't pursue school or football until two years ago.

Gary knew little about our school, but realized he would get a chance to play a big role, given the Mounties' limited on-field success. Now, the game's most exciting moments at Mount A are determined by when the punt-return team is on the field.

He led the Atlantic conference in receptions, receiving yardage, all-purpose yards and punt-return average - and is a strong candidate to be the conference's most valuable player and nominee for the Hec Crighton Trophy, awarded annually to the most outstanding player in Canadian university football.

Mount Allison ended a 34-game losing string in his first year and has since won four more games.

With a 2-6 record heading into this Saturday's conference semi-final against the St. Francis Xavier X-Men, the Mounties are heavy underdogs in just their second playoff appearance in the past decade.

Full story: Ross leads Mount Allison's run into the postseason (Globe & Mail)

Tom Forrestall Gala

A Tom Forrestall Gala by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery will be taking place on Nov. 8, 2008 in Fredericton.

The tribute dinner will be recognizing the achievements of acclaimed Atlantic Canadian artist Tom Forrestall ('58).

Tom was hired by Lord Beaverbrook as assistant curator in 1959. He lived there for approximately 15 years, and now makes his home in Dartmouth, N.S.

A book by Tom Smart called Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writings was recently published by Key Porter Books and a major retrospective exhibition on the artist was just featured at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and the Beaverbrook Art Gallery is going to be hosting the exhibition in 2009.

Tom Forrestall's son, William Forrestall - a member of the event organizing committee and the representative of the Forrestall family - adds that it is worth noting that his father came to Mount A.

Not only are his parents artists, he and all of his siblings are artistic in one way or another. This gala event, he says, is a great tribute to his Dad and it's a great tribute to his mother, who recently passed away.

His mother, he says, managed his father's career and was instrumental in him establishing his career early on.

Upon graduation from Mount A in 1958, he received one of the first Canada Council grants for independent study and travel throughout Europe.

His principal media have been egg tempura and watercolour and, since 1980, lithography printing. His work has been described as magic realism and is exhibited nationally and internationally.

The money raised through the gala will go to the gallery.

At the gala event, a special announcement will be made that is important for the collection and is important for the (upcoming 50th) anniversary of the gallery. A very special surprise, of national significance, will be announced that evening by our lieutenant-governor.

If that isn't incentive enough to come out, the gala will feature a champagne reception and the music of Les Paiens. Senator Noel Kinsella will be the guest speaker and will introduce Tom Forrestall.

There will also be a short auction featuring unique, once-in-a-lifetime artwork, as well as a multi-media presentation on Forrestall.

The Tom Forrestall Gala is taking place on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Delta. The reception gets underway at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $150, with a tax deduction of $110, and if you purchase a table for eight, you will receive the recent book on Tom Forrestall signed by the artist and the author.

Tickets can be purchased at the front desk of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery or by calling 458-2028. To learn more about the gallery, visit www.beaverbrookartgallery.org.

Read full story: Paying tribute to acclaimed artist Tom Forrestall (Daily Gleaner)

New Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies

One of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs is paving the way for the next generation of business leaders.

Ron Joyce, honorary degree holder, Tim Hortons co-founder, member of the Order of Canada and Canadian Business Hall of Fame, has donated $5,000,000 to establish the Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies at Mount A.

The Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies is housed in the heart of Mount Allison’s campus in the Avard-Dixon Building. The new Centre contains an open-style, community meeting place that characterizes business schools and allows a high-energy collaborative social environment.

Additional improvements include new case rooms, and boardrooms that double as tutorial or seminar rooms. The Centre will also attract an increased number of Commerce students to the University.

The Program is expected to grow by 200 students over the next four years. Additional gains stemming from Ron Joyce’s generous gift include funds to attract the country’s top entrepreneurs and educators — creating new teaching positions, visiting scholars, and executive-in-residence opportunities on campus.

The student experience will be further improved with an increase in student conference travel, field trips, guest speaker series, case competitions, international exchanges, summer internships, and research opportunities.

Building on Ron Joyce’s generosity, the University will fund raise an additional $5,000,000 — for a total investment of $10 million — as it advances to the forefront of undergraduate business education in North America.

Related links:
Millions for Mount A (Telegraph Journal)
Tim's founder donates $5M to Mt. A (Times and Transcript)

Songs on Stage

Sackville is the place to be this weekend, with Songs on Stage, a one of a kind weekend of music.

October 23rd Weekend:

• Chantal Kreviazuk & Gordie Sampson - October 23rd, Convocation Hall, 8:00 pm $34.00
• Maritime Songwriters Circle - Catherine McLellan, Jill Barber, Meaghan Smith and hosted by Bruce Guthro, October 24th, Sackville United Church - 8:00 pm $18.00
• Rob Lutes Rick Haworth Songwriting and Guitar workshops, October 25th - 10:00 am Sackville United Church
• Hot Toddy & Rob Lutes - United Church, October 25th, 2:00 pm $18.00
• Joel Plaskett & Ron Sexsmith - October 25th, Convocation Hall, 8:00 pm

Tickets available at Ticketpro.ca online, phone or Atlantic-wide, Tidewater Books and Live Bait Theatre. http://www.sackville.com/culture

OPEN HOUSE

Mount A invites all teachers, school counsellors, prospective students and their parents, and anyone else who may be interested to visit our beautiful campus, spectacular with its fall foliage, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, October 24th.

The day will begin with a welcome in Convocation Hall, followed by three mini lectures on an environmental theme, an Academic Fair in the Athletics Centre, a complimentary lunch at Jennings Dining Hall, a Student Fair in the new Wallace McCain Student Centre, campus tours, and prize draws.

Five prizes of $2,000 each in Residence Bursaries will be offered to potential students!

Find out more about our Open House!

Greening Mount Allison

Mount Allison students and community members can now sport their school pride while being environmentally friendly with the University's new line of travel mugs and reusable shopping bags.

In an effort to be environmentally conscious, the university wants to get rid of paper cups and bags, so all students this year were issued with a reusable travel mug and shopping bag.

The bags and cups are also available for purchase at the university bookstore.

Michelle Strain, Mount Allison's director of administrative services, said the mugs were purchased with the energy savings from the C3 Challenges held in residences for the last two years, and in academic buildings for the first time this year.

The hope is that Mount Allison will eventually become a paper-cup and bag-free campus, further reducing its environmental impact.

The Greening Mount Allison mugs are available for purchase at the Mount Allison bookstore for $4.10, while the Green and Garnet reusable bags are $1 each.

Buy online!

Meighen Centre celebrating 20 years

The Meighen Centre celebrated its 20th anniversary with a big party, and an even bigger present. Dozens of students, University staff, philanthropists, and experts in the field of learning disabilities gathered to reflect on the Centre’s successes and thank its supporters.

The family after which the Centre is named used the anniversary as an opportunity to ensure the Meighen Centre enjoys at least another 20 years of achievement — with a $750,000 donation.

The T R Meighen Foundation’s gift prompted an additional endowment of $375,000 from an anonymous donor, for a total contribution of $1,125,000 to the Centre.

The Meighen Centre has gained wide acclaim both regionally and nationally for its work with students who have learning disabilities, and the Centre’s staff members have received national recognition for the work they do.

The Meighen Centre is one of the only centres in Canada at the post-secondary level with the sole mandate to support academic assistance, training, and research in that field. Services include a peer tutoring program, a note-taking service, test and exam accommodations, as well as academic and personal counselling.

Read more: Mount Allison celebrates 20 years of helping students with learning disabilities

Related links:
Meighen Centre gets $1.125 million (Times and Transcript)
Harvard researcher visits Mount A (Times and Transcript)

Mount A's Animal House

Mount A is getting its own Animal House, but it’s not the National Lampoon variety.

In a unique partnership with the Moncton SPCA, the University residence is fostering pets from the shelter during the school year.

Animal House is located in one of Mount A’s satellite residences with ample outdoor space. Eight students and several pets moved in this September.

Tasks include feeding, exercising, grooming, ensuring access to vet care, and socializing with the animals, as well as a number of house initiatives to assist the animals in finding permanent homes through the SPCA’s adoption program.

Current four-legged residents include a rabbit, a cat, and a dog.

The Animal House project is also serving as a valuable learning experience outside the classroom. Many of the house residents plan to pursue careers in the field of animal care and veterinary medicine.

The Animal House experience will provide them with additional ‘pre-vet’ education, together with their regular studies at Mount Allison.

Related links:
Student residence going to the dogs (and cats)
(Globe and Mail)

Mount Allison's own Animal House
(Telegraph Journal)

Mt. Allison launches "Animal House"
(Times and Transcript)

Student residence fosters pets from the Moncton SPCA
(Sackville Tribune Post)

N.B. university campus opens its doors to SPCA animals looking for adoption
(Amherst Daily News)

Commerce CMA Accreditation

A special reception was held at Mount A at the end of September to celebrate CMA (Certified Management Accountants) Canada’s accreditation of the university’s Bachelor of Commerce program — the first university in New Brunswick to receive this distinction.

Vieweg confirmed that Mount Allison University is the first university in New Brunswick to have an undergraduate accounting program accredited by CMA Canada.

Mount A students who successfully complete the Bachelor of Commerce program with a minimum grade point average of 75% are exempted from writing the CMA Entrance Examination. This select group of students will enter directly into the Strategic Leadership Program, the last step required to obtain the CMA designation.

Read more: Mount Allison's Commerce program receives CMA Canada Accreditation

Related links:
Mount Allison’s commerce program receives CMA accreditation
(Sackville Tribune Post)

Mount A commerce program accredited
(Moncton Times and Transcript)

Reception to celebrate CMA Canada's Accreditation of Mount Allison University's Commerce Program
(Canada Newswire)

Wallace McCain Student Centre Opening

Close to 2,000 students, University staff, alumni, donors, and community members watched as a giant “garnet and gold” scarf (in place of a ribbon) was untied and the new Wallace McCain Student Centre was officially opened.

Margaret McCain, Mount Allison graduate, honorary degree holder, officer of the Order of Canada, former Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, and Chancellor Emeritus of Mount Allison said when she and Wallace donated $5-million three years ago, they wanted their investment to benefit students directly.

Renovations on the historic residence, Trueman House, began in 2006. While the sandstone exterior of the building has remained largely untouched, the building’s interior has been completely renovated, and updated to include some cutting-edge “green” features.

These include a multi-storey atrium (to provide daylight to the building core), thicker insulation (for better heat retention), low-flow plumbing fixtures and a rainwater collection system (to conserve water), energy efficient office lights as well as daylight sensors and motion sensors in areas that are not constantly being used (to conserve energy).

As part of the opening celebrations the University’s pep band unveiled its new fight song Garnet & Gold. The pep band is a new addition to Mount Allison.

Read more: Wallace McCain Student Centre opens at Mount Allison University

See photos of the celebrations!

Related links:
New ‘one-stop’ student centre opens at Mount Allison
(Sackville Tribune Post)
Mt. A's new student centre opens its doors
(Times and Transcript)

Homecoming Weekend 2008

Homecoming Weekend was a great success with the official opening of the new Student Centre, the 1978 men's soccer championship team's 30th reunion, men and women's soccer games, and of course, the Mounties football team winning their homecoming game in overtime!

Check out the festivities in photos!

New MTA Fight Song!

Check out the new MTA Fight Song, which is going to be performed at the official opening of the new Student Centre this Saturday, September 27, 2008.



Check here for more info.

Listening to Trees

Life Changers, a five-episode documentary series of half hour programs, recently partnered with Mount Allison University to produce a television program about research at Mount A.

Traveling to universities across the region, this series highlights extraordinary work, groundbreaking research and Atlantic Canada’s most innovative thinkers who are committed to solving the greatest challenges of this new century.

Mount Allison’s feature is entitled “Listening to Trees” and chronicles the work of Dr. Colin Laroque and his student researchers in the Dendrochronology Lab. This research involves tree ring analysis – the dating of trees and heritage buildings.

Their cutting edge work is leading to breakthroughs in better understanding the affects of attendant climate change on our environment.

This new episode will air on ASN on Sunday, September 21 from 12:30 until 1 p.m. (AST). The AAU will be running 30-second spots on the CTV network promoting the show beginning on Monday, September 15.

Life Changers is produced by the Association of Atlantic Universities (AAU) on behalf of its 17 member institutions.

Read more about the show and view past episodes (Mount Allison’s episode will be there soon) detailing research at other universities.

Celebrate exhibition

Silver Ghost Exhibition at Acadia University Art Gallery – Beveridge Arts Centre Silver Ghost is a collaborative creative project of photographs by Thaddeus Holownia and text written by Harry Thurston.

The project explores Atlantic Salmon and its rivers through the use of photography and literary prose.

The exhibition is on view from Monday Sept 8 – Sunday Sept 14th.

Please join us to celebrate the exhibition on Friday Sept.12 at 7:30pm.

Thaddeus Holownia and Harry Thurston will be present for a book signing. Opening Remarks by Alex Colville ('42).

The exhibition is presented jointly by the Acadia University Art Gallery and the Arthur Irving Academy of the Environment.

Student research

Here is a link to an e-newsletter on student research in the Social Sciences.

The variety and quality of the research evident in the vignettes give witness that student research is alive and well in the Social Sciences at Mount Allison!

These and other students doing research are to be congratulated on their selection of topics; the energy, focus, and determination that they have brought to bear on their data-gathering; and the level of conceptual sophistication revealed in their analyses.

Planting seeds of hope

Roy White ('58) is a man of faith, compassion and understanding. The son of a Cape Breton coal miner who had a Grade 2 education but instilled values in his nine children, Roy graduated from Mount A and was ordained as a United Church minister in 1960.

Last year, Roy worked with friends to renovate a rundown horseshoe pit near the ball fields at the Springfield Lake Recreation Centre in Middle Sackville. He helped get materials donated, coerced a group of men into lending a hand, and today they gather at least weekly to compete with each other. They’ve visited and hosted other horseshoe tossers.

This year, this same group, led by Roy, took on a new project. They decided to plant a 90-foot by 30-foot garden behind the horseshoe pit to provide some potatoes for Feed Nova Scotia. The garden was created with donated materials, volunteer labour and dedication.

He told the naysayers the garden project was good for meditation, an opportunity for exercise to get rid of any feelings of sadness, and it enabled each and every person to help change the world, and of course to be altruistic, to show an unselfish interest in others.

Volunteers have tended the garden all summer and within a week or so will harvest the crop.

Read full story: Roy's planting seeds of hope (The Chronicle Herald)

NB Printmaker in Maine

The Tides Institute and Museum of Art (TIMA) opened its third exhibition of the season featuring a one-person show of work by one of eastern Canada’s foremost printmakers, Dan Steeves ('81). The exhibition will be on view through September 21, 2008. A letter in support of the exhibition by New Brunswick’s Premier Shawn Graham was read at the opening.

Dan Steeves was born in 1959 in Moncton, New Brunswick. He received his B.F.A. from Mount Allison University in 1981. He currently lives in Sackville where he is Printmaking Instructor and Lecturer in the Fine Arts Department. In 2007, Dan won the prestigious Sheila Hugh McKay Foundation's Strathbutler Award, which honors exceptional artistry in the province.

His work has been exhibited in galleries in Canada, the United States, Holland, Italy, Japan, Poland, Taiwan and the Ukraine. His prints are represented internationally in both public and private collections including Canadian House, (Nagoya, Japan), Royal Bank, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Regent College, Istituto Per La Cultura E L'Arte, (Catania, Italy), Chernobyl Disaster Museum, (Kharkov, Ukraine, USSR), Canada Council Art Bank, Permanent Collection, University of New Brunswick Art Centre and New Brunswick Art Bank, among others. He is represented by the Abbozzo Gallery of Oakville, Ontario, and the Peter Buckland Gallery of Saint John, New Brunswick. The prints included in this exhibition are on loan from the Peter Buckland Gallery.

The Tides Institute and Museum of Art (TIMA) is located in Eastport, Maine.

Read more: Work by New Brunswick Printmaker Dan Steeves on Exhibit at Tides Institute (artdaily.org)

Wild Plants of Eastern Canada

Dr. Marilyn Walker has written an indispensable guide to the plants of Eastern Canada and their many culinary, medicinal and ecological uses. Wild Plants of Eastern Canada is a comprehensive guide to the region’s plants, including their culinary, medicinal, folk, and ecological uses. The book also explores the cultural history of wild plant use among Aboriginal-Mi'kmaq, Maliseet, and Passamaquoddy-and non-Aboriginal-Black, Acadian, and Celtic-peoples.

Marilyn Walker holds a PhD in anthropology and is the author of Harvesting the Northern Wild, a guide to the edible wild plants of the north. She has served as the curator and acting director of the Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife and as the Assistant Head of Exhibit Design Services at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. She is currently an associate professor in the department of anthropology at Mount A.

Mount A and Tidewater Books are proud to host an afternoon author event with Marilyn Walker on Friday, Sept. 19th at 5:00 pm at the President’s Cottage, Mount Allison University.

Everyone is welcome.

Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writing

In the book Tom Forrestall: Paintings, Drawings, Writing, Tom Smart tells the story of Tom Forrestall’s (’58) art in a book that is the first major critical writing about the renowned Canadian realist painter. This retrospective of the famed Canadian painter Tom Forrestall traces the story of the development of his art from the time he entered Mount A in the late 1950s up to the present. Forming part of a coterie of “magical realist” east-coast painters that includes Alex Colville (’42), Christopher Pratt (’57), and Mary Pratt (’57). This attractive volume presents the range, depth, and poetry of Tom’s work.

Tom recently donated an orginal watercolour to Mount Allison University in memory of his late wife, Natalie Forrestall ('58). By reserving the limited edition print, "PIC-NIC SITE", you will be contributing to the NATALIE FORRESTALL FINE ARTS BURSARY.

Sharing an award

Congrats to Mount A and St. Thomas University for working together! Two of the smallest universities in Canada are sharing an award this month.

Mount A and STU recently won the national second prize for quality and productivity from the Canadian Association of Business Officers for our shared virtual server project that improves our technological services and reduces our environmental footprint.

This annual award recognizes universities for original and innovative projects. Together with STU, we are operating a single server room.

It's located at Mount A and is designed to reduce the number of computers and storage capacity required by the institutions.

As a result, we have saved money; reduced the university's energy consumption and space requirements; made the creation and repair of servers much ore efficient; and increased the quality of their services.

President's Newsletter

The third President’s Newsletter of the year is now available. This document highlights many accomplishments and activities on campus from the summer months and looks forward to an exciting fall.

The campus is buzzing!

Mount Allison welcomes the Class of 2012!

Mount Allison University’s campus will be buzzing with the arrival of the Class of 2012! Frosh will be treated a jam-packed week of activities with an international flair.

The theme for Orientation 2008 is Mounties Fly Together. This year’s Orientation committee, led by commerce student Bryan Cromlish, is gearing up for a busy week.

Other Mount A Orientation Week Highlights (open to the public) include:

• myMTA Fair (12 – 3 p.m. August 28, University Quad) — New students and their parents can get a full picture of everything Mount Allison has to offer.

• University Commencement (7 p.m. August 28, Convocation Hall) — The official University welcoming ceremony for the Class of 2012. Students and parents are shown some of the many traditions and history of Mount Allison in beautiful Convocation Hall. Guest speakers include Mount Allison University President Dr. Robert Campbell and geography and environment professor Dr. Brad Walters.

• Shinerama (9 a.m. — 2 p.m. September 6, Sackville, Amherst, Shediac, GMA) — an annual fund raiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Mount Allison students will be out in force shining shoes and raising funds and awareness for this worthy cause. Look for them in Sackville, Amherst, Shediac, and the Greater Moncton Area on September 6 between 9 and 2 p.m.

Mount Allison’s sustainable residence, Cuthbertson House, is also offering a number of Alternative Orientation activities. Organized by student residents and Student Affairs, these activities seek to provide unique opportunities, with the commitment to reducing our environmental footprint being top of mind.

Activities include hiking to Wood Point, a swim at Silver Lake, kite making, sushi cooking lessons. A full schedule is available on the Mount Allison home page.

For more information please visit www.mta.ca/orientation

Research professor Dr. Peter Edwards to be named to the Ordre des Palmes Académiques

Congratulations to research professor Dr. Peter Edwards, who is being recognized by the French government for his contributions to education — with a decoration that dates back to the time of Napoleon.

Along with two other Maritimers, he will be named to the Ordre des Palmes Académiques at the French Consulate General in Moncton on August 28.

This civil decoration was established in 1808 by the French government to recognize the achievements and contributions of university professors to French education, research, and the support of French culture. Since 1955, the decoration has been extended to recognize educators of French language and culture around the globe.

Dr. Edwards, who taught in Mount Allison's department of modern languages and literatures for over 30 years and continues to maintain an active research program, is the first person at Mount Allison to receive this honour.

Dr. Edwards has had a long and distinguished career at Mount Allison, as both a teacher and researcher. A four-time winner of the University’s Paul Paré Award and a recipient of the Paul Paré Medal, he retired from teaching as department head of modern languages and literatures in 2007.

He has continued his extensive research program in French literature. For the last 20 years, Dr. Edwards has headed up an international group of researchers who are studying the works of the 19th century French poet Theodore de Banville. The team, with representatives from Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia, published a critical edition of de Banville's complete poetry in eight volumes from 1994 to 2001. Following this accomplishment, Dr. Edwards, with Australian colleague Peter Hambly, published a two-volume set of the writer's selected literary, artistic, and music criticism in 2003. The pair have a full bibliography of de Banville’s complete works forthcoming this year and a supplement to the poetry edition in 2009. Dr. Edwards also edited a collection of the poet’s letters to his publisher in 2006 — giving academics and the public a collection of valuable resources and insight into the life of this famous French writer and poet and French literary culture of the time.

Dr. Edwards will be presented with the decoration by the French Consul General for the Acadian region (Maritimes) in Moncton on August 28.

Mount Allison Gemini Observatory

2009 has been designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations, and Mount A is getting ready to celebrate in style with the installation of an observational astronomy facility on campus.

The Mount Allison Gemini Observatory was constructed this summer and is set to open this fall at the corner of Salem and York Streets, near the University’s Dunn Physical Sciences Building.

The facility is designed using two Sirius 3.5 m diameter domes with electric rotation and shutter, two Losmandy Titan mounts, and two Celestron 11 SCT telescope optical tubes. All operations are solar powered, reducing the facility’s environmental footprint significantly. Robotic functions will also be added within the first year of operation.

The Gemini Observatory was built over the summer, and assembled entirely by a group of volunteers made up of Mount Allison students, staff, and faculty members.

Already Mount A students and faculty are benefiting from this new campus resource. Liyao Li is studying how lunar craters send ejecta on long orbits, which could be hazardous to astronauts on the moon, while Chris MacLeod is examining the ‘dark side of the moon’ — using the telescopes to see brief flashes as kilogram sized meteoroids impact the moon. Rory Woods is studying how deeply meteoroids impact into cometary nuclei. Dr. Hawkes, who was awarded an NSERC Discovery Grant this spring, is examining how meteors ablate and produce light in the Earth's atmosphere.

The Mount Allison Gemini Observatory was constructed with generous funding by the Marjorie Young Bell Endowment Fund at Mount Allison, University operating funds, as well as donations from alumni, staff, and friends of the university.

Night viewing at the Mount Allison Gemini Observatory will begin in early fall, after final installation and calibration of the telescopes, at which time a public announcement will be made. Researchers look forward to welcoming students and community members to the facility for tours and stargazing.

Book Signing

Mark Blagrave, director of drama and a member of Mount Allison's English department, will be doing a book signing of his debut novel "Silver Salts" on Saturday, August 2, 2008.

Locations:
Coles Book Store, Champlain Mall, Moncton 12 noon - 2 p.m.
Chapters, Crystal Palace, Moncton 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

More information.

SappyFest

Allisonians and Sackvillians will be taking the national indie stage this weekend at SappyFest 08.

Read more.
Get full lineup and schedule.

New Virtual Tour of Mount A

Check out the release of Mount A's first interactive virtual tour!

The tour is aimed primarily at showing prospective students some of the wonderful experiences we have to offer, and give them a first-hand view of what goes on within the walls of our buildings and even provide them with glimpses of what happens off campus. The site is a blend of photos that enlarge when you click on them, bullets of information that are both educational and conversational, and videos.

Visit the site now!

Allisonians Head to Ecuador & Rwanda

Bon Voyage to Mount A graduates Chantel Pauley (’08) and Cassandra Cotton (’08)!

They are two of 16 recent university graduates from Canada taking part in the Youth In Partnership (YIP) program at the Coady International Institute in Antigonish, NS.


Chantel will soon be departing for a six-month work placement in Ecuador where she will work with a community organization dedicated to mobilizing assets for community development.


Cassandra will complete a six-month placement in Rwanda, where she will work with the Association pour le Bien-Etre Familial (ARBEF), a community-based family wellness organization devoted to improving sexual and reproductive health.

Read the full story:
Allisonians put marketing/health education skills to work in Ecuador, Rwanda

Read more about the Coady International Institute

Reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro

At 05:55 on the morning of Jan. 12 ’08, in a raging blizzard, Allan H. Adams ('65) and his guide reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

This was Allan’s third time to Uhuru Peak (5895 meters) in four successful ascents of the mountain. Since his ‘retirement’ some 20 years ago, Allan spends a couple of months each fall in Europe exploring battlefields of the 20th century.

His winters are spent in Africa or Asia traveling with and spending time amongst the local population.

He writes, “I may, after all these years of attempting to live like a traveler rather than a tourist, finally be accomplishing my objective in each new destination of coming away a better informed and more aware person.”

For a first-hand narrative of his Mount Kilimanjaro climb, click here.