Prime Minister, Philanthropist honoured at StFX –

The Rt. Hon. Winston Baldwin Spencer and Allan P. Markin to receive honorary degrees during 2009 Fall Convocation ceremonies

St. Francis Xavier University will honour two outstanding individuals during Fall Convocation 2009, bestowing the degree Doctor of Laws honoris causa upon the Rt. Hon. Winston Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda and a graduate of the Coady International Institute, and Canadian businessman and philanthropist Allan P. Markin of Calgary.

The ceremonies take place Saturday, December 5 at 3 p.m. at the Charles V. Keating Millennium Centre.

StFX will graduate 178 students in degrees and diplomas, and confer 46 diplomas to graduates of the Coady International Institute. The Coady Institute, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year of igniting global leadership, is world-renowned for its professional education programming for community leaders working worldwide to build better lives for all people.

Honorary degree candidates include:

The Rt. Hon. Winston Baldwin Spencer

The Rt. Hon. Baldwin Spencer has long been a champion of the interests of developing countries. In 2004, he was elected Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda when over 90 per cent of voters turned out at the polls to elect his United Progressive Party in a landslide victory. He was re-elected again in 2009. From humble beginnings, he combined a strong sense of justice, honed through years of leadership in the labour movement, and a great respect for education. He was only 19 when he left the Caribbean for the first time to study at the Coady International Institute. He had already been involved within the work force and in trade union activities for five years. After graduating from the Coady with a diploma in social leadership, he went on to study at Ruskin College at Oxford University and the University of Oslo. He rose to prominence in the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union where he served for over 25 years. His overarching priorities as prime minister are fiscal responsibility and transparency in government. He has also made education a top priority, and has strengthened Antigua and Barbuda’s international reputation and involvements. Described as a true global leader and a skilled diplomat, his government prioritizes the needs of the people and the special needs of the poor. He is renowned for standing up against the status quo and for defending the sovereignty of his small island state. He is a leader in advancing South-South cooperation in pursuit of the collective development interests of the Global South. Mr. Spencer currently sits as chair of the Group of 77 and China, the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries in the United Nations. He is the first ever recipient of the Excellence Leadership Award for his stewardship of this group. He has also received the highest order of Cote d’Ivoire, the Commander of the National Order, and was recognized by the United Nations for his leadership. In September 2008, he became the first leader to receive the Millennium Development Goals Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership and dedicated efforts advancing the cause of development. He has given invaluable assistance to churches, community groups and other voluntary organizations dealing with social and economic issues.

Allan P. Markin

Allan Markin is a distinguished and well-known successful businessman in the energy industry in Canada. He has taken a leadership role supporting higher education, health care and organizations such as the Calgary United Way, where he has been a lead donor for over a decade. Mr. Markin is well-known as a distinguished humanitarian in the broadest sense of the word. He is a man who has great concern for helping to improve the welfare of his fellow citizens and the well-being of people throughout the world. Most of his philanthropy is anonymous. He also has provided great mentorship to younger businessmen and women on the importance of philanthropy. From humble beginnings to today, with nearly 40 years experience in the oil and gas industry, he is a self-made success story. In 1989, he became the chairman of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., and has been credited with building it into one of Canada’s largest oil and gas companies. He is a co-owner of the Calgary Flames, and he is founder and honorary fellow of St. Mary’s University College. He supports numerous educational and health research institutions. One of his major donations funded a new management and health sciences building at the University of Lethbridge, and an $18 million donation helped fund the University of Calgary’s Health Institute. Another major donation funded a new natural resources engineering building at the University of Alberta. He has also shown strong interest in and support for the mission of the Coady Institute, and has been the lead donor in the Coady campaign. His distinguished career has been widely recognized. He was Oilweek’s 1993 Producer of the Year, and a recipient of the Wall Street Journal’s Gold Award for Outstanding Achievement for Canadian Oil Producers. He is a recipient of a Pinnacle Award for Business Excellence, has received several honorary degrees and was chosen in 2004 as Calgary’s Citizen of the Year. His gift-giving has been instrumental in various organization’s ability to leverage funds from other sources and has motivated others to support campaigns. The impacts of his contributions can be felt as far away as the United Kingdom and West Africa.

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Marie Brunelle appointed Human Rights and Equity Advisor

Marie Brunelle has joined the StFX community in the position of Human Rights and Equity Advisor, and she says she is looking forward to ensuring StFX is a welcoming, inclusive and respectful learning and work community for everyone.

Ms. Brunelle, a native of Montreal, brings extensive experience to the position. She holds a Masters degree in law from the Université de Moncton and a Masters in sociology from the Université d’Aix-Marseille. She has been a member of the New Brunswick Bar Association since 2006.

Her prior work experience includes serving as the sexual harassment advisor and employment equity coordinator with the Université de Moncton for eight years, and the regional human rights officer with the Commission des droits de la personne and des droits de la jeunesse du Quebec.

At StFX, she will work with Human Resources and the Equity Advisory Committee to roll out the university’s Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Policy, recently adopted by Senate. She will also work with the Equity Advisory Committee to provide education and awareness programs, and be available to respond to the needs of students, faculty and staff on issues of human rights and equity.

Marie says she will be reaching out to various groups around campus to introduce herself, to explain her office’s mandate and to talk about the new policy. One of the significant changes to the policy is that it’s widened from sexual harassment to include any discriminatory or personal harassment. “The power of the policy is in making it well-known and well spread,” she says.

Services provided by the Human Rights and Equity Advisor include information, advice and assistance to all students, faculty and staff regarding discrimination and harassment; facilitation of informal complaint resolution; education and training for faculty, staff and students; and promotion of a climate on campus that is welcoming of diversity and respectful of difference.

Marie is located in 306B, Bloomfield Centre, and welcomes people to contact her by phone at 867-5306 or email at mbrunell@stfx.ca.

Dr. Álvaro Montenegro’s climate change research appears in New Scientist magazine

One of the world’s most popular science publications has picked up on the climate change research of StFX earth sciences professor Dr. Álvaro Montenegro, also of StFX’s Environmental Sciences Research Centre, and his colleagues, in an article that appears in the Nov. 14, 2009 issue of New Scientist Magazine. 

“New Scientist is one of the most widely read popular science publications in the world; providing Dr. Montenegro et al. a global audience for their study which suggests that we could maximize climate benefits by planting trees at mid- to high-latitude areas,” says Dr Hugo Beltrami, chair of the earth sciences department.

Dr. Montenegro says it’s great to see the research appear in such a well-known publication. “I think our study has important policy implications. Being present in a popular science publication such as New Science is a good way to have these results incorporated into the climate mitigation debate.”

The New Scientist article summarizes some findings from a paper he and his colleagues published in Global and Planetary Change and then goes on to add a comment from another researcher that has published on the same theme, “and disagrees with some of my conclusions,” Dr. Montenegro says.

Although it is generally assumed that the tropics are the best place to plant forests in order to sequester carbon and cool the planet, Dr. Montenegro’s study of the effects of tree planting is casting doubt on this idea. “Results show no simple relation between afforestation efficiency and latitude. In our best estimate, the conversion of cropland to forests brings about cooling in all areas of the planet where afforestation is viable, including areas above 50°N.  In fact, many of the areas with the highest afforestation induced carbon drawdown are found at high latitudes.” 

Dr. Montenegro and his colleagues used high-resolution satellite data to work out where new forests would be expected to elicit the biggest benefit. Their calculations took into account both the cooling effect of the trees soaking up CO2 and the heating effect that would result from the trees reflecting less sunlight than the crops they replaced.  To their surprise, Montenegro’s team found that on balance, planting forests in northern Russia, central Canada and Europe would cool the climate more effectively than planting them in India, Brazil and most of China.

Results of this study, focusing on the climatic effects of small-scale afforestation based on the analysis of high-resolution satellite data, are markedly different from previous climate model-based results.  However, this research demonstrates that analyses like the one conducted by Dr. Montenegro and his team can generate reliable, site-specific estimates of this very important but presently ignored process.

Dr. Montenegro’s background is in physical oceanography, but most of his work is based on climate modelling with a concentration on climate-carbon cycle interactions on the global scale. He is from Brazil, and has come to StFX via the University of Victoria, where he did his post-doc, and from Florida State University, where he completed his PhD.
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Unsung Hero: Dr. Angie Thompson recognized for her contributions

Unsung hero. That’s the latest honour StFX human kinetics professor Dr. Angie Thompson has added to her already impressive award list, after the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (NSHRF) contacted her earlier this fall to inform her she would be the inaugural recipient of their Unsung Hero award for her contributions to the province’s health research community.

“I was quite flattered,” Dr. Thompson says. “It’s delightful to be recognized as a volunteer.”

Dr. Thompson is featured on the cover of NSHRF’s annual report, with a profile story inside.

The award recognizes her many contributions, particularly to NSHRF. She first became involved with the organization in 2002, the same year she joined the StFX faculty. At the time, she agreed to join the Health, Policy, Services and Outcomes Peer Review Committee as a scientific officer. She later co-chaired the committee, and for the past three years has served as committee chair.

“It’s a great thing to be involved with,” she says. “I did learn a lot, about the process, about people and working with a diverse group of individuals, and about different approaches to research.”

Dr. Thompson’s main research area is in child physical activity and health promotion. She has been actively involved with the Physical Activity Levels and Dietary Intake of Children and Youth in the Province of Nova Scotia (PACY) study funded by the Nova Scotia Departments of Health and Health Promotion and Protection. She has been actively promoting the benefits of physical actively for children since the PACY study was completed in 2002 and the follow up study: Keeping Pace: Healthy Living in Children and Youth in Nova Scotia 2009-2010. She also traveled to Uganda during her recent sabbatical to teach at eight universities. Her topic: how to teach health promotion. At StFX, she has created and continues to organize the annual Student Research Day.

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StFX to honor Coach K on Nov. 27

Fans invited to celebrate CIS record-breaking win

StFX men’s basketball head coach Steve Konchalski recently broke the national coaching record for CIS career wins (regular season, playoffs, non-conference), earning his 735th victory on November 6th with a 94-83 victory over UPEI. In doing so he surpassed the previous record holder, Jerry Hemmings, who had 734 career wins with Brandon University.

“It is a truly remarkable achievement that speaks to Coach K’s track record of success, his longevity, and his loyalty to our university,” comments StFX Director of Athletics & Recreational Services Leo MacPherson. “The number of wins speaks for itself, but his real legacy has more to do with the quality of young men that he has brought to the university and how he has helped prepare them to graduate and become leaders. I count myself amongst those former players fortunate enough to benefit from his teachings.”

The X-Men will play their first home game since Coach K’s record-breaking event on Friday, November 27 where the university plans to honor and recognize his achievement. All fans, former X-Men players, alumni, and basketball supporters are encouraged to come to the StFX Oland Centre to show their support for Coach K.

At 7:35 pm, in honor of CIS win number 735, a pre-game ceremony and presentation will take place to honor the legendary 35 year veteran StFX head coach. The first 735 fans to the game will receive a special commemorative Coach K poster, which Coach K will be free to autograph at the conclusion of the 8:00 pm game against the Acadia Axemen. StFX Athletics & Recreation corporate supporter Central Home Improvement will be giving away a $735 gift certificate to a lucky fan. Fans must be at the game by 7:35 pm to receive a ticket for this prize. In addition, there will be contests and promotions throughout the game. 

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StFX celebrates Kwanzaa

St. Francis Xavier University celebrated Kwanzaa, an event honoring African heritage and culture, on Nov. 20 at the Keating Millennium Centre.

Kwanzaa is a non-religious African American holiday which celebrates family, community, and culture. It is celebrated for seven days, having a principle for each day. The seven principles include unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Organizers of the StFX event imitated and represented these principles in a number of ways including dance, song, and poems.