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When Jalana Lewis and Cathy Martin saw the opportunity to help improve their alma mater for today’s generation of students, they answered the call.

“We have come a long way since I studied at Dalhousie, and we still have a long way to go,” says Cathy, who graduated from Dal with a theatre degree in 1979.

After a career that includes work as an award-winning filmmaker and producer, Cathy comes back to Dal as the university’s first director of Indigenous community engagement. This new position aimed at furthering reconciliation through collaboration with Indigenous partners in the region, particularly the Mi’kmaq.

Jalana, who served as valedictorian in her 2013 graduating Schulich Law class, returns to Dal as the university’s first director of African Nova Scotian community engagement. As director, she will work to help make the university a more welcoming place for African Nova Scotian students, staff and faculty.

“I definitely appreciate all of the work that’s happened before me around programs like TYP and IB&M Initiative—programs that have changed my life,” says Jalana. “So, I would hope that in five to 10 years it becomes part of the university culture to support students, staff and faculty to engage with the African Nova Scotian community.”

Year in Review

Focus on Change Makers

Group of students in the Transition Year Program

Successful transition

In the spring of 1970, the university experienced its own kind of growth with the launch of the Transition Year Program (TYP), which centred around building the skills required to gain access to university. What made TYP so special to so many was that it reflected the unique needs of the African Nova Scotian and Mi’kmaq communities. TYP's 50 years of success stem from its rigorous academic experience, financial support and the rich sense of community it provides.

Gathering of female computer science students

Increasing participation

Dalhousie was announced as a 2020 affiliate of the international BRAID initiative (Building, Recruiting, And Inclusion for Diversity). Co-led by AnitaB.org and Harvey Mudd College in partnership with 15 US institutions and funded by Intel, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and IBM, BRAID is committed to efforts to increase the participation of students from underrepresented groups — racial/ethnic minorities and women — in their undergraduate Computer Science programs.

Drawing of a Mi’kmaq eight pointed star

Indigenous law

The Schulich School of Law introduced a new JD Certificate in Aboriginal and Indigenous Law to address the key challenges of achieving a mutually respectful relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada, and the equitable sharing of jurisdiction, land and resources. As Indigenous communities exercise their rights and expand their jurisdiction and revitalize and implement their laws, it is vital for legal professionals to have a background in this area.

Dr. Joanne Langley

Expert service

In August, the Government of Canada announced that Dr. Joanne Langley, professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Community Health and Epidemiology, would co-lead the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force. Among other related advisory roles, the Vaccine Task Force was created to find safe and effective vaccines to protect Canadians by prioritizing potential Canadian COVID-19 vaccine projects, identifying non-Canadian vaccine candidates and working on solutions for domestic manufacturing.

Black Lives Matter protesters walking down a city street

Black studies

Dalhousie Senate voted to approve efforts to establish a new academic program and a new research institute, both focused on Black studies. A full major in Black and African Diaspora Studies will build on Dal’s existing minor in the same subject, which was launched in 2016. The development of such a major was highlighted in the Lord Dalhousie Report, released last year, which provided recommendations on ways Dal could work to address anti-Black racism and the legacy of its founder’s intersections with the legacy of slavery.

Group of people on video in a virtual event

Speaking truth

A collection of scholars and experts from Dalhousie, the Halifax community and beyond gathered for a forum on the burdens of anti-Black racism in the U.S. and Canada. The discussion highlighted several heavy realities including the fact that Black people are six times more likely to be street-checked by police than white people in Halifax and, in Toronto, 20 times more likely to be harmed and killed by police than white people. And that African Americans have died at disproportionately high rates from COVID-19.

Poster for Reimagine NS event

Reimagine

It was a challenging year for Nova Scotians. In response, the Faculty of Management brought together academic experts from across the province and paired them with thoughtful and influential community members to explore what a reimagined future for Nova Scotia could look like. Reimagine NS focused on five key aspects of Nova Scotians’ daily lives: care and connection, support and protection, learning and working, cultivating and consuming, and creating and commemorating.

Research & Innovation

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