Halifax – The Mount community, donors and honourees gathered today to celebrate the over $12 million raised by Project TWENTY12 to build the new Margaret Norrie McCain Centre for Teaching, Learning and Research. The McCain Centre will be the Mount’s first new classroom facility in over 40 years.
“The generosity of our supporters has been a wonderful show of confidence in our mission, our place in education, and our vision for the new building,” said Mount President Ramona Lumpkin at the ground-breaking ceremony.
Led by the single largest gift in the Mount’s history ($2.25 million) courtesy of Margaret McCain, fundraising initiative Project TWENTY12 brought together hundreds of donors in support of the new academic centre which will honour the lives of women throughout.
“This is the first academic building in Canada devoted throughout to honouring and telling the stories of women,” said Dr. Lumpkin. “The Dr. Rosemarie Sampson Centre on Aging and the Alexa McDonough Institute for Women, Gender and Social Justice are just two examples of how the contributions of women will now be appropriately celebrated for years to come.”
Students and visitors to the McCain Centre will be welcomed by the Riva Spatz Women’s Wall of Honour and an Inspiring Women installation in the Elizabeth and Fred Fountain Atrium. Combined, these features will celebrate more than 300 women, 40 of whom were in attendance at the event.
Mount Student Union President Zach Gallant expects students will appreciate how the four-storey, 49,600 square-foot building will incorporate innovative technologies into teaching and research spaces designed with future student needs in mind.
“The new McCain Centre means students will have more space to study, learn, and work on group projects armed with the latest in academic technology.”
About Mount Saint Vincent University
Recognized as a leader in flexible education, applied research, and a personalized approach to education, Mount Saint Vincent University has been nationally recognized among undergraduate universities in Canada for our success in Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grants and for having one of the lowest student-to-professor ratios. The Mount is committed to being a model of creative teaching and research that nurtures socially responsible global citizens. For additional information about the University, visit msvu.ca.
