Dear MSVU students, faculty and staff,
This international women’s day (March 8), I invite you to get to know some of the trailblazing women who we are proud to call members of the MSVU family – women we have celebrated over the years for their critical work spanning areas from human rights advocacy to space exploration. Meet these esteemed MSVU honorary degree recipients.
Indeed, MSVU is home not just to a long history of women leaders, but also to women who today are building brighter futures for other women and girls (read about the related work of some of MSVU’s researchers), as well as a new generation of change-makers: our students. Also with a focus on the future, we were pleased last week to host a record number of junior high and high school aged girls at the Alexa McDonough Institute’s 11th edition of its annual Girls Conference.
And while we celebrate our achievements, we must also emphasize the tremendous challenges that persist for women and girls globally. In Ukraine, countless women and children have been displaced by the unprovoked Russian invasion of their country, with severe social, emotional, physical, and financial consequences. As well, women around the world are among those who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, through loss of social supports, employment consequences, caregiving burdens, and as victims of domestic violence.
MSVU is built on a commitment to the advancement of women and that commitment remains at the core of our purpose today. In the years ahead, as we recover from the pandemic and respond to crises around the world, this work will be as critical as ever. I have no doubt that MSVU’s tremendous community of women leaders will continue to lead the way.
Sincerely,
Ramona
Ramona Lumpkin, CM, PhD
Interim President and Vice-Chancellor
Mount Saint Vincent University
PS. In case you missed it, Dr. Meredith Ralston, Chair of the Department of Women’s Studies at MSVU and Political/Canadian Studies professor, in collaboration with the university’s Office of Student Experience and Sexual Violence Prevention Advisory Committee, is hosting a virtual panel presentation about women’s sexual empowerment at 12 p.m. today (March 8). You can request the link to join the event by emailing woms@msvu.ca.