President's Corner is a regular column from President Deep Saini.
Dear Dal Community,
Behind each one of our amazing students and their impressive accomplishments is a dedicated support network.
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to attend the Black Student Advising Centre’s annual Scholarship and Bursary Reception. This event celebrates students of African and Afro-Caribbean heritage from Dalhousie and the University of King’s College who received scholarships and bursaries in the 2021/22 academic year. What is especially touching about this event is that students celebrate their achievements alongside the staff, faculty, administrators, and donors who actively help enable their success. Celebrating students’ achievements alongside the donors who generously provide these bursaries reinforces what investment in equity can accomplish. Friday was the 10th year of this much-anticipated event, and I commend the staff at the Black Student Advising Centre for organizing it each year, but moreover, for their ongoing work to support our students.
The Schulich Leader Scholarships also celebrated their 10-year anniversary this fall and are another example of the immense impact philanthropy makes on our students’ ability to realize their potential. The Schulich Leader Scholarships are creating the next generation of Canadian technology innovators by providing scholarships to exceptional young minds in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. Because the scholarship covers all costs of an undergraduate degree, recipients can devote themselves to their studies full time and focus on achieving their ambitions. At Dalhousie, we were proud to welcome six new Schulich Leader Scholars this year. The generosity of the Schulich Leader Scholarships has already made a notable impact on Dalhousie’s students: we have hosted 28 inspiring Schulich Leader Scholars to date.
Earlier this week, we also learned that Dalhousie will be celebrating a record 186 U SPORTS Academic All-Canadians this year. To achieve Academic All-Canadian status, a student-athlete must attain a GPA of at least 3.5 and be registered as a full-time student. An impressive 69% of our student athletes earned Academic All-Canadian status this year. Not only do these students excel in athletics and academics, but many give back through volunteering in our community. We are humbled by the leadership these students display and the impact they are making here at Dalhousie and beyond. And of course, they too have a network of coaches, teammates, faculty, staff, and donors who, through their support, help our students excel.
In all these examples, these already remarkable students are further buoyed by support. It’s a critical investment made by many at the university and beyond.
Sincerely,
Deep
President Saini can be reached at deep.saini@dal.ca. You can also connect with him on Twitter and Instagram.