At the very end of 2024, MSVU announced its newest Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award and President's Award for Service winners.
These faculty and staff have raised awareness of diversity and inclusion within the university community, and gone above and beyond in service. And they help make MSVU the special place it is.
Noted MSVU President Dr. Joël Dickinson during the awards presentation, "We had many deserving nominations for these awards this year . The selection committees had a very difficult time selecting recipients because of the strength of the nominations received."
We're fortunate to call all of these deserving recipients members of the MSVU community.
Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award winners
The Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Award, established by the Employment Equity Committee, recognizes faculty and staff for their efforts aimed at promoting diversity awareness, representation, and inclusion within MSVU.
This award aligns with MSVU's commitment to advancing efforts in equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) toward ensuring a safe and welcoming university community for all.
Centre for Academic Advising and Student Success
The team in the Centre for Academic Advising and Student Success at MSVU is the 2024 recipient of the university's Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award.
This group has been deeply committed to expanding their understanding of EDIA and incorporating that knowledge into their work to meet the unique needs of students from all backgrounds. They have invited others into their learning circles and have provided direct delivery of services in both the Indigenous Student Centre and the Black Student Support Office, ensuring that students have the option to access supports where they feel most comfortable.
The centre's deliberate focus on incorporating EDIA and truth & reconciliation into their practice began in response to the university strategic plan's focus on these topics. All centre team members completed an open online course on Indigenous World Views and Education and met to discuss each module. They then visited the Millbrook Culture and Heritage Centre. The team read the book "Frequently Asked White Questions" and met to discuss it. They also arranged a visit to the Black Cultural Centre of Nova Scotia that all the Student Experience staff were invited to attend.
Regular centre meetings include an EDIA discussion component. This started as book club style conversations, and evolved to each team member deciding on a topic they wanted to learn more about and then facilitating a team discussion. Topics have included Indigenous language and culture, physical disabilities, invisible disabilities, and equity for 2SLGBTQIA+ students.
And the team is doing more than just learning about these topics and issues. They are actively incorporating them into their daily work, for example making their offices more accessible, their language more inclusive, and their practices more culturally responsive.
President's Award for Service winners
The President's Awards for Service recognize those who have made exceptional contributions to the MSVU and broader communities.
The award for internal service is presented to faculty and staff who have exceeded expectations and influenced positive change through their committee work, leadership, partnership, and improvements in process and services. The award for external service recognizes faculty and staff who have made a significant volunteer commitment to the broader community.
Mark Forward, Athletics Coordinator and Head Coach of MSVU Women's basketball team
Mark Forward is the 2024 recipient of the President's Award for Service to MSVU.
Mark has been the head coach of the women's basketball team and the Athletics Coordinator at MSVU since 2009.
In his 15 years as women's basketball coach, he has led the team to 10 ACAA championship finals, resulting in five wins and five silver medal finishes. A five-time ACAA coach of the year while with the Mystics, Mark was recognized this year for his 300th career win.
Mark's commitment to the women's basketball team is extraordinary - he spends countless hours going above and beyond to ensure his players have an excellent experience both on and off the court. He runs back to hotel rooms to grab sneakers forgotten by his athletes so that they don't miss the bus to the game (and then he misses the bus himself), he treats each player as an individual and makes them feel like family, and he encourages a team culture of positivity and support. His commitment also extends to the other Mystics student-athletes too. His dedication to advancing his fellow coaches' education and training is admirable. He also plays an instrumental role in assisting students academically, providing council and searching for tutors when needed. Mark is also leading a new initiative to build a varsity council bringing student-athletes from all teams together to build on the One Way, Together' culture.
Dr. Larry Steele, Associate Professor, Modern Languages
Dr. Larry Steele is the 2024 recipient of the President's Award for Volunteer Service to the Extended Community.
Larry has been working for MSVU for 32 years. During this time, he has taught an incredible number of courses to an even greater number of students.
Since 1995, Larry has hosted the radio show Trois Beaux Canards on CKDU, every Thursday without fail, from 7 to 8 pm. His show promotes a diversity of French music across every musical style, which allows his audience to constantly discover new tunes. He also regularly shares his platform with musicians, singers and song writers through interviews. All those elements contribute to making Trois Beaux Canards a weekly treat for many. And he brings his expertise back to the classroom, since he teaches FREN 3318 Francophone Songs, which is always a popular course.
Larry was also a two-term President of the Alliance Française of Halifax, and is of its long-time board members. The Alliance Française of Halifax was founded in 1903 and offers French courses, cultural events and official exams to learners of French. It also serves as a doorway to many new immigrants looking to learn one of Canada's two official languages, or to reconnect with a language they used to speak back home, wherever home may be.
Larry was also a member of the organizing committee for the Festival des Cultures Francophones (now Francofest) and focused his efforts on its book fair. He also served on the organizing committee for French for the Future at MSVU, and volunteered multiple times as a judge for the Concours d'Art Oratoire organized by Canadian Parents for French. Finally, he was also President of the Board of Director of CKDU, the radio that broadcasts Trois Beaux Canards.
In short, if you are talking about anything French that happened in the last 30 years in Halifax, chances are Larry has been involved in it, more often than not as a driving force.
