Saint Mary's University and the Sobey School of Business have received the largest gift to date in the 217-year history of the institution, an $18 million philanthropic investment from members of the Sobey family, The Sobey Foundation and Sobeys Inc.
The gift, one of the largest donations ever to a university in Atlantic Canada, enables Saint Mary's Sobey School of Business to expand its role as a top educator of entrepreneurs and business leaders and advance its standing as a leading centre of research innovation, growth and support for aspiring start-ups and established businesses and entrepreneurs.
"Our gift is a deliberate reinvestment in the Sobey School of Business and Saint Mary's University inspired by our belief and confidence in the University, its leadership, its students and its bright future," said former Saint Mary's Chancellor, Dr. David Sobey. "Our shared ambition is that this gift will advance the Sobey School of Business for the next generation of innovators, creating new knowledge and standards that will have a ripple effect nationally and globally."
The gift allows the Sobey School of Business, recognized nationally and globally as one of the top business schools, to introduce many new initiatives, including:
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The Sobey Innovators Scholarship Program: this program will support 150 students over the next ten years with the goal of attracting the brightest, most entrepreneurial, and most fearless business students in the country to Saint Mary's University and the Sobey School of Business.
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Substantial faculty growth: this includes two endowed chairs, five professorships (one for every department of the Sobey School for 10 years), and two new post-doctoral fellows, furthering a commitment to attract and keep the highest-quality faculty and researchers.
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The Sobeys Entrepreneurship & Innovation Hub: a 43,000-square-foot expansion to the Sobey School of Business building that will be dedicated to entrepreneurship and research innovation. This building will be named in recognition of the company's gift.
For its part, Sobeys Inc. is looking forward to working with an academic partner with a shared vision for values-based education, excellence in business disciplines, diversity in perspective and a laser focus on innovation.
