On Saturday, June 21st, several hundred alumni and friends of StFX gathered in the Charles V. Keating Centre to mark the 50th anniversary of the President’s Gala. Created in 1975 by then-President, Father Malcolm MacDonell ’38, the gala program included the recognition of long-time donors to the university and a state-of-the-union address by the 19th President and Vice-Chancellor of StFX, Dr. Andy Hakin.
As always, Xaverian bonds remained stronger than political rivalries, as evidenced by the friendly repartee of the event’s co-hosts, the Honourable Lisa Raitt ’89 and the Honourable Seamus O’Regan ’92. Ms. Raitt, who will become the Chair of the Board of Governors next week – indeed, the first female Chair – spoke admiringly of outgoing Board Chair, Dennis Flood ’80, whose service to the board spans 10 years, the last four as Chair.
Throughout the evening, guests walked down memory lane via three videos that told the story of StFX over the past 50 years. Father MacDonell was succeeded in 1980 by Father Gregory MacKinnon ’46, who spearheaded a fundraising campaign to build the Alumni Aquatic Centre in partnership with Brian Mulroney ’59.
Dr. David Lawless was selected as the 16th President of StFX in 1990 – the first lay President in the university’s history and a staunch champion of the faculty and of student scholarships and bursaries.
The videos are available to view here:
Dr. Sean Riley ’74 was in attendance on Saturday and recalled his 18 years at the helm of StFX alongside many of his friends and colleagues who spurred an enormous period of growth that dramatically transformed this campus and launched StFX into the national and international imaginations.
The 18th President, Dr. Kent MacDonald ’86, who was in office from 2014 until 2019, drove an ambitious (and successful) campaign to raise $50 million for scholarships and bursaries; led the project to build Mulroney Hall and the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government; and stewarded a $22.5 million gift from Jeannine Deveau ’44, which supports students from Indigenous and African Nova Scotian communities.
Current President, Dr. Hakin, has demonstrated exceptional leadership. Among his many achievements, he successfully navigated the university through the COVID-19 pandemic, working tirelessly to adapt and preserve the StFX experience as best possible while keeping the safety of the students, faculty, staff and the broader community at the forefront of the university’s operations. The Amelia Saputo Centre for Healthy Living also celebrated its grand opening during his first term. Dr. Hakin, whose second term extends until 2030, has ambitious plans for the future of StFX, including the under-construction Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Hall, which will house the Dahdaleh Institute for Innovation in Health.
June 21st – the solstice – is also Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada; fittingly, Chef Guerin Sykes and Sodexo (an event sponsor) crafted a menu that highlighted traditional Mi’kmaq foods including luskinikn bread, sumac, and three sisters vegetables. The entertainment included highland dancers from the Grant School; Ainslee Pictou and Kailey Augustine; and a Celtic quartet comprised of Troy MacGillivray ’02, Wendy MacIsaac, and Ian McKinnon ’83 and Joey Kitson from Rawlin’s Cross.
The highlight of the evening was a fiery speech given by Dr. Hakin, in which he thanked the donors for their continued support over the years (totaling more than $263 million since 1975); emphasized the vital research being conducted at StFX in health and health-related fields; and reminded the audience of the critical importance of postsecondary education to a kind, creative, and just society.
