The Sobey School of Business of Saint Mary’s University prides itself as a national leader in community-focused business education. Building foundations for an equitable, prosperous, and progressive community through active learning is at the heart of what we do and constitutes a key pillar of our strategic plan. Our success as a leading business school is inextricably linked with the success of our students, our stakeholders, and our broader communities. In sum, our community is our fundamental resource.

The COVID-19 global pandemic has impacted our community in dramatic and unforeseen ways. As the human and economic effects of this pandemic have swept through our Canadian society, the Sobey School has been providing insight through our expert professors, research centres, and alumni. The culmination of those efforts is the Sobey School of Business Community Revitalization & Prosperity Network.

As the economy starts to reopen and businesses begin to re-engage with their customers and suppliers, many more unexpected challenges will emerge. The primary objective of the Sobey School Community Revitalization & Prosperity Network is to contribute to this recovery discourse by providing thought leadership on pressing issues to help businesses and communities recover from the global pandemic.

Key Objectives

We want to help and be a partner for our community’s pivot to recovery and prosperity. Some key objectives of the Network moving forward are:

• Engage faculty, community, and industry leaders on important issues and problems arising from Atlantic region’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Lead the economic recovery discourse on issues affecting our local businesses and broader communities in the post-pandemic landscape.

• Advocate for positive change and be a partner in the shared post-pandemic recovery that includes all facets of our community.

• Be a change maker in preparing the next generation of workforce for the post-pandemic economic dynamism.

• Provide resources and be a support system through the flux of disruptive changes induced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Message from the Dean

It is a great pleasure to welcome new and returning students to the Sobey School of Business and to this new academic year.  

Like many of you, I am also new to the Sobey School and to Halifax and I am extremely excited about both. I’ve only just started as the new Dean of the Sobey School; however, I already know there is a lot to look forward to. This fall, the entire university community, along with our alumni and business supporters, will be cheering loudly for the Saint Mary’s Enactus team as they head to Kazakhstan to represent Canada at the Enactus World Cup Exposition 2024. These extraordinary students, many of whom are Sobey School students, won the national championship in May 2024, having competed against over 40 teams from across Canada. And now, they will compete against teams from 33 countries and represent our school and Canada on the world stage. This is already a huge success and a reason for all of us to feel proud of the Saint Mary's team.

In addition to this and other signature events this year, including the Women in Business Conference, Responsible Leadership Day  and the Commerce Society’s Annual Dinner, faculty and staff will also support the many student societies and teams that compete regionally, nationally and even North America-wide.  Your success and above all your enthusiasm for these extra-curricular activities enrich your student experience and promote your abilities to the world.  

Over the summer months, the Sobey School once again received AACSB accreditation for another six years, until 2030. You can take pride in the fact that our school is one of only seven business schools in Canada (and the only university in Atlantic Canada) to be awarded accreditation by both the AACSB and EQUIS—the two most respected global agencies that conduct quality reviews on business degrees worldwide.   

Sobey School students, faculty, and staff arrive on campus for the Fall and Winter Terms with a sense of purpose. We know you are here to learn how to do business well and how to do business for good—for the long term and for a better, sustainable, more responsible world. Our community and our world need your sense of purpose and vision.

The Sobey School is a proud champion of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) Initiative. We provide future business leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  We have built sustainability into academic courses and research, student societies and even new buildings on campus.  

As someone new to this campus but who has worked all over the world, I find all of this impressive. I know that Saint Mary’s students are inspiring and leading positive change.  I know you work hard in the classroom and in business competitions.  I also want to encourage you to enjoy your time here and all that the university and this community have to offer. Explore the Sobeys Inspiration Hub, the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre and the newly opened Anne J. and Albert T. Isaacs Commons to experience new classrooms, more natural light and new communal spaces for students to congregate and collaborate. 

When attending our networking events, be sure to connect with our alumni, who are strong supporters of the School. Our 33,000 Sobey School alumni are community and business leaders, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and elected representatives who help make Nova Scotia one of Canada’s most desirable places to live. 

I look forward to connecting with you on campus and on social media.  Let’s have an inspiring, productive and successful year. 

Michel Delorme
Dean, Sobey School of Business