Pictured above left: Dr. Ramona Lumpkin, President, the Mount; Dr. Martha Jodrey, former Chair, Building Tomorrow Together Capital Campaign; Dr. Jamie Metsala, Gail and Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Learning Disabilities; Honourable Darrell Dexter, Premier, Province of Nova Scotia.
Mount Saint Vincent University (the Mount) officially recognized its new Chair in Learning Disabilities last evening and thanked the donors that made it possible at a donor recognition reception.
The University will welcome Dr. Jamie Metsala as the first Gail and Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Learning Disabilities this summer. This endowed Chair is the first of its kind in Canada, and will provide Mount graduates with enhanced knowledge and skills to identify and teach children with learning disabilities in a classroom setting.
The Chair was made possible through donations from the community as well as a generous $1 million donation from the Jarislowsky Foundation, which was established by Canadian businessman and philanthropist, Stephen A. Jarislowsky, CC. The Foundation has contributed to numerous initiatives in health, science, the arts and education, including the endowment of twelve academic Chairs at Canadian universities.
“Our students and community benefit directly from the generous financial support of individuals, corporations and foundations who share our values, and are confident in our future,” says Dr. Ramona Lumpkin, President of the Mount. “The Mount holds a unique place in the post-secondary landscape of this city, region and country. Our friends, supporters and champions endorse our distinct role, and help us fulfill the promise of the future.”
The Chair in Learning Disabilities will be involved with teaching, research and course development in the Mount’s Faculty of Education at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
“Two major impediments to adequately addressing learning disabilities are the lack of basic research to further understand learning disabilities and best practices, and the lack of processes for communicating and implementing these best practices in the classroom,” says Dr. Metsala.
Dr. Metsala’s research and programming initiatives will have a positive and lasting impact on public education practices and on the children and families who struggle with learning disabilities.
Thanks to its donors, the Mount raised 2.8 million dollars to establish the Chair. Over the last few years, the Mount has raised $11.6 million in support of its students, faculty and programs.
~30~
For more information contact:
Akiko Lovett
Public Affairs
441-0505