History
Women's leadership was identified in the university's strategic plan Destination 2012 as a touchstone for many members of the Mount community in all areas. Supporting women leaders is an abiding principle or value to which the Mount community remains committed.
The Institute for the Study of Women (ISW) at the Mount revitalized and renamed itself in 2011 to the Institute for Women, Gender and Social Justice (IWGSJ) to reflect the contemporary realities of the Mount’s ongoing commitment to gender equality and Women’s Studies. The newly named IWGSJ is a hub of feminist energy, action and research with an ambitious vision: to achieve equity and improve lives, in their complexity and multiplicity, locally and globally.
The Institute will live its vision by undertaking research that coordinates, supports, and builds capacity among feminist researchers and creative artists at the Mount, other campuses, in community groups and organizations. As well, the Institute is committed to education by creating and offering programs and courses in related areas as well as providing gender perspectives in all disciplines. The Institute will actively seek to secure new partnerships, access funding, and opportunities in the areas of community development, gender, race, sexuality, class, ability and social justice.
Fostering Leadership
Mount Saint Vincent University has provided a supportive environment that fosters women’s leadership since 1873. The Mount was one of the first universities in North America to create programs and services which encouraged and enabled women to become leaders, such as Co-operative Education, Distance Learning and Continuing Education, and Women's Studies, long before these became standard programs in universities. Since 1980, the Mount has published Atlantis: A Women's Studies Journal, an interdisciplinary research journal devoted to critical and creative writing in English or French on the topic of women.
Honouring Women
The Mount has helped women to obtain an education when this was not a priority in society, and found ways to allow women to thrive intellectually while leading busy lives with competing demands. The Mount has honoured many worthy women over the years – scholars, leaders in society, creators and innovators-- particularly at a time when most honourary degree recipients were not women.
Read our list of honourary degree recipients.