(L-R) Dr. Shaun Newsome, Executive Director of Saint Mary's Centre for Leadership Excellence; Dr. Kevin Kelloway, professor, Psychology and Management Departments, Director, CN Centre for Occupational Health and Safety; Dr. Arla Day and Dr. Vic Catano, professors, Psychology Department, and Dr. Sarah Hill, Defence Scientist, Canadian Forces Leadership Institute

Identifying Leaders

Leadership has emerged as the key to success during periods of economic uncertainty and organizational restructuring. Dr. Shaun Newsome, the Executive Director of Saint Mary’s Centre for Leadership Excellence and Saint Mary’s researchers are assisting organizations in identifying and developing leaders.

The centre will build on Saint Mary’s strength in industrial/organizational psychology and human resource management. The Centre for Leadership Excellence is funded by Saint Mary’s Strategic Initiative Funds and the Canadian Forces Leadership Institute (CFLI). The centre recently completed a project for the CFLI that identified competencies required for military leadership. Researchers are now working on a program of leadership assessment that will be applicable for industry and the public sector.

ACEPA The Atlantic Centre for Ethics and Public Affairs (ACEPA) is a community-based initiative established by Saint Mary’s University and its partner institution, The Atlantic School of Theology (AST). The first centre of its kind in the region, it will generate research, discussion and policy recommendations on cross-cultural and interfaith ethical issues including business and environmental ethics and human rights. Related courses will also be developed for students. ACEPA will bring researchers together with representatives of government, industry, labour, commerce, non-governmental and regulatory agencies and community organizations. Agencies and communities will collaborate with ACEPA on research and educational services.

The CN Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

The CN Centre for Occupational Health and Safety was established in May 2002 with a $500,000 endowment from CN.

This year, with the assistance of a $50,000 Canadian Institutes of Health Research development grant the CN Centre launched a public lecture series on occupational health issues. Faculty participated in health and safety conferences, research partnerships and collaborative initiatives with institutions and research centres were established and grant proposals with researchers and partners were developed.

Three new faculty members with expertise in occupational health have been appointed to the Departments of Management and Psychology. Saint Mary’s has allocated funding for post-graduate student health and safety research.