Atlantic Promise Scholars Initiative wins CCAE gold

On the eve of its one-year anniversary, the Atlantic Promise Scholars Initiative was awarded a gold medal for “Best Community Initiative” at the Prix d’Excellence Awards by the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE).

“We’re so proud that the Promise Scholars program we started at Dal two years ago caught on and has grown into something Atlantic-Canada wide,” said Kim Brooks, dean of Dalhousie’s Faculty of Management. “Thirteen universities in four provinces are now participating and enrolling, retaining and graduating more Black and Indigenous business students because of Promise Scholars. Dalhousie shares this gold medal honour with all of them and with our generous donors who believe in the promise of inclusion.”

Financial aid and wraparound supports

The Promise Scholars program at Dalhousie was created by the Faculty of Management in 2020. It offers financial aid and wraparound supports at the undergraduate and graduate level in the faculty’s four schools. In spring 2021, Promise Scholars grew to include all business schools across Atlantic Canada working together.

Atlantic Credit Unions proudly supports the initiative. “The objectives of the Atlantic Promise Scholars initiative align with our goal to improve the financial inclusion and resilience of Atlantic Canadians through education and entrepreneurship, and our vision to create a more inclusive financial services sector,” says Sarah Beyea, co-operative social responsibility officer at Atlantic Central & League Savings and Mortgage. She cited a shared desire to create a more equitable and diverse business community.

Atlantic Business Magazine partnership

Plus through a partnership with Atlantic Business Magazine, the profile of this regional initiative is raised through editorial content in both the magazine’s print and web editions. Atlantic Business Magazine is encouraging those they’ve named Top 50 CEOs past and present to support the Promise Scholars program at the university of their choice In recognition of the corporate social responsibility that is an inherent part of its Top 50 CEO selection process. Winners, by definition, must be generous community supporters and active volunteers.

Charity of choice

For its regional impact through the participation of all university-level business schools across Atlantic Canada, as well as its comprehensive integration of classroom-to-boardroom supports for Black and Indigenous students, Atlantic Business Magazine named the Atlantic Promise Scholars initiative its 2022 Top 50 CEO Charity of Choice, awarding Dalhousie $5,000 at a May 13 gala.

“Through scholarships and mentorships as well as meaningful internships and work-term placements, Atlantic Promise Scholars is improving the experiences of Black and Indigenous students while also raising awareness of the challenges faced by our Black and Indigenous colleagues in the workforce,” says Tonia Sheridan, Atlantic Business Magazine co-owner and executive director of sales. “We are proud to support a program that works collaboratively with the broader business community to help set Black and Indigenous scholars on the path to success.”

Other year one Promise Scholars highlights:

• A faculty initiative grew into an international campaign with donors from around the world. For Fall 2022, Dal’s Faculty of Management will be quadrupling its intake of Promise Scholars students for undergrad and doubling for graduate programs.
• Dalhousie hosted multiple dynamic on-line panel conversations with other universities on topics related to inclusion in business. Viewership was in the hundreds for each on-line event.
• The University of Prince Edward Island’s Faculty of Business is in the awareness-building phase, focusing on engaging with partners to explore ways to fulfill commitments to Indigenous and Black communities. The next steps include the development of a speaker series, direct-entry scholarships, and a mentoring program for the MBA program.
• Saint Mary’s University has developed three awards to support Black and Indigenous students.
• Mount Allison University has created the first endowed bursary for a Black student under the Promise Scholars initiative and it has been embraced by alumni, students, and staff alike. This February, in honour of Black History Month, the Black Students’ Union designed and sold t-shirts in partnership with the Mount Allison Bookstore. Proceeds from these t-shirts sales went to support the Kavana Wa Kilele Fund.
• The University of New Brunswick established the Atlantic Promise Scholarships and Bursaries, awarded to Black and Indigenous students enrolled in an undergraduate degree program on either the Fredericton or Saint John campus. Two awards (one scholarship and one bursary) are designated for business students, with two additional awards open to Black and Indigenous students across all faculties.

For more about how Promise Scholars and how you may become involved visit our website.

We are now looking ahead to build on our early successes and have a successful year two and beyond!