Student Services Office

Message from Bob Hann, Vice-President Student Services:

St. Mary’s is a student-centred university. In Student Services we live this commitment every day with a focus on Access, Success and Engagement. We believe that as post-secondary studies become more important than ever, we must remove barriers to access. We strive to achieve this by increasing capacity; by ensuring that we grow our scholarships and bursaries; by creating clearly defined and well-communicated pathways; and by implementing effective transition programs. To help ensure success, we work with students to guarantee that their program matches their career plan through our early alert programs and active academic strategies. We stress the importance of engagement by implementing policies and practices which reflect our emphasis on Diversity, Inclusion and Openness, and by offering connections to the community through volunteer, service learning, and student leadership opportunities.

Prospective Students Get to Experience our Welcoming Campus

Being on campus and experiencing St. Mary’s university community atmosphere is the best way to showcase what we can offer students. Whether it is meeting with a professor, hanging out with current students having lunch in our Café, or sitting in on a class, prospective students quickly learn what makes St. Mary’s unique.

St. Mary’s welcomes school groups each year for special “mini-open house” events customized just for them. Students attend short lectures delivered by St. Mary’s professors and get a quick snapshot of our areas of academic study. More importantly, it is a chance for these students to meet our faculty and staff directly. People are the greatest selling feature in our small and welcoming community. Students who get to our campus “get it.”

Supporting our Students’ Academic Success

C.L.A.S.S. offers diverse programs and services aimed to foster our students’ academic success. All students are encouraged to meet with peer mentors at the Writing Centre to work on their academic writing or course content comprehension. During orientation, first-year students sign a 12-strategies commitment to academic success and are invited to attend success strategies seminars throughout the academic year. Our Study Room offers a quiet space, with access to printed and online resources where students can work individually or in groups. With five individual workstations, our Testing Services room is available for accommodated exams and external proctoring.