Editing Mount Saint Vincent University (section)

==History==
[[Image:Mount Saint Vincent University.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Mount Saint Vincent University Entrance from the Bedford Highway, Halifax]]

Established by the [[Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul (Halifax)]] as a [[women's college]] in 1873, the Mount was one of the few institutions of higher education for women in Canada at a time when women could not vote. The original purpose of the academy was to train novices and young sisters as teachers. Still, the Sisters also recognized a need to educate other young women.<ref>[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/music-at-mount-saint-vincent-university-emc "Music at Mount Saint Vincent University"]. Mabel H. Laine, Margaret Young, Encyclopedia of Music in Canada.</ref> Over the ensuing years, the order developed a convent, schools, an orphanage, and health care facilities throughout the Halifax area and across North America. 

The Sisters of Charity Halifax, also staffed the Shubenacadie Residential School in Nova Scotia, which was open from 1930 to 1967, and the Cranbrook Residential School in British Columbia, which was open from 1890 to 1970. In October 2021, then-MSVU President Dr. Ramona Lumpkin apologized on behalf of the university to the survivors, their families and communities, as well as all Indigenous peoples, for the university’s role in the tragedy of residential schools in Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |title=An apology and our commitment to Indigenous Peoples |url=https://www.msvu.ca/about-msvu/indigenous-initiatives/apology-and-commitment-to-indigenous-peoples/ |access-date=2025-01-07 |language=en-CA}}</ref>

Architect Charles Welsford West designed the Romanesque chapel and annex (1903–05) at Mount St. Vincent Academy (now the University). He was the Architect of Nova Scotia Public Works & Mines 1932–1950.<ref>{{cite web |title=West, Charles Welsford |url=http://www.dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/344 |website=Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada 1800-1950 |access-date=March 23, 2019}}</ref>

By 1912, the [[Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul (Halifax)]] recognized the need to offer more significant opportunities through university education. They adopted a plan to establish a college for young women. Two years later, in 1914, the Sisters partnered with Dalhousie University, enabling Mount Saint Vincent to offer the first two years of a bachelor's degree program to be credited toward{{clarify|date=July 2012}} a Dalhousie degree.

In 1925, the Nova Scotia Legislature awarded the Mount the right to grant degrees, making it the only independent women's college in the [[British Commonwealth]].<ref name="MSVUHistory">{{cite web |title=Tradition and History |url=https://www.msvu.ca/en/home/aboutus/universityprofile/traditionandhistory.aspx |publisher=Mount Saint Vincent University |access-date=March 23, 2019}}</ref>  By 1951, degrees were offered in Arts, Secretarial Science, Music, Home Economics, Library Science, Nursing and Education.

A new charter was granted in 1966, and the College became Mount Saint Vincent University, establishing a board of governors and senate. This was also a period of tremendous growth– with enrolment increases, new construction, and new agreements. In 1967, the Mount began admitting male students. The university continued to evolve with the expansion of programs during the 1970s and entered into several new fields, including Child Study, Public Relations, Gerontology, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Cooperative Education, and Distance Education. In July 1988, the [[Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul (Halifax)]] officially transferred ownership of the institution to the Board of Governors.

=== Caritas Day===

After a fire in 1951 burned down Mount Saint Vincent's only building, the people of Halifax came together to support students by providing alternative accommodations for their classes. In recognition of the generosity of their community, the Sisters of Charity established a memorial holiday in appreciation of their gesture. Caritas Day, named after the Christian virtue of charity, takes place on the last Wednesday of January of each year.<ref>{{cite web |title=Caritas Day |url=https://www.msvu.ca/en/home/programsdepartments/professionalstudies/businessadministration/newsevents/caritasday.aspx |publisher=Mount Saint Vincent University |access-date=March 23, 2019}}</ref> No classes are held on this day, and students are encouraged to volunteer their time instead. Caritas Day is an opportunity for students and faculty alike to connect with the Sisters of Charity and come together outside of class in a personally and academically beneficial setting.