Sobey School of Business Shapes Global Leaders

Saint Mary's University and the Sobey School of Business received the largest gift in the 217-year history of the institution, an $18 million philanthropic investment from members of the Sobey family, The Sobey Foundation and Sobeys Inc.

The gift to the business school in Halifax, N.S., announced in 2019, is one of the largest donations ever to a university in Atlantic Canada. 

The gift enables the Sobey School of Business to expand its role as a top educator of entrepreneurs and business leaders, and will create the environment and programs needed to support new generations of entrepreneurs and business leaders. 

Initiatives include a scholarship program to support 150 students over 10 years, and  faculty growth including two endowed chairs, five professorships and two new post-doctoral fellowships.

Key to the long-term success of the philanthropic investment is the creation of the Sobeys Entrepreneurship & Innovation Hub, a 43,000-square-foot expansion of the Sobey School of Business Building. The Hub will bring together students, faculty, businesses and entrepreneurs from across Atlantic Canada to collaborate and innovate. 

Saint Mary’s long-standing dedication to community service, spanning over two centuries, is reflected in the Sobey School’s values. The school’s integration with the business community, coupled with its focus on real-world relevant research, contributes significantly to economic prosperity.

A defining feature of the Sobey School is its global perspective, enriched by a diverse student body from more than 120 countries, and an international faculty. With over half of its faculty having international roots, and nearly half of its students from abroad, the School is rich with global ideas and perspectives.

The historic investment signals the Sobey Foundation’s belief in the academic excellence of the Sobey School and Saint Mary’s, and its students and faculty, and reflects its commitment to education as a catalyst for change.