Dr. Mila Mulroney to be installed as StFX’s 11th Chancellor
St. Francis Xavier University will celebrate achievement on December 1st when it awards an honorary degree to the ‘Godfather of Canadian Hip-Hop,’ Maestro Fresh Wes, and graduates nearly 250 students during Fall Convocation 2024 taking place at the Charles V. Keating Centre.
Dr. Mila Mulroney, a StFX honorary degree recipient and a highly respected Canadian philanthropist, announced as StFX’s 11th Chancellor in September 2024 will be officially installed during the Chancellor’s Installation ceremony immediately preceding Fall Convocation. Dr. Mulroney will confer diplomas and degrees at convocation.
Wesley (Wes) Williams, known professionally as Maestro Fresh Wes, will receive the degree Doctor of Laws honoris causa. Maestro Fresh Wes is a national icon and a member of the Canadian Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. In 2024, he became both the first hip-hop/rap recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the first hip-hop artist inducted into The Canadian Music Hall of Fame. He has also given back to his community, supporting Sick Kids Hospital, Covenant House, and the Special Olympics among other organizations. He established the Maestro Fresh Wes scholarship at the Nova Scotia Community College to support Black youth interested in skilled trades. A full biography follows below.
Murray Gibson, a faculty member in the StFX Department of Art, will receive the StFX Outreach Award in recognition of his longtime community engagement, particularly his partnership with L’Arche Antigonish.
The Outstanding Staff Teaching Award will be presented to Laura Reid, dietetic educator and coordinator of the Integrated Dietetic Internship Program in the StFX Department of Human Nutrition.
Wesley (Wes) Williams
Doctor of Laws honoris causa
Born Wesley Williams in 1968 in Scarborough, ON, Maestro Fresh Wes, the “Godfather of Canadian Hip-Hop,” has had a 40-year career that changed the course of music history in this country. According to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Williams was inspired to begin rapping at age 11 after listening to his father’s recording of “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang. By 15, he was performing under the name Melody MC. In 1988, he transformed himself into “Maestro Fresh Wes” (or “Maestro”) and began recording and releasing independent demos with his manager Farley “Flex Fridal”. One of those recordings was Let your Backbone Slide which went on to become one of the most successful and influential Canadian songs of all time. That year he became the first Canadian rapper to have a Billboard Top 40 hit. His debut album Symphony in Effect became the first Canadian hip-hop single to chart in the Top 40 and became the first Canadian rap album to receive platinum certification. In 1990, Let your Backbone Slide was nominated for its first JUNO, a year in which there was no dedicated rap music category. The song was nominated under Best Dance Recording. Because of Maestro Fresh Wes, the JUNOS established the Best Rap Recording category and in 1991 Maestro made Canadian music history as the first person to receive the award. Maestro went on to earn more JUNO award nominations, releasing five albums in the 1990s alone, promoting and featuring many up-and-coming hip-hop artists. In the 2000s he expanded his artistic endeavours into the world of acting. In 2009, he earned a Gemini Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his work on the series The Line. He became a regular on the CBC comedy series Mr. D, playing a high school teacher, and hosted the hit reality show Race Against the Tide. He also co-authored, along with his wife Tamara Hendricks-Williams, a self-help memoir entitled Stick to Your Vision: How to Get Past the Hurdles & Haters to Get Where You Want to Be, along with a children’s story titled Young Maestro Goes to School, which inspired two JUNO Award-nominated Albums in the Children’s Album of the Year Category. Nearly 35 years later, he is still making history as a Canadian icon. In 2019, he was inducted into the Canadian Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. In 2024, he became the first hip-hop/rap recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement. Considered to be Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts, it recognizes artists who have inspired and enriched the cultural life of the country. In 2024, he became the first hip-hop artist inducted into The Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Maestro has always given back to his community, supporting Sick Kids Hospital, Covenant House, the Special Olympics among other organizations. In 2020, Maestro became a Maritimer, moving to Saint John NB. He established the Maestro Fresh Wes scholarship at the Nova Scotia Community College to support Black youth interested in skilled trades. As he told CBC’s David Common, “I don’t think we have a shortage of rappers, but we definitely have a a shortage of Black youth interested in learning skilled trades.” He explained that after being able to build “the Black music community in Canada to some capacity” it is now time “to at least try to inspire young Black builders.”
Murray Gibson
Outreach Award
Murray Gibson, a faculty member in the StFX Department of Art, embodies the spirit of outreach and community engagement through his work with L’Arche Antigonish. For 16 years now, Mr. Gibson has enriched the lives of intellectually disabled individuals at L’Arche Antigonish and has instilled in StFX students social responsibility, compassion, and lifelong commitment to community engagement. Starting in 2008, Mr. Gibson introduced Service Learning in his Weaving Studio class. He partnered students with L'Arche Antigonish members to work on joint weaving projects. For one hour per week, for six semesters, the StFX students and L'Arche members co-created art and learned from each other. Students who got to know L’Arche through his class went on to further volunteer work with L’Arche. Some became employees. Many continued commitments to non-profit organizations. Mr. Gibson’s volunteer contributions to L'Arche, and through it, to the community at large, continued well after his students participated in Service Learning. He does most of L’Arche’s graphic design, is hands-on with their art program, and helps with theater productions. His design of the annual L'Arche Art Calendar has raised money to support programming. His commitment enhances L'Arche's ability to educate the community about the needs and strengths of those who live with intellectual disability. The tapestry he created that hangs in the People’s Place Library is an example. Mr. Gibson incorporated art from six L’Arche artists to create a unified piece that reminds how difference can work together to create something beautiful. L’Arche members and their families have attested to his impact, drawing the circle wider. A former student sums up the transformative experience, on the power of art to build bridges: “Murray’s course was not just about teaching students the technicalities of weaving; it was about weaving connections between people, fostering inclusion, and building a more compassionate society.” In September 2024, Mr. Gibson received a King Charles III Coronation Medal for his service as an artist to L’Arche.
Laura Reid
Outstanding Staff Teaching Award
Laura Reid joined StFX’s Department of Human Nutrition as a dietetic educator in 2011 after a successful dietetics career in the New Brunswick health care system, as well as in her own private nutrition counseling practice. At StFX, she prepares students for professional careers in dietetics. This involves teaching at least three courses each year relating to dietetic practice and coordinating the Integrated Dietetic Internship Program (IDI), a competitive 42 week practicum program in which senior students and recent graduates complete three practica in clinical, management and community settings. Completion of this accredited program enables them to write the national entry-to-practice exam to become registered dietitians. This is a major draw for students and requires considerable coordination. Student and faculty nominators spoke of Ms. Reid’s unfailing support of students and her professionalism. “Laura’s commitment and dedication to the Integrated Dietetic Internship program at StFX is unmatched. She has the unique ability to guide and support not only interns, but future interns, and students of all years to succeed in their goals,” one wrote. Ms. Reid’s role begins when students enter year one as she ensures students take the required courses and fulfill necessary volunteer and practical requirements. She also prepares students who wish to pursue graduate internship programs elsewhere. In recent years, StFX students have achieved close to 100 per cent success rate in obtaining an internship or graduate program of choice. The success rate in the professional standards component of the national entry to practice exam is also notably high. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic presented ongoing challenges as placements were canceled at last minute, sites closed, services switched to online, travel impacted, and student roles often shifted to support pandemic priorities. Ms. Reid had to ensure students were ready. This required new ways of assessing student learning and creating innovative placements. Throughout, student feedback about her support has been stellar.
