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I was giving a student tour and told them to go on without me because I needed a moment. All I could think about was how I wanted to protect [these whales]. — Nelene Silva

“I’ve always believed that universities have an obligation to give back to the community” says Dr. Worm. “That’s why we wanted to create a space to welcome people of all ages who want to learn about the ocean. It’s serendipitous that we received a generous gift ($8.2 million) from Ross Beaty and his family to help us make this happen.” 

The Beaty Centre’s exhibits and content are all informed by public consultations and conversations. This is evident in the many ways that the Beaty Centre incorporates Mi’kmaw language, heritage, and knowledge — a priority for its science team from the project’s conception.  

“My hope is that this will be a two-way street, where people bring us ideas for evolving the space that we couldn’t have dreamed of,” says Dr. Worm. “That will help make it a living exhibit.” 

You may be familiar with many of them, such as:

• The nursing and medical degree programs in Yarmouth and Cape Breton
• The Faculty of Agriculture’s community dinners
• ������� Legal Aid Service
• at the North End Community Health Centre
• Dal Arts Centre
• STEM-based summer camps offered through

Collectively, these, and a myriad of other examples, are �������’s “front porch.”

The front porch plays a vital role in the household. It’s the threshold where we reconnect with family, become friends with our neighbours, and welcome the world into our lives for conversations, activities, or support in times of need. Dal’s front porch works in much the same way, delivering on a commitment by the university to be open to all when it was founded in 1818.

“Our front porch is important because it builds trust, familiarity, and belonging,” says Dr. Kim Brooks, the university’s president and vice-chancellor. “It’s how someone takes their first step onto campus — not only to study or work, but to participate.” 

Dr. Brooks says that Dal’s front porch can hold different meaning for different people. “For future students, it might be the beginning of seeing themselves at �������. For families, it can become a ritual space of learning and connection. For alumni, it can reignite a sense of purpose and pride. For community members, it’s where ������� shows it is not apart from Nova Scotia but a part of it.” 

That, Dr. Brooks adds, makes �������’s front porch an important asset at a time when public institutions are working not just to retain, or even re-earn, public trust, but also to deepen the ways that they contribute to the success of the communities they serve. “It reminds us that accessibility isn’t just about affordability or admissions; it’s also about invitation,” she says. 

For artist Alan Syliboy, Dal’s front porch is the . That’s where he saw an Alex Colville retrospective in 1984 that gave him inspiration. “I thought, ‘This is the place I want to have my own retrospective one day,’ ” recalls Syliboy.

In 2024, that day arrived with Alan Syliboy: The Journey So Far, an ambitious undertaking spanning 50 years of art, including a specially commissioned 100-foot mural of a horned serpent. “I was impressed with the way they tried to accommodate all of my ideas,” Syliboy says. “I don’t think there was another space in the city that could have come close to matching the scope of what I was able to do there.” 

The Syliboy retrospective reflects the efforts of Pamela Edmonds, the gallery’s curator and director, to showcase a plurality of voices and communities. “The art world speaks about inclusivity, but for me it’s not just about [that],” she explains. “It’s more about re-centering. I’m interested in shining a light on communities that have long been part of Nova Scotia’s narrative but remained under-represented, so they are seen and feel validated.”

Edmonds has embraced the concept of the gallery as a front porch in other ways, such as virtual tours, displays across campus, and touring exhibitions. These efforts have made the gallery more accessible, raising the profile of Nova Scotian artists while inspiring a new generation.   

“Creation is at our core as human beings,” she says. “We want to encourage everyone to embrace that in part by continuing to showcase artists who are maybe not in the mainstream but who are doing innovative, interesting work that people care about.” 

�������’s front porch isn’t always located on campus. In some cases, it’s in the community, offering access to health and legal services, and related education, that otherwise would not be as easily accessible. 

That presence has grown over the years and now stretches from one end of Nova Scotia to the other. Through Dal’s Yarmouth Campus, students have an opportunity to stay in the region and study nursing while contributing to better health outcomes through placements at Yarmouth Regional Hospital. Meanwhile, the university’s new , which opened this fall, will ensure students receive excellent medical education that will benefit both Cape Breton and the province for generations. 

The (CPH) is another example of how Dal goes beyond its campus for the benefit of the community. Launched in 2023 at the Fenwick Medical Centre in Halifax, it provides free mental health services to low income and underserved Nova Scotians. It also trains clinical psychology PhD students to meet the province’s growing demand for mental health professionals.

“There are some people in the community who need our services, but they’re hesitant to come to Dal,” says Dr. Alissa Pencer, co-director of the centre and the field placement coordinator with the clinical psychology PhD program. “They feel more comfortable being served in the community, so having a presence there is really important for us.”

Supported by operational funding from Nova Scotia’s Office of Addictions and Mental Health, and referral partnerships with more than 30 community organizations, CPH has provided assessments and/or therapy to more than 400 clients who primarily reside in the Halifax Regional Municipality. One client, Frank (not his real name), was referred to CPH for help managing the stress and anxiety he experienced after draining his savings to launch his own business. 

“CPH gave me back a sense of agency — over my mind and my circumstances,” Frank says. “Therapy addressed my mental health, while case management tackled practical needs like securing employment insurance. It’s a model that truly considers the whole person.”

Dr. Shannon Johnson, co-director of the centre and director of training for the clinical psychology program, says the goal is to help more clients like Frank province-wide through new and enhanced services. “Over time, we would like to help expand this model across the province," she says.

Our goal is to be here for the long term so we can continue to support and strengthen our community. —Dr. Shannon Johnson

For years, the Dal Memorial Arena was a crucial front porch for the university, welcoming the community for varsity sports and recreational activities.

It has been 12 years since the arena closed, but a new one is nearly ready to take its place on campus: the Oulton-Stanish Centre. The 60,000-square-foot facility with an NHL-sized ice surface, scheduled to open in late 2025, is generating considerable anticipation, especially among minor hockey and ringette groups in the community. 

“There just aren’t enough facilities in the Halifax Regional Municipality to meet the demands of anyone who wants ice time for practice or for games,” says Chris Keough (BMgmt’08, MBA’10), facilities and operations director with the Department of Athletics and Recreation.

The centre will fill several gaps, according to Keough. It will be the new on-campus home for the Dal Tigers varsity men’s and women’s hockey teams, the Tigers ringette team, the ������� Figure Skating Club, and campus intramurals — all of which have been hosted by the Halifax Forum in recent years. It will serve as a wellness hub for ������� and the greater community with the newly expanded ������� Physiotherapy Clinic. It will also feature public skates, hockey camps, and other ice-related activities, providing opportunities for recreation that contribute to a stronger and healthier community.  

“We often forget that recreation is not just beneficial from a physical perspective,” Keough says. “There’s the social aspect, which is huge in terms of mental benefits. Those two, combined, help boost well-being for everyone.”

Bryan Esbaugh (BA’96), president of Chebucto Minor Hockey, says the centre is a big deal for him and the community. “This will give our group more ice time, so we can accommodate potentially as many as 80 more kids who want to play hockey or improve their skills,” he says. “It also allows us to put in a bid to host something like a provincial tournament or a day of champions, which helps boost the local economy because it brings people to the city.” 

Keough is interested in exploring more opportunities for the Centre to serve as a front porch, such as hosting conferences. “We’re open to doing different things with the space for the benefit of the community,” he says. “But I think what it will mainly be used for and what the biggest attraction will be is ice activities, whether it is a hockey tournament or a figure skating competition, or our always popular public skates. That has really great value for the community.”

Dal’s front porch is as diverse as the communities it serves, offering many opportunities for conversation, activities, and support. It might be a noon-hour skate, a well-stocked farm stand, a wellness appointment, an exhibition of a new Nova Scotian artist, or a space where you can connect with marine life. Whatever it looks like for you, you’re always welcome to drop by and say hello.