Sodexo's support
/$30,000 donated to the Jeannine Deveau Scholarship Fund
Sodexo, the food services company here at StFX, has recently marked the thirty year anniversary of its partnership with the university. To celebrate this momentous event Sodexo donated $30,000 towards the Jeannine Deveau Educational Equity Endowment Scholarship Fund. This fund helps to make university education more accessible to members of the African Nova Scotian and First Nations communities. The Deveau Fund matched the donation, bringing the total up to $60,000.
The Jeannine Deveau Educational Equity Endowment Scholarship Fund is an course-based scholarship, meaning that qualifications and amount awarded depends on the grades a student has earned, although there are also entrance scholarships to be won. Many recipients have said that the in-course scholarships mean so much as it is an acknowledgement of their hard work and perseverance throughout their university years.
Jeannine Deveau graduated from StFX in 1944 and worked as a nutrition professor in Montreal for many years. In October 2016, Ms. Deveau donated $8 million to StFX, which is the largest private alumni donation of it's kind in the university's history and kicked off the successful scholarship fund.
Many Sodexo and StFX employees including Andrew Beckett, StFX’s Vice-President of Finance and Administration, Wendy Langley, StFX’s Director of Development and Bill Keith, Sodexo’s VP of Education Account, joined together for this historical milestone. They were elated about the positive impact that the donation will have on the lives of future StFX students. The event was celebrated with a seven-course celebrity dinner prepared by Sodexo executive chef Mike Pollock and StFX’s culinary team. The meal was reportedly spectacular and went the extra mile to commemorate the anniversary. Administrators from the past and present attended the event. Amazingly enough, Sodexo has 13 employees that have worked at the company for over 30 years.
Wendy Langley spoke on the event and the donation. “It’s a great demonstration of Sodexo’s awareness of the university’s priorities. They chose to donate not only to the Xaverian Fund but the Jeannine Deveau Fund, helping us support the communities that need it the most, and doubling the financial impact of the gift,” she said. She finished by saying, “this gift is significant and will directly impact students.”
The award is available to Aboriginal students and African Nova Scotian students enrolled in a diploma or degree program at the undergraduate or graduate level of study at StFX. Full and part time students are eligible to apply. Applicants must be in good academic standing and demonstrate financial need. Preference will be given to students from Mi’kmaw communities or African Nova Scotian communities.
