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[netprof]

An appealing position has opened up at Saint Mary's University (Halifax, Nova Scotia), but I don't know much about the university. Does anyone have a sense of the balance between teaching and research, or know what the teaching load would be? Is this one of the schools that will seriously consider American applicants? I would also appreciate any general insights about the school or region.

[anon99]

Is this one of the schools that will seriously consider American applicants?

Most Canadian universities will consider US applicants.  The standard wording in the ads (Canadian citizens, etc) is required for all job ads.

Look up the department you will be teaching in and see what people are teaching.  If it isn't on the dept website, the timetable will be on the registrar's website.

I forgot to add, I know people who love living in Halifax.  I've been to the surrounding area several times and it is really nice.

[llanfair]

A friend has just gotten a TT position at St Mary's and loves it.  He's got a good balance between teaching load and research, and they made a flatteringly big deal out of his book launch.  And Halifax is a great city, too, in one of the best parts of Canada (the Maritimes*).  Not a high cost-of-living for Canada, and all the joys of city living combined with a short drive to beautiful countryside.



*No, I'm not biassed.

[netprof]

Thanks for the advice/positive reviews!

[larix]

It depends what department you would be in. In general St. Mary's is more of a teaching focused school and lives a bit in the shadow of Dalhousie. However, St. Mary's has slightly more of a liberal arts leaning and does have quite a few strong research departments in the social sciences and humanities. It is a bit unfair to compare Dalhousie and St Mary's as they have slightly different institutional foci.

I know three people who are faculty there and like it quite a bit. They have 2-2 teaching loads in STEM fields if that helps answer your question. All three really enjoy teaching there and they have quite active research programmes. 

I adore Halifax. It is by far my favourite city in Canada. Of course like llanfair I have a bit of a Maritimes bias.

Feel free to PM me if you would like. With a bit more specifics about what department you are looking at I may be able to provide more information.