The lives of professors and students, deans and presidents, their ideas and idiosyncrasies, their triumphs and failures, provide the driving force of Waite's narrative. Avoiding the details of financing, curriculum, and administration that sometimes dominate institutional histories, Waite focuses on the men and women who were the blood of the university and who established its traditions and ethos. Halifax in peace and war is basic to Dalhousie's history, as is its relations with other colleges and universities in Nova Scotia. Waite sets all this out, placing Dalhousie's development within the larger Nova Scotian context.

The lives of professors and students, deans and presidents, their ideas and idiosyncrasies, their triumphs and failures, provide the driving force of Waite's narrative. Avoiding the details of financing, curriculum, and administration that sometimes dominate institutional histories, Waite focuses on the men and women who were the blood of the university and who established its traditions and ethos. Halifax in peace and war is basic to Dalhousie's history, as is its relations with other colleges and universities in Nova Scotia. Waite sets all this out, placing Dalhousie's development within the larger Nova Scotian context.

Financed by British spoils from eastern Maine in the War of 1812, modelled on the University of Edinburgh, and shaped by Scottish democratic education tradition, Dalhousie was unique among Nova Scotia colleges in being the only liberal, nonsectarian institution of higher learning. Except for a brief flicker of life (1838-43), for the first forty-five years no students or professors entered Dalhousie's halls a reflection in part of the intense religious loyalties embedded in Nova Scotian politics. The college building itself was at different times a cholera hospital and a Halifax community centre. Finally launched in 1863 and by 1890 embracing the disciplines of law and medicine, Dalhousie owed its driving force to the Presbyterians, retaining a double loyalty to their ethos of hard work and devotion to learning and to a board, staff, and student body of mixed denominations. P.B. Waite enlivens his descriptions of the life of the university with evocative portrayals of governors, professors, and students, as well as sketches of the social and economic development of Halifax. A welcome addition to the histories of Canadian universities, this volume and its forthcoming companion, dealing with the years 1925 to 1980, contribute significantly to our knowledge of the sometimes bitter internecine struggles that accompanied the development of higher education in Canada. "Everywhere is evident the deft turn of phrase, the captivating descriptions, the beautifully drawn word pictures that do much to enliven and illuminate the story ... It possesses many strengths, including clarity and liveliness, and tells us much about Dalhousie as an institution of buildings, presidents, and professors." B. Moody, Department of History, Acadia University.

"The self-improvement industry puts the responsibility for change on us as individuals, producing few if any long-term changes in our health or happiness. Michael Ungar shows that individual growth depends very little on what we think, feel, or behave. He is one of the world's leading experts on thriving through adversity. Delving into the latest research, he demonstrates that we share responsibility for our personal well-being with our family and friends, and even our employers and politicians. In fact, the more the odds are stacked against us, the less motivation, positive thinking and grit are important to resilience and the more we benefit from an environment rich in opportunity. Ungar explores real people's lives and discovers that the answers lie in the people and the support systems around us. The good news is that it is easier to change your environment than it is to change yourself. Indeed, Ungar has solid evidence that we can influence the world around us in ways that will make us more resilient both at home and on the job. "--

The Segelberg Lecture Series explores the intersection of religious faith and public policy. This book contains the lectures of the Trusts fi rst series, which were focused on The Ends of Life. Dalhousie Universitys School of Public Administration managed the series through a lecture committee under the able leadership of the former Dean of Dalhousie Law School, Professor Innis Christie, Q.C.