Dr. Mary Sweatman

 
Associate Professor & Axcess Acadia Director

Pronouns: She/her
Phone: (902) 585-1122
Email
mary.sweatman@acadiau.ca
Office: CD House, 24 Highland Ave., Room 103

Education
  • Ph.D., Nova Scotia Inter-University Doctoral Program in Educational Studies
  • M.A., Dalhousie University, (Leisure Studies)
  • B.Ed., Trent University (Education)
  • B.R.M. Honours, Acadia University (Recreation Management)
2023-2024 Courses
  • Leadership Development (Fall 2023)
  • Leisure Education (Fall 2023)
  • Intro. to Community Development (Winter 2024)
  • Community & Professional Engagement Projects (Winter 2024)
Scholarly Interests and Expertise

My scholarly interests revolve around two key theoretical foci; community service-learning and partnerships, and community issues concerning inequity.  Some of my current projects are:

  • Collaborative work with Acadia, the Wolfville Farmers’ Market and the Town of Wolfville, around local food systems and experiential education in community. With the Wolfville Farmers’ Market acting as a HUB, this collective, involving multiple units on campus, works to align our action research projects, community service-learning initiatives, and food equity advocacy. If you would like to learn more or be part of this collaborative, please email me.
  • Understanding COVID-19 related recreation provisions for rural low-income mothers and families. With colleagues, Dr. Jackie Oncesue (UNB), Rachel Bedingfield (Kentville Parks and Recreation), we are exploring the implications of COVID-19 on rural low-income families, and the impacts of the recreation provisions provided through different organizations.
  • Understanding rural homelessness through a Valley Wide Service-Based Count on homelessness. With master’s student Lindsay Slade and the Valley Homeless No More Committee, we are conducting a this service-based count with our community partners in Kings County, Annapolis County and West Hants County. Lindsay is taking the lead on homeless youth statistics, while I manage the homeless adult statistics. This count will happen every three years, and I am seeking graduate student support for this initiative for future counts. Please contact me if you are interested in this area of research (next count fall 2023).
Did you know?
  • Mary received the Faculty of Professional Studies Community Engagement Award in 2020 for her ongoing service and scholarly work in the community
  • Mary received the outstanding teacher of the year award from the Acadia Student Union based on her first year of teaching in 2003, and again in 2018.
  • Mary is also trained as an elementary school teacher, and has taught internationally in Katmandu, Nepal, Florence, Italy, and Cuenca, Ecuador.
Highlights of Scholarly and Professional Work
  • Sweatman, M., Anderson, B, Redcliff, K. M., Warner, A., & Annett, J. (In-press) Kitchen Wizards: A Community-Food Service-Learning Case Study. Canadian Food Studies
  • Sweatman, M., & Warner, A. (In press). A university’s Community Engagement ethos: Understanding the capacity for democratic community engagement. In P. Blessinger, & E. Sendupta (Eds.), International Case Studies in Service Learning in Higher Education Teaching and Learning. London, UK: Emerald
  • Sweatman, M., & Warner, A. (2020). A model for understanding the processes, characteristics, and the community-valued development outcomes of community-university partnerships. Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning, 26(1), 265-288. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/mjcsloa.3239521.0026.115
  • Arbour-Nicitopoulos, K, P., Shirazipour, C. H., Sweatman, M., & Seaman, R. (2018). The Secret of S.M.I.L.E.: Best practices for delivering adapted physical activity programming. Physical and Health Education Journal, 83 (4), 1-30.