St. FX University’s new Black Student Success Centre officially opened on Monday. Located in Mount St. Bernard, Room 225, it has been named the Dr. Agnes Calliste Academic and Cultural Centre.

Black Student Advisor Akua Amankwah-Poku (right) and Black Student Centre Manager Lorraine Reddick unveil the Black Student Success Centre’s official name: the Dr. Agnes Calliste Academic and Cultural Centre. (St. FX University photo)

It is named after after a sociology professor who spent almost 30 years at St. FX. As the university’s Black Student Advisor, Dr. Calliste provided academic support to many students, and aided the Brothers and Sisters of the African Diaspora student society. Calliste also organized events on campus including Kwanzaa celebrations, Martin Luther King Junior Day and African Heritage Month activities. Her research also covered such areas as African-Canadian railway porters and Canadian-Caribbean nurses.

Major funders to the centre include the Jeannine Deveau Educational Equity Endowment and the McCall MacBain Foundation.