Mount Saint Vincent University in Rockingham Halifax, Nova Scotia is a non-denominational (formerly Roman Catholic) institution. It is known familiarly as 'The Mount.'
The university traces its history to the development of the Catholic Sisters of Charity, which established in Halifax in 1849. Initially Mount Saint Vincent Academy, it was founded in 1873 as a teachers' college for nuns and was opened to local girls in order to promote higher education for women. It was licensed as a normal school for nuns in 1908. Over the ensuing years, the order developed a convent, schools, an orphanage, and health care facilities throughout the Halifax area, as well as across North America.
