Mount Allison University has hired a new chaplain.
Reverend Ellie Hummel has joined Mount Allison as multi-faith chaplain and spiritual care coordinator, the university announced on Tuesday.
Her work at Mount Allison begins on March 7.
Hummel is an ordained minister with the United Church of Canada, according to a media release from the university.
She previously worked as chaplain and coordinator of the multi-faith and spiritual centre at Concordia University in Montreal.
She worked at Concordia for more than 20 years, and previously oversaw congregations in rural Saskatchewan, the university said in the release.
“Throughout my career I’ve had the opportunity to work with people from many spiritual, religious, and philosophical backgrounds, and learned the importance of connecting and learning with others, particularly students,” Hummel was quoted as saying.
The chaplain position at Mount Allison has been vacant since Reverend John Perkin retired in the summer 2020 after 27 years as the school’s chaplain.
Anne Comfort, vice-president of international and student affairs, said the role of the chaplain is to support students, faculty and staff of all faiths.
“Many students are coming to Mount Allison from interfaith backgrounds,” Comfort was quoted as saying. “They need to be able to see themselves here and feel supported in their spiritual, as well as their academic endeavours.”
Mount Allison University initially stated Hummel was the first-ever female chaplain in the history of Mount Allison, but that statement was later removed from a revised version of the media release.
She will be working with students and departments across campus, including Mount Allison’s Elders-in-Residence, the Indigenous Affairs Coordinator, the Black Students Advisor and the Wellness Centre team.
The hiring follows a consultation process over the past year to “understand the nature of the religious and spiritual support that should be made available on campus,” the release stated.
Members of the religious studies faculty and the student affairs team led the review process.
The hiring involved a national search and two panel interviews, one of them made up entirely of students, according to the university.
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