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The newly-opened Obama Presidential Center includes a very special piece of art made by McMaster’s Chancellor Emeritus and alumna, Santee Smith (@santeesmith).
 
Smith, who served as McMaster’s Chancellor from 2019 to 2025, is an internationally renowned multidisciplinary artist, choreographer and pottery designer. 
 
She created a pottery vessel that will sit in the Oval Office exhibit of the newly built Obama Presidential Center and Library.  
 
The vessel is a replica of a piece made by Smith’s father, Steve Smith, which was displayed in the real Oval Office throughout Barack Obama’s presidency.  
 
Smith worked on the piece in the Faculty of Humanities’ art studio spaces, supported by potter Jordi Alfaro, School of the Arts professor Carmela Alfaro-Laganse and technician James Kendal. They did the firing at McMaster’s sculpture studio.
 
Smith and her daughter were on hand for a special pre-opening celebration in Chicago last week, where they heard directly from Michelle and Barack Obama.
 
Learn more about the piece and how it stands as a symbol of Indigenous Knowledge passed down through generations that will now be seen by millions of people.
 
Link in bio.

That’s a wrap on another incredible Convocation season! 🎓🎉

Graduates, congratulations on this incredible milestone and welcome to the @mcmasteralumni1887 community!

This week, Malaika Manda delivered her valedictory address to her fellow graduates in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

It marked the end of her time as an undergraduate student at McMaster, and the culmination of a journey shaped by friendship, support and belonging.

The economics and political science graduate reflects on her time at McMaster, from navigating her first Canadian winter to representing her peers at Convocation.

Link in bio.

#MacGrad2026

A transformational $50-million gift is paving the way for McMaster University to become a global leader in Kinesiology and healthspan research.  
 
The investment fuels a vision of helping people increase their healthspan — the years of life lived in good health, free from illness and disease.  
 
It will establish the McCall MacBain Kinesiology and Healthspan Institute, a global research hub uniting experts from across disciplines.  
 
There, healthspan research will be translated into real-world solutions and evidence-informed policy, improving lives around the world.  
 
Future leaders of health will be developed through the Marcy C. McCall Kinesiology Scholarships, the first scholarships of their kind in Canada to offset tuition and guarantee funding for experiential learning. 
 
The gift, from alumna Dr. Marcy McCall MacBain and John McCall MacBain, with the McCall MacBain Foundation (@mccallmacbain), is the largest philanthropic investment in kinesiology in Canadian university history. 
 
Learn more about its impact at the link in bio.