11 minute read
Profiles
Acadia: not just a university
Encouraging student-led community building
By Mina Atia
Acadia University is one of the oldest and most respected liberal education universities in Canada, founded in 1838 in Wolfville. The post-secondary institution provides a personalized education in a wellrespected scholarly community and inspires students to become critical thinkers and engaged citizens.
Ranked one of the top undergraduate universities in Nova Scotia (Maclean's 2021), Acadia stands at number three nationally for its research initiatives, small classes and a technology-rich learning environment.
"Acadia provides a rare gift to its students: a truly welcoming experience that at once pushes us beyond our comfort zone and makes us feel like we're at home," says Brendan MacNeil, immediate past President of Acadia Students’ Union. "The synergy between excellence and comfort, Acadia and Wolfville, faculty and student, defines the experience students speak to in these rankings, and those attributes keep us all coming back,” says Ian Murray, Executive Director, Office of the President at Acadia University.
Two high-achieving Acadia students recently won prestigious awards, highlighting the university’s strive for excellence. Leah Creaser, fourth-year Honours Biology student and president of the Indigenous Student Society of Acadia (ISSA), was awarded a 2021 3M National Student Fellowship. Guy HarrisonMurray won the Frank H. Sobey Award for Excellence in Business Studies. One of only nine business student award recipients studying at Atlantic Canadian universities, Guy received $30,000.
ACADIA STANDS AT NUMBER THREE NATIONALLY FOR ITS RESEARCH INITIATIVES, SMALL CLASSES AND A TECHNOLOGY-RICH LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.
PHOTO CREDIT: ACADIA UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
students, University and town leaders' collective strength and the willingness to work together that makes that synergy attainable," says Murray.
Community-building campus opportunities
With a Community Farm established on its half-acre educational garden, Acadia hosts forty individual garden plots where students and volunteers grow organic produce. In partnership with Acadia’s food service provider, Chartwells, Acadia hosts “The Growcer”. The ‘farm inside a box’ program features a hydroponic, vertical growing system on campus housed inside a repurposed shipping container, producing greens and microgreens year-round.
The Growcer is first of its kind for a post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada and can produce up to 230 lbs. of produce per week, which is then
harvested by the Acadia dining hall and donated to the local food bank.
For a small 250-acre university, Acadia offers a myriad of other opportunities, including custom-built laboratories and a private island wildlife reserve. Many of its research spaces have been recently modernized, most notably the revamped Acadia Science Complex and its new Huestis Innovation Pavilion.
Boasting several innovation and incubation spaces as well as laboratories on campus, Acadia provides unique services such as the Acadia Laboratory for Agri-food and Beverage. This lab recently acquired new equipment, enabling Acadia to provide new and improved testing services and analysis for craft beer, spirits and cider, in addition to the services it already provides for the wine industry. This analysis supports accurate labelling and provides quality assurance for taste and shelf stability.
Acadia’s Raymond Field, one of only two outdoor artificial turf playing fields in the Annapolis Valley, will be recycled and replaced in the upcoming months. This upgrade will create a safer, more attractive environment for students, community members and event organizers. The field is a valuable venue for large varsity and community sporting events.
Their community impact continues with about 475 volunteer students participating in Acadia’s Sensory Motor Instructional Leadership Experience (SMILE) Program. It provides persons with varying disabilities a unique physical activity experience.
“An individual education plan is developed for each of our participants,” says Murray. “That includes water orientation; physical fitness activities to improve strength, endurance and flexibility; and perceptual motor programs to enhance development of body awareness, spatial awareness, temporal awareness and sport skills.”
SMILE takes place within a safe and fun environment. Acadia University studentvolunteers are able to provide one-onone instruction to participants in that environment, and in the process, develop their own leadership skills.
Diversity and anti-racism
“Our recently approved Strategic Plan identifies diversity, inclusivity, equity and respect as key strategic values,” says Murray. “These values form an important part of Acadia’s history and our educational mission today.”
“A number of goals address these values either directly or indirectly, including creating an inclusive and supportive community campus culture, caring for the safety, health and wellness of our community, and Msit No’kmaq - advancing Acadia’s contributions to truth, reconciliation and decolonization.”
During a time when barriers to or being excluded from university education was widespread and faced by many, Acadia was founded as an act of equity to provide access and opportunities for marginalized individuals and groups within society. The university provided the earliest opportunities of education and employment to Baptists, women and those of African descent to not only attend but eventually graduate from Acadia.
“Driven by the immediate urgency for action following alarming events that
ACADIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT-VOLUNTEERS ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE ONE-ON-ONE INSTRUCTION TO SMILE-PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS, AND IN THE PROCESS, DEVELOP THEIR OWN LEADERSHIP SKILLS.
PHOTO CREDIT: ACADIA UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
raised our consciousness about the need to address anti-racism, Acadia’s President, Dr. Peter Ricketts, established an Anti-Racism Task Force in the fall of 2020,” says Murray.
Acadia has also announced this year the Edwin Borden Awards––named in honour of Edwin Borden, an Acadia alumnus who was one of the first Black individuals in Canada to be granted both a Bachelor and Master degree. The award will recognize community engagement and leadership among Black Acadia students.
“Enhanced access to academic diversity, paired with relationship-rich, inperson student experiences, provides our students with an extraordinary experience while also helping them stand out to future employers,” says Murray.
Housing four major faculties for Arts, Pure and Applied Sciences, Professional Studies, and Theology, Acadia offers more than 200-degree combinations at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Some of the university’s most popular majors are biology, marketing, English, psychology, environmental studies and kinesiology. collaboration is a shared commitment to an extraordinary undergraduate education,” says Murray. “It helps in building capacity and providing our students with increased access to diverse courses and programs, mentors and research supervisors, and the expertise of exceptional faculty across the four universities.”
Among some of the interesting and unique courses available at the university are Food As A Social Issue; Cryptography; Politics Of Water; The Arctic Environment; DNA Barcoding: Ecology & Evolution; and Indigenous Law/Government In Canada, all of which make Acadia unique in its offering.
By choosing Acadia, students have opportunities to work closely with professors, volunteer in the community, study abroad, enjoy co-op placements, and be engaged in real-world research.
“The pandemic experience has made us all realize how important human interaction and engagement are in our lives,” says Murray. “And when students are choosing a university experience that integrates an enriched intellectual and social learning environment, they can make no better choice than Acadia.”■
THE ACADIA-UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE INTEGRATES AN ENRICHED INTELLECTUAL AND SOCIAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR STUDENTS
PHOTO CREDIT: ACADIA UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
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CNIB’s Bold Dream, Bright Future
Connecting, reducing barriers and supporting youth
By Mina Atia
Formed by a group of volunteers in 1918, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) was established to accommodate a large influx of people who lost their sight in World War I and the Halifax Explosion.
Celebrating 100 years in 2018, CNIB strives to change what it is to be blind. By offering a wide range of innovative programming for the visually impaired, CNIB connects people with life-changing technology, reduces the incidence of depression and isolation associated with sight loss, and prepares children and youth who are blind for life after high school.
“Our work continues to be powered by a network of volunteers, plus donors and partners from coast to coast,” says Shelley Adams, Community Engagement Manager at CNIB NS. “And our passionate, committed and tireless advocacy efforts seek to bring about change so Canadians with sight loss can participate fully as equal citizens.”
“We deliver innovative programs to empower people impacted by blindness, to live their dreams, and powerful advocacy to tear down barriers to inclusion.”
In its Bold Dreams, Bright Futures strategic plan, CNIB identifies three fundraising objectives.
The first objective is to boost participation in the world of work. The team sets up workshops and one-to-one coaching sessions to help individuals with sight loss acquire tools and skills to qualify for employment. Relevant to finding and maintaining meaningful employment, some of the supports offered include
WORKSHOPS AND ONE-TO-ONE COACHING SESSIONS HELP INDIVIDUALS WITH SIGHT LOSS ACQUIRE TOOLS AND SKILLS TO QUALIFY FOR EMPLOYMENT.
self-advocacy and disclosure, body language, and job searching using screen readers.
“Our self-advocacy workshops help Nova Scotians with sight loss learn necessary techniques, empowering them to become effective advocates for change in their lives and the lives of those around them,” says Adams.
Designed to help prepare students with sight loss, the Life After High School program prepares them to successfully transition from high school to postsecondary education or employment.
Participating students living in residence partake in campus and community activities such as tours/class observation, budgeting, meal planning, career exploration and learning about available resources.
CNIB’s second objective is to unleash the power of technology with lifechanging programs that connect people of all ages with cutting-edge equipment and software. The programs utilize smartphones with built-in accessibility features and apps that read print, describe objects and help people safely navigate their communities.
“Many of our in-person programs were confined to our larger centres, like Halifax and Sydney, and now that everything is virtual, we can have an impact on people living in more rural communities,” says Adams. “Many of our clients are seniors and may not have access to technology, however, through Zoom we are able to call them and connect them to programs.”
These technology-enhanced programs are improving the lives of the community with sight loss, especially during the pandemic. COVID-19 has certainly amplified the impact of these programs through CNIB’s increased digital adoption over the past year.
“Now not only can our N.S. clients connect with each other, but most of our programs throughout Canada are offered nationally,” says Adams. “So people from all over the country can connect with each other.”
“This has led to our clients saying they feel less isolated during this isolating time, and many friendships have formed.”
The third and last objective is to drive achievement and equality. CNIB’s Vision Mate Program, for example, matches individuals without sight with specially trained sighted volunteers. They offer assistance with a variety of activities like reading the mail and shopping as well as enjoying every day social activities.
“Our programs provide an opportunity for individuals with sight loss to connect with others who have similar interests,” says Adams. “From walking, knitting and book clubs to virtual trivia, yoga, gardening, music and cooking.”
“Although we are looking forward to things getting back to normal and for
Many of our clients are seniors and may not have access to technology, however, through Zoom we are able to call them and connect them to programs.” — Shelley Adams, Community Engagement Manager, CNIB NS
CNIB’S VISION MATE PROGRAM MATCHES INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT SIGHT WITH SPECIALLY TRAINED SIGHTED VOLUNTEERS, OFFERING ASSISTANCE WITH A VARIETY OF EVERY DAY ACTIVITIES.
our clients to be able to gather in person again, many of our virtual programs are here to stay,” says Adams. “The value of people being able to participate in programs no matter where they live in the country is invaluable.”
Another CNIB program supporting the third objective is Summer Adventure Camp. The five-day camp is filled with exciting activities for eight to 18 yearolds with sight loss––such as mini-golf, games and accessible sports (like goal ball), science experiments, pony rides, crafts, hiking, scavenger hunts, field trips, museum visits, exploring new technology, learning first aid, cooking and boat rides.
“It’s a camp where kids can just be kids while developing life skills and making new friends,” says Adams.
Adding more fun to the excitement, CNIB is hosting a fundraiser called Over the Edge to support their drive in changing what it is to be blind. The first 100 CNIB is an organization that values respect for diversity, for language, for each other and for all people with sight loss.” — Shelley Adams, Community Engagement Manager, CNIB NS
adventurous individuals who help boost the fundraising goal will earn a spot to rappel 13 stories down the Westin Nova Scotian in downtown Halifax on Oct.1 and 2, 2021.
“CNIB is an organization that values respect for diversity, for language, for each other and for all people with sight loss,” says Adams.
“It is committed to conducting all its affairs with equality and fostering a unique and inclusive culture by providing an accessible and respectful work environment that is free from discrimination, ableism and cultural barriers.”
Guaranteed to keep participants entertained and engaged, CNIB’s virtual programs are free and accessible to Canadians with full or partial sight loss as well as their families, friends and caregivers. ■
BOAT RIDES ARE ONE OF A MULTITUDE OF ACTIVITIES PART OF THE FIVE-DAY SUMMER ADVENTURE CAMP OFFERED BY CNIB.
