Explore Acadia University's strategic plan in action with this July 31 recap of news and events.

Acadia News - Beautifully illustrated with full-colour images, A Natural Balance, is both an indispensable book for anyone interested in the plants and trees of the Acadian Forest Region and a visual record of a spectacular instance of North American collegiate architecture. Landscape architect Alex Novell and architectural historian John Leroux tell the story of the design, construction, and features of the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens.

A Natural Balance is available at bookstores and retailers where books are found throughout Canada, as well as at gooselane.com and the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre at Acadia University.

AcadiaTV - Julia Baak, Acadia MSc Biology graduate (’21), is a recipient of the highly prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship in support of her PhD research at McGill University. These federal scholarships support doctoral students and recognize them as part of Canada's next generation of research leaders.

Julia’s PhD studies will be co-supervised by Dr. Mark Mallory, a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair at Acadia, and Dr. Kyle Elliott, a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair at McGill. Julia is using high-precision tracking technology to examine local and annual movements of Arctic seabirds and their feeding areas.

CBC - A new program at universities across Atlantic Canada seeks to attract more Indigenous and Black students to business programs in an effort to diversify boardrooms across the country.

The Atlantic Promise Scholars Initiative includes 11 universities from the four Atlantic provinces and provides financial aid and other supports to Indigenous and Black students.

Saltwire - The threat of climate change and the pandemic has made some people pause and question their values and choices when it comes to buying things, says Dr. Harish Kapoor, a marketing professor at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S.

“The pandemic has caused consumers to view their lives through a different set of glasses,” he says.

Giving News -  Acadia's Alumni Office held its first in-person event since the pandemic prohibited gatherings. More than 120 golfers took to the KenWo golf course in New Minas, N.S. to celebrate the alumni community and provide financial support to incoming Acadia students by contributing to the Alumni Bursary – Valley Branch.

COVID-19 Update - The University has recently approved a vaccination policy for students and employees. While vaccination is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended, and the University is striving to achieve a fully vaccinated campus community.

“Our goal is that our campus remains a safe place to work and study,” says Ricketts. “We are striving to exceed the provincial levels of vaccination participation in hopes of being able to further reduce restrictions on campus.”

Acadia News - “We’re more aware of what it means now to work while sick or not having the ability to take the time away that you need to then recover and also not to infect your coworkers, your customers or maybe patients and residents in long-term care facilities,” explains Dr. Rebecca Casey. “What the data shows in the report is that our most vulnerable workers, those that are low wage, not working a permanent job, they’re the ones who don’t have access to paid sick leave.”

Nova Scotia Health - Public Health encourages all Nova Scotians to get tested regularly and, for everyone who can, to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their community. Through a partnership with Public Health, Acadia's University Club is a test site and the Festival Theatre is a drive-thru vaccination site. Please book ahead for your vaccination.

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