Though campus turns into a ghost town all summer, haunted by the few students with the tenacity to stick out another couple classes, Acadia still remains. Indeed, all sorts of exciting things have gone on over the last four months. In case you haven’t been keeping up here is a quick recap of Acadia’s summer news:
- Seminary House was named one of Canada’s most beautiful residences by Huffington Post. Sixteen residences across Canada were featured in this ranking including our historic Seminary House. As the oldest residence building in Canada it is hard to ignore its undeniable charm!
- The Rotary Club of Wolfville named Ray Ivany, our beloved president, a Paul Harris Fellow. This award is given to a person who embodies the principles of The Rotary Club. Paul Harris founded this club in 1905 as an organization of leaders around the world to promote humanitarian service, peace and good will and the recipients of this award embody these characteristics. As a tireless leader not only at Acadia but also across Nova Scotia (as seen in positions such as former president of NSCC, chairman of Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust, and much more), Ray Ivany certainly earned this title.
- Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine Mckenna praised Acadia’s environmental research. She visited the KCIC and the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens in early August with Treasury Board President Scott Brison and Acadia President Ray Ivany. She praised the important research that undergrad and masters students are undertaking at the school and highlighted the impact it will have on climate change and the changing biodiversity we are experiencing all over the world including in the Bay of Fundy and the Minas Basin. Way to go Acadia researchers!
- Acadia offered English classes for new immigrants this summer. With an influx of immigrants to the Valley this past year from countries such as Syria and Somalia, summer schools started instructing English in order to help our new neighbors get their bearings in their new home. There were thirty volunteers working with forty students, varying from children to adults. In addition to offering linguistic support, the classes prepared children for the Canadian classroom environment they would be experiencing in September and offered a sense of community to newcomers in this tumultuous time.
This is just a highlight of some of the exciting things that happened in the hallowed halls of Acadia this summer. If you know of any exciting Acadia news, contact the Athenaeum to share the excitement!
