On June 18th, 2026, Acadia students were informed through an all-students email that the final draft of the university’s Academic Restructuring Proposal had been completed. The passing of this proposal by the university’s senate means that the restructuring plan has moved into a new phase, and is being prepared for implementation in the coming year. This process has been undertaken largely in response to Bill 12 legislation implemented by the provincial government. This legislation gives the provincial government greater control over post-secondary education in Nova Scotia and, amongst other new regulations, specifies that universities may be required to create and implement a revitalization plan. A press release from the province highlighted increasing the financial stability of post-secondary education and bringing the province’s universities into greater alignment with the government’s goals as the rationale behind this legislation. Both university faculty and students have expressed a variety of concerns around Bill 12 in regards to government interference in student’s educational choices and academic freedom. On Sept. 10th, 2026, I had the opportunity to speak with Lily Rich, Vice-President Academic and External for the Acadia Student Union, about the student government’s role in advising the academic restructuring process, as well as her personal goals for supporting students through these changes.
Disclaimer: Quotes have been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity.
Q: Thanks for having this conversation with me. I saw Emma Boles mentioned student feedback the ASU was collecting in an email from earlier this summer. If you got a chance to look through those comments, were there any patterns or themes that stood out to you?
A: We did a lot of that consultation in early June if I’m not mistaken. There were three main questions that came up in terms of academics. When the restructuring first started, there was some initial conversation around questions of if degrees remain the same. We went through an initial wave of assuring students that the ASU will continue to support them in their programs, while also working to communicate the changes people will see in how these programs interact with other departments and are placed in the higher academic structure.Then people started asking broader questions about what student support will look like, and what academic advising will look like. It started being more about academic structure and what the process of continuing degrees will look like.
Now, because we’ve kind of had those conversations and are into the next stage, called the implementation stage, people are asking more questions around how we can make sure Acadia stays an institution of academic rigor. How can we ensure that it is a stable institution that can support students? Not just academically, but broadly. So all that to say, a lot of the feedback has evolved. There have also been a lot of conversations around supporting specific groups of students, including international students. I’ve had some people ask me about finding extra support for their classes and how their advisors will support them in the future. A lot of the questions have really been people asking how Acadia can continue to support the student body, on a micro and a macro level.
Q: As I understand it, that’s a continuing process. What those aspects of the university’s work will look like, specifically student support and services, is still being figured out during this implementation process?
A: Yes, that’s correct. For example, there was one question around academic advising that came from a conversation with a student. The student was asking about academic advising and what it will look like to meet with the advisor for his program in the future because he really valued that relationship. I was able to pass that question on to the registrar and VP Provost Academic Ashley Consulo and we ended up having an hour long conversation about their approaches, what students need and just general aspects of the restructuring
Q: In the process of collecting that student feedback, I was also wondering, did you find it challenging to foster student involvement. I know a lot of that work happened over the summer so I imagine it could be difficult.
A: Yes, for sure. It was an ongoing process during those consultations to question what the best ways to get students engaged are. It came down to the most granular things: when classes are or aren’t, or when students are in an intersession, etc. We don’t want to hold consultation opportunities during an intersession period, but there are also so many conflicting schedules and other folks who need to be involved. It was certainly a difficult process. But the amount of really well thought out comments we received made it worth it. Of course we always want more consultation and we want students to remain in the process. And they will remain in the process, up until things are fully implemented. And then after the fact when things are being continuously reviewed.
Q: Additionally, another part of that communication is getting across the importance of this kind of involvement. Do you have any insights on the significance of this academic restructuring process for students?
A: That’s something we’ve had so many conversations about in the ASU. There’s two main perspectives that I’ll bring to it. The first is the ASU leadership perspective and the second is the broader student body perspective. Of course, I don’t speak for everyone, but I can speak from what I’ve experienced. As an ASU executive you work to cultivate relationships, and to make sure that you walk into a room knowing that you have your facts straight and knowing that you have the student body interests in mind, but there’s a point where you reach capacity. We can only balance so many things with our classes once the school year starts. We’re all doing the best we can but we’re only human. We’re only one set of voices and one team.
That brings me into my second perspective. We only have so much capacity and we rely on the student body to make sure that the information that we’re giving to admin, and other stakeholders, actually reflects student body interests. We are people who chose to be in leadership and chose to speak up, but for people who may not have that inclination or who may feel differently than we do it’s important for us to step back sometimes and realize we’re not the only ones who will be affected by these things. This is about everyone on campus. This is about the health of our institution and making sure we remain financially and academically healthy. It’s about making sure the Acadia people love remains a beacon of Maritime pride. I say that as someone who’s not even from the Maritimes, but I think I’ve gained some of that. This isn’t just about leaders going into leadership positions, it’s about us reflecting the voices of students. The more voices we have to pull from the better our advocacy can be.