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Acadia University is a university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Academics

Acadia is one of Canada's leading primarily undergraduate universities.Maclean's 2005 Rankings It is structured into three faculties: Pure & Applied Science, Arts and Professional Studies. Theology is the fourth faculty; however it is autonomous from the University and overseen primarily by the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches. This faculty is a Baptist Seminary, commonly known as Acadia Divinity College.

History

Acadia began as Horton Academy (1828), which was founded by Baptists from Nova Scotia. The two major Universities of the day in Nova Scotia were heavily controlled by Denominational structures. King's College (University of King's College) was an Anglican School and Dalhousie University, which was originally non-denominational, had placed itself under the control and direction of the Church of Scotland. It was the failure of Dalhousie to appoint a prominent Baptist pastor and scholar, Edmund Crawley, to the Chair of Classics, as had been expected, that really thrust into the forefront of Baptist thinking the need for a College established and run by the Baptists.

In 1838, the Nova Scotia Baptist Education Society founded Queen's College (named for Queen Victoria). The College began with 21 students in January 1839. The name "Queen's College" was denied to the Baptist school, so it was renamed "Acadia College" in 1841, in reference to the history of the area as an Acadian settlement. It became a university in 1891.

The Granville Street Baptist Church (now First Baptist Church Halifax) was an instrumental and determining factor in the founding of the University. It has played a supporting role throughout its history, and shares much of the credit for its survival and development. Many individuals who have made significant contributions to Acadia University, including the first president John Pryor, were members of the First Baptist Church Halifax congregation.

The original charter as a college stated:

And be it further enacted, that no religious tests or subscriptions shall be required of the Professors Fellows, Scholars, Graduates or Officers of the said College; but that all the privileges and advantages thereof shall be open and free to all and every Person and Persons whomsoever, without regard to religious persuasion... And it shall and may be lawful for the trustees and Governors of the said College to select as Professors, and other Teaches or Officers, competent persons of any religious persuasion whatever, provided such person or persons shall be of moral and religious character.

This was unique at the time, and a direct result of Baptists being denied entry into other schools that required religious tests of their students and staff.

As of 2006, Acadia's president is Gail Dinter-Gottlieb who took on the position after the retirement of past president Kelvin Ogilvie in 2003. One of Ogilvie's last acts was to oversee the drafting of a new master plan for the university's expansion, prepared by noted US architect Robert Stern. In February and March of 2004, Acadia experienced its first ever strike by the faculty. Professors and librarians were off the job for two weeks before they reached a settlement.

Campus Life

On-campus life is important at Acadia. Approximately 1700 students live on-campus in 11 residences:
  • Chase Court
  • Cutten House
  • Roy Jodrey Hall
  • Eaton House
  • Christofor Hall
  • Chipman House
  • Dennis House
  • Whitman (Tully) Hall
  • Seminary House
  • War Memorial (Barrax) House
  • Raymond House (Mature Students)
(Crowell Tower will no longer be in use)

On-campus dining facilities are provided in Wheelock Hall, with Sodexho holding the food services contract. The school song is set to the tune of "Annie Lisle". The student newspaper is The Athenaeum.

The Acadia Advantage

The Acadia Advantage is an academic programme unique in Canada whereby each of the undergraduate (and many of the graduate) students receive laptop computers to use from September to May. Honours students may use their computers in the summer before their last year. Other students have the option to rent their laptops over the summer months.

Due to this feature, and all that it encompasses, Acadia University has among the highest tuition costs in Canada for an institute of its size. The additional costs, while often associated with the laptop computer alone, in fact go towards many costs incurred by the Advantage program. These include, but are not limited to: multi-million dollar regular upgrades to the networking and computing infrastructure (above and beyond the laptops themselves), an educated and qualified technical support and computing services staff, research and development of new software products and materials by the AITT (Acadia Institute for Teaching and Technology) and Development Office, as well as technology training of faculty and staff.

The Acadia Advantage Programme has received recognition from the Smithsonian Institution, and is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. In addition, Acadia University received the Pioneer Award for Ubiquitous Computing in 2001, it has achieved high rankings in the annual Maclean's University Rankings, including Best Overall for Primarily Undergraduate University in their opinion survey, and it received the Canadian Information Productivity Award in 1997 as it was praised as the first university in Canada to fully utilize information technology in the undergraduate curriculum.

Athletics

Acadia has demonstrated long-standing excelence in athletics, especially in college football. Acadia's sports teams are called the Axemen and Axewomen. They participate in the Atlantic University Sports conference of Canadian Interuniversity Sport.

Honorary degrees

Notable students and alumni

References

External links

See also Acadia Students' Union

Acadia University | Kings County, Nova Scotia | Universities and colleges in Nova Scotia | Educational institutions established in 1838

 

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