Dear Colleagues,

I hope you are well and enjoying the summer. Please take a moment to read a brief University update ahead of two important town hall meetings taking place in the coming weeks.

2022-2023 Budget Approved

A sincere thank you for your continued efforts to support Acadia University and the annual budget planning process facilitated by Financial Services. I am pleased to report that the Board Governors unanimously approved the 2022-23 operating budget on June 17, 2022.

The University closed the 2021-22 fiscal year with approximately $1.1 million in surplus, a much more favourable financial outcome than anticipated when that budget was approved in April 2021.

A close review of Acadia’s sources of income demonstrates that dependable student enrolment and retention rates are the keys to our financial sustainability. This year’s budget recognizes that and is designed to facilitate stability by carefully managing enrolment growth and providing strategic resources to support students.  

Student Enrolment Management Strategy Town Hall – August 11

On Thursday, August 11 at 9 a.m., please join Dr. Dale Keefe, Provost, and Vice-President, Academic, and Scott Duguay, Vice-Provost, Students, Recruitment and Enrolment Management. They will lead a town hall to provide an overview of the Student Enrolment Management Strategy, including new strategic hiring, student service improvements, and a review of the research guiding the plan.

Please save this link in your calendars to join the town hall.

State of the University Town Hall - August 30

You are invited to attend a State of the University Address on Tuesday, August 30 at 10 a.m. where I will share a full review of the year-end financial statements and more information on all budget elements.

An email invitation detailing how to join the town hall will be shared in the coming weeks.  

New Teams Site for Employee Communications

Thank you to Dr. Anna Kiefte, who established a Teams site called the Acadia Bulletin Board. It is set up to help facilitate communication about events, buy and sell, collaborative initiatives, and general information among faculty, staff, and retirees who opt-in. All are invited to join the site by clicking here.

Employee Engagement Update

On behalf of the senior executive team, thank you to those who participated in the staff and faculty meetings held in June. I very much appreciate the honest conversations and frank comments you shared. I recognize that many departments are struggling to keep up with workload demands, and I am very grateful to those who have worked so hard for Acadia for so long.

Input from the recent staff survey has confirmed how tough this challenge has been and continues to be, especially as we emerge from the impacts of the pandemic. (See the survey results online.) The 2022-2023 Budget and Student Enrolment Management Strategy are in part a response to your input as we strive to invest in all departments through sustainable revenue growth.  

Our work together will continue this year. In the meantime, I sincerely thank you for all the ways you will help us improve our campus workplace and serve our campus community.

I wish you all the best during the rest of the summer and hope you can join us at the town halls.

Sincerely,

Peter

Dr. Peter Ricketts
President and Vice-Chancellor