Acadia University - Our Community

Food costs 27% more than it did five years ago, with Nova Scotians expected to see above-average increases this year. On Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore, a small group of volunteers was already working on how to help neighbours start their own food gardens. This year, an Acadia University student named Robyn Dearman helped them find the land to do it.

Acadia University will honour visionary Nova Scotians at our spring convocation ceremonies who have had significant impact in our province and beyond.

Tucked off the main hall of Wolfville's Church Brewing Company, the narthex is the kind of room that makes you want to pull up a chair. Gig posters on every wall. Musicians and audience at the same level.

That feeling of accessibility, of a space that quietly says "you could be up here, too," is exactly what Mark Adam and Nic D'Amato were looking to curate. They've accomplished that with their new monthly series, Music in Communities: Jazz Jam — an evening that feels part kitchen party, part jazz club.

“Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (EDI-AR) are human rights,” says Dr. Juan Carlos López, “and protecting and promoting those rights is what any socially responsible institution must do. We know this leads to innovation and progress. Having different people on teams advances our research and social endeavours.”

One minute, you’re a kid being asked what you want to be when you grow up: you’re free to imagine and dream big, with no strings attached. The next, you’re filling out university applications, double-checking prerequisites, and feeling like what you choose next will set your life’s path in motion. No pressure, right?

Throughout the month of February, we shared profiles of some of our Black students. To end the month off, we’re taking that journey from student to alumni with profiles of a few of our distinguished Black alumni.

Throughout the month of February, we shared profiles of some of our Black students. To end the month off, we’re taking that journey from student to alumni with profiles of a few of our distinguished Black alumni.

Throughout the month of February, we will be sharing profiles of some of our Black students and faculty. Visit the African Heritage Month page to learn more about how we’re celebrating at Acadia, information on events and resources, and reflections from our community.

The Acadia community gathered to welcome the warmer days ahead at the Mid-Winter Feast last week. 

Acadia University is taking a step beyond awareness to support women’s health by offering something tangible: free access to expert information and health screenings that could provide early warning signs for the leading cause of death among Canadian women.

Mi’kmaq knowledge holders, growers, academics, government partners, and allies gathered on Acadia’s campus in Mi’kma’ki for two days of learning, relationship-building, and envisioning Mi’kmaq-led sustainable food futures.

For Andrew Steeves, anything worth doing is worth doing well. 

This is the ethos that he and his co-founder, Gary Dunfield (’88) brought to their 28 years of work building Gaspereau Press into an internationally recognized leader in Canadian literature. With their individualized and careful treatment of every book that came through the house, the pair set a new standard for what publishing can look like when you approach it with community building, empathy, and care at its centre.  

When Genna Beed’s (‘25; English, Master’s) path led her to applying for the Government of Canada’s Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF) youth innovation component during the fourth year of her undergrad at Acadia, it was no surprise.

Four years can fly by in a flash—just ask Acadia University’s graduating class of 2025! Upon graduation, some of our students took a moment to share a note of thanks with the Acadia faculty and staff that made a lasting impact on them and let them know how they changed their lives forever.

This January, Acadia University’s School of Education took a bold step to help address the gap in racial representation in Nova Scotia schools by welcoming the first cohort of its Africentric Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) Program. Developed in partnership with the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute (DBDLI), the program strives to dismantle systemic barriers, elevate Africentric values, and create a new generation of educators who can serve as representational role models for African Nova Scotian students and beyond.

Nova Scotia Music Week (NSMW) is kicking off in Wolfville this week and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome the best musical talent our province has to offer to our town.

On May 16th and 17th, graduates of Acadia University’s four faculties – Arts, Pure and Applied Science, Professional Studies, and Theology – will be welcomed into Convocation and receive their hard-earned undergraduate and graduate degrees. Acadia will also confer four honorary degrees on individuals who have distinguished themselves in the arts, sciences, and public service.

In recognition of International Women’s Day (#IWD), Acadia University is pleased to shine a spotlight on several exceptional women in our community. While their accomplishments, talents, and stories are diverse, each of these individuals are making contributions that inspire and accelerate progress beyond their fields.

We were faced with the very happy problem of having many inspiring athletes to spotlight this year. There are several Axewomen in every sport at Acadia who are worthy of recognition, and these profiles are just a sliver of the amazing talent that has the campus buzzing.

Now in her fourth and final year of a Business Administration degree with a major in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Kirsten Lawrence has more on her plate than studying. The busy Acadia undergrad is also President of the local chapter of Enactus, a student-led entrepreneurial organization committed to creating positive social and environmental change. Kirsten and her team have focused their energy on addressing food insecurity and food waste on campus – and the ideas they’ve come up with are meaningfully helping others while gaining attention outside the Valley.

Dr. Késa Munroe-Anderson (’98, ’00) believes in being the change she wants to see. An associate professor in Acadia’s School of Education, she first came to Acadia as an international student from the Bahamas in 1995, earning a BA and an MA in English. Today, Munroe-Anderson is well known as a community-oriented, social justice educator and change agent. She practises an Africentric, anti-racist, and Black feminist/Womanist approach to research, teaching, and leadership.

You might say that author Amanda Peters has taken the long way home. The daughter of a Mi’kmaw father and a settler mother of European descent, Peters was raised in the Annapolis Valley but has lived and worked in Japan, South Korea, England and Scotland. Now, Peters is back home. In July 2023, she was hired as Associate Professor in the Department of English and Theatre as part of a cluster hire to increase the number of Indigenous and Black scholars at Acadia.

Acadia University will host the Canadian Curling Olympic Pre-Trials: Men & Women from October 21 to 26, 2025. This event, featuring 80 athletes competing over six days, will mark the first major curling event hosted in Acadia’s Andrew H. McCain Arena.

Acadia hosted the Envirothon competition and welcomed 55 students from around the province at the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens on May 25 and 26.

In celebration of National AccessAbility Week, May 28 to June 3, Acadia University is proud to recognize the completion of improvements to accessibility in the S.M.I.L.E. (Sensory Motor Instructional Leadership Experience) program.

Dr. Lesley Frank, Acadia’s Tier II Canada Research Chair in Food, Health, and Social Justice, is working to address the global problem of family and childhood food insecurity while advancing food justice and health equity in Canada.

Acadia University's K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre is gearing up to host the Nova Scotia Envirothon competition, which will bring together 55 high school students from across the province on May 25 and 26 to think critically about climate change.

Acadia University School of Music (AUSOM) is hosting its first-ever Piano Intensive Weekend from May 5-7, where young Nova Scotian pianists will gather to learn, create music, and engage with Acadia's exceptional piano faculty.  

Vice-Provost of Equity, Diversion, and Inclusion, Dr. Claudine Bonner, is leading change on campus and beyond. Learn how she works with others to advocate, educate, and provide a platform so everyone can learn and do more to ensure equity, diversity, and inclusion at Acadia University.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Acadia is recognizing inspiring women who have had an important impact on our University and surrounding community.

Acadia University Canada Research Chair Dr. Lesley Frank has been honoured by the Province of Nova Scotia for exceptional qualities and outstanding service to the province in the field of academics and research.

Acadia University is taking an important next step in enhancing the education of current and future leaders in government, politics and the public service with the appointment of Dr. Alex Marland to the prestigious role of Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership.