“Professors like Dr. Crandall are increasingly rare. Engaging, educated, insightful, innovative, collaborative, selfless, and aware of her impact, she has proven her worth as a leader on Acadia’s campus.”

That is how Colin Mitchell (’19), one of Dr. Erin Crandall’s previous students described her. A professor in the Department of Politics and Coordinator of the Law and Society Program, Dr. Crandall is an impactful educator who has made an indelible mark both inside and outside the classroom since arriving at Acadia in 2015.

Keenly aware of the role a professor plays on a small campus, her pedagogy has earned her the Acadia Students’ Union’s Leadership in Teaching Award in 2018, the Acadia University Faculty of Arts Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2019, and now the 2025 Acadia Alumni Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, presented to Dr. Crandall on May 15 at this year’s Grad Banquet.

Acadia Alumni Association President Christine Luckasavitch (’11) applauded Dr. Crandall’s selection as this year’s teaching excellence recipient, saying, “Erin Crandall has encouraged students throughout her career at Acadia to think critically, synthesize complex ideas, and pursue their passions with vigour and determination. Her kind and caring approach to student success and the quality and purpose of the educational experience she offers is consistent with and representative of the academic values the University and Alumni Association embrace. Dr. Crandall exemplifies the very best of the Acadia experience and is a truly worthy recipient of the 2025 Acadia Alumni Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching.”

Dr. Crandall has designed and taught eight different courses at Acadia. This includes teaching at the introductory level and the Politics department’s foundational courses in Canadian Politics. Additionally, she has taught at the upper undergraduate and Master of Arts (MA) levels.

One reason that Dr. Crandall is such a wildly popular teacher in Politics is because she develops innovative assignments that allow students to put academic ideas into practice. Among her most noteworthy is the Model Parliament simulation, which she developed for her introductory Canadian Politics course. Other innovative assignments include teaching students how to develop and edit Wikipedia pages, incorporating peer-review into classes with longer writing assignments, having students research and produce a podcast, and an assignment for students to write a “letter to the editor” based on their class research.

The opportunity to offer students advice and support as they navigate their degree is a part of the job that Dr. Crandall takes to heart and extends beyond her own home department. As Coordinator for the Women’s and Gender Studies (WGST) Program (2017, 2019-2020), she was responsible for advising all WGST students. As the long-serving Coordinator for the Legal Studies multidisciplinary minor (2016-present), she regularly advises students and faculty on this program. She served as the Graduate Coordinator for the Department of Politics for the 2022-23 academic year and in July 2023 began serving as Coordinator for the Law and Society Program (LAWS).

Dr. Crandall says, “teaching is one of the most gratifying parts of my job as a professor. I view politics and law through an interdisciplinary lens and an emphasis on student-led learning and scholarship. In my courses, I start from a broad understanding of ‘the political’ so students can place themselves in the topics and materials we are studying and recognize that they bring knowledge of politics to the classroom.

“As part of my goal of having students understand themselves as citizens with political agency, I regularly integrate knowledge mobilization/knowledge translation assignments in my courses as a method of teaching about ‘applied’ social research. All these activities are intended to spark excitement among students, let them see public value in their research, make them feel engaged in their own learning, and expand their sense of political possibility.”

And it shows, another one of her students said “She took my unbridled curiosity and enthusiasm in stride, and, with her guidance, I was able to channel it into a research project which I remain proud of to this day. Her trust and patience helped me not only improve my research skills but also strengthen my trust in myself.”

Dr. Crandall’s commitment to intellectual rigour and innovative course design, coupled with the care she exhibits for her students in class and as a mentor, are among the reasons why she is continually one of the most engaging instructors and sought-after supervisors in Acadia’s professoriate. Punctuated in the words of a third nominator and previous student, “Having Dr. Crandall as a professor was one of the joys of my degree at Acadia. She approached a breadth of issues with the kind of sensitivity and care that creates a safe space for conversation and sharing.”