Scholarships & Financial Assistance


With education costs on the rise, enhancing student assistance is a top priority for Acadia. Each year, we award more than $4 million to students in the form of scholarships, scholar-bursaries, bursaries, awards, and prizes. By maintaining a strong scholarship and financial assistance program, we are able to attract, retain and support our students.

As a donor to scholarships and financial assistance, you can direct your gift toward: general award funds or awards for specific departments, faculties, research, or athletic teams; any existing named awards; or you can create a personal legacy by establishing a named award yourself. By supporting scholarships and financial assistance, you can help to ensure access to all of the rewards of an Acadia education.

If you would like to give generally to the Scholarships and Financial Aid, please click here.

Harry Thurston Award in Environmental and Sustainability Studies

TypeAward
Eligible subjectsEnvironmental and Sustainability Studies
Other eligibility criteriaCurrent 3rd year

Established in 2021 by Ron Smith ('71) in honour of his lifelong friend, Harry Thurston ('71, DL '13), this award is granted on a renewable basis to a third-year student in any degree program majoring in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. Preferably demonstrating financial need, the recipient

is committed to improving and advocating for environmental issues as evidenced in academic projects, outreach and/or community-based work.

Harry Thurston and Ron Smith grew up together in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and both attended Acadia in the late 1960s. Harry earned a BSc in Biology and Ron received his BCO in 1971.

With a distinguished career as a journalist and poet, Harry has spent his life writing about and being a citizen advocate on environmental issues, and was recognized with an honorary degree from Acadia in 2013. With more than two dozen books published, Harry has also published articles in thirty magazines, including National Geographic, Audubon, Equinox, Harrowsmith and Canadian Geographic, garnering several national journalism awards.

Ron's career post-Acadia saw him as a senior business and community leader in Nova Scotia, including five years as Chair of Acadia's Board of Governors. This gift is intended to remind its beneficiaries, as they make their life choices and diverse contributions to the common good, that nothing is more valuable than lasting friendship.

Contact

Office of Advancement
Rm 225 University Hall
15 University Avenue
Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6, Canada
General Inquiries: 902.585.1026
To make a donation: 902.585.1912
Toll Free in North America:
1.866.ACADIA (1.866.222.3428)
advancement@acadiau.ca

Charitable Registration #: 106681893 RR0001