Acadia University has announced a $500,000 CDN donation from the RBC Foundation to the Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership at Acadia.

With $100,000 annually from the RBC Foundation over a five-year period, the Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership program at Acadia headed by Dr. Alex Marland will focus spending on areas that aim to improve access to education for marginalized students; help to prepare them for the workforce through networking, mentoring, training and work placements; develop courses; develop metrics for success; prepare professional certificate programs; and support pan-Canadian seminars and conferences for students in the program network.

University President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jeff Hennessy thanked RBC Foundation, noting that “Acadia’s goal is to support our students in every way possible and prepare them for challenges and opportunities during their journey here and after graduation. With Dr. Marland’s insight and guidance, the Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership provides valuable experiential learning and real-life applications that will ensure our students are ready to engage as citizens of the world, fully prepared to effect change and make a difference. I’m extremely grateful to RBC Foundation for recognizing this ambition and supporting our students at Acadia.”

“Hands-on career skills and practical knowledge offered through programs like the Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership help bridge the gap between school and work. We’re excited to see the opportunities the program is providing students to help equip them with skills for a thriving future,” said Chad Langille, RBC Regional Vice President, Central and Western Nova Scotia.

Dr. Marland added, “thanks to RBC Foundation, students at Acadia are getting opportunities to engage in real-world politics and build their leadership skills. Field trips, guest speakers, special events and hands-on research are among the many ways that they are learning beyond the classroom. RBC Foundation’s investment in the Jarislowsky program is an investment in the future, helping to shape better leaders, better government, community leadership and volunteerism. These experiential elements are attractive to our students, integral to the program’s success, and strongly align with Acadia’s educational model.”

Gillian Brown is currently completing her MA in Politics at Acadia and shared that, “being a part of the inaugural Jarislowsky cohort at Acadia University has given me opportunities that I know I wouldn’t have had at other schools. I want to be a professor, and working with Dr. Marland, Jarislowsky Chair in Political Trust and Leadership, has allowed me to develop unique skills and gain valuable experience in academia, along with a greater practical understanding of political systems and the political process.”

The donation was celebrated at an event in Wolfville, Nova Scotia on November 19, which featured great conversation and students answering questions ranging from how the Jarislowsky program supports ‘being career ready’ to how advances in technology and media are changing the landscape of political engagement and public opinion. Among those in attendance were former national party leader and cabinet minister the Honourable Peter MacKay, and former Nova Scotia minister and MLA Tony Ince.

The Jarislowsky Network of Chairs in Trust and Political Leadership, supported by the Jarislowsky Foundation, was launched to expand knowledge and training in ethical politics, fiduciary responsibility, and democratic governance, with the long-term aim of professionalizing work in Canada’s political and public service sectors.

The Network comprises five Jarislowsky Chairs in Trust and Political Leadership which are based at universities in geographically and politically distinct regions across Canada – British Columbia’s Vancouver Island University, the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Trent University in Ontario, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières with École nationale d’administration publique, and Nova Scotia’s Acadia University.

To learn more about the Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership at Acadia, please click HERE.

Pictured up top: University President Dr. Jeff Hennessy (’99); Shaunessey Joudrey, RBC, Financial Planner; Vice-President, External Relations Nancy Handrigan (’92); Brad Murphy, RBC, Vice-President, Business Financial Services, Central and Western Nova Scotia; Lori Smith, RBC, Regional Director, Community Marketing and Citizenship, Atlantic; Chad Langille (’04), RBC, Regional Vice-President, Central and Western Nova Scotia; Jeremy Schofield, RBC, Branch Manager, Wolfville; and Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership at Acadia, Dr. Alex Marland.

Pictured below: Provost and Vice-President, Academic Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo, University President Dr. Jeff Hennessy (’99), and Dr. Alex Marland with four students: Gillian Brown, Mae Graham, Mattigan MacLean, and Nikolas Kymlicka.