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Acadia University

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Acadia University is an exceptional university community where academic excellence is our hallmark. Faculty continue daily to build on Acadia’s reputation for excellence through widely-recognized research, and a thoughtful approach to teaching in our welcoming, student-centered environment.

Canadian opinion leaders consistently rank Acadia University ahead of other undergraduate universities for its innovation and development of tomorrow’s leaders. Equipping students with the tools they need to succeed in life is part of our commitment to academic excellence. Leadership, problem-solving, and effective communication skills are just some of the results that our graduates applaud! Our graduates also praise the technological tools that are supplied by Acadia. With every student receiving a Dell notebook computer, with the latest programs and both wired and wireless connections across campus, graduates say they are well-prepared for their next career move when they leave Acadia.

Our students find the Acadia environment to be rich and rewarding. And, our alumni are the proof as they pursue outstanding careers worldwide.

Few may realize the labour and sacrifice it took to establish Acadia University. In November 1838, Edmund A. Crawley, a Baptist minister from Halifax, organized a meeting to discuss the possibility of establishing a college in Wolfville (at that time known as Horton). The community rallied and, incredibly, two months later Acadia College opened its doors to students. Under normal circumstances in those days, several years usually passed from the time a college was founded to the time classes began.

The first few years for Acadia and its founders were challenging. Most pressing was the lack of finances in the midst of a regional recession which hindered the College from owning its own building. In 1841, Isaac Chipman – a ‘local son’ and one of three professors of Acadia College – set out across the countryside to canvass for donations to build the first College Hall. Since cash in hand was unavailable, he decided to find donations of goods and services instead. Often without salary, he took it upon himself to find material and labour in order to build the Hall, supervise the construction, manage the dormitory, gather books for the library and teach classes.

Most unique about Acadia’s beginnings was the enthusiasm and involvement of the local community. Local woodsmen used their solid axes to fell trees in order to have lumber to build the College Hall. Many of the trees came from the North Mountain and were brought to Wolfville by water. From there, men from Gaspereau brought their oxen over the hills to the shores of Wolfville to haul the trees to the college site.

With inspiring stamina and fortitude, the women of Nova Scotia made important strides in the founding and building of Acadia. In 1828, six women walked from Lunenburg to Wolfville (a significant journey in the early 1800s) to attend the Nova Scotia Baptist Association where discussion took place regarding building an institution of higher education for Baptist young men. During Chipman’s canvassing years, local women knit great quantities of mittens to sell and raise funds to buy materials and supplies for the construction of the College.

“I think that without that greater community connection, there wouldn’t be an Acadia,” says Dr. Barry Moody, the chair of Acadia’s History and Classics department and a graduate of the University. “For those women to have knit those mittens, and those men to chop down trees … it’s incredible.”

To celebrate the incredible commitment of the women and men of Nova Scotia, Acadia has added a special feature to the stylistic Acadia ‘A’. Originating in the 1930s, the University began using an Acadia ‘A’ to help promote and celebrate the Acadia spirit. In 2003, Acadia developed an ‘A’ that reflects the history of the University and the resourcefulness of a community that founded and built this unique and innovative institution.

With the addition of a crossed axe symbol, the ‘A’ reflects how Acadia’s founders, with axes in hand, cut down the first trees for lumber to build a ‘college on the hill’ and also represents the many others who knit, donated nails and glass and supported Acadia in any way they could. Their determination shaped the Acadia spirit – a spirit which continues to guide the University today.

Contacting Acadia University

Acadia University
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Canada, B4P 2R6

Staffed Switchboard Connecting to all Departments
902-542-2201 or 902-585-2201
Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm

Automated Switchboard Connecting to all Extensions
902-542-2200
24 hours

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