Alumni E-News

Alumni E-News is a Centennial project aimed at keeping alumni up-to-date with news from the university including important announcements, student and alumni achievements, athletic news and upcoming events. You will still receive your alumni magazine, the Agricola News, by mail, free-of-charge.

In this monthly, E-newsletter you'll find brief news items and for most, a link to our alumni website for more detailed information.

The first International Organic Apple and Pear Symposium will be held February 28th - March 2nd, 2006 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

The Symposium is organized under the auspices of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada,(OACC) a division of NSAC and the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), in collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network and the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers Association.

"It will be a great opportunity for local farmers and researchers to hear the ideas of over 50 presenters from all over the globe, said Dr. Ralph Martin, Director, OACC There will also be opportunities to discuss how these ideas might be practised in the Maritimes.”

The three-day symposium consists of scientific exchange (oral and poster sessions), including an excursion to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Kentville research facilities, all located within the scenic Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. Refereed papers will be published in an issue of Acta Horticulturae.

For more information visit www.organicapple.ca or contact: Kathryn Bliss at 902-8937256 or kbliss@nsac.ca

NSAC Ranked #1 in Research Intensity in Atlantic Canada

NSAC currently ranks #1 in research intensity among all of the other 16 Atlantic Canadian universities according to results recently released by Research Infosource Inc. in its Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities List.

“For a university the size of NSAC, this is an extremely impressive statistic,” said NSAC President Dr. Philip Hicks. “ NSAC strives to conduct research that impacts the lives of everyday Canadians and our small size means NSAC students gain by being taught in the classrooms by those who are actually creating the knowledge.”

The result for NSAC also represents a 45 per cent increase in research intensity over the previous year. This number translates into a whopping $103,700 in competitively-obtained research funding per faculty member.

Overall, NSAC lands in 21st spot when comparing research intensity among all 90 universities in Canada, including those with medical schools. Universities that have medical school consistently win research awards and grants that measure in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, making this achievement all the more compelling.

Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities List is released each fall. Using Statistics Canada data and the Canadian University R&D Database, the list ranks universities by their research income and research intensity. The preliminary results of this study are available by accessing the Research Infosource website at researchinfosource.com. The full study is expected to be released in early February.

Upcoming Alumni Gatherings....
There will be a gathering of NSAC alumni, Friday, July 28th, 2005 at the beautiful Granite Springs Golf Club in Bayside, Nova Scotia. Alumni are invited to come and enjoy the beauty of the course while catching up with fellow alumni and learning about recent initiatives of the university. This is also the venue for the 10th Agri-Golf Classic to be held later in the day. Plan on participating in both.

Keep posted to the NSAC website and Alumni E-News for further details as they develop. Invitations will also be mailed.

NSAC Grads in the Workplace
How many NSAC graduates work in your office or business? Do you rally around the water cooler to talk about good times at NSAC? If you've got the most grads or the best tale about NSAC spirit in the workplace, we'll treat all of you to coffee and send a special NSAC gift pack.

Send an update form for each NSAC graduate in your workplace or use the online form at nsac.ca/alumni/alumni_update.asp

Please reply to: Stephanie Rogers, Alumni and Public Relations , 62 Cumming Drive, Truro NS B2N 5E3 fax: (902) 897-9399 or E-Mail srogers@nsac.ca

Upcoming Seminar At NSAC

Will Fat Taxes Cause North Americans to become fatter?
Nutritionists are talking about taxing the fat content of foods to discourage consumers from eating them. Will taxing fatty foods help? Will this strategy actually help make people thinner?

By Dr. Stephen Clark, Department of Business and Social Sciences, NSAC

Wednesday, January 25th, 2006 Noon to 1:00 p.m. Cox Institute, Room 257

Leanne French-Munn named to Enrolment Management Position

Leanne French-Munn, has accepted the position of Director, Enrolment Management at NSAC effective
December 2, 2005.

The enrolment management program at NSAC supports and serves the vision of the university as a student-learner centered institution, dedicated to the enhancement of student success, enrolment growth and institutional visibility.

“Enrolment management at NSAC is really about implementing an integrated approach to maximizing student success,” said French-Munn. “Our focus is on students - from the time of initial inquiry through graduation and post-graduation; we are focusing on our entire student body.”

Leanne brings 12 years of experience in student services and affairs, enrolment management and institutional planning to the position, gained at three institutions including St. FX, University of Guelph and the University of New Brunswick where she earned her Masters degree in Education.

Leanne sees the position as an opportunity to increase enrolment and retention for the university, as well as to “create a seamless transition from the time students inquire about NSAC all the way through enrolment and beyond graduation.”

Click here for the complete article.

Alumni Association and Foundation Investment Funds Merge

The Alumni Association and the NSAC Foundation have concluded the amalgamation of the investment funds into one pool of capital to be used for the benefit of the NSAC. The incorporation of the $698,000 previously managed by the Association with the $4.5 million currently held by the Foundation means that NSAC will get not only better investment returns for the total portfolio, but will see reduced overall costs for administration and audit. The savings alone are estimated to be enough to provide for at least two scholarships annually.

NSAC appreciates the hard work and support of all its alumni. We are showing good progress in our fund raising efforts and by the cooperation between the various groups it will be even better.