Meet Ashlee Cunsolo
Laura Churchill Duke (’98)
Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo believes deeply in Acadia’s mission and mandates, noting how it’s an incredible place, full of incredible people, doing incredible things.
“Acadia is really the embodiment of personalized, collaborative, and creative education. It’s a university that is connected locally and regionally but also welcomes the world,” she says.
And Cunsolo has many connections here, herself. Her mother is from Dartmouth, and she has family in the Valley, so she was already very familiar with the area before she came. Besides, one of her sons is in his fourth year of the kinesiology program at Acadia.
Cunsolo also loves smaller institutions because, as she says, they value being connected to place and creating high-quality learning environments.
This is something with which Cunsolo is well familiar. Prior to coming to Acadia in August 2024, Cunsolo spent eight years living and working in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, N.L., co-developing an Indigenous-led campus of Memorial University, called the Labrador Campus. Together, with the Indigenous governments in the region and a team at the Labrador Campus, she created new undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD programs, designed all new governance structures, opened a new campus location, and acquired an 80-acre farm to create a research, education, and community centre.
Here, she says she worked with truly exceptional people who advocated for the critical need for university education in the North, conceptualized post-secondary education in more flexible, stackable, and responsive ways, and understood how it can change lives and drive regions.
Building from these experiences and skills, Cunsolo came to Acadia as the Provost and Vice-President Academic. Through this position, she is responsible for promoting the academic mission of Acadia which includes planning, maintaining and promoting quality academic programming. It also involves supporting the financial health and sustainability of the academic sector, while leading faculty renewal and program innovations. All of this is to support and promote the success and flourishing of Acadia.
“Acadia is at a time of change, renewal, and optimism, with a new President and senior leadership team, and that makes it an exciting time to be a part of such a special university,” says Cunsolo.
Back row – James Sanford (’87) and Ann Sylliboy – Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey
Front row – Zabrina Whitman; Councillor Monique Holland – Annapolis Valley First Nation; Chief Gerald Toney – Annapolis Valley First Nation; Chief Deborah Robinson – Wasoqopa’q First Nation; Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo; Dr. Jeff Hennessy (’99); Sarah Toole (’17) – Executive Director – Annapolis Valley First Nation
Already, under Cunsolo’s leadership, Acadia has seen several new developments. For example, there has been a strategic restructuring and solidifying of the leadership team. This included separating the research offices and graduate studies and elevating both of those units, to strategically grow each area, as well as renaming the Vice-Provost of Teaching and Learning to Vice-Provost of Curriculum and Planning and changing the scope of the position, which is held by Dr. Lauren Wilson Finniss.
Acadia has also seen a new nursing program with a new curriculum planned to launch in 2026. There has also been the creation of the School of Counselling, to support the growth and development of the counselling team’s work.
Some further changes will come through a process of academic review and renewal, mandated by the provincial government, called Schedule H.
All undergraduate and graduate programs, diplomas, and certificates are to be reviewed and categorized, with a focus on institutional renewal and supporting student recruitment, retention, and success, explains Cunsolo. Units have already been working diligently towards this goal across Acadia, she says. The final report is due to the provincial government in October 2026.
As part of the process, Cunsolo says she has been, and will continue to host meetings with faculty members, heads and directors, and academic leads to share information, create community, and build resources.
Part of the information gathering process was a survey that was conducted with the GOLD alumni – those who graduated within the last 10 years. When analyzed, their opinions on what did or did not work well within the Acadia experience will be given to the related academic units to incorporate into their curriculum renewal work and be fed into the overall Schedule H work.
“This curriculum renewal will be key work for the next year, and working closely with faculty, staff, and students will allow for a re-think of the future of Acadia’s programs and the development of an academic plan for Acadia,” says Cunsolo.
Overall, Cunsolo says she has been so impressed with the ideas, creativity, work and contributions from units across the campus, and from student leadership in this work too.
With so much potential change and renewal on the horizon, Acadia will be an exciting place to watch in the coming years.
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