Pictured are (from left to right) Acadia Alumni Association President Matt Rios (’14), Vice-President Christine Luckasavitch (’11) and Past President Donalda MacBeath (’75), all of whom were present for the hybrid 2022 Annual General Meeting in the Wu Welcome Centre at Alumni Hall.
Alumni Association Award Recipients
Board of Directors
Matthew Rios (’14) Christine Luckasavitch (’11) Sam Zhang (’05) Stephanie Reid (’05) Donalda MacBeath (’75) Barb Anderson (’77) Jeff Aucoin (’96) Paul Black (’00) Carol D’Amelio (’72) Allison Dean (’14) Heather Hickman (’77) Natalie Irwin (’01) Moira MacLean (’85) Ron Malcolm (’82, ’83) Leah McNally (’07) Kyle Power (’13) Véronique Russell (’16) Olivia Shive (’21) Kelton Thomason (’07, ’10) Ted Upshaw (’80) Kierstyn Palmer (ex-officio, ’22) Sophia Blanchard (ex-officio,’23)
Nominations now open for Alumni Association Awards!
Alumni are one of Acadia University's greatest assets. The Acadia Alumni Association offers and supports a suite of awards and honours to recognize and showcase those who have earned distinction and achieved inspirational success in life and career. Their diverse contributions reflect favorably on Acadia and serve to represent and promote the University both here at home and around the world.
Outstanding Young Alumni Award
The Acadia Alumni Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes the outstanding achievements of an Acadia University alumnus or alumna whose endeavours have distinguished them professionally or in the community and brought honour to the University. This award is intended to honour alumni who graduated within the past 10 years.
Nomination deadline: July 31 annually. Click here for a Nomination Form.
Distinguished Alumni Award
The Acadia Alumni Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes the outstanding achievements of an Acadia University alumnus or alumna whose endeavours have distinguished them professionally or in the community and brought honour to the University. This award is intended to honour senior alumni with greater than 10 years post-graduation from Acadia.
Nomination deadline: October 31 annually. Click here for a Nomination Form.
Acadia Alumni Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching
The Acadia Alumni Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes a continued record of excellence in teaching students and future alumni of Acadia University with a focus on the faculty member’s professional and teaching accomplishments. Candidates for this award must be current full-time, part-time or contract members of the teaching faculty and have taught at Acadia University for at least three years.
Nomination deadline: November 30 annually. Click here for a Nomination Form.
For more information on other Acadia Alumni Association Awards, please click HERE.
Call for Expression of Interest - Board of Governors
The Nominating Committee of the Acadia Alumni Association invites “Expressions of Interest” from members of the Association who might wish to be considered as candidates for the Acadia University Board of Governors. The Alumni Association appoints 12 people to the Board of Governors. Members can serve a maximum of two terms. For more information, click here.
The Acadia Alumni Association derives strength from the diversity of our alumni community. As a result, the Alumni Association is committed to creating a culture of inclusion and equity in all the work we do. We encourage alumni of all races, colours, religions, genders, gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, national origins, disabilities, or ages to consider this challenging but rewarding volunteer opportunity.
Your Expression of Interest should include a current curriculum vitae, as well as an introductory paragraph or two outlining: 1) your interest in serving on the Board of Governors of Acadia University and why you would like to do so; 2) what particular skills and perspectives you would bring to the post and; 3) any additional information that would serve to support your ability to represent the diverse alumni population of Acadia University.
All submissions will be reviewed by the Nominating Committee of the Alumni Association and a list of potential candidates developed. Please submit your Expression of Interest to Oonagh Proudfoot ('93, '06), Executive Director, Alumni Affairs at oonagh.proudfoot@acadiau.ca.
Alumni Association Director Profiles
Paul Black ('00)
As an immigrant from “the troubles” of Northern Ireland, Paul Black (’00) has lived a life of great good fortune in Canada. He earned a BA(H) in Political Science at Acadia, a Master’s in Political Science at Dalhousie - and Executive Education in Canada, the US, UK, India and South Africa. Paul has worked in government, business and with NGOs, so he’s “trilingual.” He provides counsel to a variety of private and public entities - building bridges, negotiating solutions and “getting proximate” to both opportunities and problems. Paul enjoys cycling and getting out to explore the diverse nature of this world. He has monitored elections as an International Observer in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe. A craft beer, good conversation and laughter make him happy. His kids do, too. He has more fiction than non on his bookshelf and often listens to the Hip or Snow Patrol and some current affairs podcasts on his playlist. Paul has lived in Northern Ireland, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and currently resides in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He believes that where you spend your time shows what you value in life. Besides his family and his health, Paul is committed to supporting a number of worthy organizations and people doing amazing work.
Véronique Russell ('16)
Véronique Russell (’16) is a native of Markham, ON. She currently lives in Fredericton, NB and is a Bachelor of Education candidate at the University of New Brunswick. At Acadia University, Véronique was a women’s varsity rugby team member. In her final year as an Axewoman, she was a member of the 2015 AUS championship team, named to the AUS all-star team, an All-Canadian athlete, and most recently was named as one of the Top 15 Women’s Rugby Athletes of the Decade (2010-2019). After graduating from Acadia, Véronique pursued a post-graduate certificate at George Brown College and proceeded to work in financial marketing for four years until she realized she was no longer passionate about her work and wanted to do something more meaningful. Véronique took a leap of faith and decided to pursue a career in education. With both her mother and sister as educators, she believed this was only fitting. Véronique is a curriculum builder and workshop speaker for the Get Real movement and a research assistant for the University of New Brunswick. At the end of August 2022, Véronique will head to Trinity College in Dublin to pursue her Master’s in Education in Critical Perspectives on Education. Her goal is to develop curriculums and methodologies that will engage educators and governments to integrate the untold histories of visible minorities within Canadian provincial curriculums.
Alumni Association boosts Athenaeum Award fund with
$2,000 donation
The Athenaeum will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2024, but generations of alumni who have worked on Acadia’s student newspaper in the past are pooling their fiscal and creative resources now to establish an award to support aspiring journalists on campus. The Athenaeum Journalism Award, valued up to $1,000 per year, will be awarded to a writer who has displayed journalistic excellence, commitment to The Athenaeum, and demonstrates promise in campus journalism. The award will be presented annually at the discretion of The Athenaeum Publishing Board, comprised of student and faculty representatives. The goal is to raise $25,000 for an endowment in perpetuity by November 2024, the 150th anniversary of the publication, and the fund recently received a boost courtesy of a $2,000 donation from the Acadia Alumni Association. Then Association President Donalda MacBeath (’75) said, “this donation aligns with the Association’s Mobilizing Connections: Strategic Plan 2020-2025 goal of creating impact throughout the Acadia journey by supporting the diverse community of student voices at Acadia. We understand the value of a free press and the intellectual and creative opportunities a career in journalism affords, and are therefore delighted to lend our support to this important initiative.” More than $15,000 has been raised to date. If you wish to learn more and support the Award, please visit: https://crowdfund.acadiau.ca/project/athenaeum/
Alumni Fund enhances, elevates Acadia student experience
Are you a proud Acadia alum? Do you want to make a positive impact on the Acadia community?
The Alumni Fund was created by Acadia Alumni to enhance and elevate the Acadia experience for current students. Your Acadia Alumni Association works closely with the University to determine the areas of greatest need. Our current priorities include: 1. Reimagining career services; 2. Student programming; 3. Scholarships and bursaries.
A gift to the Alumni Fund demonstrates the unwavering commitment and dedication of Acadia alumni. Be on the look-out for monthly social media posts celebrating impact and success stories made possible through generous support of the Alumni Fund.
Make a donation to the Alumni Fund to help make dreams a reality for future Acadia Alumni.