Alumni, History, and Outstanding Achievement

Acadia University provides an unparalleled learning experience through a liberal education model based on personalized attention, expanding the boundaries of knowledge, experiential learning, community engagement, environmental stewardship and global citizenship, and engaged research and innovation delivered by a passionate, dedicated, and nurturing community within a beautiful and historic campus environment. We invite you to explore our commitment to these values in this section of The Honoree as we reflect today on the strength and passion of men like Rev’d William Andrew White (1903, 1936 HON), who served Canada in the No. 2 Construction Battalion, and was the first Canadian person of colour to be honoured with an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from Acadia University. We also honour the accomplishments of Honorary Degree recipient Dr. Paul Corkum (’65, ’06 HON) and acknowledge the remarkable contributions of Arthur Irving (’52, ’03 HON) and Sandra Irving (’74, ’17 HON) to Acadia through the publication of A Natural Balance, which tells the story of the design, construction and features of the K. C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia.

The No. 2 Construction Battalion

It was March 1917, when the No. 2 Construction Battalion – consisting mostly of Black soldiers – set sail from Halifax for Liverpool, England. Although it created a sense of pride for the soldiers serving, it also acted as a reminder of the racial divide within Canada. The Battalion had not been formed to offer equal opportunity for Black Canadians but as a last resort for the army, whose rejection of coloured volunteers caused upset in Black communities.

Honorary Degree recipient Dr. Paul Corkum wins Wolf Prize in Physics

Nearly 60 years after graduating from Acadia University, Dr. Paul Corkum (’65, ’06 HON) has joined a distinguished group of 11 individuals who have been awarded a 2022 Wolf Prize. Dr. Corkum and his research partners – Dr. Ferenc Krausz of Germany and Dr. Anne L’Huillier of Sweden – were named this year’s Wolf Prize Laureates in Physics for pioneering contributions to ultrafast laser science and attosecond physics.

Celebrating 20 years at the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens

We were pleased to gather last year for a virtual celebration in honour of the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens as well as the publication of the new book, A Natural Balance. For more than 20 years, these incredible spaces have become an important part of the student experience at Acadia – providing an architecturally brilliant space to connect, learn and understand our natural world.

In A Natural Balance, landscape architect Alex Novell and architectural historian John Leroux tell the story of the design, construction, and features of the Centre and Gardens at Acadia. Beautifully illustrated, the book is both an indispensable guide for anyone interested in the plants and trees of the Acadian forest and a visual record of a spectacular instance of North American collegiate architecture.