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