When Nova Scotia Agricultural College student Paul Manning saw Tom Traves in the hallway of his school, he had already figured out why the university president was there.
鈥淚 heard talks were going on, but was shocked when I saw him and I had a decent idea of what was going to happen,鈥� says the third-year student from Canning, N.S. who heads the NSAC Students鈥� Union. 鈥淏ut I must say it鈥檚 exciting. I think it will strengthen our school and open up opportunities for us.鈥�
Also in Truro on Friday, Agriculture Minister John MacDonell called it a 鈥渂ig day鈥� for the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) as he made the official announcement that NSAC and AV俱乐部 have begun formal discussions leading to a merger.
Sharing the news
Minister MacDonell, along with Marilyn More, the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education, Leslie MacLaren and Bernie MacDonald, co-presidents of NSAC, Bob MacKay, chair of the NSAC transitional board, Lenore Zann, MLA Truro Bible Hill, and AV俱乐部 President Tom Traves spent the morning sharing the news with a number of groups, including college administrators, students and faculty and staff.
Speaking to a gathering of about 200 faculty and staff, Dr. Traves compared the merger to 鈥渁n arranged marriage鈥� with two willing partners. The 鈥渆ngagement鈥� will take about a year, and is expected to be finalized by September 2012 with the opening of the fall semester.
The two institutions already have close ties going back years鈥擜V俱乐部 grants bachelors and masters degrees for NSAC students. NSAC faculty have a presence on the AV俱乐部 Senate, and AV俱乐部 is represented on the NSAC Faculty Council. The two institutions also share a strong research focus.
鈥淲e鈥檙e so well aligned with AV俱乐部 already,鈥� remarked NSAC graduate student Todd Larsen after hearing the news. NSAC masters students are part of AV俱乐部鈥檚 Faculty of Graduate Studies. 鈥淚t should elevate our status, for sure.鈥�
Since 2007, a new model of governance was sought for NSAC, which currently operates as a division of the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture. But, until an overture from AV俱乐部, the plan was for the college to morph into a crown corporation. 聽
鈥淲e want the college to grow, to be bigger and better,鈥� said Minister MacDonell. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really anticipating that to be a good thing, to join with Nova Scotia鈥檚 premier research university.鈥�
Although 鈥渃hange is inherently anxiety provoking,鈥� said Dr. Traves, the intent of a merger is not to downsize, save money or rationalize jobs. 鈥淭he idea is to take our strengths and build something better together,鈥� he said. The point was further emphasized by Paul LaFleche, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, who said the priorities for the government were for the college to maintain a strong presence in the Truro-Bible Hill area, protect jobs, increase enrolment and enhance the student experience. 聽
Merger teams to be appointed
There are still many details to be worked out. Merger teams will be appointed in the next few weeks.
鈥淎V俱乐部 has deep respect for the work you do, the impact you make,鈥� said Dr. Traves. 鈥淭he whole purpose (of the merger) is to enhance that ... this will be a process of change focused on continuity rather than disruption.鈥�
NSAC was founded in 1905 to train Atlantic Canadians in the best practices of farming. It now offers a broad range of academic and technical training programs in agricultural sciences and business, aquaculture, environment and rural issues.聽In 2010-11, about 950 students were enrolled at the college, including approximately 200 international students who鈥檝e come to the college through reciprocal agreements with schools in India, China and the Netherlands.