Acadia University and Université Sainte-Anne have joined forces to bolster the educational experiences of their students through a new collaboration agreement focusing on modern languages and literature.
As leading institutions within Nova Scotia, both universities appreciate the importance of personalized learning and regional cooperation to enhance the quality of education provided to their students.
The innovative agreement, effective for an initial term of three years, seeks to broaden the academic horizons of not only Acadia's students but also those at Université Sainte-Anne. As Nova Scotia's sole francophone university, Université Sainte-Anne offers a unique opportunity for Acadia students to gain exposure to the French language, literature, and culture. In exchange, Sainte-Anne's student body will gain access to enriching language courses in Spanish and German from Acadia.
"This agreement grew out of a desire to make the most of the educational strengths of our two universities," says Acadia's Dr. Kate Ashley, Assistant Dean of Arts - Interdisciplinary and Language Programs. "Languages bring people and cultures together, and this institutional agreement brings our students together while providing them with more program choices."
Depending on availability, students can attend these courses in person or through multimedia classrooms located on their home campus. To streamline the registration process for this collaboration, students can sign up for respective courses via their home university's Registrar's Office.
"This collaboration between post-secondary institutions prioritizes the needs of our students, ensuring they have optimal experiences and opportunities to gain knowledge and skills that will serve them well in today's interconnected world," says Dr. Anna Redden, Acting Provost and Vice-President Academic at Acadia University.
Dr. Martine Béland, Vice-President, Academic and Research at Sainte-Anne, concurs. "The project was born from a simple question: how can we put our particular institutional strengths at the service of our student populations? It is obvious that expanding our respective course offerings in language and literary studies will improve student careers on both sides."
Acadia University and Université Sainte-Anne will begin offering students access to one another's curriculum in Fall 2023, paving the way for a more diverse and fulsome learning experience for students at both universities.
