NSAC – One of Canada’s Top Universities

Mr. Charles Embree, Tree Fruit Physiologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and a member of the Class of 1961, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by NSAC - one of Canada’s top universities - during its 105th convocation ceremony May 7th.

“You are just about to graduate from one of Canada’s top universities,” said Dr. Embree, who addressed 174 agriculture graduates specializing in food, water and the environment.

“Maclean’s magazine April 2010 Guide to Canadian universities wrote that of the 57 universities in Canada, NSAC ranked third in ‘student-faculty interaction,’ eighth in ‘supportive campus environment,’ eighth in ‘active and collaborative learning’,and 14th in ‘level of academic challenge,’” he added proudly.

NSAC students do learn in a supportive environment with individualized support and customized teaching and learning, preparing them to live and work in the global village.

“NSAC changed my views on education,” said NSAC Master of Science student Mark Schooten. “Professors become more like mentors and classmates more like colleagues. You get valued hands-on experience working in labs using actual experimental instruments. You get first hand field experience whether it be experimental or labor intensive. NSAC gave me the tools to succeed by helping me develop a new line of thinking that allowed me to see the world in a different and more inquisitive light,” he added.

Mark finished his Bachelor of Science program in December 2009 and in January began his Master of Science program at NSAC under Dr. Raj Lada working on the Balsam fir needle retention project.

“I came to NASC so that I could go to a reputable Canadian university while still being in a small school. I didn’t want to be a number. I wanted to be a name, where my professors know me, and I get that at NSAC,” said Rebecca Harrison, a third year Bachelor of Science student from the States. “Students here are involved in lots of clubs, organizations and athletics. My life is full and I couldn’t ask for a better university experience! Truro is a great community where there is always something to do.”

NSAC also boasts one of the best scholarship-to-student ratios of any university in the region with 38 per cent of NSAC students receiving a scholarship or bursary.

“We are a small, yet unique sector of society,” added Dr. Embree. “We need each other and the world needs us.”

Congratulations to the graduates of the NSAC Class of 2010.