Upcoming Events

NSAC Divot and Dine - June 17

NSAC Alumni Association Annual General Meeting - June 24

NSAC Open House -
July 21

Eastlink Agri-Golf Classic - July 22

NSAC Forums

Please forward your submissions to the NSAC E-Bulletin to the newsdesk at (news@nsac.ca). for inclusion in the next edition, which run on Monday and Thursday of each week. Remember you can post notices anytime on the NSAC Forums at http://nsac.ca/forums

NSAC Governance Transition Update

We continue to work with provincial representatives on the plan to proceed with discussions on a possible merger with Dalhousie University. We understand that there are many questions as yet unanswered and we will continue to communicate as the answers become available. Despite the uncertainty, please do remember that all parties involved - NSAC, the larger Department of Agriculture and Dalhousie University - see the discussions as a positive undertaking, providing opportunities for both NSAC and Dalhousie to serve our stakeholders more effectively and in new ways.

As you are aware, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Peter Underwood, has been appointed chief negotiator on behalf of the government to lead these discussions. Mr. Underwood met with NSAC co-presidents and with the senior management team on Thursday, June 2nd and again on Monday, June 6th to discuss the negotiation approach and to solicit input on the overall process and NSAC interests.

Mr. Underwood expects to be on campus regularly and will be located in the former HR office on the second floor of Cumming Hall. Tracy Crowell and Cathy Shaw, who have been working all along on the devolution of NSAC out of government, will continue to be involved in this process and are also located there. The Discussion Lead for Dalhousie University is Susan Spence-Wach, Associate Vice President Academic. Ms. Spence-Wach led the establishment of the Dalhousie medical school offerings in New Brunswick. Several of us at NSAC know Susan for her supportive work with us on academic program implementation and others know her from her visits to campus at events like convocation.

Mr. Underwood will be formulating his team shortly and expects to draw heavily on NSAC knowledge to help identify and resolve issues and to share information needed for discussions with Dalhousie. A communications plan is being developed and regular updates will begin the week of June 20. Included will be information on the process, key milestones, questions and answers as well as an opportunity to submit comments and questions.

Within NSAC, we will be soliciting your input in a number of ways to help us inform the discussions and will continue to plan open sessions with campus. In the meantime, any questions or concerns may be directed to transition@nsac.ca. We also encourage you to regularly visit our governance web site for additional information as it becomes available at http://nsac.ca/governance.

We look forward to working with you, the province and Dalhousie University to make NSAC even more successful than it is today.

Sincerely,

Dr. Leslie MacLaren, Co-President, Vice President Academic
Dr. Bernie MacDonald, Co-President, Vice President Administration

NSAC Reps Needed at High School Graduations

The Awards Office is currently organizing NSAC representation at various upcoming high school graduation events. If you are interested in representing NSAC at any of the graduation events listed below, please notify Sandra Murphy, Awards Office, 893-7900
or email smurphy@nsac.ca

Thank you

Schools -
J.M.A. Armstrong High School, Salisbury, NB -
Wednesday, June 22, 7 pm; at the School

Kensington Intermediate Senior High School, Kensington, PE -
Thursday, June 23, 7 pm; at the School

Carleton North High School, Bristol, NB -
Thursday, June 23, 3 pm; at the School

James M. Hill School, Miramichi, NB -
Thursday, June 23, 7:30 pm; at the Lord Beaverbrook Arena

North Nova Education Centre, New Glasgow, NS -
Tuesday, June 28, 7 pm; at the John Brother MacDonald Stadium

Eastern Shore District High School, Musquodoboit Harbour, NS -
Wednesday, June 29, 7 pm; at the Musquodoboit Harbour Rink

Hants North Rural High School, Kennetcook, NS -
Wednesday, June 29, 6 pm; at the School

Horton High School, Wolfville, NS -
Wednesday, June 29, 7:30 pm; at the School

North Colchester High School, Tatamagouche, NS -
Wednesday, June 29, 7 pm; at the School

Pugwash District High School, Pugwash, NS -
Wednesday, June 29, 7 pm; at the School

New Germany Rural High School, New Germany, NS -
Wednesday, June 29, 7 pm; at the School

Central Kings Rural High School, Cambridge, NS -
Wednesday, June 29; 7 pm; at University Hall at Acadia University, Wolfville, NS

Change to Expression of Interest Process

This is a quick reminder that effective June 1, 2011, Human Resources will no longer be sending out e-mails regarding Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for bargaining unit vacancies. All EOIs will now only be posted on the Government of Nova Scotia internet site under the Careers heading as Internal Expressions of Interest (EOI) - http://www.gov.ns.ca/psc/v2/jobCentre/default.asp. Please check this site to see open EOIs. As a reminder, if you are interested in applying for an EOI, applications must be submitted through the online application process before the closing date.

For additional information on the process, eligibility for an EOI and how to apply for an EOI, please see the attached two documents - Message to Employees and the Q&As for Employees. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact Human Resources.

Localmotive farm

CSA Join NSAC graduate, Jody Nelson's, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm share program to receive a weekly supply of fantastic locally grown vegetables. See www.localmotivefarm.com for more information.

For more information check out the poster here

French Summer Courses

Acadian Affairs, in partnership with Universite Sainte-Anne, is pleased
to offer French courses in Halifax, Truro and Tusket during the summer.
Acadian Affairs will cover the cost for up to 125 Nova Scotia
Government employees across the province during this session. Classes
are schedule to run from the week of June 27 to the week of August 29,
2011.

For procedures click here
For Enrollment Procedures click here

NSAC Local Alumni Divot and Dine

We've planned another NSAC Local Alumni Divot & Dine and we hope you can join us! Unwind from your hectic week while catching up with former classmates and other NSAC alumni!

What: Enjoy nine holes of golf, followed by a delicious steak dinner (or chicken)
When: Friday, June 17th
Where: Riverrun Golf Club North River, NS
Cost: $35 Register as an individual or get a group of four together to form a team.

Tee times will be given to groups of four every 10 minutes, from 4-6 p.m. Carts are available for $16 (+tax) but must be requested in advance.

Contact Alisha at 893-6022 or ajohnson@nsac.c a before June 10th to register and reserve your preferred tee time.

We're looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, as well as meeting new ones and sharing some Aggie memories. Hope to see you there!

Fudge Sales!! THANK YOU!

Janet and Ashley would like to send out a big THANK YOU to everyone who supported our fund raising efforts for Relay for Life! We raised a total of $432.55 in fudge sales. Thank you once again for your support.

An R user group is forming on campus

R is a command line open software stats package. The aim of this group would be to pool knowledge in coding issues to lessen the learning curve of R and to troubleshoot problems through combined experience.

A thread on the NSAC Forum http://nsac.ca/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=22 will be the main venue of communication. Any interested parties can email Craig Reesor (craigreesor AT gmail DOT com) with the subject heading "R User Group" and a list-serve will then be created. Any level of experience is welcomed and and encouraged."