(Wolfville, NS) - Acadia University today announced that
beginning in September 2008, it will significantly
reduce its tuition and allow students to access
classroom technology using their own notebook computers.
The changes will make Acadia’s highly-regarded Acadia
Advantage program more flexible and personalized to suit
individual student needs based on their course of study
and technology requirements.
“Ten years ago, when the Acadia Advantage program was
first introduced, only a small percentage of students
owned their own computers. Equipping each student with a
notebook computer was the only way to provide
campus-wide access to the technology being used in our
classrooms,” said Dr. Gail Dinter-Gottlieb, President
and Vice-Chancellor of Acadia. “Our research tells us
that today more than half of all university students
already own a notebook computer so providing computer
hardware and including this cost in our tuition is no
longer necessary. Instead, we can concentrate on
providing students with an IT environment that better
suits their individual academic and communication
requirements.”
The changes to Acadia’s program are the result of a
campus-wide consultation completed in December 2006, by
a Presidential Commission on the Acadia Advantage
Renewal. The consultation produced 20 recommendations
that will lead to a number of changes to Acadia’s
technology-rich campus environment. What will not change
is Acadia’s requirement that all students have a
notebook computer and the University’s commitment to
employ increasingly innovative ways to use technology in
its classrooms and programs.
The Acadia Advantage is one of the best known elements
of Acadia’s outstanding academic programs. Faculty use
technology in classrooms to deliver lectures, perform
lab experiments and create unique virtual learning
environments. To access Acadia’s high-speed,
high-capacity network, students are issued a notebook
computer for the duration of their studies but it
remains the property of Acadia. This will change as a
result of two of the Commission’s recommendations that
will take effect by September 2008, following the expiry
of the current Dell notebook computer lease.
The first change is that students will be required to
own their own computers rather than lease them through
the university. Acadia will determine how best to manage
the transition in time to inform prospective and current
students during the fall of 2007. Student-owned
computers will need to meet certain minimum performance
standards and these will be based on individual program
requirements.
The second change is that Acadia will unbundle its
single, all-inclusive tuition fee structure to
distinguish between tuition cost and fees, similar to
the financial model used by virtually all other
universities. This will allow students to make a more
informed choice when comparing institutions. Acadia
expects to announce its new unbundled fee structure
prior to the end of the current academic term. This will
lead to lower tuition in September 2008, when the
current lease cost for the notebook computer disappears.
“Canadian opinion leaders recognize the value of
Acadia’s innovative teaching model and our graduates
find the transition from classroom to career easier
because of their familiarity with technology,” said Dr.
Dinter-Gottlieb. “Today, we’ve announced changes that
will make Acadia’s classrooms more accessible by
providing students with greater flexibility and lower
costs so they can make the Acadia Advantage their own.”
Acadia University, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, has long
been recognized as one of Canada’s premier undergraduate
institutions. With its nationally and internationally
recognized research initiatives, low student-to-faculty
ratio and technology-rich teaching and learning
environment, Acadia offers students an experience that
includes academic achievement combined with personal
growth and development. For more information about
Acadia, visit our website at
www.acadiau.ca.
