Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) was a publicly owned

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

university college In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...

(founded 14 February 1905 and administered within the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture) located at Bible Hill,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. The Nova Scotia Agricultural College merged with

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

and became Dalhousie's

Faculty of Agriculture Faculty or faculties may refer to: Academia * Faculty (academic staff), professors, researchers, and teachers of a given university or college (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a large department of a university by field of study (us ...

on 1 September 2012. The popular nickname remains the "AC".

History

Nova Scotia Agricultural College was officially founded 14 February 1905 by the merger of The School of Agriculture (1885–1905) in

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

and The School of Horticulture (1893–1905) in

Wolfville Wolfville is a Canadian town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. The town is home to Acadia University and Landmark East School. The town is a tourist destination d ...

. NSAC was located on the provincial demonstration farm in Bible Hill along a bluff overlooking the north bank of the Salmon River; it expanded throughout the 20th century to a total area of . In the early years, NSAC focused on educating farmers in aspects of field and animal husbandry. These early graduates often went on to pursue a university degree, usually from Macdonald College at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

or the

Ontario Agricultural College The Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) originated at the agricultural laboratories of the Toronto Normal School, and was officially founded in 1874 as an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. Since 1964, it has become affil ...

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. A bronze memorial plaque to the memory of former students of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College killed during the First World War was erected in Cumming Hall by their fellow students. A disastrous fire in 1946 destroyed the science building and a temporary campus was set up in a former

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

hospital at the Debert Military Camp. This temporary campus served students until the fall of 1953 when the new science building, now known as the Harlow Institute, was opened on the Bible Hill campus. In 1980 the

Government of Nova Scotia The Government of Nova Scotia (, ) is the government of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The powers and structure of the province are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. In modern Canadian use, the term ...

passed legislation authorizing NSAC to grant undergraduate B.Sc. (Agr.) degrees. The decision was made by the institution to do this in association with

and the first students graduated with the new degree in 1985. An agreement was later signed with Dalhousie University to grant M.Sc. degrees beginning in 1996. NSAC continued to grant its own diplomas for 2-year technology programs. Throughout its history, the NSAC was an independent post-secondary research and education institution but it was directly funded by and administered by the provincial government's Department of Agriculture. In an op-ed piece on 20 May 2011, then Agriculture Minister John MacDonell announced that the province was exploring a new partnership with Dalhousie University. On 23 March 2012 the Government of Nova Scotia announced that it had reached an agreement with

that would merge NSAC into that institution effective 1 September 2012 to become that institution's Faculty of Agriculture.

Programs

NSAC was the only university in

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...

that had a specific mandate to offer agricultural education. Throughout its history it offered specialized training at the Technical, Technology, Bachelor (after 1980), and Masters (after 1996) levels. Bachelor's degrees in Agricultural Mechanization, Engineering (with Dalhousie), Animal Science, Plant Science, Soil Science, Environmental Biology, Agricultural Economics, and Aquaculture are offered. Undergraduate degrees — B.Sc.(Agr)— are granted in association with

. NSAC had also been associated with

Brock University Brock University is a public university, public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The ...

whereby NSAC students could receive a B.Sc. with a major in

Viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...

Oenology Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

(granted by Brock). NSAC offered a wide variety of technology programs, including a Diploma in Business Management with concentrations in Farming, Dairy Farming, Equine, Companion Animal, as well as Greenhouse & Nursery. It trained students in how to operate an agricultural business from both a financial standpoint as well as teaching proper plant growing and animal husbandry techniques.

Noted alumni

* Donald Cameron, former Progressive Conservative Premier of Nova Scotia * T.J. Harvey, a

Liberal politician, who was elected to represent the riding of

Tobique—Mactaquac Tobique—Mactaquac is a federal electoral district in New Brunswick, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997. Political geography The district includes the counties of Carleton and Victoria as well as ...

in the house of commons in 2015 * Tom Dunphy, is a Canadian politician, teacher and realtor. He represented

3rd Queens 3rd Queens was an electoral district in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, which elected two members to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island () together with the Lieutena ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island () together with the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island form the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island. The Legislative Assembly meets at ...

from 1986 to 1996 as a Liberal. * Mark Eyking, a former Canadian politician for the Liberal party, represents the Sydney-Victoria riding in the house of commons.

Notes

Enrollment Statistics 2011–12, NSAC Registry

References

External links