Some employees at Acadia University were laid off on Wednesday as the Wolfville, N.S., school grapples with financial challenges.

A letter from Acadia president Jeffrey Hennessy to the school community on Wednesday said it was “a sad day” on campus, and that the decision to lay off employees was “not taken lightly.”

“Universities across the country are facing sustained financial pressures, including enrolment shifts, funding constraints and rising operating costs, and Acadia is not immune to those realities,” the letter reads.

“Addressing these pressures now is necessary. Acting this year allows us to manage the situation deliberately, rather than allowing financial risks to build and limit our options later.”

The letter does not indicate how many people were laid off or which positions were affected, stating only that “numerous” employees had their jobs eliminated.

The CBC reached out to the university early Thursday morning for further details but has not yet received a response.

Stephanie Jones, past president of the Acadia University Faculty Union and current union executive member, said no faculty members lost their jobs.

Acadia Student Union president Yas Jawad told the CBC in an interview he has heard that affected employees include those who worked at the Wong International Centre, health promotions staff and student counsellors.

An Instagram post from the Wong International Centre said the entire department responsible for the centre has been laid off, and all programming and activities will be discontinued.

The centre assisted international students with non-academic questions, such as immigration, adapting to life in a new country, food insecurity and personal matters such as mental health.

Student reaction

Jawad said students were surprised and disheartened by the news and concerned about cuts to the services they rely on.

“Students are already navigating an incredibly difficult landscape right now. You know, people are dealing with the rising cost of living, housing instability, food insecurity, mental health pressures, like only to name a few,” Jawad said. “So when positions that directly support students are removed or reduced, it creates ripple effects within our community.”

A student protest was planned on campus on Thursday afternoon.

Jawad said he understands the financial pressures the university is facing, but believes there should have been consultation with students before the layoffs took place.

If students begin experiencing barriers or difficulties resulting from the layoffs, the student union will bring concerns to the university’s administration, Jawad said.

The school’s 2025-26 budget anticipated a $2.8-million deficit.

The post-secondary sector in Nova Scotia has been dealing with stagnating government funding and a decline in international enrolment due to a federal government cap on international student permits in 2024.

Acadia’s full-time international student enrolment dropped from 489 in 2023-24 to 374 in 2025-26, and as of March 2025, applications from would-be international students had fallen by 58 per cent from the previous year.

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