Heaney’s plans for Acadia make sense

In terms of university enrolment, more students means more dollars and as much as we would like to think academics is the major thrust for post-secondary institutions, the truth is money is what really turns the crank.

It’s no secret that student enrolment at Acadia has been on the decline for the past several years. The university’s athletic director, Brian Heaney, is saying his department can help lead a resurgence in the university’s sagging enrolment numbers.

For a start, Heaney has announced the return of varsity men’s and women’s swimming to Acadia beginning in the fall of 2009, with the ultimate goal of attracting up to 50 new students (25 male, 25 female) to the Wolfville campus.

A proposed intramural hockey ‘super league’, also in the works, has the potential of adding up to 120 more students – high school hockey players who Heaney is hoping will be attracted by the prospects of continuing to play hockey at a more competitive level while at the same time obtaining a good education at a quality school.

It’s a modest start, but a positive one, and shouldn’t be discouraged.

Heaney is keeping his cards fairly close to his vest, at least for the time being, but one gets the feeling he may have other aces up his sleeve to play if permitted to do so.

To our mind, the university has nothing to lose by letting him go for it. To let the Department of Varsity Athletics do its part to try and help enhance enrolment, while at the same time doing a better job of promoting itself, sounds like a no-brainer.

Certainly the draw of varsity athletics – which in most cases represents the athletic apex locally in terms of most of the sports that Acadia plays competitively – is a strong one.

One has only to look at the crowds on hand at Acadia Arena for Axemen hockey games to get an idea of the potential drawing power of the school’s varsity teams.

Acadia football, while it isn’t quite as popular or far-reaching in terms of a fan base as Axemen hockey, has its own devoted following. The Valley is fast becoming a hotbed for soccer and given Heaney’s basketball background, it probably won’t be long before men’s and women’s basketball are right up there, too.

Traditionally, Acadia has tried to attract students on its academic reputation alone. Although it’s considerable, that just doesn’t seem to be quite enough anymore.

With all the options available to today’s high school graduates, not to mention the competition from other universities in the region and the high cost of tuition, it isn’t getting any easier to attract students who are generally a lot more informed in terms of what they want from their post-secondary education experience.

Acadia has always been a vital part of the fabric of our community and any solution that will allow it to continue to be strong and vibrant is a boon to us all. Tapping the potential of varsity athletics as a recruiting tool for students as well as athletes is an idea worth exploring, especially for an institution arguably in serious need of a cash infusion.