News

By: Casey Spears

Truro native Ashley Childs was in for a pleasant shock earlier this year. In January, Ashley applied for Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education’s (CCAE) prestigious TD Fellowship in Advancement award for the 2015-16 year. Little did she know, a few weeks later she’d receive a phone call awarding her the fellowship. Ashley was chosen out of numerous candidates and is one of two winners in Canada.

“I was shocked. It seemed like I had just applied and then I was receiving a call telling me I had been selected,” Ashley proudly says!  Ashley explains that a co-worker approached her suggesting she should apply this past winter. The process requires candidates to write two essays and applications from themselves and their host institution, Dalhousie University, Faculty of Agriculture in Ashley’s case.

Since graduating from Dalhousie University in 2013 where she worked as a residence assistant, Ashley has been determined to return to the university atmosphere. “I absolutely loved being involved in university life and helping students navigate through their post-secondary education,” Ashley explains.

Now working in Development and Donor Relations, Ashley has found her niche. Her position as advancement assistant includes tasks such as keeping Dal AC’s alumni and donor contact information up to date, event planning and assistance, ensuring scholarship and award files contain all proper information and creating a database for all scholarship and award information. A new project Ashley has been appointed lead on is a crowd funding campaign for the Faculty of Agriculture. Moving forward with the fellowship, she hopes to gain experience in the other areas of advancement as well.

CCAE’s website says they “strive to promote professional development through external partnerships in response to the critical shortage of trained advancement professionals in Canadian universities and colleges and independent schools.” Ashley is a prime example of a trained advancement professional. Development officer in the external relations department Cathrine Yuill says, “Ashley is an outstanding young professional whose significant potential will be well served by this new opportunity.” She elaborates by saying, “we’re looking forward to having Ashley’s enthusiasm and commitment move many of our initiatives forward this year.” Cathrine’s testimony verifies the importance of Ashley’s role in her department and how deserving she is of the fellowship.

One of the qualities that made Ashley a successful candidate for the fellowship was her obvious drive and passion towards Dalhousie itself, its staff and its students. “I love our campus. It’s so beautiful. What I enjoy most about working here is that I am a part of bringing a fantastic educational experience to our students. Donors are such a huge part of why our students succeed. I’m happy I’m able to be a part of helping students succeed,” she says excitedly. “Another part I love about working here is seeing the passion that people have for their jobs and student success.”

The fellowship will help pay for Ashley’s position at Dal AC. This also means she will take on more tasks and roles in her department. Ashley’s commitment to the Faculty of Agriculture post-merger has been incredibly valuable. The merger between Nova Scotia Agricultural College and Dalhousie University was a crucial time for all involved. Ashley plays a large role in this. “I help to ensure that our donors receive the same or more services as before the merger and support them through merger transition. This has been a major priority,” she explains. She is also supporting in the implementation of the Faculty’s first Capital Campaign.

Overall, Ashley’s role at the university has been a huge benefit to her department and she will no doubt continue adding value to the Faculty of Agriculture in every way possible. Her devotion sets her apart from many other people at their place of employment. “I’ve learned so much and every day I continue to learn more and challenge myself in my role. It’s been such a great experience so far,” she explains. “I can’t wait to see what else I learn and accomplish in the next year.”