‘It hasn’t sunk in yet’
Kentville woman receives first doctorate degree from Acadia
It’s taken six years of hard work, but on May 15, a Kentville woman achieved her long-time goal – and became the first person to ever receive a PHD from Acadia.
Cynthia Bruce was the first to cross the stage and be awarded her document in the afternoon ceremony, followed closely by Betsy Jardine, Acadia’s second doctorate recipient.
“It feels pretty great,” Bruce said in an interview prior to the ceremony. “It’s been a long road, it’s lovely to be finished, and it’s lovely to do it with Betsy.”
The Divinity College does award doctorates, but this is the first time in the university’s 178-year history that Acadia has presented scholars with the prestigious honour. It’s the culmination of an interuniversity program shared between Acadia, St. Francis Xavier and Mount Saint Vincent, all of which have education programs, that started in 2011.
“Betsy and I were part of the first cohort,” said Bruce, a musical therapist. “We were the first two to graduate from Acadia. There were two from St. FX who have already graduated, and more this year.”
Typically, doctorate level work takes between four to six years, she explained. Bruce and Jardine, along with the other students who started the program in 2011, spent a year taking coursework together, then split up to pursue their individual dissertation preparations.
But, she says, that initial time created a “great lifelong learning relationship, and friendship.”
Bruce has spent the last few years working on her dissertation research, which coincides with one of her passionate interests: disability activism. Prior to her doctorate work, she had done work with Acadia in this area.
Her dissertation – Precarious Possibilities: Disabilities, Selfadvocacy and University Learning – involved interviewing 30 students with disabilities from three Nova Scotia universities about their experiences as they tried to set up accommodations and the faculty members that really helped them succeed.
Under the guidance of her advisor, Dr. Lynn Ayleward, Bruce was able to successfully argue that being a self-advocate can allow students to maintain status quo.
“I can’t say enough about Dr. Lynn Ayleward – she really was an incredible influence and support as I moved through the process, her analysis of my work and my defense. I’m not sure the kind of relationship we had gets much better,” she said.
Pursuing a doctorate was a lifelong dream for Bruce, but one that she took some time before pursuing. Originally from Truro, she had previously earned degrees from Mcgill and Southern Methodist University in Texas.
“I always wanted to do a PHD, but it took finding the right opportunity and program,” she said. “I wasn’t keen to move my family across the country – my husband is a teacher, and we had two youngish kids when I started the program – they were 12 and 15 at the time.”
Her family was also on hand to celebrate her success at the convocation ceremonies at Acadia. With her children now ready to pursue a university education of their own, she has some advice: “Soak up all the learning you can. It’s such an amazing opportunity to ground yourself in a lifelong learning path.”
Bruce, who successfully argued her dissertation in late April, says the first thing on her agenda now that she has received her PHD is resting.
“I’m going to take May off,” she said with a laugh.
But, for now, she’s still getting used to being called “Doctor Bruce.”
“It feels great – I still get a shock when I get an email to Doctor Cynthia Bruce,” she said. “It hasn’t sunk in yet.”