Ben Lefort 

Class of 2010, BA Economics

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Forget laptops, the economics department at Acadia University taps into the real “Acadia advantage”; quality professors and small, intimate class sizes. I cannot over state the caliber of the professors in the economics department.  For me, it started in my first year where I had the good fortune to be in the last class taught by Professor Maurice Tugwell; A very kind man, who want above and beyond the call of duty again and again.  Most notably when I had health issues that kept me out of class for the entire month of October, professor Tugwell made me a deal that if I were willing to work, he would put in the one on one time with me until I was caught up.  With just 3 weeks before the exam he helped me catch up on nearly a half semester of material and pass the course (in the end I got a B- in his intro Micro).

In my second year at Acadia, after professor Tugwell’s retirement I was unsure if I really wanted to stick with Economics as my major. That is when, again, I had the good fortune of meeting two new professors to Acadia, who I still keep in touch with and consider to be friends; Professor  Scott Skjei (I avoided trying to pronounce Scott’s last name for over a year) and Burc Kayahan (possibly the only professor who can make advanced statistics and econometrics interesting and engaging!).  

Each had their own unique style but what they had in common was their ability to engage students, promote debate and discussion as well as their willingness to put in the one-on-one time with students who were willing to work. These traits were enhanced further by small class sizes. In fact my 4^th year Macro policy class and Econometrics class each felt at times, like a one on one tutoring session.

All of my professors from the economics department were instrumental in my university education. I must mention the impact of Professors Van Blarcom, Davies, Hobson and all of the professors that I had the pleasure of interacting with at Acadia. In the end they are the Acadia advantage.  During my time at Acadia, I was able to find out what I am capable of and discover skills and talents that I did not know I possessed. It was a crucial part of my development as an individual and allowed me to obtain the job I have now as a Financial Security advisor with Freedom 55 Financial.

If I could sum up all of what I learned during my 4 years in the Acadia Economics department into one phrase, it would be the following: “P-Value”