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Connection, passion and purpose were celebrated with the presentation of 92 rings to the Class of 2025 during the 15^th annual Barley Party held Friday, April 4^th.

The Barley Ring has been a tradition since 2010 and is a symbol that continues to identify and unify AC alumni, with close to 1800 rings across the globe.

鈥淏arley Party 2025 was an extra special one,鈥� said Brian Crouse (Class of 鈥�75), chair of the Alumni Association board of directors and emcee for the event. 鈥淐elebrating the 15^th anniversary of the Barley Ring with a vibrant and energetic graduating class was a wonderful experience. I wear my ring with pride and look forward to seeing the Class of 鈥�25 wearing their rings out in the world as well.鈥�

Connection

As part of 15-year anniversary celebrations, graduating students were invited to enter a 鈥淲in your Barley Ring鈥� contest. Students were asked to respond to the听question What does receiving your Barley Ring mean to you? A panel of judges from the Alumni Association board of directors reviewed the entries and Makena Hyde, hailing from Vancouver, was the听lucky winner.

Dr. Heather Bruce presents Makena Hyde with her Barley Ring. Makena had the winning entry for the "Win Your Barley Ring" contest for graduating students.听

鈥淢y Barley ring isn鈥檛 just a symbol of my years of dedication to my bio-veterinary science degree, but also a reminder听of the vital role agriculture plays in our world and the way this campus has shaped who I am today,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭he agricultural industry may be vast, but those within it share a distinct connection that extends to perfect strangers. At the AC, I鈥檝e always felt part of a family and this sense of community can be rare at larger universities. Agriculture has a special way of bringing people together for a greater purpose and my Barley Ring will always remind me of that.鈥�

Four returning alumni also had rings presented alongside graduating loved ones. This year included two family presentations and for the first time, two friend presentations.

Passion

Kayleigh Brewer of Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick (Class of 2025) and her friend Brittany Caplin (Class of 2009) were one of two friend presentations.

Kayleigh Brewer (Class of 2025) received her Barley Ring alongside friend Brittany Caplin (Class of 2009).听

听

Kayleigh doesn鈥檛 come from a farm background and originally became involved in agriculture and the dairy industry through her local 4-H club, showing heifers from Brittany Caplin鈥檚 Greystone Farm.

Kayleigh is graduating with a BSc. in Agriculture with a major in animal science and a certificate in Animal Welfare.

鈥淎fter graduation the plan was to work in a position where I could interact with producers, however over the years, I've taken a special interest in animal nutrition,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭hankfully, due to great connections made in agriculture I landed a job with a feed company where I'll be working as an assistant to a nutritionist here in the Maritimes and be able to learn all the things involved and work towards my goal of having my own clients, formulating rations and so on.鈥�

Additional presentations were made to Brianna Hiltz (2025) & father Kriss Hiltz (1991), Abby Moir (2025) & family friend Brian MacLeod (1987), and Henry Parks (2025) & mother Cynthia Parks (1989).

Purpose

Another highlight of the evening included the presentation of an Honorary Barley Ring. Honorary rings are awarded to individuals who do not meet the criteria to be eligible for a Barley Ring but who are extremely deserving of the honour. These individuals are ambassadors and supporters of the institution. They have made outstanding contributions to the AC听community and truly depict the characteristics of a Faculty of Agriculture alum.

Go-getter, spitfire, workhorse 鈥� these are all words that have been used to describe Dr. Dian Patterson, the 2025 Honorary ring recipient. After a 42-year (and counting) career on the Agricultural Campus, it鈥檚 no wonder.

Since joining NSAC as one of the first female faculty members in 1983, Dian鈥檚 dedication to supporting students, as well as staff and faculty, hasn鈥檛 waned. Along with her position as professor and researcher, she has also filled the role of Dean of Internationalization, Animal Science and Aquaculture Department Chair, Graduate Studies Coordinator and most recently, Associate Dean, Academic.

She is an avid supporter of campus activities and can always be spotted in the crowd at a meal, announcement, fundraiser or guest speaker.

International work is close to her heart and although she has traveled extensively to teach, equally noteworthy is the time she spent as Dean of Internationalization at NSAC. She filled this role for six years, supporting all kinds of projects 鈥� including the early days of the partnership with FAFU and the Post-Harvest Management to Improve Livelihoods Project, a partnership with Jimma University in Ethiopia that ran from 2008-2016.

As Animal Science and Aquaculture Department Chair as well as her current role as Associate Dean Academic, it鈥檚 clear that Dian puts the students first. She does an excellent job of reading the needs and making sure they are addressed and always makes time for students. She is pragmatic and action-oriented, but equally approachable and fair. She is constantly looking for ways to improve the student academic experience, putting diligent thought and research into curriculum and process improvements.

Dr. Patterson may be behind the scenes a lot of the time, but her consistent dedication to campus and its students over the past four decades has not gone unnoticed.

鈥淲e have so many strong supporters of our students on this campus that to be singled out for this award is a great honour," said Dr. Dian Patterson. "I greatly enjoy my work here, and the students, faculty and staff in the Faculty of Agriculture have always been, and will continue to be, a very important part of my life. 听I will wear this ring with pride.鈥�

Abby Moir presents the 2025 Honorary Ring to Dr. Dian Patterson.

In addition to Dr. Patterson鈥檚 presentation, 11 previous honorary ring recipients were in attendance in support of the Class of 2025 and in celebration of the anniversary including inaugural recipient, Kent Loughead.

"As one could probably appreciate, it was not lost on me from the outset that the听honour of听being the first recipient听of the honorary Barley Ring听was an extremely special moment for me,鈥� explained Kent, who retired as facility supervisor at the Langille Athletic Centre in 2010. 鈥淚 felt immediately that, no matter how many rings were to follow, being the first to receive it was always something that was never going away and that impacted me greatly. The uniqueness of the ring also adds so much because it keeps us connected to the agricultural component of the ring. I find it to be the crowning jewel of my days on campus and will cherish it always."

A limited number of tickets were also made available for purchase by alumni, faculty and staff for the first time, allowing a larger audience to celebrate the Class of 2025 and making the 15th Barley Party the largest one to date.

鈥淚t was amazing to see our students, faculty, staff and alumni in one room celebrating their connection to agriculture and this campus,鈥� said Dean and Campus Principal Dr. Heather Bruce. 鈥淥ur Barley Ring is a beautiful and unique way to honour this connection. Congratulations to all!鈥�