PORT HAWKESBURY – A familiar face has taken the reins at the town’s community college campus, and despite the uncertainty thrown into this branch of post-secondary education by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting social-distancing restrictions in Nova Scotia, Captain Vivek Saxena couldn’t be happier.

The veteran educator become principal of the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) Strait Area Campus in late May, replacing previous principal Tom Gunn. Prior to his new position, Saxena had served for the past seven years as academic chair for the NSCC Nautical Institute, which is found within the Strait Area Campus framework.

In an interview with TELILE 24/7 host Adam Cooke, Saxena expressed optimism about the ability of NSCC to carry out its various programs, despite a statement earlier in the week from the NSCC’s head office that confirmed that all courses would be offered online for the remainder of 2020, with no classroom time to be allotted for these programs.

The shift in gears brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic come as Strait Area Campus prepares to meet a major milestone, with the Port Hawkesbury campus’ first official on-site student residence building slated to open this September.

Apart from this development, the new principal is optimistic about the Nautical Institute’s world-renowned marine training programs, which have “grown leaps and bounds” during his tenure as academic chair, Saxena declared.

Saxena is also enthusiastic about a partnership reached between the NSCC, the Town of Port Hawkesbury and the Cape Breton Partnership (CBP) in April to refurbish a Port Hawkesbury waterfront property known for decades as the Creamery Building. The upgrades will see the property rebranded as the Strait Area Innovations Centre and focus on ocean-based training, with the NSCC having a significant presence in the building upon its completion.

The construction project will see the town contribute $5,000 towards an overall price tag of $65,000 dollars for the renovations, with other funds coming from the Cape Breton Partnership, NSCC, and federal and provincial governments via the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

Saxena is optimistic that the recasting of the facility as an ocean training centre will bear fruit in the short and long term, particularly with the globally-recognized reputation of the NSCC Nautical Institute as a world leader in marine instruction.