University of Prince Edward Island
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| University of Prince Edward Island | |
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| Motto: | Faith, Knowledge, Service |
| Established: | 1804 former names Prince of Wales College (1860); Saint Dunstan’s University (1855); University of Prince Edward Island (April 1969) |
| Type: | Public University |
| Religious affiliation: | non-denominational |
| Chancellor: | William E. Andrew |
| President: | Prof. H. Wade MacLauchlan |
| Faculty: | 200 |
| Undergraduates: | Full-time 3,260 + Part-time 540 (2007) [1] |
| Postgraduates: | Full-time 150 (2007) +Part time = 80 (2007)[2] |
| Location: | 550 University Avenue
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada C1A 4P3 Telephone: 902-566-0439 Fax: 902-566-0795 |
| Campus: | urban |
| Sport Teams: | UPEI Panthers |
| Colours: | Green & Red |
| Nickname: | Panthers |
| Mascot: | Panther |
| Affiliations: | WUN; ACU; CIS; UACC; AUS |
| Website: | http://welcome.upei.ca/ |
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The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
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[edit] History
The University of Prince Edward Island, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Islandis a non-denominational university established in 1969 by the amalgamation of Prince of Wales College (PWC) founded in 1834, and St. Dunstan's University founded in 1855. [3] Its predecessor institutions, Prince of Wales College (PWC) and St. Dunstan's University (SDU) ceased to operate although St. Dunstan's still retains its charter and the lands that were home to Prince of Wales became the campus for Holland College. UPEI is located on the SDU campus.
Graduates of SDU and PWC teach at UPEI, children of current and former faculty and staff attend the university, and many families proudly report multi-generational alumni connections to the institution.
[edit] Campus
Original SDU buildings in the central quad have been renovated to retain integrity of their exterior aesthetic design while meeting modern standards. Typical of many Canadian universities, UPEI experienced "growing pains" during the 1970s-1990s which saw many new buildings integrated into the campus, including the Utilities Building (1973), Duffy Science Centre, Blanchard Hall (1973), Bernardine Hall, the Robertson Library (1975), the Atlantic Veterinary College (1986), the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre (1990), the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall (1990), the Food Technology Centre, the K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre (1997), the W.A. Murphy Student Centre (2002), and the H.W. MacLauchlan Arena and Aquatics Centre (2004). 2006 saw the completion of the yet-to-be-named residence facility, currently referred to as New Residence. In 2007 the AVC underwent an expansion and the National Research Council of Canada opened a research and development laboratory on the campus.
In October 2004 it was announced that UPEI administration would be undertaking an official campus plan to improve the aesthetics of modern buildings constructed since the amalgamation which do not enhance the original SDU design, and to take overall campus aesthetics into account for future developments on and adjacent to the campus.
[edit] Organization
The current President is H. Wade MacLauchlan, installed October 3, 1999. The current chancellor is William E. (Bill) Andrew. UPEI has seen important developments in its programming over the past thirty years. Bachelor's degree programs, in many cases including "honours" options, are available in Arts, Science, Business Administration, Education, and Nursing. Co-op programs have been established in Business Administration, Computer Science, Physics, and Dietetics. One new faculty, Veterinary Medicine, and two schools, Business Administration and Nursing, were added as the university expanded. Master's and Doctoral degree programs were first introduced through the Atlantic Veterinary College and, beginning in 1999, a Master of Science degree was offered through the Faculty of Science. In that same year the first students were admitted to the university's new Master of Education program. The university also now offers an MA in Island Studies. Since 1998, The Centre for Conflict Resolution Studies has been offering courses leading to a Certificate in Conflict Resolution Studies.
The faculty association and administration were deadlocked in contract disputes. The Faculty Association has not had a contract since June of 2005, and voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike that commenced on March 21st and ended on April 5th, 2006.
[edit] Academics
UPEI recently replaced its English graduation requirements (two English courses) with Global Issues 151 and another writing intensive course, the first university in North America to do so. Global Issues 151 will expose students to four lectures during a term and require them to write up to two pages a week with the assistance of senior-student mentors. This is a bold new endeavor for the University.
- The Atlantic Veterinary College and the Faculty of Science offer MSc, MVSc and PhD programs related to animal and human health, biology and chemistry.
- The School of Nursing.
- The Faculty of Arts offers an interdisciplinary master of arts in island studies.
- The Faculty of Education offers two-year post-degree bachelor degrees with specializations in international and Aboriginal education, French immersion and human resources development, as well as a Master of Education (MEd) in leadership in learning.
- The Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship is in the School of Business Administration.
- A master of applied health services research is offered.
Consult the Directory of Canadian Universities’ programs database online at [4].
[edit] Rankings
Significant government investment in UPEI since the mid-1990s have begun to see the university improve in national rankings. At the time that the Maclean's Magazine annual university ranking began in the early 1990s, UPEI was ranked near the bottom but currently stands at #8 on the list of top undergraduate schools in the country. Other Maritime universities with top 5 placements in the Maclean's annual ranking include Acadia University, Mount Allison University and St. Francis Xavier University.
[edit] Student life
[edit] Activities
The UPEI Student Union Inc. publishes a newspaper called The Cadre.[5] The paper gained attention by becoming the first North American publication to print the controversial Muhammad cartoons from the Jyllands-Posten.[6] The administration ordered that copies of the paper be removed from circulation on campus, as "publication of the caricatures represents a reckless invitation to public disorder and humiliation. The University acknowledges the debates about press freedom and responsibility generated by this matter."[7] In January 2007, the CBC News reported that the editorial staff of the Cadre wished to end the paper’s relationship with the Student Union.[8] In March 2007, the CBC News reported that the Student Union was considering a proposal to move responsibility for the paper to the UPEI Independent Student Media Society. The CBC also reported that the ISMS plans to cut the number of staff at the Cadre from twelve to six, and to reduce its frequency of publication from twice a month to once a month.[9]
[edit] Athletics
The UPEI Panthers have ten teams playing in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) and the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), including men's and women's ice hockey, soccer, basketball and rugby union, as well as women's volleyball and field hockey.
[edit] Residence
UPEI accommodates 424 students in three residences, offering single or shared rooms in one-, two- and three-bedroom suites; or two-bedroom, apartment-style. Off-campus housing is also readily available.
[edit] References
- ^ Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada's Web site - Le site Web de l'Association des universités et collèges du Canada
- ^ Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada's Web site - Le site Web de l'Association des universités et collèges du Canada
- ^ http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm? PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0003534
- ^ Searchable database of university programs offered in Canada by members of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
- ^ The Cadre: About Us
- ^ "P.E.I. student paper publishes cartoons of Prophet", CBC News, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2006-02-08. Retrieved on 2007-02-05. (English)
- ^ "Censorship on the Island", National Post, CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc., 2006-02-16. Retrieved on 2007-02-05. (English)
- ^ "UPEI newspaper looks to break from student union", CBC News, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2007-01-29. Retrieved on 2007-03-23. (English)
- ^ "Student newspaper opposes takeover", CBC News, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2007-03-22. Retrieved on 2007-03-23. (English)
