University of Prince Edward Island and College of the Bahamas sign collaborative agreement

The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is expanding its international connections, with the signing of an agreement with the College of the Bahamas (COB).

Delegates from the COB recently visited UPEI and signed the agreement, opening up a world of exciting opportunities for future collaborations. While on P.E.I., they participated in a public forum called “Sharing the Land,” organized by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, which focused on issues surrounding heritage management and land use conflict in island jurisdictions.

With over 50 agreements in numerous countries, UPEI is becoming a mobile university, welcoming many international visitors and students each year, and providing opportunities for students to travel and experience diverse cultures. In addition, UPEI’s faculties are engaging in collaborative research and teaching opportunities.

UPEI’s Faculty of Science is actively pursuing its relationship with the COB, which recently involved the delivery of a course entitled “Medicines from the sea” to students from both schools. UPEI's Dr. Russell Kerr, the lead instructor for the course, looks forward to the next offering in the Bahamas.

Future plans include the offering of a course in plant biology by Dr. Christian Lacroix, Dean of Science at UPEI, in conjunction with a colleague from Montreal’s botanical garden and a faculty member from the COB, at the Grace Research Centre on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. Faculty members from the respective institutions will be invited to a workshop to explore faculty exchanges and the development of other field courses which will be offered in the Bahamas and Canada.

For more information on internationalization at UPEI, please contact Alaina Roach O’Keefe, International Education and Development Project Coordinator, at (902) 894-2842 or aroach@upei.ca.