Bill Andrew reappointed as Chancellor of University of Prince Edward Island

Andrew was first installed as the university's seventh Chancellor on March 6, 2005, replacing philanthropist and journalist Norman Webster who served as Chancellor from 1996 to 2004. Andrew's extended term will conclude in 2013.

Andrew is currently director and chief executive officer of Penn West Petroleum Ltd., one of Canada's largest senior oil and natural gas exploration and production companies. He is on the Alberta Council on Carbon Capture and Sequestration, and is a former governor of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. His P.E.I. involvements, in addition to his role at UPEI, include service as a director of the Canadian Wind Institute and as a national director of the Fathers of Confederation Buildings Trust.

He and his wife Denise reside in Calgary, but the native of Milton, P.E.I., has maintained very close ties to his home province. The Andrew's have a home on the Island, and they partner with Bill's brother Brian and his wife Carol in Meridian Farms in Milton where they raise standardbred horses. The Andrew family has continued a four-generation involvement in racing standardbred horses in Atlantic Canada, and is active in P.E.I. and national harness racing circles.

Andrew is an active and contributing member to the Friends of UPEI group in Calgary, which annually provides scholarships for students to study at UPEI. He and his wife are active in various community and philanthropic endeavours, and they are members of the UPEI Visionary Society for planned giving.

Andrew was a leading donor to UPEI's recently completed Building a Legacy fundraising campaign, with funds going to numerous initiatives at the Island university, including neuroscience research; the School of Nursing; women's athletics; scholarships for students in the Master of Arts in Island Studies program; renewable scholarships for engineering students; new instruments for the music department; capital support for the School of Business; and travel bursaries for international education and community development.

The decision to appoint Andrew as Chancellor for a second term was made by a 25-person electoral board with broad representation from UPEI and the general community.

"This was a unanimous decision, with exceptionally positive comments regarding Chancellor Andrew's leadership, effective representation, generosity and down-to-earth encouragement of students, faculty and staff and the entire UPEI community," said UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan, who chaired the electoral board. "Bill Andrew exemplifies the success of UPEI and its graduates, and the multitude of ways in which they are giving back."