UPEI MacLauchlan Prizes for Effective Writing

UPEI celebrated the MacLauchlan Prizes for Effective Writing on Friday, November 15 at its second annual event in recognition of the importance of effective writing as a foundational skill for academic success and lifelong learning. The award-presented to over 40 students and four faculty members this year-was established in 2011 by the MacLauchlan family to honour H. Wade MacLauchlan's contributions to the University and his 12 years of service as UPEI president and vice-chancellor from 1999-2011.

UPEI's interim vice-president academic, Christian Lacroix, acted as the event's master of ceremonies. 'The MacLauchlan Prizes for Effective Writing enable us to identify students across a variety of disciplines who have distinguished themselves by producing exceptional written work, or have shown substantial improvement in their writing,' he said. 'Faculty and staff who have contributed to the development of our students' writing skills are also acknowledged through these awards.'

Third-year nursing student and award winner, Rebecca Mahaney read an excerpt from her piece entitled 'Opioid Dependency and Treatment.' Mahaney also received a Prize for Effective Writing last year and said that receiving the award for a second year in a row was a tremendous honour.

'I am very grateful to the MacLauchlan family for their continued generosity to students,' said Mahaney. 'This award is an excellent way of showing support to students. When students are overwhelmed by large workloads, deadlines, and worrying about grades, it is heart-warming for someone to recognize that a student is trying, and to take the time to identify their dedication. This acknowledgement of achievement and continued support is extraordinary.'

Mary-Claire Sanderson, AVC class of 2015 student and award winner, also read an excerpt from her piece entitled 'Think Positive! Positive reinforcement training makes for well-trained, happy dogs.'

'On behalf of the entire UPEI community, I thank the MacLauchlan family for their generosity, and President Emeritus Wade MacLauchlan for his commitment to encouraging excellence in writing among students at UPEI,' said president and vice-chancellor Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. 'I congratulate each of our prize recipients and encourage them to continue to communicate through the gift of writing as it is critical to lifelong success.'

Prize winning poetry writer Miranda Hill was the event's special guest speaker. Hill spoke to the crowd about her personal journey as a new author and the importance of writing as an effective skill for success. She also read an excerpt from her recently published book of fiction, Sleeping Funny.

The MacLauchlan Prizes for Effective Writing distribute up to $30,000 annually in awards. The family has made previous contributions to the Harry W. MacLauchlan Scholarships in Entrepreneurial Leadership, MacLauchlan Arena, Robertson Library, athletic scholarships, and student prizes in mathematics and entrepreneurship. The event was celebrated on National Philanthropy Day, a fitting time to honour the MacLauchlan family and their continued generosity to UPEI.