Jeanette MacAulay to be New Director of Life-Long Learning

The University of Prince Edward Island is very pleased to announce that Jeanette MacAulay will take on the role of Director of Life-Long Learning following the retirement of the present Director, Dr Clive Keen. The appointment will reinforce the University's commitment to community learning, continuing and further extending its range of services beyond traditional degree programs.

"We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jeanette MacAulay to UPEI," says Vianne Timmons, Vice-President of Academic Development. "Her vast knowledge of community and educational issues, and her extensive leadership experience provide an excellent background for this important senior position."

The Centre for Life-Long Learning is involved with a wide range of continuing education activities, including professional development certificate programs; the Profitlearn series of courses for small businesses; summer institutes and language programs; the Canadian Aquaculture Centre; the "well-lived life" series of short courses; online continuing education courses; and customized training for businesses.

Jeanette MacAulay is the former Deputy Minister of Social Services and Seniors for PEI. She has served as the CEO for the Health and Community Services Agency and the Public Service Commission, and as Deputy Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs. She was Vice-President of Development and External Relations at Holland College from 2002 to 2005.

Jeanette MacAulay to be New Director of Life-Long Learning

The University of Prince Edward Island is very pleased to announce that Jeanette MacAulay will take on the role of Director of Life-Long Learning following the retirement of the present Director, Dr Clive Keen. The appointment will reinforce the University's commitment to community learning, continuing and further extending its range of services beyond traditional degree programs.

"We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jeanette MacAulay to UPEI," says Vianne Timmons, Vice-President of Academic Development. "Her vast knowledge of community and educational issues, and her extensive leadership experience provide an excellent background for this important senior position."

The Centre for Life-Long Learning is involved with a wide range of continuing education activities, including professional development certificate programs; the Profitlearn series of courses for small businesses; summer institutes and language programs; the Canadian Aquaculture Centre; the "well-lived life" series of short courses; online continuing education courses; and customized training for businesses.

Jeanette MacAulay is the former Deputy Minister of Social Services and Seniors for PEI. She has served as the CEO for the Health and Community Services Agency and the Public Service Commission, and as Deputy Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs. She was Vice-President of Development and External Relations at Holland College from 2002 to 2005.

Students Migrating Back to UPEI

At a time when many young people are leaving PEI to pursue their education elsewhere, or to take jobs out west, it is refreshing to hear about the ones who come back. And according to Vianne Timmons, Acting Registrar at UPEI, they're coming back at a greater rate than ever before. "It is due to the fact that UPEI now has the lowest tuition rate in the Maritimes, with the recent 10 per cent cut in tuition. And it is also because of our growing reputation as a quality school. It's fabulous to see our students coming back, reversing the trend of out-migration, with transfers up over 30 per cent from last year."

Emily Campbell and Sara MacPhail are two such students. Both grew up in Prince Edward Island, and both felt the need to get away from home. But now they're back. And glad to be here, too.

Emily Campbell graduated from Colonel Gray in 2005. She attended UPEI in first year and studied English. "But so many students get in the mindset of leaving. They thinkand#151;for whatever reasonand#151;that they have to get off the Island," she says. "I was no different. I left for Ontario after first year, thinking I'd be away for a number of years. But I soon realized how much I missed PEI. I missed it for the very reasons that I left: home, family, friends. In March I made the decision to come back."

Daughter of Gordon and Barb Campbell of Charlottetown, Emily grew up quite aware of politics and has a passion for it. She says she's interested in pursuing a law degree when she graduates. "I liked English," she says, "but I love political studies, and I love learning about it. I'd taken some political studies summer courses here, so I know a few of the professors and look forward to being in their classes this fall."

Often when students switch universities they tend to lose a credit or two. Emily says, "I had no problem at all transferring the credit back. UPEI was very accommodating. And because I took some summer courses, I'm ahead on the number of courses I'll need to graduate."

"After being at university with close to 18,000 students, I'm looking forward to small class sizes," she says. "It was quite shocking to go into a lecture theatre with hundreds of students. Here I know I'll have more of a relationship with my professors."

Sara MacPhail graduated from Bluefield in 2003. She, too, attended UPEI for a year, then headed to Nova Scotia to pursue agricultural studies. "I'm from a farming family and I knew I wanted to do something in agriculture," she says, "but I wasn't ready to spend the extra money to leave and then find I didn't like it." She took science at UPEI, before making the decision to follow her brother and cousin to Nova Scotia, where she studied animal science.

She says she really enjoyed her course work and profs, but decided that she really wanted to come back home. "The expense was one of the reasons. This year it's $100 less per course than what I was paying. Plus it was hard to find a part-time job and I didn't really like the location. Here I can live at home and save a lot of money, plus there's more to do here."

Sara adds that some of her friends wonder why she's coming back. "Many of them want to leave. But sometimes you just have to go away to realize what you're missing." She's now registered in the biology program, and hopes to pursue veterinary medicine when she graduates, with the ultimate goal of working in agriculture, like her parents Linda and Allan MacPhail, and her brother Brandon.

"I'm so excited to start school in the fall," she says. "I'm looking forward to meeting new people, and seeing old friends. And I thinkand#151;I hope!and#151;that my folks are glad to have me back home, too!"

Atlantic Veterinary College Research Centre to Host Epidemiology Workshop

Approximately 40 graduate students, researchers, and epidemiologists from around the world will participate in the Atlantic Veterinary College's Epi on the Island Workshop from August 15 to 24.

Hosted by AVC's Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research (CVER), the workshop features two high-level courses on methods and advanced procedures for analyzing health data, delivered by world-leading experts in the field. Participants from as far away as New Zealand, South Africa, and Norway are attending the event.

"The ongoing, strong international participation in Epi on the Island is very gratifying," says Dr. Ian Dohoo of AVC's Department of Health Management. "Having participants from all over the globe inevitably provides opportunities for future research collaborations and enables our graduate students to mix with veterinary epidemiologists from around the world."

The two-week session will be led by Drs. Henrik Stryhn, Javier Sanchez, and Ian Dohoo of AVC. Dr. William Browne of the University of Bristol, a developer of a software tool to analyze animal health data, will round out the workshop instructors.

"Once again, Epi on the Island is full to capacity, reflecting the strong international interest in the expertise that exists within the Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research (CVER)," says Dr. Dohoo.

The Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research conducts strategic research for food-producing industries and organizations and is one of the leading centres for animal health epidemiological research in the world. It also serves as a focus for human health researchers carrying out population based research in PEI.

Funded by the four Atlantic provinces, the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI is Atlantic Canada's centre of excellence for veterinary education, research and service.

Auditory Perception and Music Cognition Presentations, August 22

How does music affect learning or the absorption of information? How is the ability to recognize new words influenced by age, bilingualism, musical ability and gender? These questions, and many others related to music and language, will be explored during the Department of Psychology's Second Summer Workshop in Auditory Perception and Music Cognition, on Wednesday, August 22, beginning at 1 pm, in the lower level of the Robertson Library.

Presentations will be made by student researchers Andy Gallant, Yee May Siau, Sarah Simpson, Mary Anne Welton, Robert Drew, and Kelti MacMillan, lab director Dr. Annabel Cohen, and guest Tony Reddin. They will focus on the role of music in film and video, a new system for surround sound, sensitive periods in language acquisition, the role of multilingualism in memory for new words, a new mapping approach to biography, and the contribution of music to well-being.

The workshop takes a lighter side between 4:15 and 5:45 pm when the presenters, several of whom are musicians, perform on guitar and voice. Stephen Newman of OCEAN and K-ROCK will emcee the event and present film and music trivia between the acts. Prizes include an original etching by Debra James Percival and a CD by Robert Drew, among many others. Light refreshments will be provided and everyone is welcome. More details are available at upei.ca/~musicog/2007workshop/workshop.html

$100,000 Donation to Building a Legacy Campaign from Atlantic Turbines

The University of Prince Edward Island's Building a Legacy Campaign is $100,000 closer to its final goal of $50 million, thanks to a gift from Atlantic Turbines of Summerside. Atlantic Turbines is a division of Vector Aerospace, an internationally respected aviation repair and overhaul company with operations in Canada, the US, and the UK.

The $100,000 donation will be allocated to the new School of Business Administration building, which is under construction on the UPEI campus and scheduled to open by early 2008. John MacDougall and Brian Thompson, both School of Business alumni (BBA'83) who now hold senior management positions with Vector Aerospace, presented the gift. John MacDougall is President of ACROHELIPRO Global Services Inc. and Brian Thompson is President of Atlantic Turbines International Inc.

“As our company competes daily against strong competitors around the world, we increasingly need a strong link to an excellent institution like UPEI,” says Brian Thompson. “The School of Business's emphasis on creating strong partnerships with private sector companies is an excellent approach. Our contribution to the Building a Legacy Campaign makes sense for the community and for our company.”

“It's with great pleasure we give back to an institution that has provided so much to me personally, and so much toward making PEI such a great province,” says John MacDougall. “If this contribution to better learning facilities at UPEI helps to influence the decision of just one person to remain on PEI for their education and career pursuits, it's a success.”

In thanking Atlantic Turbines for their generous gift, Dean of Business Roberta MacDonald noted that support from Island-based businesses is critical to the success of the new School of Business and the University of Prince Edward Island.

"I am extremely grateful for this gift to our University and to our new School of Business in particular," she said. "The Building a Legacy Campaign has an ambitious $50 million target, but thanks to supportive companies such as Atlantic Turbines, whose managers recognize that UPEI plays a critical role in the economic development of PEI, we have reached almost 80 per cent of that goal."

The UPEI Building a Legacy Campaign has just entered its final phase and signs have been erected at both entrances of the University to track its progress. The current total stands at just over $38 million. The University has an ambitious strategy in place to raise the remaining $12 million by the end of 2008. More information is available at upei.ca/legacy.

$100,000 Donation to Building a Legacy Campaign from Atlantic Turbines

The University of Prince Edward Island's Building a Legacy Campaign is $100,000 closer to its final goal of $50 million, thanks to a gift from Atlantic Turbines of Summerside. Atlantic Turbines is a division of Vector Aerospace, an internationally respected aviation repair and overhaul company with operations in Canada, the US, and the UK.

The $100,000 donation will be allocated to the new School of Business Administration building, which is under construction on the UPEI campus and scheduled to open by early 2008. John MacDougall and Brian Thompson, both School of Business alumni (BBA'83) who now hold senior management positions with Vector Aerospace, presented the gift. John MacDougall is President of ACROHELIPRO Global Services Inc. and Brian Thompson is President of Atlantic Turbines International Inc.

"As our company competes daily against strong competitors around the world, we increasingly need a strong link to an excellent institution like UPEI," says Brian Thompson. "The School of Business's emphasis on creating strong partnerships with private sector companies is an excellent approach. Our contribution to the Building a Legacy Campaign makes sense for the community and for our company."

"It's with great pleasure we give back to an institution that has provided so much to me personally, and so much toward making PEI such a great province," says John MacDougall. "If this contribution to better learning facilities at UPEI helps to influence the decision of just one person to remain on PEI for their education and career pursuits, it's a success."

In thanking Atlantic Turbines for their generous gift, Dean of Business Roberta MacDonald noted that support from Island-based businesses is critical to the success of the new School of Business and the University of Prince Edward Island.

"I am extremely grateful for this gift to our University and to our new School of Business in particular," she said. "The Building a Legacy Campaign has an ambitious $50 million target, but thanks to supportive companies such as Atlantic Turbines, whose managers recognize that UPEI plays a critical role in the economic development of PEI, we have reached almost 80 per cent of that goal."

The UPEI Building a Legacy Campaign has just entered its final phase and signs have been erected at both entrances of the University to track its progress. The current total stands at just over $38 million. The University has an ambitious strategy in place to raise the remaining $12 million by the end of 2008. More information is available at upei.ca/legacy.

Atlantic Veterinary College Research Centre to Host Epidemiology Workshop

Approximately 40 graduate students, researchers, and epidemiologists from around the world will participate in the Atlantic Veterinary College’s Epi on the Island Workshop from August 15 to 24.

Hosted by AVC’s Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research (CVER), the workshop features two high-level courses on methods and advanced procedures for analyzing health data, delivered by world-leading experts in the field. Participants from as far away as New Zealand, South Africa, and Norway are attending the event.

“The ongoing, strong international participation in Epi on the Island is very gratifying,” says Dr. Ian Dohoo of AVC’s Department of Health Management. “Having participants from all over the globe inevitably provides opportunities for future research collaborations and enables our graduate students to mix with veterinary epidemiologists from around the world.”

The two-week session will be led by Drs. Henrik Stryhn, Javier Sanchez, and Ian Dohoo of AVC. Dr. William Browne of the University of Bristol, a developer of a software tool to analyze animal health data, will round out the workshop instructors.

“Once again, Epi on the Island is full to capacity, reflecting the strong international interest in the expertise that exists within the Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research (CVER),” says Dr. Dohoo.

The Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research conducts strategic research for food-producing industries and organizations and is one of the leading centres for animal health epidemiological research in the world. It also serves as a focus for human health researchers carrying out population based research in PEI.

Funded by the four Atlantic provinces, the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI is Atlantic Canada’s centre of excellence for veterinary education, research and service.

Auditory Perception and Music Cognition Presentations, August 22

How does music affect learning or the absorption of information? How is the ability to recognize new words influenced by age, bilingualism, musical ability and gender? These questions, and many others related to music and language, will be explored during the Department of Psychology’s Second Summer Workshop in Auditory Perception and Music Cognition, on Wednesday, August 22, beginning at 1 pm, in the lower level of the Robertson Library.

Presentations will be made by student researchers Andy Gallant, Yee May Siau, Sarah Simpson, Mary Anne Welton, Robert Drew, and Kelti MacMillan, lab director Dr. Annabel Cohen, and guest Tony Reddin. They will focus on the role of music in film and video, a new system for surround sound, sensitive periods in language acquisition, the role of multilingualism in memory for new words, a new mapping approach to biography, and the contribution of music to well-being.

The workshop takes a lighter side between 4:15 and 5:45 pm when the presenters, several of whom are musicians, perform on guitar and voice. Stephen Newman of OCEAN and K-ROCK will emcee the event and present film and music trivia between the acts. Prizes include an original etching by Debra James Percival and a CD by Robert Drew, among many others. Light refreshments will be provided and everyone is welcome. More details are available at upei.ca/~musicog/2007workshop/workshop.html

UPEI Students Win First and Second at National Music Festival

Matthew Rowsell, a trombone major in the Music Department at UPEI, won First Place in the brass instrument category at the National Music Festival held earlier this month in Moncton. Matthew is a native of Corner Brook, Newfoundland and has been studying trombone at UPEI with Dr. Gregory Irvine for the past two years. He performed “Ballade pour trombone et petit orchestre” by Frank Martin and “Sonata (Vox Gabrieli)” for trombone and piano by Stjepan Sulek. His achievement is significant as he competed against brass players from every province and territory.

Each year, young musicians from across Canada are selected to participate in the National Music Festival after competing successfully in their provincial music festivals. Typically, each province sends one representative in each of the categories of Strings, Brass, Winds, and Voice. By the time these musicians reach the National Festival, they have already competed at several levels to win the honour of representing their respective provinces.

"Matthew is to be congratulated on this outstanding achievement. He was up against some very stiff competition and it is gratifying to know that the judges recognized his talent, musicianship, and hard work,” says Greg Irvine, Chair of the Music Department. “I think that this is also a tribute to the Music Department and to the quality of our program."

Christina Bouey, the daughter of UPEI voice professor Sung Ha Shin-Bouey and sessional instructor of voice Stephen Bouey, also competed in the National Festival on the violin. Christina placed second in the String Category.