Beginning in September 2008, the University of Prince Edward Island will offer a Bachelor of Integrated Studies (BIS) for mature students who want to combine part-time study with full-time employment and/or family responsibilities.

“Mature students really add to the fabric of the university through their career and life experiences,” says Dr. Richard Kurial, Dean of Arts at UPEI. “The BIS program is an excellent new learning opportunity for adults who either want to earn their first degree, finish an uncompleted degree or add to an existing college diploma, while maintaining their careers.”

The new degree also has benefits for employers and the workforce, says Jeannette MacAulay, Director of the UPEI Centre for Life-Long Learning, which will coordinate the program.

“Employers realize that employees who have higher education are more likely to generate new knowledge and to innovate,” says MacAulay. “Increasingly, post-secondary degrees are required to obtain employment. By continuing to learn, people in the workforce increase their employability, confidence and career satisfaction.”

Currently only 19 per cent of undergraduate students at UPEI are over 25 years old, well below the national average of 30 per cent.

Students in the BIS program will complete 30 courses instead of the usual 40 in arts, science or business, which makes the degree more attainable for learners who have established careers. Eight of the courses will cover an area of the students’ personal or career-related interests.

The name of the degree recognizes that adult learners have gained knowledge and skills outside formal education, says MacAulay. By re-entering the formal education system, these learners will integrate their personal and practical knowledge with theoretical and research-based studies. Students will also be permitted to apply for credit for learning from experience through prior learning processes such as the presentation of a portfolio.

Applicants must be at least seven years out of high school. Under UPEI’s mature student policy, applicants may be admitted without a high school diploma. Applications are being accepted now for a September 2008 start.

For detailed complete information, visit upei.ca/clll/, or contact Isabelle Christian, BIS Coordinator, at the Centre for Life-Long Learning at (902) 566-0336 or lifelong@upei.ca.

Beginning in September 2008, the University of Prince Edward Island will offer a Bachelor of Integrated Studies (BIS) for mature students who want to combine part-time study with full-time employment and/or family responsibilities.

“Mature students really add to the fabric of the university through their career and life experiences,” says Dr. Richard Kurial, Dean of Arts at UPEI. “The BIS program is an excellent new learning opportunity for adults who either want to earn their first degree, finish an uncompleted degree or add to an existing college diploma, while maintaining their careers.”

The new degree also has benefits for employers and the workforce, says Jeannette MacAulay, Director of the UPEI Centre for Life-Long Learning, which will coordinate the program.

“Employers realize that employees who have higher education are more likely to generate new knowledge and to innovate,” says MacAulay. “Increasingly, post-secondary degrees are required to obtain employment. By continuing to learn, people in the workforce increase their employability, confidence and career satisfaction.”

Currently only 19 per cent of undergraduate students at UPEI are over 25 years old, well below the national average of 30 per cent.

Students in the BIS program will complete 30 courses instead of the usual 40 in arts, science or business, which makes the degree more attainable for learners who have established careers. Eight of the courses will cover an area of the students’ personal or career-related interests.

The name of the degree recognizes that adult learners have gained knowledge and skills outside formal education, says MacAulay. By re-entering the formal education system, these learners will integrate their personal and practical knowledge with theoretical and research-based studies. Students will also be permitted to apply for credit for learning from experience through prior learning processes such as the presentation of a portfolio.

Applicants must be at least seven years out of high school. Under UPEI’s mature student policy, applicants may be admitted without a high school diploma. Applications are being accepted now for a September 2008 start.

For detailed information, visit upei.ca/clll/ or contact Isabelle Christian, BIS Coordinator, at the Centre for Life-Long Learning at (902) 566-0336 or lifelong@upei.ca.

Beginning in September 2008, the University of Prince Edward Island will offer a Bachelor of Integrated Studies (BIS) for mature students who want to combine part-time study with full-time employment and/or family responsibilities.

“Mature students really add to the fabric of the university through their career and life experiences,” says Dr. Richard Kurial, Dean of Arts at UPEI. “The BIS program is an excellent new learning opportunity for adults who either want to earn their first degree, finish an uncompleted degree or add to an existing college diploma, while maintaining their careers.”

The new degree also has benefits for employers and the workforce, says Jeannette MacAulay, Director of the UPEI Centre for Life-Long Learning, which will coordinate the program.

“Employers realize that employees who have higher education are more likely to generate new knowledge and to innovate,” says MacAulay. “Increasingly, post-secondary degrees are required to obtain employment. By continuing to learn, people in the workforce increase their employability, confidence and career satisfaction.”

Currently only 19 per cent of undergraduate students at UPEI are over 25 years old, well below the national average of 30 per cent.

Students in the BIS program will complete 30 courses instead of the usual 40 in arts, science or business, which makes the degree more attainable for learners who have established careers. Eight of the courses will cover an area of the students’ personal or career-related interests.

The name of the degree recognizes that adult learners have gained knowledge and skills outside formal education, says MacAulay. By re-entering the formal education system, these learners will integrate their personal and practical knowledge with theoretical and research-based studies. Students will also be permitted to apply for credit for learning from experience through prior learning processes such as the presentation of a portfolio.

Applicants must be at least seven years out of high school. Under UPEI’s mature student policy, applicants may be admitted without a high school diploma. Applications are being accepted now for a September 2008 start.

For detailed information, visit upei.ca/clll/ or contact Isabelle Christian, BIS Coordinator, at the Centre for Life-Long Learning at (902) 566-0336 or lifelong@upei.ca.

Photo: Isabelle Christian (left), coordinator of UPEI’s new Bachelor of Integrated Studies, and Dr. Richard Kurial (right), Dean of Arts, discuss the program with students Darlene Peters, of Montague, and Scott Taylor, of Charlottetown. Peters and Taylor are part-time students at UPEI who will be taking advantage of the new degree program.

The Tourism Research Centre (TRC) at the University of PEI and the Tourism Industry Association of PEI (TIAPEI), with funding partners Tourism PEI and ACOA, are proud to announce a new interactive research initiative geared towards tourism operators.

While many tourism studies are focused on the demand side of tourism--that is, the tourist, the supply side of the industry is often overlooked. Tourism operators have direct access to visitors that is rarely used to evaluate the market trends, and to identify product and market opportunities.

“Few operators have the opportunity to work directly with the Tourism Advisory Council, the Tourism Research Centre or the Department of Tourism,” says Kent Hudson, Faculty Co-director of the TRC. “We want to create a regular dialogue between operators and those organizations.”

To facilitate this on-going dialogue, the TRC is launching a P.E.I. operator panel. The panel will be comprised of at least 500 tourism operators on the Island who are willing to share hard data such as bookings, inquiries, website hits and phone calls from the supply side.

“After collecting enough data, the primary purpose of the operator panel will be to develop an operator confidence index,” says Hudson. “Like other indexes, this can be used as an indicator of unfolding trends in the industry before, during and after the peak tourist season. The system will serve to collect a variety of data and could even be used to more precisely determine the economic impact of special events such as festivals, concerts and other tourism activities.”

Once developed, the operator confidence index will be released on a bi-weekly basis during the peak season (July to October) and on a monthly basis for the remainder of the year. This year, 2008, will serve as the benchmark year for the survey. Meaningful comparative analysis will be possible over time as survey results are recorded.

“The data collected will be used to provide an index measure of the health of the industry in at least three sectors: accommodations, food and beverage, and attractions,” explains Chris Jones, Director of Policy, Planning and Research for Tourism PEI. “However, it is important to note that we are interested in all operations that are impacted by the tourism industry on Prince Edward Island, such as retail outlets, gas stations and grocery stores.”

“This is truly an exciting endeavor for tourism operators on P.E.I.,” says Don Cudmore, Executive Director of TIAPEI. “Many operators know ahead of time what sort of season they may expect. The confidence index will allow operators to learn if they are in line with the overall industry, are busier, or are perhaps lagging in visitors for that period. By working with our valued operators, we are able to define market trends and opportunities and incorporate those into our promotional strategy. We are lucky on P.E.I. to have so many cooperative operators in such a small region, and it really will be to everyone’s advantage to join the panel and help improve P.E.I.’s tourism potential.”

Each operator’s information will be strictly confidential as it relates to the data that is provided. The information will be used solely for the purposes of the confidence index and will not be utilized at the operator level. Operators who are interested in joining the panel are urged to do so by visiting http://trc.upei.ca/survey/operator.php.

For more information, contact the Tourism Research Centre at (902) 566-6096 or trc@upei.ca.

"A Living Archives” website, the end result of an innovative education project that used web-based technology to bring P.E.I. history and heritage to life for students, will be launched at a public event on Monday, May 26, at 10 a.m., in the Confederation Centre of the Arts’ Studio Theatre.

During the 2007-2008 school year, grade seven and eight students and their teachers from École Evangéline, Stonepark Intermediate School and Kensington Intermediate Senior High combined leading-edge web technology and Island history to create a “living textbook” in the form of the “Living Archives” website, found at www.livingarchives.ca.

The project was developed and implemented through the Faculty of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island, and funded through Canadian Heritage’s Canadian Culture Online Partnerships Fund. Partners include the Public Archives and Records Office of PEI and the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, of the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs; the Department of Education; the Eastern and Western School Boards; and La Commission scolaire de langue française de l'ile-du-Prince-Édouard.

“The Government of Canada is proud to participate in projects like this one that use digital media to share our history with the world,” said The Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages. “This partnership with the Faculty of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island helps showcase the richness of the Island’s culture and heritage.”

“To create A Living Archives, 12- and 13-year-old students used modern digital technologies to do ‘real’ history, planning, researching, writing, revising, and reporting their findings with a high degree of sophistication,” says project leader Dr. Sandy McAuley, of the UPEI Faculty of Education. “With the assistance of their project partners, they brought to life the P.E.I. of a century ago for themselves and, through the website, for the rest of the world.”

Using resources at the Public Archives and Records Office of PEI, the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, and the UPEI library’s Special Collections section, the students researched specific historical themes tied to the social studies curriculum, including the general store, the horse and transportation, school life in days gone by, L.M. Montgomery’s famous novel Anne of Green Gables, and Acadian life from 1875 to 1925.

They selected historical artifacts related to their themes to be digitized for the website, wrote accompanying text, developed videos and blogs, and conducted interviews with professional and community Island historians, all of which can be viewed on the website.

“Throughout the process of researching their chosen topics, the students had access to some of the most valuable resources for gathering historical information in our province, including the Provincial Archives and the Museum and Heritage Foundation,” said Carolyn Bertram, Minister of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour. “Their hard work resulted in an informative and entertaining web-based account of some of the most interesting parts of our Island story.”

Also featured on the website is a virtual world representing P.E.I. at the turn of the 20th century. With the assistance of a virtual “tour guide,” visitors to the site can explore period Island homes and the students’ research displayed inside them. And it offers promotional video, teacher resources and “how-tos” that encourage ongoing use by the educational community.

The website and its digital archives will be housed and supported by UPEI’s Robertson Library for the next five years.

Four students from the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) will spend the summer working with two women’s groups in Kenya to help them and their communities lead healthier and richer lives.

The project is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) through its Students for Development Program.

Working with Farmers Helping Farmers, the students will help the Ruuju and Muchui women’s groups in the Mount Kenya region learn to diversify their crops, establish a bookkeeping system and conduct dietary assessments for school-aged children.

Working on the bookkeeping project will be business student Billy MacDonald, of Charlottetown, and arts student Bobby Cameron, Hampton. Family and nutritional sciences students Sharla Goodwin, of the Magdalen Islands, and Doreen Pippy, of Hazelbrook, will be involved in the dietary project.

“I am greatly excited and honoured to be part of the Farmers Helping Farmers program north of Mount Kenya,” says MacDonald. “This will be a life-changing experience for me. I will grow as a person and a student from this experience, and hope to inspire more of my peers to get involved in great causes like Farmers Helping.”

The project will build on community strengths and information, with a focus on shared ownership and development of a “team-work” model among the participants. As well, this work promotes sustainability because the women can carry on what they have learned and use it to make informed decisions for the future in the education, health and business areas. With their new knowledge, the women will be able to improve their families’ lives and become leaders in their communities.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for these four students,” says Vianne Timmons, vice-president of academic development at UPEI. “It is the hope of UPEI that these students will inspire other students at UPEI to engage in international travel as well as to increase the diversity of knowledge within their classes. We are very proud of our students and the work that they are undertaking.”

The students will be accompanied by Teresa Mellish and Colleen Walton, of Farmers Helping Farmers, for the first three weeks of June.

Through the Students for Development program, Canadians work together to promote good governance and institution-building in developing countries. Farmers Helping Farmers is a P.E.I.-based non-governmental organization that partners with East African farm groups to improve agricultural production for sustainable development within communities. Together, they develop practical projects with small-scale farmers, primarily women. Farmers Helping Farmers has been a partner with the Muchui women’s self-help group since 1997.

For more information, contact Alaina Roach O’Keefe at 902-894-2842 or aroach@upei.ca.

The Tourism Research Centre (TRC) at UPEI’s School of Business today announced the release of a report profiling United States visitors to PEI during the summer of 2007.

“This report really highlights the differences among our American visitors. Those visiting PEI from New England are much more likely to be repeat visitors and are more likely to be ‘doers,’ rather than ‘seers,’” says Dr. Sean Hennessey, Faculty Director of the TRC. “Visitors from outside the New England region tend to be slightly older, retired, and spend far fewer of their vacation days on PEI.”

The report divides the US market into two sub-markets: visitors from New England and visitors from outside of New England.  
 
“Visitors from New England have a very different vacation style than those from other states,” he says. “New Englanders spend much less money per person per night here, but do stay on the Island for much longer. This actually evens out, and the total expenditure per party per trip is almost identical for the two markets. In reality, many characteristics of the New England market are very similar to our Canadian visitors from outside the Maritimes. Visitors from other states are more defined as their own distinct, unique segment.”

Some highlights of the US visitors profile report include:

•    The Island’s US visitors are divided almost evenly between those who live in the New England States (5 per cent of total visitors) and those who live in states outside the New England region (4.8 per cent).
•    Visitors from New England and from states outside New England were similar in that approximately 85 per cent of visitors from both regions were visiting the Island on pleasure trips, and about 12 per cent were visiting friends or relatives.  
•    Visitors from New England spent an average of 7.4 nights on PEI, which was equivalent to 78 per cent of their total trip away from home.
•    US visitors from states outside New England averaged 13.1 nights away from home. Their stays on PEI were relatively short, averaging only 5.2 nights.
•    New England visitors were unique in that they spent more than one half (54 per cent) of their total trip nights on the Island in cottages.
•    US visitors from outside New England were the opposite. They spent 32 per cent of their trip nights in hotel, motel, or resort accommodations. This was second only to international visitors.  Only 28 per cent of their nights were spent in cottages.  
•    Visitors from both US regions spent approximately the same share of their nights in Anne’s Land (New England 34 per cent of nights, distant states 37 per cent). However, only 28 per cent of travel parties from New England spent a night in Charlottetown, the lowest level recorded by all visitors when analyzed by place of origin.
•    US visitors from outside New England were very thorough sightseers. They visited all types of attractions and did the “touristy” things at above-average rates.  
•    Vacationers from New England visited National or Provincial Parks and historic and cultural attractions at above average rates, but their interest in any other types of attractions and especially those that could be considered “touristy” fell to well below average rates. A notable exception was attending live theatre and plays; 43 per cent attended – the highest of all visitor markets.  
•    Visitors from New England were the Island’s lowest spending visitors on a per-person per-day basis, spending an average of only $53.05 per person per day.
•    At an average of $92.35 per person per day, US visitors from outside New England spent 74 per cent more than those from New England.
•    The demographics and characteristics of New England visitors tended to resemble those of Canadian visitors from outside the Maritimes. More than one half (57 per cent) were making a return visit to the Island. One-quarter (25 per cent) were travelling as families accompanied by children and less than one-third (31 per cent) were retired.
•    Visitors from outside New England were considerably older (66 per cent were 55 or more years of age), almost one-half (49 per cent) were retired, a market low of 11 per cent were travelling as families with children, and only 25 per cent had been to the Island before.

The report is the sixth in a series of in-depth profiles based on comprehensive data previously released in the report “Overall Results of the 2007 Exit Survey.” The data is for the main tourism season of June 27 to September 30, 2007, and was collected as visitors departed PEI at the Confederation Bridge, Charlottetown Airport, and Wood Islands Ferry (seasonally).

Data is being collected for a full year, and the survey is being managed by the TRC on behalf of Tourism PEI. The Exit Survey gathers information on main purpose of the trip, length of stay, areas visited, accommodation used, size and composition of travel party, holiday activities, visitor spending, customer satisfaction, visitation data, place of origin, and traveller demographics. The results are based on 3,173 completed surveys collected from June 27 to September 30, 2007.

For a list of all reports released by the TRC on Exit Survey results please visit trc.upei.ca/exitsurvey. Three more reports based on main season results will be released over the next six weeks.

Further information about the report can be obtained from the Tourism Research Centre, School of Business, University of PEI, at (902) 566-6096 or trc@upei.ca.

World-famous author L.M. Montgomery drew inspiration for her writing from the beauty of her birthplace of Prince Edward Island. Now, writers at all levels – from the new to the frequently published – can experience the Island’s sea- and landscapes this summer as they explore their craft at the first annual SeaWords creative writing workshop.

Supported by the L.M. Montgomery Institute and the University of Prince Edward Island, SeaWords will take place from August 18-22 at Shaw’s Hotel in Brackley Beach, P.E.I.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the publication of Montgomery’s first and most famous novel, Anne of Green Gables, the workshop will focus on the theme, “Canadian women writers.” The faculty and guest writers include some of Canada’s top literary stars.

On the writing team are award-winning novelist and poet Anne Simpson, from Nova Scotia, author of Falling and Canterbury Beach, among other works; internationally acclaimed poet, novelist and non-fiction writer Karen Connelly, winner of the 2007 Orange Broadband Award for New Writers for The Lizard Cage; and novelist and playwright Ann-Marie MacDonald, author of Fall on Your Knees and the Governor General’s Award-winning play Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet).

Participants also will learn from Jackie Kaiser, former editor at Penguin Books Canada and now an agent with Westwood Creative Artists, representing some of the hottest Canadian literary talent today.

The week will include workshops based on writing submitted in advance by the participants, and lectures about the publishing industry, including effective proposal writing, “getting published” strategies and insights into the agent-author relationship.

Participants will have one-on-one time with faculty members to discuss their work with people currently in the industry. Other opportunities for personal growth include private writing time, social activities and the option to give, or hear, a short reading from their own work.

For information and registration, visit www.seawords.ca or e-mail seawords@upei.ca. Space is limited, and a special “early bird” price is available for those who apply before June 13.

SeaWords Faculty

Anne Simpson, faculty
Anne Simpson's second novel, Falling, was recently published by McClelland & Stewart. Her first novel, Canterbury Beach (2001), was a finalist for the Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. Winner of the Journey Prize for short fiction, Simpson is also the author of three books of poetry: Light Falls Through You, winner of the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award and the Atlantic Poetry Prize; Loop, winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize and a finalist for the Governor General's Award for Poetry; and, most recently, Quick. She lives and works in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Karen Connelly, faculty
One of Canada’s best-known and most successful younger writers, Karen Connelly is the author of seven best-selling books of nonfiction, fiction and poetry. She has read from her work and lectured in Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia. Her latest novel, The Lizard Cage, was published to international acclaim and won the 2007 Orange Broadband Award for New Writers. Other works include Touch the Dragon, Grace and Poison, One Room in a Castle, The Border Surrounds Us, The Disorder of Love, The Brighter Prison, The Small Words in My Body and Dream of a Thousand Lives.

Jackie Kaiser, faculty
Jackie Kaiser is an agent with Westwood Creative Artists, Canada's largest literary agency. Her clients include Caroline Adderson, Gail Anderson-Dargatz, Marilyn Bowering, Bonnie Burnard, Sharon Butala, David Chariandy, Denise Chong, Karen Connelly, Barbara Gowdy, Sandra Gulland, Robert Hough, Frances Itani, Thomas King, Alice Kuipers, Natalie MacLean, Kyo Maclear, Stephen Marche, Yann Martel, Stephanie Nolen, Beth Powning, Anne Simpson, Rosemary Sullivan and Eleanor Wachtel. For the decade prior to joining the agency in fall 2000, she was an editor at Penguin Books Canada, where she published Anita Rau Badami, Wayson Choy, Mark Kingwell, Nega Mezlekia, Beth Powning and Charles Wilkins.

Ann-Marie MacDonald, guest writer
Ann-Marie MacDonald is a novelist, playwright and actor. Her work has garnered numerous awards, including the Governor General's Award, the Chalmers Award, the Commonwealth Prize, a Gemini, and several Doras. Plays include Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) and Belle Moral: A Natural History. She is author of the internationally best-selling novels, Fall on Your Knees and The Way the Crow Flies. MacDonald lives in Toronto.

Atlantic Veterinary College’s internationally recognized fish pathologist, Dr. David Speare is the featured speaker of AVC’s new Community Workshop Series. Dr. Speare’s presentation, The Downside of Finding Nemo: Environmental and Conservation Issues Within the Aquarium Tropical Fish Industry, will take place on Tuesday, June 10, 2008, in AVC Lecture Room A from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.  

Ideal for tropical fish hobbyists and others interested in aquatic conservation issues, the workshop will provide a better understanding of where pet fish come from, what happens to them on their way to Canada, and how best to care for them once they are in display tanks. Making an informed choice when purchasing these pets is a great example of how our choices can have an effect on a gathering global environmental issue.

The global trade of tropical freshwater and saltwater fish is an enormous industry involving millions of fish and billions of dollars. Despite this, very little is known about the effects that harvesting techniques are having on wild populations of rare aquarium fish within the Amazon basin and marine reef systems. Additionally, little is known of the potential effects that these imported fish, and the diseases they might carry, could have on our local ecosystem.

A question and answer session will follow, and participants are invited to take a tour of the AVC Touch Tank Room following the session. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge to participate; however, donations to the Friends of AVC will be gratefully accepted.

Dr. Speare was honoured recently with the prestigious 2008 Pfizer Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teacher Award and the 2008 Pfizer Research in Excellence Award.
          
For more information, please contact Janice MacWilliam at 566-0589 or jmacwilliam@upei.ca.

The Board of Governors of the University of Prince Edward Island has asked President Wade MacLauchlan to extend his term for an additional two years, to June 30, 2011.

“This extension will enable the University to deal effectively with a number of key leadership transition issues," says Chair of the Board, Fred Hyndman. "The Board is delighted that President MacLauchlan has agreed to extend his term, and looks forward to UPEI's continued successes and development under his leadership.”