UPEI's Institute of Island Studies and Environmental Studies Program and the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI (MCPEI) are helping to establish a research network to support climate change adaptation in coastal communities of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRCC) has granted $1 million over five years to a group of Maritime universities and watershed organizations for research and pilot projects. Involving nine community partner organizations, nine universities and more than 22 researchers in PEI, NB, NS, and Quebec, the alliance is led by Dr. Steve Plante of the University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR), and Chantal Gagnon, Executive Director of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition for Sustainability.

'Integrated coastal zone and watershed management poses great challenges to communities in the Southern Gulf region,' notes Dr. Omer Chouinard of the University of Moncton, 'especially in this time of climate change.' Both the rapid physical changes along the coast, such as accelerating erosion, and the shifts in watershed, municipal and First Nations governance in the coastal zone in recent years, indicate the need and the opportunity for concerted and collective action.

'Any approach to coastal and watershed management must be holistic because the supporting ecosystem is both sensitive to human activities and essential to our social and economic well-being,' says Dr. Irene Novaczek, Director of the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI.

'The Mi'kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island is pleased to be associated with a project that is so important to the future of PEI's First Nations,' says Randy Angus, Director of MCPEI's Department of Integrated Resource Management. 'Resources, and access to resources, have been and continue to be of primary importance to First Nations. Our changing climate is impacting the land, fisheries, forestry and many other resources. Throughout more than 520 generations, the Mi'kmaq have successfully adapted to many social and environmental changes. We look forward to working with the wide range of professionals involved with this project to share our experiences and plans for the future.'

The research alliance brings academics and community partners together in a network where they can share diverse skills, knowledge and experience. This collaboration is deemed essential to integrated coastal zone management. Network members will identify community vulnerabilities and strengths, and develop strategies to improve resilience at the community level.

The short-term goal is to work with a small number of communities to develop and test various approaches and tools for integrated local governance. This will help to build community capacity to learn from and survive changing conditions. In the long term, the network will provide appropriate and flexible tools that can help the region in its struggle to manage resources and guide development while coping with increased coastal erosion, flooding, and storm events as climate change intensifies.

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For further information please contact:
Dr. Irene Novaczek, Institute of Island Studies, UPEI
(902) 566-0386

Dr. Steve Plante, UQAR
(418)723-1986 ext. 1456

Chantal Gagnon, Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability, Université de Moncton
(506) 858-4495

The Centre for Conflict Resolution Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) will hold its first-ever New Brunswick graduation ceremony for participants in its Certificate in Conflict Resolution Studies program, on April 13 in Moncton.

'We are pleased to be celebrating our New Brunswick graduates by holding our first graduation ceremony in their own province,' says Gilbert Ladéroute, Manager of Conflict Resolution Studies at UPEI. 'It is a very exciting time for the Centre as we expand our program offerings outside of PEI.'

The Centre for Conflict Resolution Studies at UPEI provides a skills-based, 210-hour certificate in conflict resolution studies, including mediation, negotiation, and facilitation. The program is based on the belief that conflict can be dealt with in safe, mutually acceptable, and healthy ways. More than 4,000 registrants have benefitted from the centre's interactive program. With 40 courses and growing, it is one of the most comprehensive professional development programs in conflict studies in Canada.

The following participants will receive their Certificate in Conflict Resolution Studies from UPEI on April 13: Peter Beardsworth - Riverview; Betty Ann Cormier - Dieppe; Heather Harris - Riverview; Claude Losier - Shediac; Jo-Anne Nadeau - Moncton; Deloras O'Neill - Moncton; Ghislain Poirier - Bathurst. The ceremony takes place at the Delta Beauséjour at 7:00pm.

Contact: Gilbert Ladéroute

Manager, Conflict Resolution Studies

(902) 566-0707

Website: www.upei.ca/lifelonglearning/conflict

The University of Prince Edward Island, The Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society at UNB, HMCS Queen Charlotte and the Prince Edward Island Regiment are teaming up to host the first annual Atlantic Military Affairs Symposium in Charlottetown, April 16-17.

Local soldiers, sailors, and aircrew will form the core of this public military history and current affairs gathering to focus on the Island's role in the defence of Canada. It begins in the Duffy Lecture Theatre at UPEI at 7:30 pm on April 16 and continues at the PEI Regiment's Queen Charlotte Armoury all day Saturday, April 17.

The keynote address at UPEI on April 16 will be delivered by renowned Canadian naval historian, Professor Roger Sarty from Wilfrid Laurier University. In honour of Canada's Naval Centennial, his presentation is titled, 'By accident as much as by design: The surprising origins and rise of the Royal Canadian Navy, 1881-1945.'

On April 17, from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.in the Queen Charlotte Armoury, local and national military historians will present on subjects ranging from the Island's 19^th Century militia and contribution in two world wars, to the role of today's PEI army and naval reservists around the world. The featured speakers will include The Gregg Centre's Lee Windsor and Brent Wilson, PEI historians Boyde Beck and David Campbell, and reservists from HMCS Queen Charlotte and the Prince Edward Island Regiment who have returned from service overseas.

Admission is free and all are welcome. Lunch will be provided and the PEI Regiment Museum will be open.

PROGRAM

Friday 16 April 2010

Saturday 17 April 2010

8:45-9:00am Welcome and Opening Remarks

Bruce Craig, Department of History, UPEI, Gregg Centre Fellow, Host

Lee Windsor, Symposium Co-organizer, Gregg Centre Deputy Director

0900 - 1030am Panel 1 - From Confederation to the Great War

"Forging the Link": Joint NB-PEI Military Training and Recruitment, 1867-1918."

Brent Wilson, Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society

"Actions and Words: Andrew Macphail and the First World War"

David Campbell

Boyde Beck

'Islanders Across the Rhine: 'D' Company(PEI), North Nova Scotia Highlanders in the Battle for Beinen, Germany, March 1945.'

Lee Windsor, Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society

12:15 - 1:00pm - Lunch

1:00 - 2:00pm Panel 3 - The Prince Edward Island Regiment in Afghanistan

2:30 - 3:30pm Panel 4 - Canada's Navy in it's 100^th Year: From the Arctic to Haiti to the Indian Ocean

Roger Sarty, a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was educated at Duke University and the University of Toronto. From 1981 until 1998 he was with the Driectorate of History at National Defence Headquarters. He contributed to the official history of the Royal Canadian Air Force, and was then team leader of the group that produced the new official history of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War. From 1998 to 2003 Roger was at the CanadianWarMuseum. As deputy director of the museum and director of historical research and exhibition development, he led exhibit development and design for the museum's new building that opened in 2005. In 2004 Roger became a professor of history at WilfridLaurierUniversity. He has authored, co-authored or editted ten books.

Boyde Beck is a native of Alliston, Prince Edward Island. After completing his BA in history at the University of Prince Edward Island he completed Masters Degrees in History at QueensUniversity, where he studied with Dr. Don Schurman, and Museum Studies at the University of Toronto. He is a Curator with the Prince Edward IslandMuseum and also teaches at the University of Prince Edward Island.

David Campbell graduated with a B.A. in history from the University of Prince Edward Island and received an M.A. from the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto. He completed his doctoral studies at the University of Calgary, where he specialized in military/diplomatic history under the supervision of Dr. Tim Travers. His major area of study is the social and operational history of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. He currently resides and teaches in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Lee Windsor studies Canadian Army history from the Second World War up to and including current missions abroad. He is a native New Brunswicker and served with two Atlantic region Canadian Forces units, the VIII Canadian Hussars and the West Nova Scotia Regiment. He is completing a manuscript on the Allied war effort in Italy in 1944. In 2007 he accompanied Canada's Task Force 1-07 for part of its time in Afghanistan and was then lead author of Kandahar Tour: Turning Point in Canada's Afghan Mission.

Brent Wilson, has worked at UNB's Centre for Conflict Studies and the Gregg Centre since 1989. He studies in the fields of contemporary international terrorism and the civil-military dimensions of peacekeeping operations. He has also conducted extensive research on the early history of the British Army's experience with counter-insurgency warfare, and the role of the New Brunswick militia in the early development of the Canadian Army. He is Co-Director of the New Brunswick Military Heritage Project and editor of vol. 10 in our book series, Hurricane Pilot: The Wartime Letters of W. O. Harry Gill, D.F.M., 1940-1943, as well as a co-author on the recently published Kandahar Tour: Turning Point in Canada's Afghan Mission

The University of Prince Edward Island continues to attract top-notch academics and administrators from across Canada and beyond. Following a national search, UPEI has named Dr. Jim Randall, currently of the University of Northern British Columbia, to become its Vice-President Academic, as of July 1, 2010.

A professor of geography and planning at UNBC, Randall has an honours bachelor of arts degree in human geography (1979) and a master of arts degree in economic and urban geography (1981) from York University. He received his PhD in economic geography from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1987.

Randall is an experienced university administrator and teacher, having served at various times at UNBC as Acting President and Vice-Chancellor; Acting Provost; and Dean of the College of Arts, Social and Health Sciences. Before coming to UNBC, Randall served as Co-director of the Community-University Institute for Social Research and Chair of the Geography Department at the University of Saskatchewan. His research interests combine his professional roots in economic and urban geography with his experiences in administration as well as fostering community-university research partnerships.

Among other things, he is currently researching the role of community service as represented in Canadian university collective agreements. He is also the Canadian director for an HRSDC student mobility contract, partnering with five other universities in Canada, the USA and Mexico to encourage student exchanges and develop an integrated curriculum.

'UPEI is an exciting and vibrant place to be right now, with equal emphasis placed upon providing a quality learning experience for students, undertaking leading-edge research across a broad set of disciplines and issues, and serving the Island and world communities,' says Randall.

'I look forward to joining with faculty, staff and students to make this the best small university in Canada. My family and I have already experienced the quality-of-life and hospitality that makes this Island so special, and we are looking forward to making Charlottetown and P.E.I. our home.'

Randall is one of several senior faculty members and administrators to move to UPEI in the last several years from larger Canadian and US centres.

University librarian Mark Leggott came from the University of Winnipeg in 2006 where he had served as university librarian and in other senior positions since 1999. Leggott says he came to UPEI because of the university's strong research profile and 'it is a ‘young,' nimble university with lots of opportunity for creative approaches.' These factors, combined with the attractiveness of the Island as a place to live, made the decision an easy one for him.

Registrar Kathleen Kielly came to UPEI in 2008 from UNBC where she had served as registrar. A native of Newfoundland, Kielly has worked in the support of education throughout her entire working career. She also worked at Memorial University and for the Alberta Teachers' Association and provincial education department.

Donald Reynolds, Dean of the Atlantic Veterinary College, was Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine before moving to UPEI. He was also the school's Associate Director of the Veterinary Medical Research Institute, and Assistant Director of Iowa State University's Agricultural Experiment Station.

Timothy Goddard, Dean of Education, moved from the University of Calgary in 2008 to take up his current position. Previously he was Vice-Provost (International) at the University of Calgary, and Associate Dean (Research & International) and a professor of education in that institution's Faculty of Education.

Monique Collette, president of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, will give a public presentation and lead a discussion on how to spark passion and purpose in your organization, on Thursday, April 15, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., in the KCI lecture theatre, UPEI.

At the request of the Clerk of the Privy Council, Collette conducted a one-person task force in 2009 to explore ideas and approaches that have a positive impact on the workplace environment and the effectiveness of the Public Service of Canada. Her meetings with departments and agencies across the country gave her an opportunity to hear employees speak with passion and commitment about the kind of workplace they want, and what they are doing to create it.

Collette will share stories from her consultations, and outline insights and lessons learned that are valuable to all leaders who want to spark passion and purpose in their workplaces.

The session is jointly sponsored by the University of Prince Edward Island and the Centre for Spirituality and the Workplace at Saint Mary's University. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.

UPEI recently launched an innovative online contest that will hand out $10,000-originally slated to purchase advertising-to students in the form of bursaries.

The 'Win with UPEI' contest website, upei.me, asks visitors to vote on their favourite student project, with faculties receiving a percentage of bursary dollars to award to student applicants interested in pursuing community projects at home or around the world. A second component of the contest allows anyone with a connection to the Island University to enter a story, photo or video online for a chance to win prizes.

The idea for the contest came about when staff in UPEI's Department of Integrated Communications was discussing the best use of limited advertising dollars to highlight UPEI's numerous achievements and community involvement. Realizing that the high cost of traditional advertising would allow a very limited campaign with a relatively short shelf life, the staff looked for possibilities provided by social media options such as the web, Facebook and Twitter.

Glenda Clements, Director of Integrated Communications, says, 'UPEI is proud of our students, faculty and staff and their local, national and international community involvement. We knew we could represent our ‘University Island connections'through traditional advertising, but we have a big story to tell, interesting in its diversity and detail, so we wanted to create a more compelling, long-term and interactive platform.'

Like a growing number of advertisers (for example, PEPSI recently dropped its Super Bowl television advertising budget in favour of cause marketing), UPEI turned to an online approach where 'consumers' become the mass media that carry the message. This audience engagement actually replicates the message being delivered in traditional media, so the 'Win with UPEI' online contest was created to distribute, to its student and prospective student audiences, the resources that would traditionally be spent on an ad campaign to reach the same people.

'It's fitting that a personal university like UPEI would encourage conversation and storytelling while providing an opportunity to support the further good work of community members,' Clements adds. 'By encouraging others to tell their own UPEI stories, giving them the means to redirect advertising dollars to bursary dollars for students - who will then continue the community engagement cycle - now that's a message!'

The results certainly demonstrate the effectiveness of experimenting with this form of information delivery versus traditional advertising methods alone. So far, the 'Win with UPEI' contest has received 5,794 votes and the Faculty of Education is leading the voting with $2,564 in bursary dollars.

Anyone entering their story, through words, photos, or videos, has the chance to win $1,000 for Best Entry, $1,000 for Most Referred Entries, $500 and UPEI Panther Dolls in random draws. 'Win with UPEI' continues until midnight AT, April 30, 2010. For more information, visit universityisland.ca or upei.me.

Former UPEI president Dr. Elizabeth Rollins (‘Betsy') Epperly, a world-renowned scholar and author on the life and work of L.M. Montgomery, will headline the international conference, 'L.M. Montgomery and the Matter of Nature' running June 23 to 27 at UPEI. Her talk, 'Natural Bridge: L.M. Montgomery and the Architecture of Imaginative Landscapes' promises to be a highlight in four days of discussion and enjoyment of the enduring legacy of the province's best-known writer.

'We are thrilled that Betsy can be such an important part of this event,' says conference co-chair Dr. Jean Mitchell of UPEI. 'Betsy has so much knowledge and passion for Montgomery that people are always eager to hear what she has to say.'

Ever since Epperly helped establish the L.M. Montgomery Institute at UPEI in 1993, its international conference on Montgomery has become an essential focal point for the rapidly-growing field of Montgomery studies. 2010 marks the ninth such conference, and will draw scholars and admirers from across North America and around the world, with presenters from Europe, Australia, Africa, and Asia.

The 2008 Conference attracted some 200 registrants to Charlottetown, and organizers expect a similarly enthusiastic response this year. Besides Epperly's keynote, highlights will include: panel discussions of responses to Montgomery in Asia and Europe; a presentation by Canada Research Chair and leading Montgomery scholar Irene Gammel; and the PEI launch of two publications of recently-rediscovered Montgomery works, The Blythes are Quoted (edited by conference co-chair and LMMI visiting scholar Dr. Benjamin Lefebvre) and Una of the Garden. All are welcome to register, and day and session passes are available for those unable to attend the full conference. For more information and to register, visit lmmontgomery.ca/events/conference2010, e-mail cydennis@upei.ca, or call 902-628-4346.

The PEI government has appointed eleven people to the inaugural board of directors to oversee Health PEI, the province's new health services authority. They were selected from more than 130 applicants. Four of the board members are UPEI alumni and/or faculty. They are James T. Revell, Dr. Stephen O'Brien, Phyllis Horne, and Dr. Donna Murnaghan.

In 2009, in response to concerns raised in the 2008 Corpus Sanchez International (CSI) health system review, the Province struck the Health Governance Advisory Council and tasked it with making recommendations regarding the governance of the health care system. In November 2009, the government released the PEI Health Governance Advisory Council's report and, in accordance with the report's recommendations, introduced legislation to create an arms-length governing body to be called Health PEI.

The Health Governance Advisory Council identified the Health PEI Board as a crucially important element of the proposed new governance structure and recommended that the members of the Board possess key leadership competencies, have a range of relevant skills and experience, and be broadly representative of the Island community. The Council's recommendation was accepted and legislated in the Health Services Act.

The Health PEI board will be chaired by Leo Steven, former CEO of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre - an internationally respected, dynamic, research-oriented teaching hospital. The other board members are Geraldine MacKendrick, Dr. Marvin Clark, Kenneth Ezeard, Gordon MacKay, Dr. Kinsey Smith, and Denis Marantz.

The core responsibilities of the board of Health PEI include budgetary oversight and authority to oversee the day-to-day delivery of services in accordance with policies set by Department of Health and Wellness. Health PEI will deliver the front-line services to Islanders.

BIOGRAPHIES

James T. Revell

James T. Revell graduated from the University of Prince Edward Island in 1982 and Dalhousie University Law School in 1985. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of the Insurance Company of Prince Edward Island. Prior to joining the Insurance Company of Prince Edward Island, he practiced law and was a partner in the Ch arlottetown law firm today known as Cox & Palmer. Mr. Revell is also a director and shareholder in a number of companies including having a financial interest in a number of private companies operating in PEI.

Mr. Revell has been active in the community with organizations such as Four Neighborhoods Community Medical Center in Sherwood and Parkdale Sherwood Headstart as well as a number of sports and charitable organizations. A member of the PEI Law Society and Canadian Bar Association, Mr. Revell lives in Charlottetown.

Dr. Stephen O'Brien

Dr. Stephen O'Brien was born and raised in Morell, Prince Edward Island. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Prince Edward Isl and in 1971 and his Medical Doctor Degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1975. In 1987, Dr. O'Brien was certified as a member of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. In 2010, he became a Certified Independent Medical Examiner.

Dr. O'Brien worked as a family physician in Souris from 1976 until 2004. He is also a Past President of the PEI Chapter of Family Physicians of Canada. Currently, Dr. O'Brien serves as a Medical Director for the Worker's Compensation Board and also as House Physician at the Hillsborough Hospital. Dr. O'Brien lives in Souris.

Phyllis Horne

Phyllis Horne has been an educator with the Western School Board for the past 38 years. She has been a classroom teacher, special education/resource teacher, and an administrator. From 2007-2009, she served as the President of the Prince Edward Island Teachers' Federation and has always been an advocate for students, teachers and education. During her career, Phyllis served on numerous committees at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and at the Teachers' Federation. She completed a Masters of Education in Leadership and Learning at UPEI in 2001. Her thesis focused on inclusive practices in education in Prince Edward Island. She lives in Mill River.

Donna Murnaghan

Dr. Donna Murnaghan is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at the University Prince Edward Island. Her teaching expertise includes Advanced Nursing Practice, Leadership, Communication Theory, Chronic Illness, Primary Health Care, Cancer and Research, and Quality Improvement. Dr. Murnaghan is the Lead Investigator for the Comprehensive School Health Research Group, which conducts policy relevant research and knowledge exchange across health behaviours with the goal to influence policy and practice. Her strong leadership in promoting community-university partnerships is a critical element to enhancing the research capacity in Prince Edward Island at the local, national and international level.

Dr. Murnaghan has served on a number of boards including past president of the PEI Division of the Canadian Cancer Society, member of the PEI Health Advisory Council and past co-chair of the PEI Cancer Control Strategy. Dr. Murnaghan also served as Director of the PEI Health Research Institute from 2003 until 2009.

Four UPEI graduate students have each received a Dr. J. Regis Duffy Graduate Scholarship in Science, valued at $12,500. The new scholarships have been established by scientist and entrepreneur, Dr. J. Regis Duffy, who has a long-time connection to UPEI as an alumnus, faculty member, and former chair of the Board of Governors.

'The establishment of this prestigious new graduate scholarship through Dr. Duffy's generosity makes a significant contribution to the support and recognition of graduate students at UPEI, and will have a positive impact on the recruitment and funding of graduate students in the Faculties of Science and Veterinary Medicine,' says Dr. Brian Wagner, Assistant VP of Graduate Studies at UPEI.

The scholarship winners are Michelle MacPhee, Master of Science in the Department of Biomedical Sciences; Adam Proud, Master of Science in the Department of Chemistry; Mark Robbins, who is entering the Master of Science program in the Department of Biology; and Tyler Pickering, Master of Science in the Department of Biology.

Beginning this year, and continuing for a four-year period, four Dr. J. Regis Duffy Graduate Scholarships in Science will be awarded to graduate students who have demonstrated excellence and are pursuing an MVSc, MSc, or PhD in any area of science at UPEI. They will be selected based on academic record, professional contributions, and demonstrated ability in their area of study.

Dr. Regis Duffy's connections to UPEI date back more than 60 years. He earned a BA from St. Dunstan's University in 1953. After graduating with a PhD in chemistry from Fordham University in 1962, he joined the chemistry department at SDU. In 1969, he became the first Dean of Science at the newly-formed UPEI. He later established Diagnostic Chemicals Ltd., a major manufacturer of fine research chemicals, enzymes, and analytical systems for blood analysis, and Biovectra Inc., which manufactures and markets more than 400 products for the biopharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries.

In addition to supporting UPEI through his considerable philanthropic commitment, Dr. Duffy chaired the UPEI Board of Governors for 10 years, retiring in 2006. He was awarded the title of Chair Emeritus in 2007.

The Institute of Island Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island has released a survey report entitled, "Quality of Island Life: Tyne Valley and Surrounding Areas, 2006.' For further information, or to arrange a media interview, please contact Dr. Irene Novaczek at (902) 566-0386 or inovaczek@upei.ca.