UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan says today's provincial budget, that includes a 3 per cent increase to UPEI's operating grant, will help to address cost pressures, plus growth in enrolments and research.

'UPEI appreciates the increase in support from government,' MacLauchlan said. 'Today's provincial budget affirms the University's role and mandate, and we look forward to delivering on those expectations.'

He added, 'Today's announcement now permits us to move forward with developing the University's budget which will be presented to the Board in early May. It still involves continuing belt-tightening for the University, which we accept in challenging fiscal times.'

To view the 2011/12 provincial budget on the Government of PEI website, click here.

Four University of Prince Edward Island mathematics students finished in the top 25 per cent in the 71st annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition to earn UPEI its first-ever ranking.

Sam Arnold, Stephen Chandler, Jiaxin Cui, and Spencer Matheson participated in the December 4th contest, the most prestigious mathematics competition for undergraduate students in North America. This year, a total of 4,296 students from 546 institutions took part. The contest is written in two, three-hour sessions, each consisting of six very challenging math problems.

UPEI has participated in the yearly competition for the last 15 years. Dr. David Horrocks, associate professor of Mathematics at UPEI, said, 'I'm delighted to report that this year's results are our best ever. Jiaxin and Spencer had identical scores which placed them in the top 40 per cent and Sam placed in the top 5 per cent!'

Sam's result, which is the best ever by a UPEI student, will make him this year's recipient of the Icosahedron Prize. In addition to a monetary prize, Sam will have his name engraved on the icosahedron-shaped trophy which is presented annually to the UPEI student who attains the highest score on the Putnam. Sam Arnold, winner of the Icosahedron Prize.

Horrocks added that the students prepared for the competition by attending weekly training sessions as well as by taking a special topics course in mathematical problem solving that was offered in the fall of 2010.

'This is wonderful news and, on behalf of the campus, I extend my congratulations to the students,' said UPEI Vice-President Academic Jim Randall. 'This record result speaks to the students' excellent math skills and abilities as well as the quality mentoring that they are receiving from faculty.'

The Atlantic Canada Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Society recently awarded scholarships to University of Prince Edward Island students, Graham McNabb and Travis Bertram. Based on academic performance, the scholarships are awarded to those who plan to write the CFA Level I exam in the current calendar year.

McNabb and Bertram are both enrolled in the Business Administration program at UPEI. While McNabb will graduate in May, Bertram graduated in 2008 but returned this year to take a full load of accounting courses. There are only a total of ten of these prestigious recognitions given out in the Atlantic region.

'We are thrilled for Travis and Graham,' said Dr. Roberta MacDonald, dean of the UPEI School of Business. 'Both students have a strong work ethic and will no doubt succeed in the CFA program after their UPEI graduation. It is also wonderful to see the Society supporting future students.'

Bertram, McNabb, and the other eight winners will be acknowledged at the Society's Annual Forecast Dinner in Halifax, April 20.

'It is always a great honour to have academic achievement recognized,' said Travis Bertram. 'Both Graham and I know that our previous coursework at UPEI will offer a solid foundation as we work towards our CFA designation.'

The CFA program is a globally recognized, graduate-level curriculum that provides a strong foundation of the real-world investment analysis and portfolio management skills, and practical knowledge needed in today's investment industry. It emphasizes high ethical and professional standards and develops the broad range of skills needed for a career in the investment profession. The program is organized into three levels, each culminating in a six-hour exam. The three exams are one component in earning the CFA charter. There are currently more than 90,000 CFA charter holders working in over 135 countries around the world.

Jeff Price, from TuneCore, and one of the global leading experts on the digital music era, will deliver the keynote address at East Coast Music Week 2011 as part of UPEI's Chief Justice Thane Campbell Lectureship in Law series.

Price will address the audience on Friday, April 15 at 4:30 pm in the Elfin-Pekeha Room at the Delta Prince Edward.

Richard Kurial, dean of Arts at UPEI, expressed considerable enthusiasm at the prospect of Price's presentation. 'The ECMAs are about music, for sure, but they are also about the business of music, about making a living and a life in the profession. Jeff Price is a critical figure in helping to make such outcomes come to pass. On behalf of UPEI and the Law Society of PEI, we are most happy to bring Jeff Price forward to deliver a Thane Campbell lecture as a keynote speaker for this year's ECMAs.'

Since its launch in 2006, TuneCore has become the largest digital distributor of music, artists, and labels in the world. 'Jeff Price brings with him an immense amount of knowledge and experience key for our artists and industry,' said Su Hutchinson, executive director of the East Coast Music Association.

UPEI and the Law Society of PEI is also partnering with the ECMA on a legal panel entitled, ‘Stop! Don't sign that contract!' being held Thursday, April 14, 2:30 to 3:30 pm, in the Valient Room. Leading the panel is Susan Abramovitch, a partner at Gowlings law firm and a top legal mind on matters pertaining to intellectual property, copyright law, and entertainment contracts. Louis Thomas, recognized throughout the industry for the introduction and implementation of innovative deal structures and for the establishment of industry standards for artists, will also be on the panel.

The Chief Justice Thane Campbell Lectureship in Law is an annual lecture series in which distinguished jurists are invited to deliver a public lecture on various topics on various judicial and legal subjects. Former lecturers include Chief Justice Cromwell and Dean of Law Ian Holloway, University of Western Ontario.

Members of the Law Society and University community are able to attend both the panel and keynote address without having to obtain delegate passes, but should RSVP to Jane McKay (jmckay@upei.ca) to ensure a seat.

On Friday, April 15, UPEI engineering students will display their designs and network with community and engineering industry members at the 2011 Engineering Design Expo.

As part of their engineering design class in the three-year engineering diploma program at UPEI, students formed into groups and were partnered with various mentor organizations. Ranging from government departments to private companies to NGOs, these organizations had real-life engineering challenges for which the students designed creative and innovative solutions. These solutions will be on display from 11 am through to the evening when the Engineers PEI Design Team Awards and individual Department of Engineering awards, including the Noel MacAleer award, will also be presented.

All are welcome to attend the Expo, which takes place in McMillan Hall at the W. A. Murphy Student Centre.

The Honourable Robert Vessey, minister of Tourism and Culture, UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan, and University Librarian Mark Leggott cut the 'virtual' ribbon today for IslandArchives.ca, the website home of the digitization process and resulting collections maintained by the Robertson Library at UPEI.

The website encompasses a number of collections related to Prince Edward Island and is a rich, evolving resource that stewards and protects PEI's print and digital heritage. Each initiative that falls under the umbrella site involves content or financial contributions from the Island community, including individuals, community groups, PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, and the Public Archives and Records Office of PEI.

'IslandArchives.ca will prove to be an invaluable tool for researchers, authors, academics, students, and all Islanders interested in learning more about our rich heritage,' said Tourism and Culture Minister Robert Vessey. 'Our government is pleased to have been a part of this exciting project through the Public Archives and Records Office and the creation of www.islandimagined.ca, which features more than 1,000 maps, charts and plans, all available to researchers free of charge.'

Because of the ongoing nature of the project, members of the Island community as well as people from across the country are encouraged to visit IslandArchives.ca to contribute personal stories and visuals to this new online, developing archive. The Library also continues to seek financial support to sustain the project as new content is collected.

'The IslandArchives.ca project exemplifies what can be achieved through strong partnerships committed to preserving and sharing our Island history and its resources,' said President MacLauchlan. 'With support from government as well as from heritage-minded groups and individuals, UPEI is proud to offer a collaborative platform that enables a wide audience to share the benefits of digital historical collections and what they contribute to community building.'

The vision for IslandArchives.ca was developed after the Robertson Library became involved in ‘A Living Archives', a project that allowed PEI Grade 7 students to experience Island cultural artifacts first-hand, write about their favourite items, and virtually experience student life on the Island in the 1890s. The rich image archive made available through this endeavour led the Robertson Library to develop the facilities and expertise in ‘lifting the words and images' from archival documents and to create the tools to weave that information into new linkages and discoveries.

'IslandArchives.ca incorporates a physical facility with computer systems optimized for digitization and online storage of digital artifacts. It allows learners from around the world to view our rich Island heritage in a digital environment,' said Leggott.

The Library's recent acquisition of an Espresso Book Machine™, one of only a few such ‘print-on-demand' machines in Canada, completes the ‘artifact to digital, back to physical copy' loop because now books that are out of print, in the public domain, and in digital format on IslandArchives.ca can be potentially reprinted in paperback format.

Leggott added, 'With this equipment and expertise to collect, store and create copies of historical artifacts, IslandArchives.ca will become the definitive and living Prince Edward Island historical record.'

To contribute, click here.

IslandArchives.ca by initiative
IslandArchives.ca encompasses a number of Robertson Library initiatives as outlined below.

IslandLives -digitizing the Island's local, architectural, and personal histories. The ongoing project not only digitizes existing materials, making them available via a variety of technical tools, but also extracts unique place names, personal names, events, and dates to create a rich environment for researching PEI's heritage. In a truly unique innovation, IslandLives creates a dynamic listing of families-and stories from their histories-facilitating ongoing updates of new information and pictures, creating a living encyclopaedia of Island lives.

IslandNewspapers-digital versions of PEI's historic newspapers, from the first issues to the 1950s. Original page images are linked to the searchable full text, providing the first complete online history of the Island and its people. Using special features of Islandora (software developed at UPEI) these stories are linked to IslandLives and other components of IslandArchives.ca. For example, UPEI and partners in the US and UK have mapped the distribution of diseases (such as cholera) over time by mining the richness of information within our newspaper collections.

IslandVoices-an audio archive of oral histories, song, and other aural recording that present the story of PEI. IslandVoices includes such diverse collections as the oral histories recorded by historian Dutch Thompson, and similar material from the Benevolent Irish Society of PEI. These rich audio treasures are fully accessible via a sophisticated browsing interface, as well as a full-text search of transcripts and keywords from the sessions. By creating lists of keywords linked to specific times within the audio files, it is possible to weave links to stories and images from the other IslandArchives.ca collections.

IslandStories-a comprehensive archive of the books, reports, letters, diaries, and other print publications produced by and about PEI. Much of the material digitized from this collection comes from the collections of the Robertson Library and Public Archives and Records Office of PEI. For example, in partnership with the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, the Robertson Library has digitized the complete Island Magazine collection. In some cases, where important documents are out of print, the system, with its recent acquisition of an Espresso Book Machine™, will provide a special 'print on demand' service.

IslandImagined-a comprehensive collection of Island maps through historical record to the present day. Another partnership with Public Archives and Records Office of PEI, this project digitizes, describes, and makes accessible historical cartographic materials from a number of Island collections. Through the use of maps, charts, insurance plans, and atlases, IslandImagined explores the development of the province's human and natural geography and creates a narrative based on a series of themes, providing unique and compelling interfaces to the Island's cartographic resources.

A recent CD recording of O Canada by the UPEI Wind Symphony is now being played in public schools across Prince Edward Island and is receiving rave reviews.

O Canada became part of this academic year's UPEI Wind Symphony programming when they were invited to be part of the inaugural concert at the new Montague Regional High School in October. There, the UPEI group collaborated with the high school band (Kirk White, director) and the Montague Intermediate School Band (Jonathan MacInnis, director), resulting in a massed band of 150 performers.

The rendition was electric, sending shivers up the spine of many in the audience, and convinced UPEI Wind Symphony Director Karem Simon that he should propose recording the national anthem as part of the symphony's 13th annual CD project, to extend its reach beyond just live performances.

'O Canada is played at schools across Prince Edward Island at the beginning of each school day. Many of the renditions were older, so I thought this might be an opportunity to introduce a fresh, locally-recorded, and quality version to Island students. I hoped that the schools might include our interpretation, at least, in the rotation of those that are used.'

Simon contacted Vicki Allen-Cook, the arts curriculum consultant with the Department of Education in early December to ascertain whether there might be any interest in UPEI providing a CD copy for every school.

Allen-Cook said, 'When Karem approached me, I thought, ‘What a great gift this would be on so many levels.' The UPEI Wind Symphony is among the leading ensembles in the province and to have their talent reach Island students through an important national symbol like our anthem is especially meaningful. After I consulted with my colleagues, I was able to reply to Karem's proposal with a resounding ‘yes.''

Frank Nabuurs, music and band teacher at East Wiltshire Intermediate School was one of those colleagues who welcomed the recording. He said, 'Having such a high-calibre rendition of O Canada play each morning does inspire my students as they know the recording is from the UPEI Wind Symphony. They recognize that they can continue performing, and make an impact with their music, after they have completed public schooling as many members of the Wind Symphony have.'

The dignified and profoundly patriotic rendition that the Wind Symphony recorded is by Howard Cable, one of Canada's leading musicians, composers and arrangers. The recording was distributed to Island public schools in February and is now being enjoyed by students across the province.

Financing for the recording was provided by the UPEI Department of Music.

About the UPEI Wind Symphony
The UPEI Wind Symphony is comprised of music students at UPEI and a variety of community musicians. Each year it performs a variety of recitals on the UPEI campus and throughout PEI, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In addition, its annual recording project, has resulted in thirteen CDs to date.

About O Canada
O Canada, Canada's national anthem, was written by Calixa Lavallée (1842-1891) for the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français (French Canadian National Festival) held in Quebec City during the Saint Jean Baptiste festivities in June 1880. The original lyrics, in French, were the contribution of Adolphe-Basile Routhier. Beginning in 1901, English lyrics, written by various lyricists, were heard across the country.

One hundred years after its first performance, in 1980, O Canada was officially proclaimed the national anthem of Canada, with French lyrics by Routhier and English lyrics by Robert Stanley Weir.

The University of Prince Edward Island will soon be launching an exciting new international exchange program that will give student an opportunity to attend universities in the United States and Mexico.

A new NAFTA initiative, the ‘Program for North American Mobility' will partner UPEI with five other universities in Canada, Mexico, and the US to create a consortium that focuses on the exchange of third and fourth year business students. The five other universities are Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC; Texas A & M University-Commerce Campus, Commerce, Texas; California State University, San Bernardino, California; University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico; and University of Colima, Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico.

Over the next three years, at least 12 students from UPEI will be given the opportunity to take part in a one or two semester exchange, with funding available for each student to offset the cost of travel, language preparation, and costs of living. Students interested in attending schools in Mexico will be required to study Spanish either prior to departure at UPEI, or spend a semester studying at one of the host institutions.

Applications for the fall 2011 semester will be due by June 1, and the application process will begin again in September for the January, 2012 semester. Any questions about this new program can be forwarded to:

Sherilyn Acorn-LeClair
Coordinator of International Programs
UPEI International Office
sdacorn@upei.ca
902-894-2837

UPEI alumna and former UPEI lecturer, Dr. Betty Anne Younker has been named the new dean of the Don Wright Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario. Younker will begin her five-year term on August 1.

Younker is currently at University of Michigan, where she is associate dean for academic affairs and associate professor of music (music education) in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Since joining the University of Michigan in 2000, Younker has also served as chair of the Music Education Department (2004-06).

Prior to joining Michigan, she was assistant professor of music (music education) at Western (1997-2000) and a lecturer in the Faculty of Arts, Department of Music, at UPEI (1991-97).

Younker was also an instructor at several junior and senior high schools in PEI and Newfoundland (1981-90). Among her many honours and distinctions, Younker was named Distinguished Alumnus of the Year by Pennsylvania State University College of Arts and Architecture (2008), and served as president of the Michigan Music Educators Association.

Younker earned her BMus in performance and music education from UPEI (1978), MEd in music education from Pennsylvania State University, State College (1980) and PhD in music education from Northwestern University (1997). Her research interests include the philosophy and pedagogy of music education and critical and creative thinking. Her scholarly publications and presentations number in excess of 100 in a variety of state, national and international journals and conferences.

As a musician, Younker is presently a member of the Vocal Arts Ensemble in Ann Arbor, where she also guest teaches in area schools and serves as a solo, ensemble and band adjudicator.

The Canadian Journal of Education (CJE)/Revue canadienne de l'éducation (RCE) has published its first issue since being housed at the Centre for Education Research at the University of Prince Edward Island.

'The journal provides the opportunity for a variety of scholars and community advocates from across the country to share important educational research findings and ideas with other academics, educators, policy-makers and the public,' says Dr. Carla DiGiorgio, the journal's anglophone editor and associate professor of Education at UPEI. 'It allows for real impact on educational practice and discourse across the country and internationally.'

The Canadian Journal of Education publishes four times a year, with a focus on early, lifelong, and francophone education, and rural, aboriginal, cultural, pre-service, and inclusive perspectives. It embraces a variety of methodologies and approaches to research.

Issue 34.1 includes papers on such diverse topics as community service learning as part of a college program, the link between risk behaviours and educational attitudes in youth, workshops for developing female involvement in local politics, the gender divide in undergraduate computer science education, and principals' issues in leading schools in the North.

It is also the first issue to use the new Open Journal System (OJS). Through this online platform, readers are able to comment and discuss papers with authors and each other, thereby extending the application of theory to practice. The system also allows full public access to the journal which enables research findings to reach an unlimited audience in Canada and abroad. The journal can be viewed at www.cje-rce.ca.

The Canadian Journal of Education is the leading bilingual journal of educational scholarship in Canada. The journal is funded through the Canadian Society for the Study of Education, the largest organization of professors, students, researchers, and practitioners in education in Canada.

The editorial team includes Dr. DiGiorgio, anglophone editor; Christine Gordon Manley, managing editor; Dr. Stéphane Allaire, francophone editor; Dr. Rochelle Skogan, French book review editor; Dr. Michael Bowen English book review editor; and Gaspard Chabillan, translator; as well as the advisory board. The editorial team can be contacted at cje_rce@upei.ca.