SDU Board Invests in Catholic Students and Christianity Centre
Charlottetown - The Board of Governors of St. Dunstan's University (SDU), one of the University of Prince Edward Island's two founding institutions, has strengthened its longstanding commitment to enable PEI students to explore catholic beliefs and teachings within a rigorous academic environment. The SDU Board will contribute approximately $1.37 million over the next five years to the new Centre for Christianity and Culture recently established at UPEI, and to assist more Island students to pursue their post-secondary education.
The announcement was made recently by George Morrison, Chair of the SDU Board, as St. Dunstan's alumni prepared to attend their 21st annual homecoming celebrations at UPEI.
"The mandate of the SDU Board is to support and promote Roman Catholic Higher Education in its various forms. We are extremely pleased to be able to bring this mandate to a new level through the cooperation that we have received from UPEI , in particular Dr. Velaidum and the Centre for Christianity and Culture," said Morrison
The Centre for Christianity and Culture is a research and study centre focusing on Christianity's impact and perspective on the intellectual and cultural life of Western civilization. The Centre coordinates various academic and community initiatives including: a new minor degree in Catholic Studies beginning at UPEI in September; a Christianity and Culture minor proposed for 2006; lectures, public discussions, and conferences on science and religion, ethics, politics, and current events.
"The Centre for Christianity and Culture is a significant event for both UPEI and the wider PEI community. Christianity continues to shape not only world politics and economics, but also the intellectual and cultural life of our society, and the personal lives of over 2 billion people," said Joe Velaidum, Founding Director of the Centre. "UPEI is now poised to be a significant international centre for the study of this global religion on world events, intellectual thought and the way people actually live."
For many years the SDU Board has supported bursaries for deserving Catholic students to attend any post-secondary institution in Canada. Beginning this year, it will fund up to three new $5000 scholarships for full-time students entering UPEI. They will be renewable for up to three years. The Board will also introduce up to three additional $5000 scholarships annually, to a maximum of 12 across four years of study. The new scholarships will be made available to PEI high school graduates, with a grade average of over 85%, who are active in their church and who are participating in the new Catholic Studies minor program.
"This donation from the St. Dunstan's University Board constitutes a most significant investment in post-secondary education in Prince Edward Island. In building a legacy of education and cultural identity for our province today, every dollar counts, and support of this magnitude counts for a lot," said UPEI Dean of Arts, Richard Kurial.
The new SDU scholarships are adjudicated by a special committee of the SDU Board. They will begin in September. More information is available by contacting the Board office at 629-1599. Information about the Centre for Christianity and Culture is available at 566-0444 or jvelaidum@upei.ca.
