Congratulations, President Abd-El-Aziz!

The University of Prince Edward Island’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, was named a Top 50 CEO by Atlantic Business Magazine at a formal red-carpet reception, dinner, and awards gala in St. John’s, NL last night.

Since 1999, Atlantic Business Magazine has dedicated one of its six issues per year to profiling Atlantic Canada’s 50 most accomplished business leaders. Nominees for the awards are judged according to their corporate, community, and industry involvement; their organization’s growth in recent years; and, their responses to various managerial challenges.

“I am very humbled to receive this honour from Atlantic Business Magazine,” said President Abd-El-Aziz. “While I am not an entrepreneur in the traditional sense, I do have entrepreneurial skills that I apply to my work as an administrator and researcher at UPEI.”

He added, “I love to pull together people with different skillsets to create a great team to accomplish a goal—whether it’s a fundraising target, constructing a new building, or creating a new program. It is immensely rewarding to see your collective vision become a reality and see the people you work with do well and feel good about their contributions and achievements. I am very proud to share this award with my colleagues at the University.”

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree-granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.