University of Prince Edward Island expands global reach
The University of Prince Edward Island is growing its international footprint in bold, new, and exciting ways, Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, UPEI’s President and Vice-Chancellor announced to the campus community today at University Update 2018. With a vision endorsed by the UPEI Senate and Board of Governors, UPEI will now deliver degree programs in Asia, Africa, and Europe.
President Abd-El-Aziz indicated to over 250 faculty, staff, and students that he has been working closely with the Vice-Presidents, Deans, Senate, and Board of Governors over the last year on these initiatives and wanted to make the entire campus community aware of the great strides UPEI is making beyond Island shores.
“UPEI has been an outstanding provincial university and is now expanding its presence on the international stage,” said Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, UPEI’s President and Vice-Chancellor to an audience of over 200 people. “It is fantastic that Canadian education is being delivered around the world, and that we are playing our part. This academic year, UPEI has close to 1,200 international students on our campus, and now, with these exciting developments in Dubai, Cairo, and Madrid, we will be able to provide a quality UPEI education to so many more.”
Last week, UPEI signed an agreement with the Canadian University of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to jointly deliver degrees in Environmental Studies and Climate Change and Adaptation.
Dr. Katherine Gottschall-Pass, interim Dean of Science, said, “Programs at UPEI are future-focused, highly experiential, and project-based. These features are embedded in all of our science programs, making these offerings really attractive to both Canadian and international students.”
UPEI began discussions for an offshore academic program offering in Egypt a year ago after a Canadian parliamentary delegation visited the North African country to explore establishing a university complex in New Cairo. Several other Canadian universities have also begun to develop campuses as part of the University of Canada, Egypt (UCE) consortium. The UPEI initiative is being funded entirely by UCE.
Officials with the University of Canada, Egypt recently visited Prince Edward Island to develop a framework to offer UPEI degrees at its new international UPEI campus in New Cairo, Egypt beginning in September 2018. UPEI will offer its Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Design Engineering; three BSc degrees in mathematical and computational sciences (financial mathematics, actuarial sciences, and data analytics); Bachelor of Environmental Studies; Bachelor of Climate Change and Adaptation; and Bachelor of Business Administration.
“As with the science programs, UPEI’s business administration curriculum is taught in a manner that encourages creativity, unleashing potential and developing solutions,” comments Dr. Jurgen Krause, Dean of the Faculty of Business. “A ‘case’ in point is our unique case competition program that offers global learning opportunities—our approach is innovative and differentiates us from other schools, and will be welcomed in Egypt.”
Dr. Robert Gilmour, Vice-President Academic and Research, visited the new campus a few weeks ago to finalize the plan and commented, “UPEI will have exclusive jurisdiction over program delivery to ensure UPEI admission and degree requirements are met at UCE. Everyone is excited about the prospect of granting UPEI degrees outside North America.”
In another bold step, UPEI has signed a five-year agreement to become Universidad Rey Juan Carlos’ (URJC) partner in delivering a joint, one-year Master in Global Affairs degree as well as collaborate in areas of common interest and research. URJC, based in Madrid, has offered a multidisciplinary, professional master’s program in global affairs for several years and will now offer a joint degree option with UPEI where students will study for their first semester on Prince Edward Island and then move to the URJC campuses in Madrid and Strasbourg.
UPEI Interim Dean of Graduate Studies Larry Hammell said, “Both URJC and UPEI believe in providing outstanding academic programs and experiences that fully engage and develop our graduate students to be well-rounded leaders of tomorrow. Our joint-delivery model will help students attain the knowledge and insights needed to help address and solve the most critical challenges facing our world.”
The program will begin in September 2018 and be anchored at UPEI in the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
President Abd-El-Aziz added, “I look forward to our students—those in Dubai, Cairo, Madrid, around the world, and in Canada—developing to their full potential in our classrooms and our communities.”
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.
