The National Day of Mourning, or Workers’ Mourning Day, originated in Canada in 1984 and is now observed annually in over 100 countries on April 28 to honour the memory of those who have died, and pay respect to those who have been adversely affected by life-changing injuries or illnesses in the workplace. Workers' Mourning Day also raises awareness and renews the commitment of all levels of government, employers, workers, and community members to ensure safe and healthy workplaces exist as every worker has the right to return home safe and sound at the end of each workday. 

Canadian workers compensation statistics from 2017 tell us there were:

• 951 workplace deaths (an increase of 46 in 2016) including 23 young workers from 15–24 years of age.
• 251,508 claims accepted for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease, including 31,441 from young workers aged 15–24.

There are several ways to show support for those who have been affected by workplace fatality or injury. The PEI Federation of Labour will host a National Day of Mourning Ceremony on Sunday, April 28, 2019 at 2:00 pm at St Paul's Church Hall, 101 Prince Street, Charlottetown. The University of Prince Edward Island will observe the day by keeping the flags at half-mast (they were lowered earlier this week to honour UPEI alumnus Josh Underhay and his son Oliver who passed away suddenly as a result of a tragic accident).

The University of Prince Edward Island celebrated the appointment of its newest Canada Research Chair at a ceremony today. Dr. Josh MacFadyen becomes the Canada Research Chair in Geospatial Humanities in UPEI’s Faculty of Arts. Over the five years of the appointment, Dr. MacFadyen will use new techniques and multidisciplinary approaches to examine historical transitions of food and energy in Canada as well as their impacts.

“It is an honour to be back at my alma mater and very exciting to be a faculty member in the new Applied Communication, Leadership, and Culture program,” said Dr. MacFadyen. “The Canada Research Chair offers a unique platform for training and research, the region has robust historical and geospatial communities, and PEI has become a nexus for people interested in how food systems become more—or less—resilient in the face of threats like climate change. PEI has been mapped more than most jurisdictions; during the 1960s it became a focal point for federal projects like the Canada Land Inventory and the world’s first Geographic Information System (GIS). As such, PEI is an ideal place for historians to develop new geospatial research, and the CRC allows us to examine bigger questions such as how policy impacts land use and livelihoods in modern societies.”

Within the Faulty of Arts, the Canada Research Chair in Geospatial Humanities will reside in the Applied Communication, Leadership, and Culture (ACLC) program. The ACLC is defined by its focus on the transferability of the written, oral and visual communication skills, the critical thinking, and the cultural awareness acquired during a Liberal Arts education to the world beyond academia.

“Dr. MacFadyen’s strong digital humanities skill set and passion for research have already proven to be invaluable assets in our program,” said Lisa Chilton, director of the ACLC program at UPEI. “Students who work with him gain inspiration to explore new ways of using computers to understand and convey information. We are thrilled he has joined our team!”

This chair presents an exciting opportunity for students. Students working under the chair will study the environmental history and historical geography of Atlantic Canada. Much of their work will focus on the history of food and agriculture in Canada, including ways the modern food system has shaped our relationships with animals and the land. The transition to this kind of system occurred relatively recently on PEI; this presents an opportunity to map the causes and impacts of the transition using the tools of the geospatial humanities.

“This Canada Research Chair is a feather in the cap of the Faculty of Arts, and it presents many exciting opportunities for our students,” said Dr. Katherine Gottschall-Pass, interim Vice-President Academic and Research at UPEI. “History comes alive when we can make real connections to the physical place where they happened. Dr. MacFadyen’s talents and skills to examine the historical transitions of this place will help us all better understand our island home.”

As chair, Dr. MacFadyen will use new techniques and multidisciplinary approaches to examine Canadian food and energy transitions. The energy transition from wood to coal is widely considered the critical stage in global industrialization, and many economic historians point to the period when a nation’s fossil fuels surpassed its use of wood and other biomass energy. However, new research in the “metabolism” of social-ecological systems demonstrates that biomass energy consumption, especially wood energy and feed for livestock, actually grew in many countries during industrialization. The core outcomes of this chair will include databases and publications on the environmental history of food and energy, articles comparing Canadian regions to the international literature on social-ecological metabolism, and a book on Canadian energy history.

For more information on the new projects underway at Dr. MacFadyen’s lab, visit www.upei.ca/geolab .

The Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP) was established in 2000 by the Government of Canada. It stands at the centre of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world's top countries in research and development. It invests approximately $265 million per year to attract and retain a diverse cadre of world-class researchers, to reinforce academic research and training excellence in Canadian postsecondary institutions.

Chairholders aim to achieve research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences. They improve our depth of knowledge and quality of life, strengthen Canada's international competitiveness, and help train the next generation of highly skilled people through student supervision, teaching, and the coordination of other researchers' work.

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.

As part of UPEI’s 50th anniversary, the Robertson Library is presenting a lecture series to celebrate the historical roots of higher education on Prince Edward Island and its future. The series is named after educator Frank Pigot, honoured as a UPEI Founder for his work building the Library’s PEI Collection and University Archives.

Historian Georges Arsenault will deliver the third lecture of the series on Tuesday, May 21 at 7:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building. Arsenault’s talk is titled “Société Saint-Thomas d’Aquin and French Education on the Island.”

The Société Saint-Thomas d’Aquin (SSTA), the principal voice of the Acadian and Francophone community of PEI, is 100 years old this year. It was founded in 1919 at the annual convention of the PEI Acadian Teachers’ Association. Its immediate objective was to collect money for the education of young Acadians, but the overall goal of the SSTA was to see French and Acadian life flourish on the Island. Among the founders of the SSTA and who spearheaded the society for many years were Dr. J. Henri Blanchard, who taught at Prince of Wales College from 1910 to 1948, and Rev. Nazaire Poirier, who was on the teaching staff of Saint Dunstan’s University from 1912 to 1937. The lecture will focus on the important contribution of the SSTA to French education on the Island over the last century. 

A native of Abram-Village, Georges Arsenault lives in Charlottetown. He is the author of many publications on Acadian history and folklore and a well-known lecturer. He is the president of the Sister Antoinette DesRoches Historical Society and was recently made a member of the Order of Canada.

Refreshments will be provided. Everyone is welcome.

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.

The University of Prince Edward Island is proud to host the Canada 2018 Gairdner International Award winner for the 2019 Gairdner Lectures. Dr. Davor Solter will deliver a public lecture on Monday, May 6 at 9:30 am in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building. A second lecture for high school students will take place immediately after at 10:45 am.

Dr. Davor Solter is an emeritus member and director of the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics. He is a visiting international professor of the Siriraj Center for Excellence in Stem Cell Research, Mahidol University, and a visiting professor at the University of Zagreb Medical School.

Together, the work of Dr. Solter and Dr. Azim Surani has contributed to the understanding of the developmental consequences and molecular mechanisms of genomic imprinting, starting the field of epigenetics, the study of heritable changes in gene function without changes in the DNA sequence.

In 1984, they released parallel studies that demonstrated the concept of genomic imprinting. All cells in the animal contain two copies of every autosomal gene, one from the mother and one from the father, and in most cases both copies are expressed. However, “imprinted” genes are expressed only from either the maternally or the paternally inherited copy. Genomic imprinting has widespread roles in mammals, affecting embryonic and placental development and transmission of nutrients to the fetus, and regulating critical aspects of mammalian physiology, such as metabolism, neuronal development and adult behaviour. Extensive research based on this discovery led to the identification of numerous imprinted genes whose alleles are differentially expressed depending on the parent of origin.

Faulty imprints can lead to developmental, physiological and behavioural anomalies in mice, and result in diseases in humans. There is growing evidence for the importance of imprinting in disease susceptibility from developmental syndromes like Beckwith-Wiedemann, Angelman and Prader-Willi, to a variety of cancers and neurological disorders and obesity. It also has effects on diverse aspects of mammalian development and physiology, such as stem cells, core body temperature, nutrition and behaviour.

All are welcome to the public lecture. High school classes who would like to attend the student lecture may contact Jane Vessey at javessey@upei.ca.

The Gairdner Foundation was established in 1957 with the goal of recognizing and rewarding international excellence in fundamental research that impacts human health. Seven awards are given annually: five Canada Gairdner International Awards for biomedical research, one John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award for impact on global health issues, and one Canada Gairdner Wightman Award, reserved for a Canadian. The Foundation has bestowed 380 awards on laureates from 35 countries; 89 of those recipients have gone on to receive Nobel Prizes.

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.

The following message was distributed earlier today to faculty, staff, and students.

Message from the President and Vice-Chancellor

Dear Members of the University Community,

The conclusion of the 2018–19 academic year at the University of Prince Edward Island is fast approaching, and, with Convocation around the corner, I am looking forward to celebrating the accomplishments of our students, faculty, and staff.

We are also nearing the end of the fiscal year (April 30, 2019), signifying the culmination of several months of budget planning, which began with broad consultation with the Vice-Presidents, University Librarian, Chief Information Officer, Deans, and Directors. After gathering information from across campus, we made the best decisions possible to ensure that growth is sustainably managed and the burden of tuition costs on our students is minimized.

Therefore, due to the collaborative efforts of many, I am pleased to announce, for the eighth year in a row, that the University of Prince Edward Island Board of Governors, at its meeting last night, approved a balanced operating budget for the 2019–20 fiscal year. We are projecting total operating revenues and total operating expenses of $124.2 million, a record high. The budget document outlines how we will fund UPEI’s operating expenditures, while identifying opportunities to invest in new strategic initiatives that expand our community impact and global reach.

As a public institution, UPEI also works very closely with the Government of Prince Edward Island on shared priorities—including the attraction and retention of students from the Island, across Canada, and around the world—in order to develop a sustainable budget for the University. Last year, the Government announced a multi-year funding agreement, allowing us to better plan, and to plan earlier, because of our advance knowledge of the two per cent increase to UPEI’s core operating grant. This support reflects the importance of postsecondary education to the future well-being of our province and we remain incredibly grateful for the Government’s investment, and true to our ongoing commitment to invest in our future.

Before I discuss these future opportunities, I would like to share some highlights from the past year.

Together, we have made wonderful progress in advancing our mission to provide outstanding experiential and research-driven learning opportunities for our students.

In 2018, we completed the transformation of Dalton Hall into the Student Experience Hub, an important and key component in serving prospective and current students, and in their successful completion of the enrolment process.

Along with members of the UPEI Strategic Planning Committee, I was energized after we engaged with members of our University community during our strategic plan renewal process, and then unveiled our guiding document, UPEI Strategic Plan 2018–2023. We are setting the bar higher and higher, and continue to develop ideas that align with our strategic priorities.

We can be proud of our ongoing gains in enrolment, and that our reputation as a leading university is growing locally, nationally, and around the world. We have welcomed a higher number of international students than ever before, and from more countries. We also have seen increases in the number of students from across Canada. 

To support this enrolment and program growth, UPEI has invested in people. We continue to attract and retain exceptional faculty and staff, and currently have the highest number of employees in our history.

The Atlantic Veterinary College completed the fifth year of its 10-year funding agreement with the four Atlantic Provinces, enjoying great success. This year, for the first time, AVC met certain Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), allowing for additional funding over and above the guaranteed one per cent funding increase to its general operating grant.

Looking ahead to 2019–20, core revenue in the budget is allocated towards the cost of important University activities including student and ancillary services, faculties and schools, academic support, administration, and property/maintenance. We continue to work diligently to grow revenues to help offset these costs and pressures such as increased labour costs, important infrastructure upgrades, increasing supply costs, and inflationary pressures, while at the same time keeping tuition increases to a minimum and among the lowest in Atlantic Canada. This budget includes the following tuition increases:

• Undergraduate tuition increase: 2% or $12 per course
• International fee increase: 2% or $14 per course
• Graduate tuition increase: 2% per program, amounts vary
• The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine tuition will also increase by 2% with the exception of international tuition. International tuition will remain at $66,500 per annum until 2019. This tuition rate was established in 2016 as a result of comparative support from regional sources and competitive market place analysis

I must commend our UPEI Student Union and President Will McGuigan for their ongoing collaboration with the University and advocacy on behalf of our students. While he and Board of Governors student representative Owen Shaw abstained from voting on the budget motion based on the principle that the tuition increase is higher than the current consumer price index (1.5), they also understand the pressures that the University is under to balance its budget. I am grateful for their hard work in ensuring student concerns are brought to the table.

Healthy people mean a healthy university. In 2019–20, UPEI will continue to make investments to support a healthy and vibrant campus environment. Our University will continue to work with government, donors, faculty, staff, alumni, and students to develop new academic programs and grow our physical and mental health services. We do this by expanding our unique offerings and delivering them in innovative ways.

As we look to the future, I encourage you to reflect on what UPEI has achieved last year, but also over the last fifty years as we celebrate UPEI at 50. We have recently completed the most ambitious friend-raising campaign in our history, INSPIRE!, and have received great support from the community, reaching our $50 million goal early. The economic and cultural impacts of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni go well beyond our campus to communities across the Island. In addition, UPEI makes important contributions to the economies of PEI and Canada through our research agenda and expertise, and we look forward to continue working with our government counterparts to propel opportunities forward.

With every year, my amazement builds at how UPEI’s innovation is having more and more impact. I sincerely thank all of our faculty and staff for their contributions to our University, and our students for choosing UPEI. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2019, I hope that you will share my enthusiasm for our future initiatives and what they will mean to our University for the next 50 years.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Alaa S. Abd-El-Aziz
President and Vice-Chancellor
University of Prince Edward Island

Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Prince Edward Island, announced today that three exceptional leaders in their respective fields will be awarded honorary Doctor of Laws degrees at the University’s Convocation ceremonies on May 10 and 11, 2019. Honorary degrees will be conferred upon Roger W. Warren, Albert P. Fogarty, and the Honourable Diane Campbell.

“Our 2019 recipients are excellent role models for our graduates and each one is a distinguished individual who has made a significant impact in their community,” said President Abd-El-Aziz. “By recognizing their outstanding achievements and connections to Prince Edward Island and UPEI with honorary degrees, we acknowledge them for their many contributions to society.”

The UPEI Senate approved the honorary graduands at a meeting earlier this year in accordance with the University’s policy that states honorary doctorates of laws will be presented “to individuals who display the highest levels of achievement in public and community service.”

For the first time, UPEI has added a third ceremony for Convocation to accommodate the growing number of graduates and limited seating capacity in the UPEI Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. The Convocation ceremonies, which are by invitation only, will take place on Friday, May 10 at 1:30 pm (honorary degree recipient, Roger W. Warren), Saturday, May 11 at 10:00 am (honorary degree recipient Albert P. Fogarty), and Saturday, May 11 at 2:30 pm (honorary degree recipient Hon. Diane Campbell). Ceremonies will be broadcast live on Eastlink Television. For more information on UPEI’s Convocation Ceremonies, please visit upei.ca/convocation.

About the recipients

Mr. Roger W. Warren
Born in Ontario, Roger Warren’s sincere interest in students and education, paired with his philanthropic generosity, has had impact across the country and beyond. Mr. Warren is passionate for student-centred initiatives rather than bricks and mortar projects and has demonstrated this through the many boards and committees he has volunteered with over the years. He is most interested in education for youth and the disadvantaged, especially those with learning disabilities.

After studying commerce at McGill University, Mr. Warren began his illustrious investment career in 1955 with A.E. Ames & Co., working in their New York, London, and Toronto offices, and retired from RBC Dominion Securities’ Bay Street offices after serving in senior investment and portfolio management roles.

He created the Rathlyn Foundation as a small, private family foundation to support medical education and research; advance veterinary science and education; and areas where trained animals are used to assist persons with disabilities. The Foundation has grown tremendously and counts as its benefactors: McGill University Law School (advancing rights of people with disabilities; business management; scholarships, bursaries, and endowments for Indigenous students); Ontario Veterinary College at University of Guelph; The Gow School to support students with disabilities; and UPEI to support Atlantic Veterinary College student awards, the Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre, and the Chinook Project, which provides essential veterinary care to isolated communities in the Canadian north.

Mr. Warren is a founding member and honorary trustee of the Ontario Veterinary College’s Pet Health Trust and holds an honorary degree from the University of Guelph.

Mr. Albert P. Fogarty
Albert Preston Fogarty has had a long and distinguished career in public life in Prince Edward Island. He was born in Cardigan, and educated at Saint Dunstan's University (BA ’62, BEd ’66), the University of New Brunswick (Graduate Studies in History), and Saint Francis Xavier University (MEd ’77).

In the early days of rural secondary education, Mr. Fogarty began his teaching career at Montague Regional High School, but very quickly moved to the principalship at Souris Regional High School. In this position, he lobbied for excellent teachers and indeed succeeded in bringing a high level of education to this part of Prince Edward Island. Under his leadership, he developed an excellent staff and many graduates proceeded to further education and distinguished careers in Canada and abroad.

As well as his contributions to education, Mr. Fogarty extended his skills and abilities to his community. He served as president of the Prince Edward Island Teachers' Federation from 1969 to 1970 and represented 1st Kings district in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1979 to 1993, serving in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Health and Social Services from 1981 to 1986. Fogarty was Superintendent of Education for the province from 1993 to 1994. In 1997, he became executive director of the adult and community education institute at Holland College, retiring in 2001.

Mr. Fogarty has published several reports and papers and was a contributor to Minding the House: A Biographical Guide to Prince Edward Island MLAs. He is a recipient of a Centennial Citizenship Citation (1973) and Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Confederation (1992). Over the years, he has volunteered for a variety of boards and committees and is current Chair of the Saint Dunstan’s University Board of Governors and SDU Institute for Christianity and Culture at UPEI.

The Honourable Diane Campbell, QC
The Honourable Diane Campbell, from Summerside PEI, graduated from the University of Prince Edward Island in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She proceeded to the University of New Brunswick on full scholarship to complete her law degree in 1975, and her Master of Law degree the following year from the prestigious Harvard Law School.

As the first woman called to the Bar in PEI with a Masters of Law from Harvard, Madam Justice Campbell spent almost 25 years as a sole practitioner in Prince County, focusing her general legal practice on business, commercial, estates, and real estate law. While a resident of Prince Edward Island, she was extensively involved in the community, holding volunteer roles often at the leadership level with the PEI Literacy Council, Summerside Chamber of Commerce, the Boys and Girls Club, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Cancer Society, the PEI Humane Society, and PEI Women in Business Association.

In 2000, she was appointed to the Federal Tax Court of Canada as one of 20 judges—the first female from Prince Edward Island to hold this honour. Ms. Campbell is a well-respected Canadian jurist who regularly attends international meetings as a representative of the Canadian branch of the International Association of Women Judges. Diane Campbell's impressive career in law is a shining example of what can be achieved, particularly important because of her gender, as she was among the few women in the mid-1970s who entered the legal profession. UPEI recognized Justice Campbell as one of its most distinguished alumni with a 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Dr. Greg Keefe, dean of the Atlantic Veterinary College, has been elected president of the Deans Council—Agriculture, Food, and Veterinary Medicine for a one-year term. He served as president-elect for the past year.

The council includes researchers, educators, and scientists in the five faculties of veterinary medicine and the eight faculties of agriculture housed in 11 universities across Canada.

Focusing on education and training, research, and public service and policy, the members provide scientific expertise and discoveries in areas critical to a sustainable economy, society, and environment. These areas include One Health, animal health, zoonotic diseases, and epidemiology; soil sciences including remediation of damaged sites and thawing permafrost; plant and crop sciences enhancing food production efficiency, quality, and safety; animal genetics, production, and welfare; bioproducts such as biofuels and biodegradable food packaging, and novel food development and processing; and economic and trade policy and consumer/purchaser priorities. They also work toward practical applications of their discoveries for the benefit of food industries, agricultural producers, and local and global communities.

The University of Prince Edward Island’s Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering (FSDE) will showcase the best in student, sustainable engineering at the annual Student Design Expo and Awards Ceremony, Thursday, April 18.

Student projects will be set up for public viewing at various stations around the first floor of the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering building. Each project is the result of collaboration between FSDE students and an industry or community partner. Students were tasked with designing and creating solutions to their partners’ unique challenges.

“The Student Design Expo is a great opportunity for the public to learn about our unique educational model and to observe firsthand what our students can achieve over the course of their studies,” said Dr. Nicholas Krouglicof, dean of the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering. “I’m confident that visitors will be amazed by the sophistication of the various design projects as well as the professionalism exhibited by our students.”

The public component of the Student Design Expo begins with a short ceremony at 1:00 pm. Projects are available for viewing through the afternoon, with the Student Award Ceremony beginning at 4:00 pm, and a brief panel discussion about opportunities for design engineering graduates beginning at 4:30 pm.

Dozens of projects will be on display from students in all four years of the undergraduate program. Projects range in scope from advanced optical imaging for use in national defence technology, to technology to capture and re-use energy used to cook lobster in a commercial cannery.

All are welcome!

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.

The first International Conference on Small Island States and Subnational Island Jurisdictions was hosted March 26 to 29 by the University of Aruba, in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (COE) and the UNESCO Chair in Island Studies and Sustainability, which is shared between the University of Prince Edward Island and the University of Malta.

The theme of the conference was “Island States/Island Territories: Sharing Stories of Island Life, Governance and Global Engagement.” The conference appealed to scholars, policy-makers, NGO representatives, students, and members of the general public. Close to 100 participants attended, representing several geographic regions, including the Caribbean, Pacific and Africa, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Sea (AIMS), Australasia, and the North Atlantic.

The conference awarded six international student travel scholarships, including Owen Jennings, a graduate of UPEI’s Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program and now a PhD student at the University of Hawai’i; and Patrick Lévêque, a current student in the MAIS program. Five other UPEI faculty and students presented papers, including Dr. Laurie Brinklow (lecturer in Island Studies), Kimberly Wishart Chu-Foon (PhD candidate, Environmental Studies), and MAIS students Margaret Paterson, Louise Campbell, and Catherine Gallant.

The conference featured two female heads of government as keynote speakers addressing integrity in governance and the resilience of islands. Both the Honourable Evelyna C. Wever-Croes, Prime Minister of Aruba and Minister of General Affairs, Integrity, Energy, Innovation & Government Organization, as well as the Honourable Leona Romeo-Marlin, Prime Minister of Saint Maarten and Minister of General Affairs, graced the conference with their insights.

The community enjoyed a free public lecture by Dr. Godfrey Baldacchino, organized alongside the conference on the evening of March 28, which was attended by the governor of Aruba.

The conference’s international planning committee was chaired by UNESCO co-chair Dr. Jim Randall (UPEI), with help from UNESCO Chair Co-ordinator Dr. Laurie Brinklow. Local co-hosts included Deborah Alexander from the Centre for Lifelong Learning at University of Aruba, Glenn Thodé, Rector of the University of Aruba, Patrick Arens, Business Director of the University of Aruba, and Arno Boersma and Francielle Laclé from the COE. The planning committee comprised scholars from several academic institutions, including the University of the West Indies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, University of Malta, Leiden University, and the University of the West of England.

Dr. Jim Randall noted that this was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the intellectual capacity and hospitality of the University of Aruba and the island in general. “Several first-time international delegates said to me that this will not be the last time they plan on visiting Aruba,” he said.

The Planning Committee is grateful for the contributions made by the sponsors to this event. These include The Dutch Ministry of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations, Guardian Group Fatum, the University of the West of England, Aruba Tourism Authority, the Think to Do Institute, Smit&Dorlas, and Aruba Aloe.

For more information, contact islands.conferencearuba@ua.aw.

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.

Please join us for a celebration of UPEI’s new Canada Research Chair in Geospatial Humanities, held by Dr. Josh MacFadyen.

The Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP) was established in 2000 by the Government of Canada. It stands at the centre of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world's top countries in research and development. It invests approximately $265 million per year to attract and retain a diverse cadre of world-class researchers, to reinforce academic research and training excellence in Canadian postsecondary institutions.

Chairholders aim to achieve research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences. They improve our depth of knowledge and quality of life, strengthen Canada's international competitiveness, and help train the next generation of highly skilled people through student supervision, teaching, and the coordination of other researchers' work.

A reception will immediately follow.

When: Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 11:00 am

Where: Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, UPEI