Ryan Palmer, a third-year business student at UPEI, was recognized recently by the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation with an Excellence Award valued at $8,000 over two years. This award is given to students who demonstrate academic success and a significant contribution to the community, and who show leadership and commitment to innovation.

"I am thrilled to congratulate Ryan on this great recognition. These awards are valuable to students both for the national recognition and for the financial aid they provide to help them to fulfill their educational goals," states Roberta MacDonald, Dean of the School of Business.

Ryan Palmer is one of 200 students from across Canada to be selected for this year's award and he joins the company of Matthew O'Halloran, a UPEI business student who won the award last year.

"These excellence awards are both an investment in the future of our country and a way of recognizing some exceptional Canadians. The Foundation's Millennium Excellence Award laureates come from many different backgrounds and have lots of different interests, yet they all share an ability to inspire those around them through their achievements, their leadership and their dedication," said Gand#233;rard Veilleux, chairman of the Foundation's Board of Directors.

The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation is a private and independent organization created by an act of Parliament in 1998. It encourages Canadian students to strive for excellence in their post secondary studies, to face the challenges of a changing economy and society.

Sue Goyette, this year's UPEI Writer-in-Residence, will read from her fiction and poetry on Thursday, November 10, at 7:30 in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building, at UPEI. Anyone interested in meeting the Writer-in-Residence and hearing one of Canada's most animated, warm, insightful, moving, and engrossing writers is welcome to attend. Admission is free.

As Writer-in-Residence, Sue will be working at UPEI for four weeks during November. During her residency, she will hold individual consultations with local writers about their writing. Anyone interested in booking a consultation with her should contact Dr. Richard Lemm at the UPEI English Department: 566-0592 or 566-0389.

Sue Goyette's first book of poetry, The True Names of Birds (1998), was short-listed for the Governor General's Award for poetry, the Lampert Award for a first poetry book, and the Lowther Award for best poetry book by a Canadian woman. Lures (2002), her first novel, was short-listed for the Thomas Raddall Award for fiction. Her new poetry book, Undone (2004), was short-listed for the Atlantic Book Awards. She has been a faculty member at the Maritime Writers' Workshop at UNB, the Wired Writing Program of The Banff Centre for the Arts, and the Sage Hill Writing Experience in Saskatchewan. She lives in Halifax, where she teaches creative writing part-time, serves as poetry editor for Pottersfield Portfolio, and is completing her second novel, Miracle.

The Health Council of Canada has donated $20,000 for a full-tuition scholarship at the University of Prince Edward Island. This scholarship has been created to acknowledge J. Camille Gallant, a Charter Member of the Health Council of Canada from Prince Edward Island, and to recognize his Acadian background and work in health care. The scholarship will be granted to a full-time bilingual student entering UPEI's School of Nursing.

"Many students rely on scholarships, bursaries, and awards in order to fund the costs of their post secondary education," says Kim Critchley, Dean of Nursing. "We are very grateful for this important contribution in memory of J. Camille Gallant. This opportunity will be much appreciated by our bilingual students."

Gallant, a Charlottetown resident, passed away in August 2004. He had enjoyed a successful career as a Chartered Accountant that lasted more than 40 years. His expertise was in domestic and international health care finance management. His work included acting as team leader in the World Bank Health Reform project in Russia, and serving as Chair of the Nova Scotia Royal Commission on Health Care.

In 2003, J. Camille Gallant was appointed to the Health Council of Canada as a non-government representative. The Council is mandated to monitor and report on the progress of health care renewal and is committed to advancing the renewal of Canada's health care system and the health of Canadians. Michael Decter, Chair of the Health Council, stated "With his extensive background experience, Camille made an invaluable contribution to the deliberations of Council and served with distinction as Chair of Council's Finance and Audit Committee."

The student to be chosen for the J. Camille Gallant Scholarship will have achieved high academic standing, be fluent in both French and English, and have demonstrated financial need. It will be granted at high school graduation in June 2006. Applications will be available through the UPEI Registrar's Office and high school guidance counselors.

More than 50 new student scholarships, bursaries, and awards have been created by supporters of the UPEI Building a Legacy Campaign over the past two years. Generous families, individuals, and organizations have given over $1 million to the University to assist students who achieve well academically and students who are in financial need.

The University of Prince Edward Island is pleased to announce that Aliant has signed on to be the presenting sponsor for the 2005 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Men's Soccer Championship, scheduled for November 10-13 at UPEI. This is the first year for UPEI to host the Championship games which will be played on the new synthetic turf field.

"We are very proud to serve as the presenting sponsor of the CIS men's soccer championships at UPEI," said Bruce Howatt, Director of Regional Services for Aliant. "We are really looking forward to working with the organizers to help PEI host another great national tournament and to continue to build our support of youth soccer in Atlantic Canada."

"UPEI is proud to be hosting this national event and is grateful to Aliant for choosing to be a sponsor of the CIS (M) Soccer Championships," says UPEI Athletic Director, Ron Annear. "This couldn't come at a better time with the construction of the new turf field; this is a very exciting time for UPEI."

Part of Aliant's involvement will include a cash component that will go to the men's and women's soccer programs at UPEI. Young soccer players from the province will also have an opportunity to participate in the CIS Nationals through Aliant's involvement. Players from area youth teams will participate in the Aliant Walk Out, joining the participating teams for the walk onto the field for all games during the National tournament. Local youth will also participate in the Aliant half time show during each game.

The 2005 CIS Men's Soccer Championships, presented by Aliant, will feature eight teams from all CIS conferences in Canada including UPEI as the hosting team.

For more information on the tournament, or for ticket information, please contact UPEI Athletics at 566-0432.

About Aliant

From its home base in Atlantic Canada, Aliant delivers a wide variety of innovative and traditional communications services, including local and long distance telephony, wireless, Internet, e-commerce, interactive multimedia, data and managed network services, to more than two million consumers and over 80,000 enterprises. Aliant complements its industry-leading telecommunications business with strengths in information technology solutions and knowledge-services applications. Aliant's approximately 8,400 employees build on its 100-plus year history by collaborating to deliver the highest quality of customer service, choice and convenience. Aliant has a market capitalization of approximately $3.5 billion.

As Parliament begins discussing bill C-407, which calls for the legalization of assisted suicide, a provocative new book by an internationally-acclaimed Canadian historian of medicine is bound to inform the coming debate.

In Life, Death, God, and Medicine: A Concise History of Euthanasia (Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2005), UPEI history professor Ian Dowbiggin exposes the many disturbing themes that link present and past, and traces the heated international controversy surrounding assisted suicide and other forms of euthanasia. Dowbiggin reminds us that the stakes in the struggle over "the right to die" are enormously high, with the lives of countless vulnerable people hanging in the balance.

Dr. Dowbiggin is Chair of the UPEI History Department. He is the author of four books on the history of medicine, including A Merciful End: The Euthanasia Movement in Modern America (Oxford University Press, 2003). A frequent commentator on current events and medical issues, he has been featured on C-SPAN's Book TV and National Public Radio.

UPEI continues to establish itself as one of the top undergraduate research universities in Canada. Research Infosource Inc., a consulting firm which monitors Canadian universities' success in research development, has released the figures from its Top 50 Research Universities List 2005. The report designates UPEI as one of three "Research Universities of the Year."

"These full-service universities demonstrated superior achievement both in earning research income and in publishing research in leading Canadian and international journals," says the report. UPEI scored third in the primarily undergraduate category, behind only Trent University in Peterborough, and Royal Military College in Kingston. This is the third year in a row that UPEI has enjoyed such success.

"This says we have excellence throughout the institution, excellence that works very hard to create new knowledge, brings new ideas forward, and shares these ideas with the rest of the world," said Katherine Schultz, Vice-President of Research Development at UPEI. "It's not just about money. It's about how many faculty and students are involved in research. It's also about getting our research out, across the world, to the journals that count, the ones that people read."

Dr. Schultz stressed that research growth and excellence are important contributors to provincial and national prosperity. "This excellence translates into our teaching, our training of the next generation, the next set of leaders who will play a key role in all of the industries, all of the sectors across Prince Edward Island and across the country."

The rankings were based on indicators such as total sponsored research income, research income per full-time faculty position, research income per full-time graduate student, and the number of publications per full-time faculty.

The Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island recognized its students, faculty and staff on November 3 at the Annual AVC Recognition Night. More than 200 people gathered to honour the hard work and dedication of those who received awards.

"Our Recognition Night is a chance to acknowledge the hard work our students, staff, and faculty in all that they do here at the College," says Dr. Tim Ogilvie, Dean of AVC. "It is also a chance to thank our many donors who support and encourage our students to pursue excellence by financially supporting the various awards."

More than 50 awards were presented including the Mark D. H. Lawrence Memorial Award. This award was presented for the first time last night to Ameet Singh, fourth-year doctor of veterinary medicine student, for his demonstrated proficiency in small animal medicine and surgery as well as his leadership in community affairs. Memorial awards like this are a special way to help students and acknowledge their hard work while honouring the work and life of others.

In 2001, the Canadian veterinary community was saddened by the loss of Dr. Mark Lawrence in a skiing accident. A graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College, Mark was a successful small animal veterinarian and practice owner in Fredericton, New Brunswick who grew up in Amherst, Nova Scotia. His professional interests extended beyond his successful practice. He was a past president of the New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association and served on the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association National Issues Committee. He was also very dedicated to his family.

"Mark was a passionate practitioner who loved veterinary medicine and he enjoyed handing on his skills. He would be delighted that this award given in his name is to someone who has the same commitment to life," said Dr. Anthony Lawrence, Dr. Mark Lawrence's father, last evening at the AVC Recognition Night.

Also presented was the Pfizer Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teacher Award. This award is presented to an outstanding teacher, who, through his or her ability, dedication, character and leadership contributes significantly to the advancement of the veterinary profession. Dr. Etienne Cand#244;tand#233; from AVC's Department of Companion Animals, was recognized this year for his ongoing commitment to the students at the AVC.

Anyone interested in donating to an AVC award such as the Mark D. H. Lawrence Memorial Award should contact the AVC Dean's Office at (902) 566-0801.

The major AUS soccer awards were released on November 3. UPEI players captured three out of six major awards. Male AUS Soccer MVP is Ryan Anstey, Female AUS Soccer MVP is Amy Connolly, and Female AUS Soccer Rookie of the Year is Tessa Roche. See details below:

Women's Soccer Major Awards Announced-Two Panthers

UPEI-Amy Connolly - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2005 women's soccer major award-winners as selected by the conference's head coaches.

The 2005 Atlantic University Sport Player of the Year is fifth year centre midfielder Amy Connolly of the UPEI Panthers. Amy netted four goals this season for the high scoring Panthers and was directly involved in 75 per cent of her team's scoring. The Panthers scored a league-best 47 goals in 13 games. She is known throughout the conference as a great tackler, passer and considered to be a complete player. "Amy is the best women's player ever to wear the green and white at UPEI," says head coach Mike Redmond. "She has been the heart and soul of the Panthers program for her five years with the team." Connolly is the first UPEI women's soccer player to be named league MVP.

UPEI's Tessa Roche is the 2005 women's soccer Rookie of the Year. Roche, a first year Arts student from Pownal, led the conference and the nation in scoring this season with 15 goals in 13 games. Tessa potted nine of her goals in the final five games of the season and recorded three multiple-goal games, including a five-goal performance in a 5-0 victory over Moncton. Roche becomes the first UPEI player to be named conference Rookie of the Year.

Men's Soccer Major Awards Announced- Panther wins MVP

UPEI-Ryan Anstey(November 3, 2005) HALIFAX, NS - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2005 Men's Soccer Major Award Winners as selected by the conference's head coaches.

Ryan Anstey of the UPEI Panthers is the 2005 Atlantic University Sport Player of the Year. Ryan led the Atlantic conference and the nation in scoring this season with 15 goals was named a first team conference all-star for the third consecutive year. In five years with the Panthers, Anstey has scored 43 career regular season goals, ranking him 3rd all-time in the conference behind Dalhousie's Jeff Hibberts (47) and SMU's Ross Webb (72). UPEI's Pat O'Connell was the last Panther to be named Atlantic conference MVP. Ryan is the league's nominee for the Joe Johnson Memorial Trophy as the CIS Player of the Year. UPEI's Glen Miller (1998) is the only Panther to have received the award.

Today, November 7, the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) of the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) confirmed arrangement for an and#145;ultimate gift' from Donna and Richard Hassard. The Hassards, AVC campaign co-chairs presented the College with a generous donation of $12,000 per year, a portion of which will be used for life insurance premiums on a $1-million policy. The proceeds of the policy will be earmarked for the future upgrading of the planned AVC Student Learning Commons.

"We are grateful for the strong support and commitment of Donna and Richard toward AVC," said Dr. Tim Ogilvie, Dean of AVC. "They are dedicated members of the AVC community who are leading the way to fulfilling our expansion plans. The "ultimate gift" of a $1 million life insurance policy confirms their inclusion in the UPEI Visionary Society of planned giving to higher education."

The Learning Commons will be equipped with computers, a veterinary resource centre, and small-group and self-study areas, this new space will help students meet the demands of an intensive curriculum.

"Even though we are impressed with all aspects of AVC's infrastructure, it wasn't difficult to decide where our gift should go," said Donna Hassard when she presented the gift to Dr. Ogilvie. "Without dedicated students, there would not be an AVC and we want to ensure students will always have a state- of-the-art Learning Commonsand#151;a place of their own to study, confer and relax."

The Student Learning Commons is part of AVC's $32-million expansion and renovation project. Phase I of the expansion has begun with renovations to the anatomy lab and will continue in the new year with the construction of a 57,000-square-foot Bioresource Research Complex. Future phases of the project are dependent on the fundraising efforts and are expected to include an expansion of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital with upgrades to equipment, an expansion and upgrading of Aquatic Sciences, as well as upgrades to the infrastructure and equipment of Diagnostic and Teaching Laboratories.

With a goal of raising $7.5-million toward the $32-million AVC expansion and renovation project, the AVC Capital Campaign has already raised $1.2 million.

For twenty years, AVC has been Atlantic Canada's college of veterinary medicine. With over 800 graduates, a Veterinary Teaching Hospital caring for over 3,500 large and 5,000 small animals each year, and ongoing world-class research, the College is committed to educate veterinarians, promote animal and human health, and provide services for the management of the health and well-being of animals.

Bill LeClair is a successful Calgary real estate lawyer who has never forgotten his Prince Edward Island roots. Although it is 35 years since he graduated in Business from UPEI, he is still immensely proud of the institution that gave him his first degree. So much so that for the past eight years he has been energetically raising funds to support UPEI students.

"I've been working with Islanders who want to give a little back to the place they came from," Bill explains. "They're not all UPEI alumni, but they are all proud of PEI and proud of what is happening at our University. Two of our biggest supporters have been Lou MacEachern, who is a member of the board of governors of UPEI, and Bill Andrew who is the Chancellor."

The Friends of UPEI, as they are called, have raised over $520,000 so far. The money is invested through the Calgary Foundation, a community foundation that links donors and charitable organizations. The investment will fund UPEI scholarships and bursaries in perpetuity. This year alone, they gave out $33,000 to 23 students, 10 from Calgary and 13 from PEI.

"We're aiming some of our scholarships at Calgary students who already recognize the value of attending a smaller university. We want to encourage them to attend UPEI because we know they'll have an excellent experience there," says Bill, whose daughter, Carly, is now in her fourth year at UPEI.

Their main fundraiser is an annual dinner and silent auction held at the Glencoe Club in Calgary on the first Saturday of November. This year it took place November 5. The guest speaker was Dr. Tim Ogilvie, Dean of the Atlantic Veterinary College. When the Friends of UPEI first organized the event, a hundred people showed up. Now the attendance has doubled.

"We raise money for scholarships, we have a really enjoyable time, and we get to renew old friendships and make new ones. What could be better than that?" says Bill. He adds that they are always looking to make new connections with Islanders who have moved out west. "I'm sure there are many more people from PEI in Calgary, especially younger people, who aren't aware of the Friends of UPEI. I'd like them to know that we'd be delighted to hear from them."

Although the organization's main objective is to raise funds, there have been other positive spin-offs from the networking that takes place. Bill cites the example of Dr. Carolanne Nelson, whose parents attend the Friends of UPEI fundraising dinner. As a result of information shared at the dinner, Carolanne learned about opportunities at UPEI, and eventually moved to the Island to become a researcher and professor in the Family and Nutritional Sciences Department. "It's the synergy that's happening that I really get excited about," says Bill. "UPEI is reaching much further afield than a lot of people think."

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Friends of UPEI in Calgary should contact Bill Leclair at (403) 245-3500, or leclair@calgarylaw.com.