UPEI's Centre for Life-Long Learning has launched a new series of evening courses called "The Well-Lived Life." The first course, The Fun of Being a Retired Entrepreneur, takes place 7:00 - 9:00 pm, October 13, 20, and 27, 2005. It offers insights into entrepreneurship as a retirement lifestyle and is instructed by Ken Pierce.

Dr Clive Keen, Director of the Centre for Life-Long Learning, said "Lifelong learning shouldn't just be about job-related skills. We should also take time for personal growth, quality of life, and the sheer fun of learning. If Islanders agree and support the courses, this will be the first in an ongoing series covering everything from Wine Appreciation to Spirituality, from Collecting Antiques to Poetry Writing."

Dr Ann Howatt will be one of presenters with her four-Tuesdays course called "Art Secrets: The Art World Behind the Scenes." It begins on November 1, 2005 (note, this is changed from the original date of October 4.) Dr. Howatt, a native Islander who has recently returned home, is a specialist in visual culture and art conservation. She brings an intimate knowledge of art history and conservation and will be sharing her art conservation experiences in Canada, China, Japan, Australia and many other countries, covering everything from Egyptian mummies to the restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper", the painting behind the controversial novel, "The da Vinci Code."

"This course is about human stories and#150; some revealed by science, others discovered by dedicated citizens. We will explore actual cases of art, artifacts and ideas from the past that shape our world now. World heritage is every human's birthright, not an elitist study and#150; and in this course we will celebrate what we have saved," said Dr. Howatt.

Other courses include "Raising Happy Children and#150; and Enjoying Doing It", a discussion-based course covering how to make the good times better, and how to avoid, or deal with, the not-so-good times and situations, taught by Nancy Beth Guphill;"A User's Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine" which opens and concludes with an eye-opening general discussion of complementary and alternative medicine, coordinated by Daniel Schulman; and "How to Appreciate Great Music" which provides insights into listening and how to listen, deepening both appreciation, and knowledge, of classical music, led by Dr Clive Keen.

Courses cost between $98 and $125 per person, or $150 to $220 for couples. For further information contact extension@UPEI.ca, call Kelly Duffy at (902) 566-0336 or visit http://www.upei.ca/extension/wll/.

Joanne McCabe, Coordinator for Accessibility Services at UPEI for the past five years, has received a Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) of Canada's National Education Award.

"Joanne has shown superior leadership in education and has made significant contributions to persons with Learning Disabilities (LD) throughout many Canadian provinces. She has been an exceptional advocate for LD and provides many services for LD students at UPEI," says Sandra LeBlanc, Executive Director of the Learning Disabilities Association of PEI (LDAPEI) who nominated her for the award.

Joanne is an active board member of the PEI Literacy Alliance, LDAPEI, and a public member of the Prince Edward Island Psychologists Registration Board. She was the driving force to re-establish the Learning Disabilities Association in PEI, and has devoted many volunteer hours as a member of the Provincial Joint Working Group Committee on Learning Disabilities. The committee's report, "Recommendations for Improved Services for Islanders with Learning Disabilities" has been presented to the departments of Education, Health and Social Services, and the Office of the Attorney General.

Keefe Deighan, a student at UPEI, was selected for a Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) of Canada's Award of Excellence: Beat the Odds Youth Award. He began attending UPEI in September 2002 and is working toward a degree in Religious Studies. He was diagnosed with two learning disabilities in May 2002 in the language processing area, auditory processing and dyslexia. Keefe was the guest speaker at the first-ever PEI Literacy Summit held in Charlottetown in November 2004 and has acted as an advocate for young people with learning disabilities. He is currently Vice-President of the Learning Disabilities Association of PEI.

Keefe's university grades are in the 80 to 90 per cent range citation. His citation notes that he "continues beating the odds by having academic success and by making outstanding contributions to his community since being diagnosed with learning disabilities."

Both awards were presented by Honorable Shawn Murphy, MP for Charlottetown, on September 19.

The Honourable Mr. Justice James C. MacPherson, one of the judges who presided over the landmark decision by the Ontario Court of Appeal finding that the prohibition of same sex marriage was unconstitutional, will be guest lecturer at the Chief Justice Thane A. Campbell Lectureship in Law on September 29.

His lecture, open to the public, is "The Same Sex Marriage Case - The Intersection of Law and Politics in Canada and the United States," and will be held in the Courtyard of the W.A. Murphy Student Centre at the UPEI campus starting at 7:30 pm. Following the speech, there will be an opportunity for questions. The lecture is sponsored by UPEI and the Law Foundation of Prince Edward Island.

"We are delighted to have Justice James MacPherson deliver the Campbell Law Lecture," said UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan. "Justice MacPherson is one of Canada's leading jurists, and the opportunity to hear his personal reflections on the role of the courts in dealing with the constitutionality of Canada's marriage laws bears out the wisdom of the Law Foundation in establishing this lecture series."

In 1991, the Law Foundation of Prince Edward Island created an endowment at UPEI to provide a stimulating series of lectures that were to be held throughout the province on a regular basis. The lecture series was named the Chief Justice Thane A. Campbell Lectureship in Law to honour the Rhodes Scholar, former Premier, and first Chancellor of UPEI.

The first lecture took place in 1993 and the series has continued over the years with guest speakers such as: Chief Justice Antonio Lamer, Justice Joseph Ghiz, Justice Gerard LaForest, Anne S. Derrick, Peter MacKinnon, Bruce H. Wildsmith and Ronalda Murphy.

"The Law Foundation is delighted to continue its support of the Chief Justice Thane A. Campbell Lectureship in Law," said Paul Kiley, Secretary-Treasurer of the Law Foundation. "We are very pleased to have Mr. Justice James C. MacPherson as this year's guest lecturer, in keeping with a tradition of very distinguished speakers throughout the history of the lecture series."

The Law Foundation is administered by a board consisting of four members of the Law Society of Prince Edward Island and a representative of the Attorney General. The Law Foundation's mandate includes the promotion and funding of legal education in Prince Edward Island.

Justice MacPherson, who is on sabbatical from the bench and is teaching at Dalhousie Law School, comes with an extensive background with degrees from Acadia University, BA'71, Dalhousie, LLB'74; and Cambridge University, LLM'76. He taught law at the University of Victoria from 1976-79 and was director of the constitutional branch of the Saskatchewan Department of Justice from 1982-85. From 1985-87 he served as an Executive Legal Officer at the Supreme Court of Canada, then from1988-93 he was Dean of Osgoode Hall Law School. He was named to the Ontario Superior Court in 1993 and to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 1999.

For further information contact:

Alf Blanchard, UPEI Alumni Communications Officer at 566-0761 or alfblanchard@upei.ca

Paul Kiley, Secretary-Treasurer of the Law Foundation of Prince Edward Island, 368-8473 or paul.kiley@mcinnescooper.com

A Toronto family with connections to Prince Edward Island has made a substantial commitment to assist undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts at UPEI. Beginning this fall, students entering their second year of the four-year BA program have access to two new $15,000 scholarships established by Nona Macdonald Heaslip and Bill Heaslip. The first Heaslip Scholars have just been chosen. They are Meghan Ferris and James MacCormac.

In 2006, the Heaslips will support three-year renewable scholarships to two additional students. Beginning in 2007, two new Heaslip scholars will be selected every year and this arrangement will continue in perpetuity.

"The tremendous generosity of Nona Macdonald Heaslip and Bill Heaslip will mean that a total of six students will be receiving $15,000 each over three years for their studies," says UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan. "This is an unprecedented arrangement for scholarships at UPEI and a wonderful expression of support for our great university." President MacLauchlan added that many students rely on scholarships, bursaries and awards to fund the cost of post-secondary education. These scholarships often make the difference between continuing at university or not.

William Heaslip was the co-founder of Grafton Group Ltd., and he built what became one of the largest men's clothing companies in Canada. He is a Member of the Order of Canada. Nona Macdonald Heaslip is an established public relations consultant and journalist. She and her husband have made numerous donations to support education, the arts, and health care organizations in Canada. Her father, Colonel Ronald Hugh Patrick Macdonald, was born in Summerside, PEI. He attended St. Dunstan's College, one of UPEI's two predecessor institutions, from 1901 to 1904.

Nona and Bill Heaslip's family legacy to the University of Prince Edward Island will be publicly recognized at the Deans' Honours and Awards ceremony to take place in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre on October 3. Their gift is part of the UPEI Building a Legacy Campaign which aims to raise $50 million in private donations to the University. The campaign has already raised over half that amount. This includes scholarship and bursary support for UPEI students that, since 2002, has increased by 41%. For more details about the Heaslip Renewable Scholarships, or any other awards and scholarships at the University of Prince Edward Island, please visit www.upei.ca/registrar. Information about Building a Legacy is available at www.upei.ca/legacy.

--- Largest single gift ever by a major financial institution ---

The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) today announced a $250,000 donation from BMO Financial Group for Graduate Student Research Scholarships. Jim Quigley, Vice-President, New Brunswick and PEI, BMO Bank of Montreal, was on campus to present the leadership gift, the largest single commitment from a major financial institution in UPEI's history.

"BMO Financial Group is focused on funding programs that promote learning and research, namely through scholarships that support exceptional young people at universities and colleges both here in Atlantic Canada and across the country," said Quigley. "This leadership gift continues our longstanding tradition of support to ensure that Canadian students have the programs and resources they need and to stimulate research at leading institutions such as UPEI."

"Graduate students play an important role at UPEI. We take pride in our students and their research," says Wade MacLauchlan, President and Vice-Chancellor of UPEI. "We are grateful to BMO for their generous donation which will support our graduate students as they pursue leading research in many areas."

In Building a Legacy for UPEI and the province, creating research opportunities for graduate students is among the university's top priorities. Research facilities are being expanded at the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) and modernized in the Duffy Science Building to ensure students continue to receive high quality education with up-to-date technology. This is complementary to the establishment of the NRC Institute for Nutrisciences and Health on the UPEI campus and the university's Faculty of Science.

Graduate students will be selected for the BMO Financial Group Graduate Scholarships based on the quality of their undergraduate record and research proposals. Awards will be for $5,000 per year for five years and the remaining funds will be invested in an endowment fund that will provide sufficient income to award scholarships of at least $10,000 per year every year thereafter. The recipients of the BMO Financial Group Graduate Scholarships will be representing the advances made in leading-edge research taking place at UPEI. To recognize the growth in research capacity created through the $32 million expansion to the Atlantic Veterinary College, a regional centre of excellence for research and service, the first five years of scholarship awards will be directed to students in Masters or PhD studies at AVC.

The leadership gift from BMO is an important contribution to the UPEI Building a Legacy campaign. With a goal of $50 million, Building a Legacy represents the most ambitious financial campaign ever embarked upon by UPEI. Since it was launched in April 2003, over $30 million has been committed to the University by private and corporate donors. More information on Building a Legacy is available at http://www.upei.ca/legacy/.

Since 1817, BMO Financial Group has supported the principles of community reinvestment and corporate and social responsibility to the communities it serves.

BMO Financial Group contributed more than $29 million in corporate donations, sponsorships and events in 2004, supporting thousands of communities, charities and not-for-profit organizations in Canada.

Today, the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC) of the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) broke ground for a $32-million expansion and renovation project. The largest part of the funding, $18 million, is from the federal government through a national commitment to Canada's four veterinary colleges. This funding was secured through a cooperative effort amongst Canada's four Veterinary Colleges working in full collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

"Strategic investments in science and innovation are key to providing Canadian producers with new markets and opportunities," said Wayne Easter, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, speaking on behalf of Andy Mitchell, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Andy Mitchell. "These new facilities will add to the College's capacity to conduct research and enhance the rapidly growing research profile at UPEI."

The province of Prince Edward Island has already pledged $2 million to AVC's expansion and renovations as part of a $25 million commitment for capital renewal at UPEI over 10 years.

The expansion will begin with the construction of a 57,000 square-foot Bioresource Research Complex that will annex the existing building. It will house centres of expertise, including the AVC Lobster Science Centre, the Atlantic Centre for Comparative Biomedical Research, and the AVC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences. The Complex will also have extensive space for animal holding, research labs, and offices, including workspace for graduate and post-doctoral students.

"Now is the time to build on our success. Our teaching, research and service programs continue to evolve to keep pace with society's growing expectations. AVC graduates and researchers contribute not just to animal health, but to human health and food safety," says Dr. Tim Ogilvie, Dean of AVC. "Our full expansion will give us the infrastructure to better meet today's demands on veterinary medicine."

Helping AVC to build on its success, UPEI's chancellor, Bill Andrew and his wife Denise, announced at today's groundbreaking celebration, a $250,000 gift to go toward AVC's capital expansion. Andrew is an engineering graduate of UPEI and says he is proud of what UPEI has achieved and is optimistic about its future. "We're grateful to Bill and Denise for their support in helping AVC to continue to provide excellence in its teaching, research, and service programs," says Dean Ogilvie.

Future projects slated for renewal are dependent on fundraising efforts and include the expansion and renovation of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, upgrades to the Aquatic Animal-holding Facility, construction of a student Learning Commons, and upgrades to laboratories for a total of 129,000 square feet of new or renovated space.

For nearly twenty years, AVC has been Atlantic Canada's Centre of Excellence for veterinary medicine. With more than 800 graduates, a veterinary teaching hospital caring for more than 3,500 large and 5,000 small animals each year, and ongoing world-class research, the College is committed to educating veterinarians, promoting animal and human health, and providing services for the management of the health and well-being of animals.

If you are interested in investing in AVC's expansion and renovation project or would like more information, you can contact the AVC Dean's Office at (902) 566-0882 or by email at buildingavc@upei.ca.

Ross Leckie, Director of Creative Writing and a professor at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, will read from his own poetry on Tuesday, October 11, at 7:30 in the Confederation Centre Library in Charlottetown.

Ross Leckie is also editor of The Fiddlehead, one of Canada's oldest and most distinguished literary magazines, poetry editor of Goose Lane Editions, and co-editor of Coastlines: The Poetry of Atlantic Canada. His poetry books include A Slow Light and The Authority of Roses. At UNB, he has mentored a remarkable number of Canada's exciting, new poets, including PEI's own David Hickey, who completed his MA creative writing thesis with Dr. Leckie and will soon publish his first book. Everyone interested in poetry, the Creative Writing program at UNB, or simply in hearing and meeting a fine writer, master teacher, and lovely spirit is encouraged to attend. The reading is sponsored by the UPEI English Department, with gracious support from The League of Canadian Poets, The Canada Council for the Arts, and the Confederation Centre Library. For further information phone 566-0389.

UPEI Chancellor Bill Andrew and his wife Denise have made a series of substantial donations to support university programs and students over the past six months. Now they have created two new renewable scholarships in Education, and one in Engineering, that bring their total gifts to the university to $1 million.

The scholarships announcement comes just a week after the Andrew family made a $250,000 contribution toward the Atlantic Veterinary College's capital expansion. Earlier in September, they donated $310,000 for a range of initiatives, including Cass building renovations; graduate scholarships in Island Studies; new instruments for the Music department; Faculty of Education international travel bursaries; priorities in the School of Nursing; and women's athletics. In May, they made a $100,000 donation to the planned new School of Business and Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship on the campus.

"In his first year as Chancellor, Bill Andrew has shown us what it means to truly believe in UPEI and to invest in our future," says UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan. "This demonstrates the rich array of ways that dedicated donors can make a significant difference, through scholarships, capital improvements, athletics, musical instruments and other areas of critical support. We cannot say how much we appreciate this generosity and leadership."

The latest gift is for two $2,000 scholarships to be offered annually to students entering the UPEI Bachelor of Education program. They honour Joyce M. (Hooper) Andrew, Bill Andrew's mother, who passed away in December 2004. Joyce Andrew was a teacher and a committed community and church volunteer. She served as Chair of the Provincial Exhibition Committee for the PEI Women's Institute, Vice President and Secretary of Education of the Milton ACW, and as a member of the PEI Board of Anglican Church women. For many years she was also a Sunday School teacher.

The first recipients were announced at the Deans' Honours and Academic Awards ceremony on October 3. They were Timothy Jesty and Isabelle LeBlanc. Beginning in 2008, four Joyce M. (Hooper) Andrew renewable scholarships of $2,000 will be offered in perpetuity, supported by an endowment fund. Preference will be given to students who demonstrate strong academic achievement and who are international students, members of minority groups, or plan to teach in an area with a teacher shortage. Community involvement will also be a consideration.

The Andrew Renewable Scholarship in Engineering will be offered each year to a deserving student who has graduated from a PEI high school and is entering the three-year Engineering program at UPEI. The student will receive the $2,000 scholarship for each year of the program, provided he or she maintains an overall average of 80 per cent each year. The first recipient, Cathy Tse, was announced at the Deans' Honours and Academic Awards ceremony on October 4.

Denise and Bill Andrew's gifts are important contributions to the UPEI Building a Legacy campaign. With a goal of $50 million, Building a Legacy represents the most ambitious financial campaign ever embarked upon by UPEI. Since it was launched in April 2003, over $29 million has been committed to the University by private and corporate donors. More information is available at http://www.upei.ca/legacy/.

The Population Secretariat of the Government of Prince Edward Island, in conjunction with the University of Prince Edward Island, today announced the launch of a major study to identify ways to help attract immigrants to the province. The study will focus on those who have immigrated (or returned) to PEI between January 1998 and December 2003, including immigrants from other countries, Canadians from other provinces and territories and returning Islanders who have been away for more than three years.

"It is important to us as a province to have relevant and qualitative information which is specific to PEI," said Hon. Mike Currie, Minister of Development and Technology . "We continue to have focus on building and growing a skilled labour force that meets the needs of all business sectors and our government has identified immigration as one component of meeting those labour needs."

Dr. Godfrey Baldacchino, Canada Research Chair in Island Studies at UPEI and himself an immigrant to the province, will head up the study. Dr Baldacchino moved with his family from Malta to PEI in 2003. The research will help provide relative information regarding why recent immigrants have selected PEI and identify the challenges they face in settling their families in the province. An information campaign has already identified over 300 individuals to willingly participate in the study and many more individuals are being encouraged to take part

"One key aim of this study is to put a human face on immigration to PEI, "said Dr Baldacchino. "Various relevant data and information on immigration exists, but none has detailed information about immigrants who moved specifically to PEI."

Elaine Noonan, Executive Director of the PEI Population Secretariat, believes this study will provide information that will benefit the province for many years to come.

"I am very much looking forward to the findings of this research," said Ms. Noonan. "The results will guide us in the development of effective strategies as we move forward in our efforts in attracting and retaining settlers to PEI."

The findings of the study will be released in February 2006. To participate, qualified respondents should contact settlers@upei.ca or phone (902)566-0909.

Well-known Charlottetown native, A. Nora Halloran MacDonald Wonnacott lived to be over 107, passing away only three weeks shy of her 108th birthday in 2004. Her community spirit lives on through a $60,000 donation from her estate to the University of Prince Edward Island to create an annual bursary in memory of her son, Lloyd B. MacDonald who passed away at age sixteen

Born in 1896, Nora Wonnacott lived in three centuries. Some special moments were serving as Gold Cup Parade Marshall and being special guest to usher in the new millennium at Province House in front of more than 10,000 people. Her niece, Henrietta Halloran Watson, travelled from Maine to finalize the estate donation. "Aunt Nona was a vibrant woman with a thirst for life. She once said, 'I enjoy everything that is worth enjoying,'" she recalls.

Beginning in the 2006-07 academic year, the annual Lloyd B. MacDonald Memorial Bursary of approximately $2,500 will be granted to a deserving male student in financial need. Applications will be available in September 2006.

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. For details of awards and scholarships at the University of Prince Edward Island, please visit www.upei.ca/registrar. Information about Building a Legacy is available at www.upei.ca/legacy.

For more information please contact Tracey Comeau at 902-566-0354