UPEI officials are pleased with high employment and education ‘satisfaction' statistics detailed in a report issued in Halifax today by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission.

Using data captured in 2008, the study called, ‘Five Years On: A Survey of Class of 2003 Maritime University Graduates', focused on graduates who completed their first bachelor's degree in 2003 at universities in the Maritimes. It examined graduate employment, further education trends, and financial status.

The employment rate for the 2003 first-degree holders from all Maritime universities is 95 per cent and their earnings have increased compared with the last time they were surveyed in 2005.

UPEI also received information outlining its own institutional statistics in comparison with the averages for all Maritime universities in the report.

'What is especially rewarding to see is that, among UPEI 2003 first-degree holders, 87 per cent said their education was worth the time investment, and 79 per cent, worth the financial investment,' said Rosemary Herbert, Acting Vice-President, Academic.

The job satisfaction of all UPEI 2003 graduates surveyed, regardless of whether it was their first degree or not, was 79 per cent. In addition, 89 per cent said their job in 2008 was closely related to their 2003 degree.

UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan said, 'We are very pleased to learn that our graduates overwhelmingly report that they have found satisfying jobs.' He adds, 'UPEI will continue to offer student-focused, leading-edge programs that enable our students and graduates to make a difference at home and around the world.'

The Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission's graduate survey program assesses graduate outcomes in the region and is conducted two and five years after graduation. The next class that will be studied will be that of 2007 in 2012.

Dr. Benjamin Lefebvre, of Waterloo, Ontario and one of the world's leading experts on Lucy Maud Montgomery, was reappointed as Visiting Scholar for the institute bearing the famed PEI writer's name, the L.M. Montgomery Institute (LMMI).

Mark Leggott, Institute chair and University Librarian, announced the year-long appointment during his welcoming remarks at the 2010 L.M. Montgomery Conference taking place at UPEI, June 24-27.

'We are pleased to have Dr. Lefebvre return as our Visiting Scholar and accept this further term. His past year's work with LMMI's governing committee in facilitating and expanding scholarship about L.M. Montgomery and her contemporaries has been excellent. We look forward to seeing what exciting initiatives the next year will bring.'

Lefebvre will continue working with the Institute on projects that will benefit Montgomery's international community of readers, including coediting a collection of essays with UPEI's Dr. Jean Mitchell, a past Visiting Scholar. The collection will be based on papers presented at the 2010 conference, titled ‘L.M. Montgomery and the Matter of Nature,' which begins today.

'I am thrilled to be invited to return, as it gives me further opportunities to support the mandate of the LMMI and to be energized by the dedication of its committee members,' Lefebvre says.

He adds, 'It is extremely rewarding to witness first-hand the community of Montgomery scholars and readers that have built up over time. I am so pleased with the high quality of work and the range of topics pursued at this conference by participants from all over the world.'

The conference features speakers and panellists from the United States, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Japan, China, Australia, Taiwan, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and South Africa and explores Montgomery's writing and thoughts on nature through a number of presentations and papers.

The biannual event also provides a captive audience for the release of another one of Lefebvre's projects, Anne's World: A New Century of Anne of Green Gables. Edited by Lefebvre and Dr. Irene Gammel, this collection of original essays offers 'fresh and timely approaches to issues of culture, identity, health, and globalization as they apply to Montgomery's famous character, and to today's readers.' Anne's World was published by University of Toronto Press this month, June 2010.

Lefebvre has previously published internationally on Montgomery's fiction and life-writing, and on film, television, and tourism adaptations of her work. His edition of Montgomery's rediscovered final book, The Blythes Are Quoted, was published by Viking Canada in October 2009.

Lefebvre's term as Visiting Scholar runs from July 2010 to June 2011. For more information on LMMI and the 2010 L.M. Montgomery Conference, visit www.lmmontgomery.ca.

The Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC) recently selected a paper written by Dr. Sean Hennessey, Dr. Dongkoo Yun, and Dr. Roberta MacDonald for a SIRC Research Award. The paper, ‘The Economic Impact of Golf to a Tourist Destination,' won the ‘Impact of Sport on a Community' category. The award includes a cash prize of $2,000.

'This is great news for both the School of Business and the Tourism Research Centre,' stated coauthor MacDonald, Dean of the UPEI School of Business. 'This is research that supports Tourism PEI's decision in recent years to support and promote our golfing industry and it ties University research directly back to the community.'

In 2005, a study was commissioned by Golf PEI and surveys were distributed to visitors at 24 golf courses which are members of Golf PEI. Over the 2005 golfing season, 3,397 surveys were completed by golfers. The paper focuses on golfing visitors, mainly profiling dedicated golfers, those who played more than 25 rounds annually.

'This is the group of visitors that PEI wishes to attract,' said Hennessey. 'They have higher disposable incomes, and are much more likely to golf, stay, and eat at the more expensive locations. The average amount they spend is also much higher than the amount spent by the average visitor to PEI.'

One interesting result is the importance word of mouth has in the process of gathering information about golf in PEI or for particular golf courses. Almost half of the respondents relied on friends, relatives, or coworkers for this type of information. Less than seven per cent of respondents relied on TV ads and the visitor information package to gather information about golfing in PEI.

'The PEI golf product is viewed very favourably by our golfing visitors,' explained Hennessey. 'Over 95 per cent of survey respondents said their golf experience in PEI met or exceeded expectations, while 80 per cent of golfers were likely to return to PEI to golf in the future.'

For more information, please contact Dr. Sean Hennessey at (902) 566-0523 or hennessey@upei.ca.

About SIRC

SIRC is a not-for-profit amateur sport organization with the mandate to provide information and serve the educational needs of organizations and individuals involved in, or responsible for the development of, sport and fitness in Canada and around the world.

Martha Trivett, a Grade 11 student at Charlottetown Rural High School, is the winner of the 2010 Pearson College Scholarship for Prince Edward Island.

This prestigious award covers full tuition and residence for two years of study at the Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific in British Columbia. The selection committee for the PEI scholarship was comprised of UPEI's Tamara Leary, Director of Student Services; Darcy McCardle, Assistant Registrar; Chris Power, Student Recruitment Coordinator; and Dr. Miles Turnbull, Associate Professor.

A memorial to the late prime minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Lester B. Pearson, the college is located on the shores of the Pacific Ocean at Pender Bay on Vancouver Island. One of 11 United World Colleges around the world, it promotes the cause of international understanding by creating an environment in which students from many countries and cultures come together to study and serve the community. Each year, 200 students from over 80 countries, including representatives from each Canadian province and territory, attend Pearson College.

Trivett, from Stratford, P.E.I., is the daughter of Lana Beth Barkhouse and Andrew Trivett, and is honoured to be this year's recipient, 'The opportunity to live and learn among hard?working and interesting students from all over the world in Pearson's unique atmosphere will be life changing, I am sure.'

'During my upcoming experience,' Trivett adds, 'I hope to discover my true depths and my value in the world, and to build the strength and confidence it takes to change it for the better.'

The demanding curriculum challenges the students to excel and leads to the completion of the international baccalaureate. Over the two years, students complete their last year of high school, and may earn credits toward their first year of university. In addition to the rigorous academic program, they are extensively involved in physical activities, the fine arts, social services and community projects.

'Nominating one candidate for the scholarship is always a challenge. Candidates are highly motivated, very talented and well-rounded individuals,' says Leary, chair of the selection committee. 'Martha is a very strong candidate as an accomplished violinist, an athlete, a stellar student at the Rural and a young woman who is committed to making a significant contribution to the world around her. We are delighted that Pearson accepted our committee's recommendation and are confident that Martha will be an excellent ambassador for P.E.I.'

The Tourism Research Centre in the School of Business at UPEI has released encouraging research on visitors who come to Prince Edward Island to participate in a meeting or conference - further supporting investment in this market.

In 2009, PEI hosted 200 meetings and conventions that contributed almost $19.5 million to PEI's economy. The events were classified into three categories: regional (attendees primarily from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick); national (attendees primarily from provinces outside the Maritimes); and international (attendees primarily from outside Canada). Residents of PEI were excluded from the survey.

Although 99 per cent of regional attendees had visited PEI previously, 33 per cent of national, and 64 per cent of international attendees were on their first visit to PEI.

'One of the most exciting things confirmed in this study was the fact that business travellers are bringing other people with them when they come to PEI,' said Jo-Ann Thomsen, Director of MC & IT Sales, PEI Convention Partnership. 'Overall, the average party size was 2.5 people. About 35 per cent of these business travellers came to PEI on their own, but 31 per cent came with another adult who was not attending the event, 26 per cent travelled as a group of three or more adults, and eight per cent brought their family to PEI.'

While the study shows that meetings and conventions provide an opportunity to bring new visitors to the province, it also reveals benefits to local accommodations operators, retailers, restaurant owners, and others who provide goods and services to this market.

'It is worth noting that it is not only the hotel hosting the conference that sees a boost in occupancy rates,' stated Dr. Sean Hennessey, Faculty Director of the Tourism Research Centre. 'Almost 30 per cent of travel parties chose to stay at an accommodation other than the host hotel.'

Travellers also reported that they, or someone in their travel party, took part in many activities either on their own or as part of the event. The most popular activities were shopping for local crafts/souvenirs/antiques (57%), participating in sightseeing/driving tours (53%), going to a bar/pub/lounge/nightclub (44%), and going to a lobster dinner (41%).

Visitors spent an average of $1,126 per travel party in PEI, or $120.56 per person per night, with almost half of this going towards accommodation expenses, 21 per cent to restaurants, and 13 per cent towards shopping expenditures. This level of spending is much higher than the average party spending of $855.91 and the per person per night spending of $72.26 for all overnight pleasure visitors as reported in the July 2007 to June 2008 PEI Exit Survey.

'We are extremely pleased with the results of this survey, and believe meetings and conventions are helping attract new visitors to the Island,' said Ms. Thomsen. 'It is also very encouraging that delegates expressed a strong intention to revisit and recommend PEI to others.'

The data was collected from May through December 2009 with the assistance of the PEI Convention Partnership and Tourism PEI. For a copy of the report or more information, visit the Tourism Research Centre website at www.trc.upei.ca, call (902) 566-6096 or email trc@upei.ca.

Teams from the Webster Centre and the Department of Athletics competed along with corporate teams at the Rick Hansen Wheels in Motion event at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre on Friday, June 25.

Coordinated by the Canadian Paraplegic Association on PEI (CPA-PEI), the event is part of a national Rick Hansen Foundation initiative to support community projects that impact the quality of life of people living with spinal cord injury. While it was the third annual Wheels in Motion event on PEI, this year marked the first time it was held on the UPEI campus.

Erin Peterson, Adaptive Technology Assistant at UPEI and a local CPA-PEI board member said, 'Knowing that the event was at UPEI, we encouraged as many ‘home' teams to participate. We had tremendous support from the Webster Centre with a total of five teams, made up of EAP students and Accessibility Services staff.'

In the weeks leading up to the event, Webster Centre teams raised almost $900 over-and-above the team entry fee by hosting several outdoor coffee houses that featured hot and cold beverages and home-baked goods.

The culmination of their fundraising efforts was the event itself, where teams turned in their proceeds and entry fees, and participated in a friendly, relay-style race that included some of the obstacles that people with spinal cord injury face every day.Abdulaziz Aldossary, an EAP student, takes a shot for his team.Erin Peterson wheels for the Accessibility Services team.

The Centre for Health and Biotech Management Research, Three Oaks Innovations Inc., and the PEI BioAlliance will present Dan Darnley, Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Dr. Jonathon O'Brien, Chair, Intellectual Property Practice Group at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn on Thursday, July 8, as the second installment of the Innovation PEI Premier's Speaker Series.

Darnley establishes and directs Millennium's intellectual property strategy and is an expert in Intellectual Property (IP) protection and the surrounding issues of IP portfolio management. He has over 20 years of IP law and licensing experience and is a member of the Managing Directors Committee for the Southwest Michigan Innovation Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

An attorney who specializes in life science and chemical patent procurement and enforcement, O'Brien counsels a wide range of domestic and international clients regarding licensing and world-wide patent procurement strategies, providing opinions regarding non-infringement and the validity of patents.

Darnley and O'Brien will discuss the legal issues related to licensing university technology from the perspective of a large corporation and its legal counsel. Both bring vital knowledge and advice on the topic of IP protection and will highlight why university projects may or may not be licensed, describing the required IP preparation necessary for inventors to receive maximum value from the invention in terms of an IP license or acquisition arrangement. The combined experience of these experts provides an important perspective and unique opportunity for researchers to engage in one-on-one discussions, as they will also be available for private meetings.

• Presentation, 10:00 - 11:30 am, Room 237, Kelley Memorial Building
• Networking Luncheon, 11:30 am -12:30 pm, Faculty Lounge, Main Building
• Private Meetings, 1:00 - 3:00 pm, Room 234, Kelley Memorial Building

To register for the event and book a private meeting, click here.

About the Innovation PEI Premier's Speaker Series at UPEI

Dr. Juergen Krause, associate professor at UPEI's School of Business and Director for the Centre for Health and Biotech Management Research, has been selected to organize and promote the Innovation PEI Premier's Speaker Series.

The series, aimed at enhancing knowledge in bioscience and other technologies and forging international relationships for Island companies, will feature presentations in the upcoming weeks by experts with experience in the areas of intellectual property, licensing technology, and research and development. For more information, visit www.chbmr.ca.

The first class of Bachelor of Education (BEd) (Kindergarten) students are attending a week-long orientation on the UPEI campus to help them adjust to the university environment. In September 2010, educators who have been hired as kindergarten teachers will begin a part-time BEd program as part of the move to the new K-12 public school system.

The orientation week was kicked off by remarks from UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan, Assistant Deputy Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Linda Lowther, and Dean of Education Dr. Tim Goddard. The week features sessions on work/life balance, effective practices for university study, and an overview of the courses students will take this fall.

Goddard said, 'UPEI has a long tradition of innovative programming to meet the real needs of people on PEI. We therefore made the commitment to adapt our BEd degree and introduce kindergarten-specific examples to that curriculum, and are committed to helping students, through this week's orientation, adapt to university life.'

'Now that the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission has endorsed our BEd (Kindergarten) and our orientation is under way,' adds Goddard, 'we are full steam ahead on delivering a top-quality program that will provide kindergarten teachers with a full BEd, recognizing the many years of experience held by kindergarten teachers on PEI, and the value of the Early Childhood Education diploma they hold.'

The BEd (Kindergarten) program is offered on a limited term as a result of policy changes enacted by the provincial government last year. Offered over a six-year period, the program allows for two cohorts of learners to enter the program while maintaining their employment status as kindergarten teachers in the new K-12 system. Normally, the 20-course program will be completed in four calendar years with one course in the fall term, one in winter term, one in spring, and two in the summer session.

The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), in partnership with the City of Charlottetown and Province of Prince Edward Island, is hosting an athletics training camp festival from July 7-18 for several international teams competing at the 2010 IAAF World Junior Athletics Championships in Moncton, New Brunswick later this month.

'We are very excited to host five countries as they prepare for the world junior athletics championships,' said UPEI athletics director Ron Annear. 'The legacies left by the 2009 Canada Games at UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place, Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre, CARI facility, artificial turf field, fitness centre and residences enable UPEI and the City of Charlottetown to be a competitive, state-of-the-art event and training camp destination on the world stage.'

UPEI worked with the 2010 Championships' organizing committee to promote UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place, built for the 2009 Canada Games, as a training camp location to participating teams. Prior to hosting the athletics competition and closing ceremony as part of the 2009 Canada Games, the athletics facility was host to the 2009 Canadian Junior Track & Field Championships.

The Charlottetown training camp includes teams from Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Ukraine. In addition to using the modern sport facilities at UPEI, the approximate 300 athletes, coaches and team staff will stay at the University's residences.

The 2010 IAAF World Junior Athletics Championships takes place July 19 - 25 in Moncton and will see over 1,400 athletes representing 170 member federations competing in 44 medal events. The World Junior Athletics Championships take place every two years as part of the International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) World Athletics Series. For more information on the championships, visit www.moncton2010.ca.

The Prince Edward Island premiere of the film "Poor No More" along with a question/answer period with executive producer David Langille will take place on July 14 at 7 pm at AVC Lecture Theatre A, UPEI. Sponsored by CUPE and other anti-poverty groups including PEI Working Group for a Livable Income, Poverty Bites, and McKillop Centre for Social Justice, the film offers solutions to Canada's working poor.

'Poor No More' is hosted by TV and film star Mary Walsh and offers an engaging look at Canadians stuck in low paying jobs with no security and no future.

The film takes three Canadians to a world where people do not have to beg, where housing is affordable and university education is free. They ask themselves: if other countries can do this, why don't we? Walsh then takes us on a journey to Ireland and Sweden to see how these countries have tackled poverty while strengthening their economies. The film offers hope to those who have to work two jobs a day and to those who cannot even find work.

About David Langille

Executive Producer David Langille is interested both as an academic and an activist in how social movements can shape public policy. Founding director of the Centre for Social Justice, he is now teaching at York University and co-chairing the Ontario Coalition for Social Justice.

For more information on the film, click here.