The University of Prince Edward Island is launching a new University Preparation Certificate for Adult Learners this October. The program is designed to help adult learners explore their interest in university studies and provide them with skills and strategies for a successful transition to post-secondary learning.

'The Centre for Life-Long Learning is pleased to be partnering with the Webster Centre for Teaching and Learning on offering this new program. There is overwhelming evidence that, within industrialized countries, there is a growing demand for workers with higher skills and education to fill job needs. We feel it is important to offer this program at the local community level to eliminate travel time as a barrier to participants,' says Jeanette MacAulay, director of the Centre for Life-Long Learning.

Targeting adults who have been out of school for some time or graduates of upgrading programs, the program will offer critical-thinking and writing skills, test-taking strategies, goal-setting, and research skills, among others.

'At the Webster Centre, we recognize that everyone learns differently and those who may not have been ready to enter university out of high school may be ready to, after some experience in the workforce. We want to help those who may have an interest in entering university by making it the most positive experience possible,' says Dr. Barbara Campbell, director of the Webster Centre.

Learners will meet over six consecutive Saturday mornings from 10:00am - 12:00pm. The program will begin on October 2, 2010 in O'Leary, and on January 22, 2011 in Charlottetown. The cost for the full program is $50 and registration is limited to 20 participants per location.

'We are excited that this new program is coming to West Prince. It is providing an opportunity for West Prince residents to receive training close to home, and build their confidence and skill level to be successful in whatever their educational dreams may be,' says Sharon Horne, executive director, Rural Community Learning Inc.

All are welcome to attend an information session on September 1 from 6:00 - 7:00pm at the Future Tech West Centre in O'Leary. An information session for the Charlottetown offering will be held at a later date.

The project is funded, in whole or part, through the Canada-PEI Labour Market Development Agreement and/or the Labour Market Agreement.

For more information contact the Centre for Life-Long Learning at 902-566-0336, email lifelong@upei.ca or click here.

The first annual Palmer Conference on Public Sector Leadership began Thursday, August 26 at UPEI with a bevy of leaders in attendance from Canada's public and private sectors including Kevin Lynch, former clerk of the Privy Council, who is this year's conference chair.

Given the tropical storm warnings in place for Charlottetown, new student orientation (NSO) events at UPEI on Saturday, September 4 have been cancelled. Where possible, NSO events that have been affected will be rescheduled throughout the week or later in the month.

NSO traditionally attracts upwards of 600 participants, many who commute to campus. In light of the impending weather, UPEI administration has made this decision due to concerns about students' travel safety and possible power outages while on campus, as well to avoid adding to the already-present anxiety that naturally comes for parents and first year students about starting university.

Residence move-in is also scheduled to begin on Saturday, September 4 from 9:00 am - 9:00pm. Students may choose, because of the storm, to arrive instead on Sunday,September 5 or Monday, September 6 from 9:00 am - 9:00 pm. If arriving after Monday, September 6, students are requested to go directly to Bernardine Hall for check-in information.

For more NSO information, click here.

Every September when fall semester begins, UPEI sees an influx of new students unsure of where to park on campus as well as returning students looking for places to store their vehicle while attending classes.

This year, students will be welcomed to the UPEI campus by clearly identifiable Security Services staff who will be stationed at the entrances of the various general parking lots and sporting 'parking assistance' t-shirts. Staff will also hand out an information card outlining parking information on Tuesday, September 7 and Wednesday, September 8.

For more information on parking at UPEI, click here.

UPEI Panther Sport launched their 2010-2011 ticket sales campaign today for season passes and packages. Season passes are available for regular season games for Women's Rugby, Soccer, Basketball, Women's Hockey, and Men's Hockey.

Three packages-UPEI Panther Booster, Panther Package and Alumni Package-each feature a combination of home-game ticket sets and other items like Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre memberships and UPEI ‘swag'.

'The early sale of season passes and packages is vital for our ability to operate, and ultimately, to secure Panther Sport success,' said Ron Annear, Director of Athletics at UPEI. 'There is a great selection of options for Panther fans, and all of them feature exciting entertainment at a great value.'

Season home openers start next week with the Women's Rugby team hosting the Saint Mary's Huskies on September 11:

Women's Rugby - September 11
Soccer - September 18 (doubleheader)
Men's Hockey - October 15
Women's Hockey - October 16
Basketball - November 19 (doubleheader)

For more information, visit www.gopanthersgo.ca or call (902) 566-0432.

Officials from UPEI and Holland College were on the UPEI campus today to sign a record number of diploma-degree agreements for the two Island post-secondary institutions.

The ten articulation agreements allow students who graduate from Holland College diploma programs to ‘block transfer' credits to enter the second or third year of the Arts degree program at UPEI.

'We are responding to research indicating that an increasing number of college students are interested in pursuing university degrees after completing their college diplomas as they see tremendous value in a university education,' says UPEI president, Wade MacLauchlan. 'And the more flexible options we can offer to potential students, the better it is for both institutions and for the Province of PEI.'

Brian McMillan, president at Holland College agreed, 'The agreements that include the business management programs are ‘remarkable' because of their breadth and cross-disciplinary nature. They allow graduates from these programs to integrate their business studies into the arts and pursue a degree in any arts major. Consequently, graduates will have a well rounded learning experience which will enable them to attain greater success in their personal lives and career paths.'

While the two institutions have 19 similar arrangements in place for other programs, today's signing ceremony is significant as the new agreements all result in an Arts degree. Diploma programs covered include Hotel and Restaurant Management, Tourism and Travel Management, Marketing and Advertising Management, Golf Club Management, Professional Golf Management, Accounting Technology, Business Administration, Retail Business Management, Human Services, and Child and Youth Care Worker.

Richard Kurial, Dean of Arts at UPEI worked closely with Michael O'Grady, VP Innovation, Enterprise and Strategic Development at Holland College in bringing today's event to fruition.

Hon. Allan Campbell, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning added, 'The emerging job opportunities of both rural and urban Prince Edward Island will require both technical skills and high levels of education. The agreements signed today recognize that need and make it easier for your Islanders to gain the benefits of both college and university education. I'm very pleased to see these two schools cooperate for the good of young Islanders and of the whole Island community.'

For more detailed information on diploma-degree programs between UPEI and Holland College, visit www.upei.ca or www.hollandcollege.com.

Student athletes for the 2010-11 season were welcomed at a unique kick-off event September 7 by UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan; Director of Athletics, Ron Annear; media; and members of the Panther Sport community.

Athletes from the varsity teams-Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Field Hockey, Swimming, Women's Rugby, Men's Hockey, Women's Hockey, Men's Basketball and Women's Basketball - gathered at McMillan Hall for a chance to meet one another and get acquainted with coaches and staff of UPEI's Department of Athletics.

Annear said, 'The event is a great gathering opportunity to demonstrate to our student-athletes our support of them, and the great community support we have.'

Coaches, along with team captains, were introduced to those in attendance and gave previews of what the season will hold for their sport.

Men's Soccer

The 2010 season looks exciting for the UPEI Men's Soccer team, with the experience from last year's run to the CIS championship in British Columbia.

Led by the return of AUS all star, Jimmie Mayleh and rising stars, Jarod Murphy and Logan Dawson, the Panthers will be fast, skillful and exciting to watch. Josh Vessey will captain the team and provide important veteran leadership both on and off the field.

Newcomers, Brett Hogan, Andrew Hayers, and Keiran Dutton will also be looking to have a big impact in their first year. Another player looking to make his mark in the AUS will be Adam Lowther who had to sit out last year while recovering from a broken leg.

Field Hockey

With a strong group of returning players and an eager crop of rookies, the UPEI Field Hockey team is looking forward to another successful season. During a pre-season tournament in Montreal, the rookies showed that they are ready to contribute. Kristy Wu from Calgary, Alberta and Nicole Babineau from Riverview, New Brunswick have joined the squad as well as Islanders Eliza MacLauchlan, Jenna McLellen, Stephanie MacKinnon, Hilary Waugh, Leanne Doiron, Michelle Clow and Jenna Matheson.

Veterans Lydia Ellis, Amy Rawlinson, Ellen Dixon, Kathryn Hay and Erica Ross are taking on new leadership roles and are looking forward to the challenge. 2009 Rookie of the Year, Marina MacAulay, and sophomore Lacey MacLauchlan will be filling big holes left by graduating players.

The season will kick off at UNB on September 24-25 with the final tournament being held at UPEI on October 16-17.

Women's Rugby

The UPEI Women's Rugby Team is looking forward to the 2010 season. This team is ready for a new start and is fortunate to have excellent veteran players returning, including Ashley MacIntyre and Kaitlin Richard.

The combination of veterans and rookies leads the coaching staff to believe that this can be the season to rise in the standings. Having played two pre-season exhibition games in Quebec, including a loss to McGill and a victory over Bishop's, the team is in good shape and prepared to start off their season.

Swimming

UPEI Swimming is looking to continue the success of 2009-10 season this coming year. AUS Champion Eric Beaton will be back in the pool striving to defend his crown while Rookie of the Year, Sydney Morley, will also be back to make her mark in year two of her career. Several new recruits will soon be in the pool looking to secure a spot on the Varsity squad.

Men's Hockey

Head coach Forbie MacPherson is confident that the UPEI Men's Hockey team will build upon last year's strong finish to see the Panthers be a strong AUS contender in 2010-11.

With new recruits Guggenberger, Fraser, Malone, Cameron, and Boyle combined with returning CIS Rookie of the Year, Jared Gomes, and fifth-year star Cory Vitarelli, UPEI will be strong both offensively and defensively. The mix of former MJHL, OHL and AUS players will add a tremendous amount of depth and versatility to the UPEI line-up.

UPEI's season home opener is October 15 when they host University of New Brunswick.

Women's Hockey

The UPEI Women's Hockey program welcomes no less than ten rookies into their lineup this year: Anja Weisser from Germany, Shelby Lyons and Christine Kelly from New Brunswick, Daryl Kress and Ferran Brown from Alberta, Kristen Visser from Victoria, PEI, Lyndsay Oaks from Nova Scotia, Brooke Taylor Payne from Northwest Territories, Issy Lefebvre from Ontario, and Jessica Rosenbaum from Manitoba.

Returning scorers include Kelsey O'Donnell, Sue Cortilette, Amanda Armstrong, Jenelle Mackenzie, and team captain, Amber Gaudette. Both goalies Bailey Toupin and Kristy Dobson return for their second year and will look to continue the strong success that the team had last year. ‘Team Defense' will be led by last year's Team MVP, Jaime Lynn Donaldson, along with returning players Kristen Nash and Alicia Betts.

Defensively the team looks to continue to improve on its success from last year. With the added addition of some offence, the team looks to finish stronger, especially on odd-man situations.

Men's Basketball

With over half of the roster staying on the Island in the spring and summer months to train, all of the incoming and returning UPEI Men's Basketball student athletes are focused and prepared to bringing a defensive-minded, up-tempo style to the hard-court this season. This year happens to be the 25th anniversary of the Panthers' first AUS Championship in 1985-86.

The pre-season will see the return of UPEI's Mickey Place Memorial Tournament October 15-17, where UPEI will host York University, Brock University, and the University of New Brunswick. The team is then on the road for tournaments at McGill and St. Francis Xavier universities- excellent opportunities for the team to gel and integrate the addition of at least half a dozen new faces, including transfers from Maryland, Ontario, and Quebec, and high school recruits out of Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

The home opener for Men's Basketball is November 19 when UPEI hosts University of New Brunswick.

Women's Basketball

This year's roster will feature plenty of new faces mixed in with the familiar faces, ranging from across the country, with student-athletes from Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and of course, Prince Edward Island. The team is looking forward to merging the different skill sets of these young athletes into a competitive team on the court.

This will not be the tallest or biggest team in the league and will need to make good use of strong shooters at nearly every position. At the other end of the floor, the Panthers take great pride in their defense and plan to be one of the best defensive teams in the conference.

With only one fourth-year player, it is likely that the young team will experience some growing pains but there is no doubt they have the right character and work ethic to move in the right direction of rebuilding the Women's Basketball program.

Women's Soccer

"Make the playoffs, win the AUS, win the CIS" are the stated goals of this year's UPEI Women's Soccer team. Eighteen returning players, including nine starters from the 2009 team which lost the AUS final on penalty shots, provide much optimism for coach Mike Redmond, now in his seventh season, along with assistants Clarence Frizzell, Kim Swan, Janelle Blanchard and goalkeeper coach Trent Hayes. Adding to the optimism is the knowledge that UPEI is hosting the CIS championship November 11-14 in Charlottetown.

Redmond has been busy putting the athletes through sessions twice a day in preparation for exhibition games in Fredericton where they defeated University of New Brunswick, 3-0, and tied McGill, 1-1.

Experience and depth will be keys to the success of the team. Four returning AUS all-stars in key positions (keeper, centre back, centre midfield and centre striker) are an indication that the expectations for this team are high.

The Tourism Research Centre (TRC) at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) recently released research on the role that beaches play in motivating people to travel to a destination, and specifically, to PEI.

'The results show that visitors are making good use of the Island's beaches,' said Dr. Sean Hennessey, Faculty Director of the TRC. 'Although our beaches are generally not the primary reason visitors are drawn to PEI, they are certainly a secondary draw and definitely add to the overall satisfaction of visitors.'

The survey was distributed to an online survey group and was completed by 4,175 people, 3,327 of whom had previously been to PEI. Of those, about 92 per cent had visited one of the Island's beaches on a past visit.

'Survey respondents who visited PEI's beaches went an average of 4.38 times during their most recent trip to PEI and spent an average of just under two hours per visit,' Hennessey added. 'It is important to note that the average trip for these beach-going visitors was about seven nights, so they visited beaches about every second day on average.'

Of the six beaches visited by more than 20 per cent of participants, the top four were located within the PEI National Park. The other two (Red Point/Basin Head and Cabot Beach) were provincial parks.

'The results presented in the report reinforce the importance of the PEI National Park to the province. Park visitors appreciate the opportunity to connect with nature on the park's world-class beaches and benefit from the services and facilities provided by Parks Canada, such as surf guards, beach facilities, and interpretative programs and activities,' said Frances Gertsch, Parks Canada.

The report provides valuable information for federal, provincial and municipal groups responsible for beaches, including one of the most interesting findings regarding the willingness to pay entry fees for beach access - while only 30 per cent of respondents were willing to pay for access with few-to-no amenities, more than half (55 per cent) were willing to pay an entry fee when more amenities are offered.

Results also show that visitors have specific ideas about the amenities that should be available at a beach location. These include washrooms, environmental sustainability practices, boardwalks for walking with a water view, accommodations on/near the beach, showers and canteens. 'This sort of information provides the industry with information that will be useful in setting policies and programs in place so as to continue to increase beach visitation in the future,' said Dr. Hennessey.

Overall, 58 per cent of respondents felt that PEI beaches were on par with what they expected and 39 per cent agreed that the beaches were better than they expected. PEI beach visitors were asked to rate various beach attributes such as landscape, cleanliness, comfort afforded by the beach, safety, texture of the sand, and access to the beach, on a scale from one (very poor) to seven (excellent). Overall, respondents rated their PEI beach experience as very good (6.16 out of 7).

Respondents were also asked a series of questions around their future behavioural intentions which were rated on a scale from one (strongly disagree) to seven (strongly agree). The statements people most strongly agreed with were 'I would recommend PEI beaches to friends or relatives' (6.3) and 'On a future visit to PEI, I would visit a beach' (6.3). Visitors appeared to enjoy their time at PEI's beaches as 'My visit to a beach in PEI was a good way to spend my time' received an overall score of 5.7.

Data for this report was collected on behalf of Tourism PEI using the TRC's online research panel from March 3 to March 29, 2010. To read the full report, please visit www.trc.upei.ca. For more information about this or other TRC research, please contact trc@upei.ca or call (902) 566-6096.

The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) signed an agreement September 9 to license medical research technologies to CNS CRO, a subsidiary of biotechnology company Neurodyn Inc. The agreement includes innovative technologies to be used in drug development and drug-testing for stroke, epilepsy, and schizophrenia.

'This is the product of research we've been conducting over the past ten years,' says Dr. Andrew Tasker, Professor of Neuropharmacology, and Director of the Atlantic Centre for Comparative Biomedical Research at UPEI's Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC). 'The lead researchers involved in developing these technologies come from three separate departments in three separate faculties across UPEI. I think it speaks to the strength and potential of neuroscience at UPEI, the value of interdisciplinary approaches to science, and the spirit of collaboration in the research community here.'

The UPEI research team includes Dr. Tasker (Biomedical Sciences), Dr. Tracy Doucette (Biology), Dr. Catherine Ryan (Psychology), and Ms. Melissa Perry (Biomedical Sciences) as well as many post-doctoral, graduate and undergraduate students and research technicians.

'Just two weeks ago, we announced UPEI's first-ever licensing agreement with an outside body,' says Dr. Katherine Schultz, UPEI's Vice-President of Research & Development. 'Today, we celebrate our second. UPEI researchers are making a difference. This announcement rests on years of skilled investigation and consideration of real-world problems. We commend these innovators for the advances they have made and are very pleased to be working with our partners at CNS CRO and Neurodyn.'

The agreement licenses four pieces of medical technology developed at UPEI to CNS CRO, which will use it in pre-clinical testing of compounds that have shown promise as drugs for stroke, epilepsy, and schizophrenia.

Neurodyn CEO Ken Cawkell says, 'CNS-CRO is extremely pleased with the successful conclusion of these licensing negotiations, through which the company has gained access to UPEI's world class animal models of CNS disease. Together with our existing models, the CNS-CRO suite of leading edge drug discovery tools clearly differentiates the CNS CRO offering from that of existing CRO service providers.'

Today's agreement was facilitated and negotiated by Three Oaks Innovations, Inc. - UPEI's independent spin-off company with the mandate of helping university-created technologies and innovations make their way into real-world business applications.

'We are excited to have been a part of initiating the process and coordinating the follow-through that led to this deal,' says Sophie Theriault, Director of Technology Transfer and Commercialization Coordination at Three Oaks Innovations. 'These are technologies that will make a real difference for people whose lives are affected by stroke, schizophrenia, and epilepsy. It's also gratifying to know CNS CRO will carry out this research on Prince Edward Island, and have a real impact on the province's economic development and sustainability.'

UPEI Panther Sport is excited to unveil the details for a new event during Homecoming 2010. The ‘Sport Legacy Celebration' will take place in McMillan Hall at the W.A. Murphy Student Centre on September 23, 2010 at 6:30 pm.

The evening has been designed to combine some traditional events with new components, all to celebrate the legacies that Panther Sport creates.

First, RBC Olympian Rowan Barrett will speak. The basketball star played internationally for 17 years (12 years at the professional level) and won a gold medal at the 1994 Commonwealth championships with Team Canada. Barrett led the Canadian national basketball team at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Barrett's keynote address will be followed by an acknowledgement of the 2009-10 Academic All Canadians. Again this year, UPEI has over 50 Academic All-Canadians from six different sports. These athletes have worked hard throughout the year to compete on a Canadian Inter-University CIS varsity sport team while at the same time achieving an over-80 per cent average as a full-time student.

In the past, athletic awards and scholarships were presented at a separate ceremony; now, those athletes will be recognized during this new celebration. It will also be the perfect opportunity to thank the many donors and families who support these awards.

To cap the evening, two new inductees will enter the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame - soccer great, Glenn Millar and field hockey star, Tracey McGee. These athletes were outstanding in their respective sports, earning award after award, not only in the Atlantic University Sport conference, but in the CIS as well.

Tickets are on sale now for $25 each, and include admission to the reception-style event that also features a silent auction. For tickets or information, contact Lynn Boudreau at (902) 566-0991 or lboudreau@upei.ca.