The UPEI Executive MBA (EMBA) program recently partnered with a local company, Newman Estate Winery, in a marketing challenge for students. Five EMBA teams in the Business 603 Marketing Management class were tasked to prepare a comprehensive marketing plan to help with the launch of two new winery products. Each group presented their marketing plan to the company, the class, and a panel of judges. The winning team-Angie Cormier, Adam Proud, Mary Jane Webster and Bai Yunpeng-took home a Newman Estate Winery sponsored prize of $1,000.

Judges included Brian Howatt, Results Marketing & Advertising; Miriam Briggs, Briggs & Briggs Marketing; and Mike Newman, owner and operator of Newman Estate Winery, located in Gladstone, Prince Edward Island.

'The opportunity to work with a real company and to assist them in achieving their goals and objectives allowed everyone in our cohort to feel invested in this project,' said Webster. 'This was an incredible learning experience, and I believe Mike will appreciate all of the time and energy that the groups dedicated to his company.'

Newman always believed there would be a benefit of introducing 20 students to his company, but the value he received far exceeded his expectations. 'The groups really took the time to understand the business, and come up with some tactical strategies and innovative solutions to help out with some of the issues I was facing,' he said. 'I am already implementing many of these ideas into my business and I look forward to working with the School of Business on future projects.'

Launched in September 2008, the UPEI Executive MBA program provides a unique opportunity for working professionals to advance their education while continuing to work. It employs an integrated approach, peer-to-peer learning, and an emphasis on developing global perspectives to prepare graduates to act as leaders and innovators in an ever-changing environment.

Two UPEI professors, Malcolm Murray (Philosophy) and Alan Harrington (English) appear in the first anthology of contemporary short fiction by PEI authors: Riptides: New Island Fiction, along with staff member Orysia Dawydiak (Department of Biomedical Sciences) and former Psychology professor Fiona Papps. Another half-dozen authors are UPEI graduates. The anthology was edited by Richard Lemm (English), and includes an introductory essay on the development of PEI fiction.

Acorn Press, the Island's major publisher, will launch the anthology which includes twenty-three stories by twenty-three writers, some of whom have established reputations as fiction authors, and others who have emerged more recently as talented writers. The launch will take place on Wednesday, July 18, at 7:00 pm at The Guild on Queen Street in Charlottetown.

Readers will discover a rich variety of settings, characters, situations, and crises in Riptides-from a woman returning to Chernobyl after the nuclear disaster to a married couple playing a dangerous game of hide-and-seek in rural Nova Scotia. One young woman hankers to free herself from her life in Alberton, while another arrives on an outback sheep ranch, and an older man travels on the Enlightenment Tour bus to meet Canadian gurus.

Riptides introduces and features Island fiction writers of the 21st century, a hundred years after another fiction writer made PEI the Land of Anne and Emily. With Riptides, we're not in Avonlea anymore.

Following the artistic success of the Cadenzas Day Recital at UPEI on July 1, UPEI professor and clarinetist Karem J. Simon will give encore performances of this work on Wednesday, July 18 at 12:10 pm at the Kirk of St. James in Charlottetown, and on Thursday, July 19 at 12:15 pm at UPEI's Robertson Library. Collaborating with Dr. Simon is Summerside percussionist, Krista Carruthers, who is Director of Bands at Three Oaks High School.

Simon has also been invited to perform Canadian composer Alexina Louie's 'Cadenzas' at this year's International Clarinet Association (ICA) Conference, which will be held in Lincoln, Nebraska, August 1-5. The ICA ClarinetFest 2012-Heritage to Horizon-is a series of performances and lectures that showcase emerging trends in clarinet performance, practice, and pedagogy. Many of the world's finest clarinetists, researchers, and pedagogues will perform at this conference.

Completed in 1987, 'Cadenzas' is a four-movement work, seventeen minutes in duration that exploits the technical and expressive components of each instrument. As its title suggests, the music sounds improvisatory. In combining the clarinet with percussion-vibraphone, marimba, orchestral bells-novel colours are created. This music is an engaging tour de force that is accessible for both novice and seasoned concert goers. As the drama of the music unfolds, the listener will experience a wide range of emotions and moods.

For more information, contact Karem Simon at (902) 566-0702 or ksimon@upei.ca

The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain was at the University of Prince Edward Island today to announce a $3-million gift. UPEI is recognizing this generous gift from Margaret and the late Wallace McCain through the naming of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Chair in Human Development and Health.

The inaugural Chair in Human Development and Health, Dr. William Montelpare, will direct his research toward issues in public health and exercise science, with specific focus on injury prevention in sport and recreational pursuits, including concussions as well as promoting daily quality physical activity, balanced energy consumption, and tobacco exposure avoidance.

'Wallace was proud to have made this donation and I am proud to be here today to announce it,' said McCain. 'I have had the privilege of meeting Dr. Montelpare, and I share the University's confidence in his research and teaching in the field of human development, which I know will benefit not only UPEI, but all those who live in this wonderful province.'

'I am thankful for the opportunity to take up this position as the Margaret and Wallace McCain Chair in Human Development and Health,' said Montelpare. 'This is an exciting time of research momentum at UPEI, and I'm proud to be a part of it.'

The McCains' gift supports human development and health research, a component of the University's research cluster. This support recognizes the growth and innovation that UPEI stands for, and the contribution to research and excellence that has become synonymous with UPEI.

'I am delighted to be a part of this special announcement and on behalf of the University, I am thankful to Mrs. McCain and her late husband Wallace for their generous gift to support UPEI research,' said UPEI President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz. 'Through this donation and the creation of this new research chair, the McCain family continues to invest in young children and their families which will have an impact on PEI and well beyond Island shores.'

A portion of the gift is in the form of a planned gift. Margaret and Wallace McCain join over 70 members of the UPEI Visionary Society (for planned giving) and are part of the UPEI Lifetime Honour Roll which recognizes donors with cumulative giving over $1 million.

Learn more about UPEI's Visionary Society (for planned giving) here

Read more about Dr. Montelpare's research here

University of Prince Edward Island President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz and Dean of Education Miles Turnbull recently visited Iqaluit, Nunavut. They were there just as two weeks of intensive face-to-face summer courses for UPEI's Master of Education in Leadership in Nunavut (Nunavut MEd), and Certificate in Educational Leadership in Nunavut (CELN) were drawing to a close. Forty-four students from across the territory participated in these summer courses.

After a lively, open discussion with the MEd students about the program, Abd-El-Aziz and Turnbull met with representatives from Nunavut's Department of Education, including: Kathy Okpik, Deputy Minister; Peter Geikie, Assistant Deputy Minister; Cathy McGregor, Executive Director, Curriculum and School Services; and Darlene Nuqingaq, Leadership Development Coordinator.

The Nunavut MEd program was developed as a partnership between UPEI and the Nunavut Department of Education. This part-time, ten-course blended delivery program allows qualified Nunavut teachers to access graduate-level education without leaving the Territory. Discussion during this visit focused on the special convocation for the current cohort to be held in Iqaluit in June 2013. This ceremony will mark the graduation of a second cohort of Nunavut students with master of education degrees from UPEI.

On Saturday, July 28, an unusual combination of instruments will be featured in a concert entitled 'Romantic Music for a Summer Evening.' Beginning at 7:30 pm in the Dr. Steel Recital Hall, audience members will be treated to a rare trio by composer Carl Reinecke. Few trios in the traditional chamber music literature combine clarinet (Karem J. Simon), horn (David Parker), and piano (Frances Gray), and this is quite possibly a premiere performance of such a concert on PEI.

Another featured work added to the program is the wonderfully mature Sonata in F Minor for clarinet and piano by Johannes Brahms, a contemporary of Reinecke. Rounding out the evening will be a set of romantic 'Pieces Melodiques' for horn and piano by the French composer Charles Gounod.

Everyone is welcome to attend the concert and tickets ($15 adult; $10 seniors/students) will be available at the door beginning at 7:00 pm.

Interested in having more healthy and delicious foods on campus? We want to hear from you! Applied Human Sciences invites you to spend 30 minutes with them in a focus group conversation about what you believe should be involved in a healthy campus food strategy.

Focus group discussions will take place on July 25 and July 26 at 3:00 pm in the student lounge, room 307 of the Health Sciences Building. Light refreshments will be served.

If you are unable to attend the focus group discussions, we would still like to hear from you by phone or email. Feel free to connect directly with research assistant, Sara Chin at schin@upei.ca or 218-5423. We look forward to hearing from you!

UPEI alumni Michelle (née MacDonald) and Tyrrell Hughes recently tied the knot on June 30, outside of UPEI's Main Building. The pair both graduated from UPEI in 2009, she with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and sociology before moving on to complete a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria, and he with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. Tyrrell is entering his second year of the Bachelor of Education program at UPEI.

The couple dated for the first time in junior high school-and on-and-off for a couple of years-after they met in the seventh grade. They reconnected again in 2005 at UPEI, where they found themselves enrolled in the same anthropology class. And the rest is history!

When asked how they chose UPEI to be their wedding venue, Tyrrell explained that the University seemed like a natural place since it was where they both graduated from, and where they had reunited as a couple after so many years apart. 'When we found out that the University was on board with the wedding, we were thrilled, and thought the meaning of having it there, coupled with the amazing campus renovations, would make for a perfect venue.'

Michelle was equally impressed by the venue and the ceremony setup-from the white satin that covered the guest chairs to having one of the sunniest days of the summer. 'I was blown away by how amazing the venue looked as I walked down the aisle, it was perfect,' said Michelle. 'We had walked those stairs of Main Building so many times throughout our undergrad, we felt more than comfortable standing up there in front of our family and friends,' she added. 'UPEI brought us back together, so we thought it was only fitting to come together through marriage at the place where we found love all over again.'

Michelle and Tyrrell recently returned home from a relaxing honeymoon in Maui, Hawaii.

Michelle and Tyrrell as a couple in junior high: The couple gave this out as a souvenir photo to wedding guests

By the time Virginia Arsenault was six years old, she dreamt of climbing Mount Everest. Her school books and bedroom were plastered with posters and photos of Mount Everest, K2, and Denali-some of the world's tallest peaks.

But at age thirteen, Arsenault's dreams of climbing seemed remote when she was told her right kidney was no longer functioning and needed to be removed. Shortly after her fourteenth birthday, doctors removed the damaged kidney, and thankfully, Arsenault's left kidney was working at full capacity both before and after the surgery. Having experienced something so life-changing at such a young age, she knew she had to do more to help those in similar situations.

In May 2009, while studying arts at the University of Prince Edward Island, Arsenault became an avid volunteer with the PEI chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada (KFOC), where she helped organize such events as door-to-door campaigns, walkathons, and carnivals. She also worked as a summer student and coordinator of the KFOC's PEI Chapter from 2009-11. Although she was fulfilling a dream of giving back to the Kidney Foundation of Canada, her dream of becoming a mountaineer remained unfulfilled.

That summer, Arsenault decided to take the first step toward making climbing a reality. She joined an expedition to Island Peak, a 6189-metre-high mountain in the Himalayas, considered to be a great climb for beginners. In May 2010, Arsenault arrived in Nepal where she began her trek out of the small village of Lukla. For three weeks, she found herself surrounded by Himalayan giants such as Mount Everest, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, and even had the opportunity to hike up Gokyo Ri, a small peak by Himalayan standards, but at 5257 metres, higher than most mountains in Canada.

Arsenault described standing on the summit of Gokyo Ri as the best moment of her life as she watched the sun rise over Mount Everest and the other peaks. 'Standing on the summit of Gokyo Ri literally took my breath away; it was a surreal experience,' she said. The group was unable to reach Island Peak because a storm system had moved over the Everest region. 'Although I wasn't able to climb Island Peak, I still feel like my expedition was a success as the experience truly affirmed my love for the mountains and my drive to climb the world's tallest mountains,' she added.

Arsenault continued climbing in 2010, climbing Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America. During her Christmas holidays, she flew to Argentina and joined five other mountaineers in an attempt to climb one of the famous Seven Summits. The group managed to summit a neighbouring peak, Cerro Bonete, but unfortunately a few days later, a raging blizzard and lightning storm forced the group to descend the mountain, halting their journey to reach Aconcagua's summit.

'Though I still long to return to Aconcagua and attempt to reach the summit of the Americas one day, I knew I had to first return to the Himalayas-the mountains that I had completely fallen in love with,' said Arsenault. 'I also decided that I wanted to combine my passion for mountains with another passion-helping others with kidney disease. So my upcoming trip will be a fundraiser for the Kidney Foundation of Canada.'

Arsenault hopes to raise awareness about the work of the Kidney Foundation along with funds, as she climbs Island Peak, Lobuche East (6119 m) and Chukung Ri (5565 m). From September 15-October 14, she will be joining a group of mountaineers in her quest to climb some of the most spectacular mountains in the world.

Arsenault graduated from UPEI in May 2012 at the top of her class, receiving the Ambrose Kwok-Yau Lee Award and the UPEI Alumni Association Prize. She is currently working on her honours thesis in history with a focus on the French Resistance in the Second World War and expects to complete it by April 2013.