University of Prince Edward Island - University Island

University Island

In 2009, the University of Prince Edward Island developed the concept of “University Island” to describe the ways in which UPEI makes a difference “on the Island and around the world.” A website, universityisland.ca, was created to showcase the University’s outreach in the areas of learning, community service, and research. Using google-mapping technology, the database includes hundreds of examples of how UPEI is making an impact, providing opportunity and leadership, and generating successful outcomes, at home and around the world.

Examples include:

Learning: UPEI is committed to students and professors learning from each other — inside the classroom and out, on the Island and beyond. With opportunities such as co-operative education and internships, teaching practicums and nursing placements, international exchange agreements, faculty exchanges, and students doing real-world research alongside their professors — on campus and off — students are applying what they learn in the classroom to the world around them.

Community Service: UPEI prides itself on being an integral part of the Island community. The campus is well-known to Islanders of all ages, from children who take part in Panther day camps or come to varsity games, to adults who use the Robertson Library or take classes through Seniors College. The Atlantic Veterinary College’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Centres of Expertise have an international reputation for service. Students, faculty, and staff blanket Prince Edward Island through their community outreach and volunteer activities.

Research: UPEI’s size and sense of place are assets when it comes to research and scholarship. Small size allows the University to be an incubator for new ideas, and the people needed to bring these leading-edge ideas to fruition are just next-door or down the street. Research at home, and in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and elsewhere, addresses important issues of community, health, and environment. Professors work hand in hand with students, industry, governments, and NGOs — doing work that matters in the real world.