The University of Prince Edward Island has a longstanding tradition of academic excellence dating back to the early 19th century, with roots in its predecessor institutions, Prince of Wales College (PWC) and St. Dunstan’s University (SDU). In 1969, the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) was incorporated by an Act of the Provincial Legislature.
The commitment to education as a primary factor in PEI’s development can be traced to debates of the colony’s earliest legislative council. A particular champion was Lieutenant-Governor Edmund Fanning (1786–1805). Fanning actively promoted the view that education was central to the colony’s progress, and that it should be seen as a priority, along with the enhancement of agriculture, fisheries, commerce, and population growth. In 1804, he personally donated the land on which PWC was to stand “for the purpose of laying the foundation of a College thereon.” Kent College, later to become Prince of Wales College, opened in 1820. A related predecessor institution, Central Academy, received a Royal Charter in 1834. In 1860 the Colleges were renamed for the Prince of Wales in honour of the visit of the future King Edward VII. Today, the land donated by Lieutenant-Governor Fanning is occupied by Holland College.
The predecessor of St. Dunstan’s University, St. Andrew’s College, was founded in 1831 under the leadership of Bishop Angus MacEachern. St. Dunstan’s College was established in 1855 by Bishop Bernard MacDonald on a large farming property which today is surrounded by the expanding city of Charlottetown. This property, including the historic Main Building, serves as the UPEI campus. The campus is well-known for its historic architecture and for its red-brick, well-manicured appearance.
The University’s campus is a reflection of the character of UPEI on many levels—a complementary blend of old and new, of tradition and innovation. Original SDU buildings have been renovated tastefully to retain integrity of design while meeting modern standards, and many buildings have been integrated into the campus, including the Utilities Building (1973), Blanchard Hall (1973), the Robertson Library (1975), the Atlantic Veterinary College (1986), the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre (1990), the Wanda Wyatt Dining Hall (1990), the K.C. Irving Chemistry Centre (1997), the W. A. Murphy Student Union Centre (2002), Bill and Denise Andrew Hall (2006), and the School of Business Administration and Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (2008).
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The depth of UPEI’s academic heritage is reflected not only in the buildings and scholarships named in honour of education pioneers and benefactors, but also in personal, day-to-day connections. Graduates of SDU and PWC teach at UPEI, children of current and former faculty and staff attend the University, and many families proudly report multi-generational alumni connections to the institution. Now numbering more than 18,000, alumni of UPEI, SDU, and PWC—whether in Prince Edward Island, elsewhere in Canada, or abroad—maintain a close sense of connection with their University.
UPEI has seen important developments in its programming over the past 40 years. Bachelors’ programs, in many cases including “honours” options, are available in Arts, Science, Business Administration, Education, and Nursing. Co-op programs have been established in Business Administration, Computer Science, Physics, and Dietetics. One new Faculty, Veterinary Medicine, and two schools, Business Administration and Nursing, were added as the University expanded. Master and Doctoral degree programs were first introduced through the Atlantic Veterinary College and, beginning in 1999, a Master of Science degree was offered through the Faculty of Science. In that same year the first students were admitted to the University’s new Master of Education program. Since then, several programs have been added: Master of Arts in 2003; Master of Applied Health Services Research in 2004; Bachelor of Integrated Studies and Master of Business in 2008; Bachelor of Business Studies and PhD in Education in 2009; Bachelor of Wildlife Conservation, Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Master of Nursing in 2010. The Faculty of Science introduced a new PhD program in Molecular and Macromolecular Sciences and Environmental Sciences and the Faculty of Education is offering a Bachelor of Education - Enseignment en Francais Langue Seconde.
Underlying the University’s programs and activities is a commitment to rigorous study and inquiry, belief in the value of knowledge, lifelong capacity-building, and the development of the whole person—along with a sense of community at UPEI and in its local, regional, national, and international contexts. Faculty in all disciplines produce research and scholarly works of national and international calibre, while continuing to give priority to UPEI’s well-earned reputation for high-quality teaching characterized by individual attention. With all of these developments, and with its rich heritage, UPEI is justly proud to say that it is “a great small university.”
The University of Prince Edward Island is fortunate to have been served by a succession of outstanding Chancellors and Presidents/Vice-Chancellors, installed as follows:
Serving as Chancellor:
The Honourable Thane A. Campbell, CC, MA, LLD
- May 14, 1970
Gustave Gingras, CC, MD, FRSA, LLD, FRCP(c)
- May 12, 1974
David Macdonald Stewart, CM, CStJ, KLJ, FRSA, FHS(c), Hon LLD, Hon DBA
- October 1, 1982
The Honourable Gordon L. Bennett, OC, BSc, MSc, LLD, DCL
- March 9, 1985
Doris H. Anderson, OC, BA, LLD
- October 24, 1992
Norman Webster, CM, BA, MA, DCL
- November 2, 1996
William Andrew, Dip Eng, BEng
- March 6, 2005
Serving as President and Vice-Chancellor:
Ronald J. Baker, OC, BA, MA, LLD
- May 14, 1970
Peter P. M. Meincke, BSc, MA, PhD
- September 23, 1978
C. W. J. Eliot, CM, BA, MA, PhD, DCL
- October 19, 1985
Elizabeth R. Epperly, BA, MA, PhD
- October 14, 1995
Lawrence E. Heider, DVM
- August 16, 1998 (acting)
H. Wade MacLauchlan, BBA, LLB, LLM, CM
- October 3, 1999
Characteristics
Every university is a community of scholars engaged in the pursuit of truth. It seeks in particular those truths which liberate human beings by helping them to know themselves and the world around them, and by enabling them to order their own lives so as to achieve their proper ends. It seeks to promote respect for the worth and dignity of every individual. It seeks to develop, along with specific skills, creativity, the capacity for critical thought, and the ability and desire to learn throughout life.
The university within western civilization has a special commitment to seek and to study the truths of that civilization by examining its values and its institutions, by weighing them against those of other traditions, and by transmitting the best that has been thought and said and done. It is the critic as well as the repository of cultural heritage. The independence of thought and the freedom of inquiry characteristic of the university guarantee that the assumptions underlying society, including those underlying the university, are continually challenged and renewed.
Thus, since all universities strive for excellence, UPEI cannot differ from any other university in its general purposes. Nevertheless, certain distinguishing characteristics set this University apart. First is determination. Despite Prince Edward Island's size and location, the University has been founded and sustained by the smallest province in Canada. Moreover, UPEI has determined to offer an education that encompasses a wide range of programs in Arts and Sciences, Education, Music, Engineering, Business Administration, Veterinary Medicine, and Nursing, taught by a faculty drawn from many of the world's universities.
The second characteristic is tradition, for although UPEI is one of Canada's youngest universities, the Island's commitment to higher education has a long history. The people of the province have sought to have quality education in their midst ever since the founding of UPEI's predecessor institutions, the Central Academy, Prince of Wales College, St. Andrew's College, and St. Dunstan's University, beginning well over 150 years ago. In response to that commitment, UPEI was established to provide Prince Edward Island with undergraduate education of a standard equal to any available in other provinces of Canada.
The third characteristic is potential. Since the province is an island, it possesses an advantageous capability of showing the development of life in its fullness. It is the duty of any university serving such a society both to present a vision of the wholeness of life and to promote the integration of knowledge. To that end, the education available to students at UPEI seeks to balance research, teaching, and service to the community.
