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Welcome. As the University of Prince Edward Island celebrates 200 Years of Learning and Innovation on PEI, we are pleased to partner with the Board of Governors and alumni of St. Dunstan’s University in offering this virtual introduction to a pivotal time in the life of one of our “ancestors” in higher learning. When UPEI opened in 1969, it inherited the traditions of two long-established educational institutions, St. Dunstan’s University and Prince of Wales College. Although both of these schools wrapped up their operations to make way for the new provincial university, UPEI prides itself on the heritage passed down from SDU and PWC, and welcomes opportunities to join with those who studied and taught at both institutions to increase appreciation and understanding of that heritage. In addition to this virtual exhibit, for example, UPEI is also co-operating with PWC alumni in producing a book on the history of Prince of Wales, now nearing completion. This virtual exhibit explores some key elements in the life of St. Dunstan’s University during the years 1945 through 1955, an era described by Island historian Dr. G. E. MacDonald, in his book, The History of St. Dunstan’s University, 1855–1956, as the University’s “Golden Age.” Opened by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown in 1854, St. Dunstan’s was originally intended to educate young men aspiring to the priesthood, but by the mid-twentieth century it had expanded the scale and scope of its operations considerably. While some may have seen St. Dunstan’s, nestled on its pastoral campus just outside Charlottetown, as a quiet, even isolated, corner of the world, history did not pass it by. The University, like so much of Canadian academia, was swept along by the dramatic social and economic forces unleashed in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Enrollments soared, driving an ambitious campus building program supported in part by the most successful fund-raising drive in the history of the Diocese of Charlottetown. In material terms, MacDonald notes, “St. Dunstan’s made more progress during its tenth decade than in the previous nine combined.” The general sense of progress and accomplishment was further encouraged by the 1954 celebration of St. Dunstan’s centennial. Yet although this was an exciting time at St. Dunstan’s, it also brought many challenges, especially for this traditionalist religious school facing postwar expectations for social and educational change. And for St. Dunstan’s students and staff, of course, the studies, the sports, the socializing, and the daily joys and sorrows that are an inevitable part of university life continued, with the influence of grander historical forces not always apparent. What, then, was it like to be at St. Dunstan’s during those days? We hope that the text and images presented here will provide at least part of the answer, and encourage you to learn more about the proud tradition of higher education on Prince Edward Island. |
