{"id":25,"date":"2024-02-02T17:31:19","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T17:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calendar.upei.ca\/future\/chapter\/history\/"},"modified":"2024-02-02T17:31:19","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T17:31:19","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/calendar.upei.ca\/2024-2025\/chapter\/history\/","title":{"raw":"History","rendered":"History"},"content":{"raw":"\nThe University of Prince Edward Island recognizes and acknowledges our location on the unceded, ancestral lands of the Mi\u2019kmaq People, in their traditional and current territory of Mi\u2019kma\u2019ki. <\/em>\n\nEducation is a key component of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada\u2019s Calls to Action. UPEI is committed to advancing reconciliation through higher education, and our establishment of the UPEI Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies<\/a> in 2021 is an important step. As a community, we have started a journey of growth to realize the role we must play in promoting an understanding of Indigenous history and culture and supporting respectful relationships. Their history is our history.\n\nThe University of Prince Edward Island has a long-standing tradition of academic excellence dating back to the early 19th century, with roots in its founding institutions: Prince of Wales College (est. 1834) and Saint Dunstan\u2019s University (est. 1855). UPEI values its heritage and proudly embodies historic symbols of SDU and PWC in positions of honour within the shield that anchors the University\u2019s official coat of arms<\/a>, and on its flag<\/a>.\n\nThe Early Years<\/strong>\n\nCommitment to education as a primary factor in PEI\u2019s development can be traced to PEI\u2019s earliest legislative council debates. Lieutenant-Governor Edmund Fanning (1786\u20131805) promoted the view that education was central to progress and that it should be seen as a priority, along with the enhancement of agriculture, fisheries, commerce, and population growth.\n\nIn 1820, Kent College School opened in Charlottetown, and a larger building known as the Central Academy was constructed from 1834 to 1836 near the corners of Kent Street and Weymouth Street. Central Academy provided Island youth with \"educational qualification enabling them to take their place in the various professions and vocations of life with advantage to society and honour and credit to themselves.\" A teacher training institution called the Normal School opened in 1856.\n\nCentral Academy was upgraded in 1860 and renamed Prince of Wales College, in honour of the visit of His Royal Highness Edward Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII. In 1879, the College became co-educational, and the Normal School became part of it. In 1965, Prince of Wales College was elevated to university status.\n\nSaint Dunstan\u2019s University was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown to educate lay leaders for Catholic society and young men who wished to enter a seminary. St. Andrew\u2019s College, which preceded SDU, was founded in 1831 under the leadership of Bishop Angus MacEachern. Saint Dunstan\u2019s College was established in 1855 by Bishop Bernard MacDonald on the property that today serves as the UPEI campus. The College received a provincial degree-granting charter in 1917 but did not award its first bachelor's degrees until the spring of 1941.\n\nStarting in 1892, SDU was affiliated with Universit\u00e9 Laval, awarding joint degrees, but following the decision to start granting its own degrees, SDU had severed its relationship with Laval by 1956. By the mid-20th century, the College had expanded into a small liberal arts university, having become co-educational in 1942.\n\nIn 1969, the Government of Prince Edward Island, under the leadership of Premier Alex B. Campbell, passed the University Act, which led to the creation of one university for the province. In September of that year, the University of Prince Edward Island welcomed its first students.\n\nThe Provincial University<\/strong>\n\nThe University\u2019s Charlottetown campus reflects the character of UPEI on many levels\u2014a complementary blend of old and new, of tradition and innovation. Original SDU buildings have been renovated tastefully to retain the integrity of design while meeting modern standards, and many new academic, administrative, and residence buildings<\/a> have been integrated into the UPEI campus.\n\nThe depth of UPEI\u2019s academic heritage is reflected in the buildings and scholarships named in honour of education pioneers and benefactors and in personal, day-to-day connections. Graduates of SDU and PWC taught at UPEI, children and grandchildren of former faculty and staff attended the University, and many families proudly continue to report multi-generational alumni connections to the institution.\n\nThe University has a long history of welcoming international students, and many graduates remain actively engaged with UPEI as part of the local community or networked through professional and collegial worldwide relationships. Alumni of UPEI, SDU, and PWC<\/a>\u2014now numbering more than 30,000\u2014whether in Prince Edward Island, elsewhere in Canada, or abroad\u2014maintain a close sense of connection with their University.\n\nUPEI: Fifty Years and Beyond <\/strong>\n\nIn 2019, UPEI celebrated its 50th anniversary<\/a> and showcased the many important developments in its academic and research programs over its five decades.\n\nSince then, the University has continued to grow its academic programming, adding undergraduate and graduate programs<\/a>, faculties, and schools<\/a> to meet the ever-changing demands of industry and society. UPEI has expanded beyond the Charlottetown campus, opening the UPEI Cairo Campus<\/a> in Egypt in 2018, and the Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation<\/a> in St. Peters Bay, PEI in 2022.\n

Underlying the University\u2019s 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\u2014along 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 prioritizing UPEI\u2019s well-earned reputation for high-quality teaching characterized by individual attention.<\/p>\n

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:<\/p>\n

Serving as Chancellor:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Honourable Thane A. Campbell, CC, MA, LLD<\/p>\n\n