UPés
      -
     
    
   
   
    
     
      re.
      AUS
      ey
     
    
   
   
    
     
      eae
      F.4d
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      UNIVERSITY
      OF
      PRINCE
      EDWARD
      ISLAND’S
      STUDENT
      VOICE
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cus
      pape
      ts
      ?
      MAT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PEI-Newspapers
      &
      Magazines
     
    
   
   
    
     
       MAagaZm
      es
      —-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      VOLa
      No
      5
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tae
      CADE
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘
      THE
      CADRE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      22,
      2006
     
     
      WWwW.CADRE.UPEIL.CA
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      MOVEs
      UP
      IN
      MACLEAN’S
     
     
      ANNUAL
      UNIVERSITY
      RANKINGS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Craig
      St.
      Jean
     
     
      Contributor
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Once
      again,
      The
      University
      of
      Prince
     
     
      Edward
      Island
      has
      moved
      up
      the
      list
     
     
      in
      Maclean’s
      annual
      university
     
     
      rankings.
     
    

    
     
      This
      year
      marks
      the
      highest
     
     
      ranking,
      fifth
      in
      the
      Primarily
     
     
      Undergraduate
      category,
      that
      UPEI
      has
     
     
      achieved,
      and
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      university’s
      upward
      trend
      on
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      continues
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Maclean’s
      list
      over
      the
      last
      several
     
     
      years.
     
    

    
     
      “Our
      reputation
      is
      catching
      up
     
     
      to
      our
      quality”
      says
      UPEI
      Vice
     
     
      President
      of
      Academic
      Development,
     
     
      Vianne
      Timmons.
      “Five
      years
      ago
     
     
      when
      I
      took
      my
      position
      here,
      we
      were
     
     
      ranked
      18°.”
     
    

    
     
      Timmons
      cites
      a
      number
      of
     
     
      statistics
      which
      have
      contributed
      to
     
     
      the
      high
      overall
      ranking.
     
    

    
     
      “We've
      increased
      our
      graduation
     
     
      tate
      from
      76
      per
      cent
      to
      82
      per
      cent
      in
     
     
      the
      last
      year.
      We
      also
      have
      the
      highest
     
     
      tanking
      in
      Canada
      for
      faculty
      awards
     
     
      and
      we’re
      not
      far
      behind
      in
      student
     
     
      awards.”
     
    

    
     
      She
      also
      points
      out
      that
      UPEI
     
     
      has
      recently
      moved
      up
      from
      15"
      to
      10"
     
     
      in
      terms
      of
      offering
      scholarships.
     
     
      Much
      of
      this
      has
      to
      do,
      Timmons
      said,
     
     
      with
      the
      industrious
      and
     
     
      entrepreneurial
      approach
      of
      President
     
     
      Wade
      MacLauchlan,
      who
      has
      achieved
     
     
      a
      great
      degree
      of
      interaction
      with
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UNIVERSITY
      ARCHIVES
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ROBERTSON
      LIGRARY,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      LIBRARY
      USE
      ONLY
     
    
   
   
    
     
      wider
      community
      during
      his
      time
      in
      ~
     
    
   
   
    
     
      office.
     
    

    
     
      Timmons
      is
      also
      adamant
      to
     
     
      point
      out
      that
      although
      UPET
      is
     
     
      receiving
      increasingly
      high
      recognition
     
     
      by
      Maclean’s,
      many
      of
      the
      university’s
     
     
      most
      attractive
      are
     
     
      unappreciated
      by
      the
      ranking
      system.
     
    

    
     
      “We
      have
      a
      mandate”
      she
      said,
     
     
      “to
      serve
      the
      people
      in
      the
      province.
     
     
      We
      don’t
      intend
      to
      be
      an
      elitist
      school,
     
     
      we
      want
      to
      provide
      heightened
      access
     
     
      to
      education.”
     
    

    
     
      With
      this
      inclusive
      approach
      of
     
     
      accessibility
      comes
      opportunity.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      focus
      is
      not
      so
      much
      on
     
     
      what
      students
      come
      in
      with,
      but
      what
     
     
      we
      can
      provide
      them
      with
      and
      what
     
     
      they
      leave
      with.”
     
    

    
     
      Although
      she
      is
      overjoyed
      with
     
     
      this
      year’s
      high
      ranking,
      Timmons
      freely
     
     
      admits
      that
      the
      Maclean’s
      ranking
     
     
      system
      is
      far
      from
      the
      be
      all
      and
      end
      all
     
     
      indicator
      of
      a
      university’s
      quality.
     
     
      Concern
      has
      been
      voiced
      this
      year
      over
     
     
      the
      number
      of
      universities
      that
      have
     
     
      opted
      out
      of
      submitting
      the
      data
      that
     
     
      Maclean’s
      requires
      (an
      issue
      which
     
     
      President
      MacLauchlan
      addressed
      in
      a
     
     
      recent
      campus
      newsletter).
      Timmons
     
     
      feels
      that
      one
      of
      the
      qualms
      universities
     
     
      have
      with
      the
      way
      the
      rankings
      are
     
     
      compiled
      is
      the
      use
      of
      “summary
     
     
      scores”
      in
      producing
      a
      numbered
     
    
   
   
    
     
      assets
     
    
   
   
    
     
      U.P.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      macleans.ca
     
    
   
   
    
     
      MacLean’s
      Magazine
      University
      Ranking
      Issue
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ranking.
      This
      means
      that
      Maclean’s
     
     
      averages
      out
      the
      scores
      that
      a
      school
     
     
      receives
      for
      each
      program
      it
      offers.
     
     
      Timmons
      notes
      that,
      as
      a
      result,
      “a
     
     
      school
      could
      have
      an
      outstanding
     
     
      chemistry
      program
      that
      may
      not
      be
     
     
      reflected
      in
      the
      overall
      ranking.”
     
     
      This
      returns
      Timmons
      to
      the
     
     
      point
      that
      while
      she
      feels
      UPEI
     
     
      completely
      deserves
      the
      recognition
     
     
      it
      is
      receiving,
      there
      are
      still
      many
     
    
   
   
    
     
      great
      things
      that
      UPEI
      offers
      which
     
     
      will
      never
      be
      reflected
      in
      the
      rankings.
     
     
      She
      points
      to
      the
      outstanding
      quality
     
     
      of
      the
      recently
      renovated
      sports
      centre
     
     
      and
      student
      centre,
      as
      well
      as
      the
     
     
      nature
      of
      campus
      life
      as
      some
      of
      the
     
     
      most
      prominent
      examples.
     
    

    
     
      All
      in
      all,
      the
      take-home
      message
     
     
      seems
      to
      be
      that
      “a
      GREAT
      small
     
     
      University”
      is
      now
      a
      truer
      description
     
     
      than
      ever.