Professor
      Profile
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Betsy
      Epperly:
      English
      cs
     
    
   
   
    
     
      prof
      and
      Island
      lover
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hen
      the
      University
      of
      Prince
      Edward
     
     
      \
      N
      Island
      was
      established
      in
      1969,
      it
      was
      a
     
     
      young
      woman
      from
      Martinsville,
      Vir-
     
     
      ginia,
      who
      was
      the
      very
      first
      to
      register.
      Eliza-
     
     
      beth
      Epperly
      was
      such
      a
      big
      fan
      of
      L.M.
     
     
      Montgomery
      and
      Anne
      of
      Green
      Gables,
      that
     
     
      she
      was
      determined
      to
      live
      and
      study
      on
      P.E.I.
     
     
      for
      just
      a
      year
      and
      then
      go
      back
      to
      the
      United
     
     
      States
      to
      become
      a
      geologist.
      That
      was
      the
      plan.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      during
      that
      first
      year
      at
      U.P.E.I,
      Epperly
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      soon
      discovered
      that
      she
      loved
      books
      so
      much
     
     
      that
      she
      wanted
      to
      study
      English,
      not
      geology,
     
     
      and
      she
      loved
      P.E.I.
      so
      much
      that
      she
      didn’t
     
     
      want
      to
      leave.
     
     
      So
      Epperly
      stayed
      at
      U.P.E.L.
      a
      little
      longer
     
     
      than
      originally
      planned.
      Actually,
      she
      stayed
     
     
      for
      four
      years,
      obtaining
      a
      Bachelor
      of
      Arts
      with
     
     
      a
      major
      in
      English.
      During
      this
      time
      she
      was
     
     
      also
      the
      first
      recipient
      of
      the
      English
      Prize-
      The
     
     
      Dorothy
      Cullen
      Award.
      After
      U.P.E.I.,
      Epperly
     
     
      attended
      Dalhousie
      University,
      where
      she
      com-
     
     
      pleted
      a
      two-year
      masters
      degree
      in
      one
      year.
     
     
      Her
      thesis
      was
      on
      Victorian
      Literature’s
      Anthony
     
     
      Trollope.
      In
      1974,
      Epperly
      moved
      on
      to
      the
     
     
      University
      of
      London,
      England,
      to
      begin
      work
     
     
      on
      her
      PhD.
      She
      completed
      this
      degree
      in
      1977,
     
     
      but
      was
      awarded
      it
      in
      1978,
      regretfully
      missing
     
     
      the
      ceremonies
      where
      she
      could
      have
      met
      the
     
     
      Queen
      Mother.
      Also
      in
      1978,
      Epperly
      became
      a
     
     
      citizen
      of
      Canada,
      feeling
      it
      was
      unfair
      to
      be
     
     
      taking
      employment
      away
      from
      official
      Canadi-
     
     
      ans,
     
     
      Dr.
      Epperly’s
      first
      teaching
      job
      was
      at
     
     
      U.P.E.I.,
      where
      she
      stayed
      for
      eight
      years,
      never
     
     
      tenured.
      During
      these
      eight
      years,
      she
      became
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      NEED
      A
      CAR...
     
     
      ---LALL
      A
      STAR!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CKLILFT
      A
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      full-time
      administrator,
      and
      taught
      part-time.
     
     
      After
      eight
      years,
      she
      applied
      for
      and
      received
     
     
      a
      research
      grant
      from
      the
      Social
      Sciences
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      Humanities
      Research
      Council
      of
      Canada
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (SSHRCC),
      specifically
      awarded
      to
      adminis-
     
     
      trators.
      Epperly
      did
      this
      research
      at
      U.P.E.I.
      (the
     
     
      award
      included
      eight
      months
      paid
      salary)
      and
     
     
      during
      this
      time,
      applied
      for
      a
      tenured
      position
     
     
      at
      Memorial
      University
      in
      Newfoundland.
      She
     
     
      taught
      at
      Memorial
      for
      eight
      years,
      and
      then
      was
     
     
      successful
      in
      her
      quest
      for
      a
      tenured
      position
      at
     
     
      U.P.E.L,
      trading
      her
      position
      as
      head
      of
      the
     
     
      English
      Department
      at
      Memorial
      for
      her
      love
      of
     
     
      the
      Island.
     
    

    
     
      In
      her
      spare
      time,
      Dr.
      Epperly
      enjoys
      read-
     
     
      ing,
      writing,
      walking,
      and
      also
      travelling,
      espe-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cially
      to
      England.
      She
      has
      published
      four
      books:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      two
      on
      L.M.
      Montgomery,
      and
      two
      on
      Anthony
     
     
      Trollope.
      She
      is
      also
      currently
      working
      on
      two
     
     
      major
      projects.
      One
      is
      a
      children’s
      book
      for
     
     
      which
      her
      sister,
      Carolyn,
      an
      artist,
      is
      working
     
     
      on
      the
      illustrations
      to
      accompany
      Epperly’s
     
     
      story.
      The
      other
      project
      is
      a
      collaboration
      with
     
     
      another
      professor
      about
      New
      Zealand’s
      Silvia
     
     
      Ashton
      Warner.
     
    

    
     
      One
      of
      her
      top
      priorities
      is
      the
      L.M.
     
     
      Montgomery
      Institute
      Committee,
      of
      which
      she
     
     
      is
      chairperson.
      From
      time
      to
      time,
      Epperly
      also
     
     
      attends
      literary
      conferences,
      the
      most
      recent
     
     
      being
      the
      first-ever
      international
      conference
      on
     
     
      Elizabeth
      Barret
      Browning
      in
      Texas,
      from
      No-
     
     
      vember
      4-6
      of
      this
      year,
      at
      which
      she
      gave
      a
     
     
      paper
      entitled
      ‘‘Intimate
      Connection’’.
     
    

    
     
      Dr.
      Epperly
      loves
      U.P.E.I.,
      and
      feels
      that
      we
     
     
      have
      many
      strong
      programs
      here,
      but
      she
      thinks
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dr.
      Elizabeth
      Epperley
      deep
      in
      thought
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      university
      lacks
      a
      certain
      self-confidence
     
     
      and
      a
      sense
      of
      community
      spirit
      among
      stu-
     
     
      dents.
      Part
      of
      the
      reason
      for
      this,
      says
      Epperly,
     
     
      is
      that
      we
      don’t
      really
      have
      a
      student
      centre
     
     
      where
      we
      can
      really
      talk
      and
      get
      to
      know
      our
     
     
      fellow
      students.
      Also,
      Epperly
      feels
      that
      if
      we
     
     
      had
      asystem
      oftunnels
      or
      anetwork
      of
      skywalks
     
     
      as
      well
      as
      lockers,
      students
      would
      stay
      around
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘longer
      and
      perhaps
      study
      in
      groups,
      since
      we
     
    
   
   
    
     
      wouldn’t
      have
      to
      drag
      our
      books
      all
      over
      the
     
     
      place.
     
    

    
     
      Dr.
      Epperly
      is
      a
      true
      professional
      who
      loves
     
     
      her
      work,
      and
      this
      is
      truly
      evident
      when
      your
     
     
      meet
      her
      or
      take
      one
      of
      her
      classes.
      In
      this
     
     
      writer’s
      opinion,
      the
      students
      of
      U.P.E.I.
      are
     
     
      very
      fortunate
      to
      have
      a
      professor
      so
      dedicated
     
     
      to
      her
      students,
      her
      career,
      and
      her
      love
      of
      this
     
     
      island.
     
    

    
     
      PATRICIA
      MACDONALD