UPEI
      Rises
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      list
      is
      in.
     
    

    
     
      And
      UPEI
      has
      climbed
      from
      ~
     
     
      spot
      15
      on
      the
      Maclean's
      top
      under-
     
     
      graduate
      university
      list
      to
      ninth
      place.
     
    

    
     
      The
      annual
      survey,
      complied
     
     
      by
      the
      national
      magazine,
      takes
      into
     
     
      consideration
      information
      sent
      by
      the
     
     
      schools,
      as
      well
      as
      surveys
      completed
     
     
      by
      various
      businesses
      across
      the
      coun-
     
     
      try.
     
     
      Universities
      are
      then
      ranked
     
     
      according
      the
      various
      factors:
      class
     
     
      size,
      expenditures,
      library,
      faculty,
      rep-
     
     
      utation
      and
      so
      on.
     
    

    
     
      Student
      Union
      President
      Chris
     
     
      Power
      says
      the
      New
      Student
      Centre
      is
     
     
      probably
      one
      of
      the
      reasons
      UPEI
     
     
      fared
      so
      well
      in
      this
      year's
      survey.
     
    

    
     
      "The
      University
      has
      seen
      great
     
     
      improvements,"
      he
      says.
      "It
      feels
      good
     
     
      to
      be
      part
      of
      the
      University
      at
      this
     
     
      time.”
     
    

    
     
      In
      fact,
      the
      new
      rink
      and
     
     
      aquatic
      centre,
      which
      is
      supposed
      to
      be
     
     
      open
      for
      next
      year's
      hockey
      season,
     
     
      may
      give
      UPEI
      a
      further
      advantage
      in
     
     
      the
      ranking
      next
      year.
     
    

    
     
      "I
      think
      we're
      only
      going
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Julie
      VEINOT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI’S
     
     
      RANK
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      —
      TIME
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Graph:
      Accurate
      to
      2.3%,
      19
      times
      out
      of
      20
     
    
   
   
    
     
      see
      improvements
      in
      the
      upcoming
     
     
      years."
     
    

    
     
      Power
      says
      the
      University
     
     
      shouldn't
      get
      too
      caught
      up
      in
      the
      rank-
     
     
      ing,
      but
      adds
      it
      is
      certainly
      a
      pat
      on
      the
     
     
      back
      to
      receive
      a
      favourable
      spot
      on
     
     
      the
      list.
     
    

    
     
      English
      Literature
      associate
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ees
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      forget
      George’s
      complete
      menu!
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      professor
      Shannon
      Murray
      says
     
     
      Maclean's
      survey
      is
      not
      an
      accurate
     
     
      representation
      of
      what
      schools
      have
      to
     
     
      offer
      students.
      It
      is
      a
      oversimplified
     
     
      way
      of
      dealing
      with
      a
      complex
      prob-
     
     
      lem
      and
      does
      not
      help
      students
      in
     
     
      choosing
      what
      school
      will
      best
      suit
     
     
      their
      needs,
      she
      says.
     
    

    
     
      "Often
      people
      choose
      their
     
     
      programs
      with
      less
      information
      than
     
     
      they
      use
      to
      buy
      a
      car."
     
    

    
     
      The
      Maclean's
      evaluation
      also
     
     
      doesn't
      take
      universities’
      mandates
      into
     
     
      consideration
      -
      including
      one
      of
     
     
      UPEI's
      goals:
      to
      educate
      Islanders.
     
    

    
     
      In
      his
      Nov.
      12
      newsletter,
     
     
      University
      President
      Wade
     
     
      MacLauchlan
      also
      says
      the
      survey
     
     
      does
      not
      take
      into
      consideration
      what
     
     
      UPEI
      offers
      Islanders.
      For
      example,
     
     
      when
      Maclean's
      evaluates
      the
     
     
      University's
      budget,
      it
      does
      not
      take
     
     
      into
      consideration
      the
      amount
      of
     
     
      money
      that
      goes
      to
      the
      Atlantic
     
     
      Veterinary
      College.
      —
     
    

    
     
      "Because
      our
      base
      budget
     
     
      includes
      AVC,
      which
      has
      for
      under-
     
     
      standable
      reasons
      a
      quite
      different
      mix
     
     
      of
      expenses
      than
      would
      generally
      be
     
     
      found
      at
      a
      primarily
      undergraduate
      uni-
     
     
      versity,
      we
      tend
      to
      come
      in
      at
      the
      low
     
     
      end
      of
      these
      relative
      measures,"
      he
     
     
      says.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ninth
      Place
      in
      Maclean's
      Survey
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Another
      factor
      in
      the
      ranking
     
     
      includes
      in
      grade
      averages
      of
      incoming
     
     
      students
      -
      universities
      receive
     
     
      favourable
      marks
      for
      higher
      averaged
     
     
      incoming
      students.
     
    

    
     
      MacLauchlan
      says
      it
      is
      impor-
     
     
      tant
      to
      gauge
      a
      university
      by
      the
      quali-
     
     
      ty
      of
      its
      teaching
      environment
      instead
     
     
      of
      restricting
      its
      soil
      for
      an
      "increasing-
     
     
      ly
      elite
      group
      of
      students."
      He
      adds
      it
     
     
      is
      no
      accident
      the
      highest-ranked
      uni-
     
     
      versities
      on
      Maclean's
      list
      also
      require
     
     
      the
      highest
      averages
      on
      university
     
     
      entry.
     
    

    
     
      Despite
      these
      drawbacks
      to
      the
     
     
      evaluation
      system,
      MacLauchlan
      says
     
     
      he
      expects
      UPEI
      will
      continue
      to
      do
     
     
      well
      in
      the
      future
      on
      the
      Maclean's
      list.
     
    

    
     
      "I
      am
      confident
      that
      we
      will
     
     
      see
      many
      positive
      results
      from
      this
     
     
      momentum
      and
      from
      this
      commitment
     
     
      to
      excellence,
      including
      -
      in
      due
      course
     
     
      -
      their
      reflection
      in
      Maclean's
      and
     
     
      other
      measures
      of
      our
      success,"
      he
     
     
      says.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Top
      Undergraduate
     
     
      Universities
      According
      to
     
     
      the
      2002
      Maclean's
     
     
      Ranking
     
    
   
   
    
     
      St.
      Francis
      Xavier
     
     
      Mount
      Allison
     
     
      Acadia
     
     
      Winnipeg
     
     
      Wilfred
      Laurier
     
     
      Bishop's
      (TIE)
     
     
      Trent
      (TIE)
     
     
      UNBC
     
     
      UPEI
     
    

    
     
      .
      St.
      Thomas
     
    

    
     
      .
      Saint
      Mary's
     
    

    
     
      .
      Mount
      Saint
      Vincent
     
    

    
     
      .
      Lethbridge
     
    

    
     
      .
      Brock
     
    

    
     
      .
      Moncton
     
    

    
     
      .
      Ryerson
     
    

    
     
      .
      Lakehead
     
    

    
     
      .
      Laurentian
     
    

    
     
      .
      Nipissing
     
    

    
     
      .
      Brandon
     
    

    
     
      .
      Cape
      Breton
     
    
   
   
    
     
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