That was University of P.E.I. president Dr. Alaa S. Abd-El-Aziz’s message to the Rotary Club of Summerside Tuesday morning.
Abd-El-Aziz, who took over the presidency and vice-chancellorship in July 2011, was guest speaker at Rotary’s weekly breakfast.
“While we are located in Charlottetown, we are the university of Prince Edward Island,” said Abd-El-Aziz.
Since becoming president he’s travelled the Island to gain a better understanding of the university’s role and gauge what Islanders feel is working and lacking at UPEI, which he said, is key in determining the school’s direction.
To help do this, a committee of more than 100 representatives from the community, staff, students, faculty and alumni was struck to look at various aspects of the university, from students and faculty development to staff and alumni.
Sub-committee chairs held their first session in Summerside in January.
“This is your university. There is no way a new president could be successful without the support of the faculty, the staff, the students and the community,” said Abd-El-Aziz. “I need to hear your advice and comments.”
The president said having a close-knit community, as exists on P.E.I., is an asset in determining the university’s direction and its programming, adding that the Island’s attributes and way of life make the university an easy sell to students globally.
“There’s lots of things in P.E.I. to be proud of,” he said. “Talking about P.E.I. is really easy. It’s not difficult to say come to a welcoming community … to a safe community … to a place where you can have an education but also you can have an outstanding life.”
As technology advances, the world grows smaller and the role of the university on the global stage will continue to grow.
“Having international students is changing and is going to continue to change our Island. We are bringing the world to us,” he added. “We want to ensure the university plays a role in global education, in our economy.”
Islanders are being encouraged to offer up their input on the committee’s final draft on the future of UPEI before it’s presented to the university’s senate and board of governors.
First and second drafts of the committee’s report, once complete, will be available online for comment.
“We would like to make sure that our university, which is your university, is a place that is a safe haven for thinking, a place where you can ask questions, get answers and spend time talking about issues and, at the end of the day, regardless of what the outcome is, there is respect.”
nmacphee@journalpioneer.com
