Dean’s Message

THE 2018–2019 ACADEMIC YEAR was again filled with highlights and significant achievements for the Faculty of Business. The many accomplishments, as well as opportunities and benefits created for students and our community as a result of our continued growth, are highlighted in this issue of ENGAGE.

Many students celebrated successes this year, both as individuals and in teams. For the third year in a row, we had a student win the prestigious Frank H. Sobey award; our Enactus teams qualified for and won awards at the Enactus Nationals in Vancouver, BC; and our case competition team won a silver medal at the Alberta International Business Competition in Jasper, Alta.

Our continued focus on entrepreneurship helped to encourage and support many students in their career journey. The Grant Thornton – UPEI Entrepreneurial Playground was launched and facilitated relationships between students, businesses, and community members, helping to educate our general population of students, as well as provide individual mentorship for new entrepreneurs.

The Faculty of Business was honoured to be selected as host for the Network of International Business Schools Case Competition (NIBS) in the winter of 2019, which invited over 100 participants to compete in a week-long case competition on campus. This was perfect timing, as the event coincided with UPEI’s 50th anniversary. Sixteen teams from nine different countries participated, and experienced the excellence of UPEI and the Faculty of Business, as well as the genuine Island hospitality we are famous for.

Last but not least, our faculty members continue to pursue interesting and inspiring research, publish in top journals, and receive awards and grants for their work. Many are partnering with faculty members from the UPEI community and researchers from other educational institutions to further their initiatives. In one such partnership, recently retired entrepreneurship and accounting professor Mike Cassidy, is working with the UPEI Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering to solve the problem of overgrown sea lettuce that has been plaguing Island waterways for years.

Andrew Campbell and Dr. Jurgen Krause at the 2018 Dean’s Honours and Awards event

I completed my term as Dean of the UPEI Faculty of Business, and I am happy to announce that the former Associate Dean Dr. Tarek Mady will be serving as interim Dean. I will continue to focus on my role as the Director of the Centre for Health and Community Research and resume my teaching responsibility as professor.

I invite you to explore the following stories and news to learn more about our Faculty of Business. We hope we can be a part of your future!

Dr. Jurgen Krause, MSc, PhD