Wade MacLauchlan's roots run deep in the ruddy soil of PEI, but his ambition has always been global. For almost 11 years, Mr. MacLauchlan has been president of the University of Prince Edward Island, a regional economic engine that has spawned biotech startups and computer geeks. His leadership at UPEI comes to an end in 2011 and, as the son of a legendary local entrepreneur, he is thinking of where this reputedly have-not province will find new sources of innovation.

During Wade's tenure at UPEI, the University has become in effect the most important social and economic driver in our province.

The interview linked in to this post will give you a sense of how he sees things. He is not 'Just" a university president. He is a university president that sees the university at the core of the future of his province.

Wander around today on the campus. This is not the PEI that I came to only 15 years ago.

The people - they come from all over the world. PEI might be hard on newcomers but UPEI is a beacon. Wade saw very early that the demographics of PEI would make it hard for universities. He was among the very first University Presidents to act on this. This increased diversity has its challenges and friction but it makes UPEI a much more interesting experience for all. It has brought so much more life to the place.

Surely this example will affect all the province in the years to come?

The energy - I am doing work in the library right now - it is absolutely humming. There is a buzz in the air that was not there before. This is a confidence issue. UPEI is not "Just" the last resort but an organization that can and does hold its head up high even though it is small. It can do this because it is also a leader in many small but key fields.

New infrastructure - it's not just the pool etc but the labs with hundreds of people. UPEI did almost no research 10 years ago. Now it can and does attract the top people in a number of very relevant fields. This is no accident.

There is more to infrastructure than the buildings as well. Wade has sponsored capacity building too. The PEI Bio Alliance has connected this research to a growing business ecology as well - the aim is to replace what we lose in conventional agriculture and fishing. My bet is that 2010 may be the cross over year where the economic impact of UPEI is greater than the sum of farming and fishing once you rake all the debt out of the conventional side.

Quietly, as the commodity business that we all depended on, dies away, UPEI has been growing as an alternative.

Wade leaves in 2011 still a young man with a mission...