“Ursula on Tour” coming to a university near you

OTTAWA, May 5, 2011 – Keep your eyes peeled for a little white bear, about 40 cm tall, wearing a dark blue graduation gown and looking for adventure. She may be coming to a university near you.

Ursula is a wooden polar bear who is making her way across Canada one university campus at a time. Her goal is to present a slice of life from more than 20 universities in all 10 provinces. She’ll be attending classes, visiting residences, catching a few varsity games, and capturing the flavour of the different campuses she visits. She’ll also meet some interesting personalities along the way.

As she travels, Ursula will be posting her stories, photos and video to her blog, www.ursulaontour.ca, and will be tweeting her adventures from @ursula_aucc.

Ursula began her tour at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s this week, and will be working her way west through the Maritimes into Quebec until mid-June, when she – like many students – will take a break for the summer. Ursula will resume her journey across Canada in late August when students return to campuses for the fall semester. This second leg of Ursula’s tour will take her through Canada’s western provinces and will wrap up in Montreal in late October, where the presidents of Canada’s universities will be holding their annual meeting.

“Ursula on Tour” is an initiative of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, which is commemorating its 100th anniversary in 2011. The polar bear is a prominent symbol in AUCC’s coat of arms, and represents both wisdom and Canada’s Aboriginal people.

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Media Contact:
Helen Murphy
Communications Manager
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Email: hmurphy@aucc.ca
Tel.: 613-563-1236, ext. 238