University of Prince Edward Island Mary O. Kinch Entrance Awards

Faculty: Arts

Status: Entering 1st Year

Process: Recommendations by the Department of Music

Scholarship Type: Scholarship

Description: Awarded to first-year Music students in varying amounts based on recommendations from the Music Department.

Background: Justin A. (Mickey) McKean (1919-1997) was the only child of Mary Olive Kinch who was born in Kildare, PEI. Mary's Island roots go deep; she was the fourth generation of the family that had come from Ireland to farm on PEI. Her mother was a Handrahan; her grandmother a Dalton, sister of Sir Charles Dalton, pioneer in the silver fox industry on the Island, Lieutenant Governor of PEI in the 1930's, and whose generosity allowed the building of "Dalton Hall" in 1917 as a residence to accommodate the influx of students following the war. Like so many young Islanders of that era, Mary moved to the Boston States where she met and married Collin McKean, Justin's father. When Collin died suddenly in 1939, Mary took a position as a housekeeper for a woman in Wellesley, MA, whose name we do not know, but whose generosity has had a lasting impact, since upon her death she left Mary a bequest of $50,000. This, it is believed, is the source of the funds that Mr. McKean invested and subsequently donated to UPEI for scholarships for music students in his mother's name.

Scholarships and Awards

UPEI supports you and your educational goals.  We offer our students competitive tuition rates and administer millions of dollars in scholarships and awards to our undergraduate and graduate students every year.

The Scholarship and Awards Office is happy to announce that students are now able to apply to the 1st and 2nd Semester Award Cycles electronically through UPEI’s new Scholarship and Award Application portal!  

The Scholarship and Award Application portal provides instructions on how to complete the application and guides students across the 4-step submission process. Applications for both the 1st and 2nd Semester Award Cycles must be submitted through the new portal by October 1 and February 1 respectively for consideration.

Scholarships that require separate application have a deadline as outlined on the application form.  Additional material including personal statements, financial need forms, or references may also be required.

Application packages must be submitted on or before the deadline; if the date falls on a weekend or statutory holiday, the scholarship deadline moves to the next business day.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us: we are here to help!