Join UPEI President Wendy Rodgers for casual "coffee chats" at Tim Horton's in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre on Wednesday, March 11 from 8:00-9:00 am.

These coffee chats offer a relaxed setting where any member of the UPEI community can drop by, grab a drink, and chat with Wendy about anything on your mind. Whether you want to share ideas, ask questions or simply say hello, these chats are a great way to connect with the president in a comfortable and informal environment.

The search committee for the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering Associate Dean Academic invites you to the upcoming public presentation by the finalist candidate. Since the search began, the committee has conducted a comprehensive search and selected one finalist for a series of stakeholder meetings on campus.

The presentation is scheduled on Tuesday, March 10 2026, at 1:30 pm, AVC 287N.

Tune in to the upcoming FSDE Student Awards Ceremony on Thursday, March 5th 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Atlantic Time

The Ceremony will be live-streamed via Facebook:

1. Go to the UPEI Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/upeiengineering/live_videos/
2. Look for the red “LIVE” badge at the top of our posts or video section.
3. Click the video to start watching.

The Department of Economics welcomes everyone to a seminar "Spatial Nexus: Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions" presented by Dr. Mingze Li from Mount Allison University on Thursday, March 5, in SDU Main Building, Room 320 at 2:30.

Students are invited to the Climate Career day, Wednesday, March 11 from 10-12:30 in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building (Room 201) to meet with local professionals and organizations that work with climate issues. This opportunity is intended to connect students with potential employers while also learning about different career paths. 

Guest speakers will take part in a panel discussion at 11am where they will chat about their roles, how they found their way into climate work, climate projects their organization is working on, and how to find joy in a challenging field of work. 

Free to attend.

The Robertson Library is pleased to welcome Dr. Svetlana Kochkina, who is taking up her duties as our new University [Chief] Librarian during the first week of March. Dr. Kochkina joins us from McGill University Libraries, where she held several key positions over the past 15 years, including a recently-concluded term as Acting Head of the renowned Osler Library of the History of Medicine. Dr. Kochkina is also a distinguished book historian and digital humanities researcher, and is Past President of the Bibliographical Society of Canada. A "meet and greet" is planned for later this month to give our UPEI and Island user communities an opportunity to welcome Dr. Kochkina in-person; further details will be announced shortly. 

Simon Lloyd, who served as interim University Librarian from July, 2025 - February, 2026, will be returning to his duties with our University Archives and Special Collections (UASC) unit, and will also be supporting Dr. Kochkina during her transition into the University Librarian role. 

The UPEI Department of Music is thrilled to be hosting its first Contemporary Music Festival, March 6-13, 2026. All events are open to the public and take place in Steel Recital Hall or the Performing Arts Centre Theatre.

The festival kicks off with pianist Megaria Halim in Archipelagic Voices: Folk and Contemporary Music by Southeast Asian Composers on Friday, March 6 at 7:30pm and continues with UPEI Department of Music Faculty in Bleakness and Beauty, featuring the music of PEI-born composer Amy Brandon, on Saturday, March 7 at 7:30pm.

Other performers or presenters include Indigenous cellist Cris Derksen, experimental jazz trio forgalhorn, and French contemporary music ensemble Proxima Centauri.

Tickets are available online or by cash at the door.

Join Sharon Meyers, William Whelan and John VanLeeuwen for a panel and Q & A session on Preparing for Tenure / Permanency and Promotion where they will talk about Putting it All Together. They will share observations from their experiences serving on review committees at the department and university level. Bring your questions about preparing your file to the Teaching and Learning Centre on Friday March 13 at 12:30pm.  

Every day, members of our community go above and beyond in ways that make our workplace stronger, kinder, and more connected. The Recognizing Remarkable Colleagues program is one way we celebrate those moments—and we invite you to be part of it.

Have you noticed a colleague who:

• Took time to support you or your team
• Went the extra mile to make someone’s day better
• Demonstrated our shared values through their actions

We want to hear about it.

What’s new?
As part of our continued efforts to grow and improve this program, we’ve introduced a new submission form. The colleague being recognized will automatically receive an email notification letting them know they’ve been recognized —and to watch for the next issue. A big thanks to Moshiur in ITSS for helping us set up this new work flow!

For more details on the program—including links to past issues and information about the new submission form—please click here. The deadline for our next issue is Friday, March 27, 2026.

Let’s keep the gratitude and recognition going by taking a moment to celebrate the remarkable people we work with every day.

Thank you for helping to build a culture of appreciation and connection.

We had originally scheduled the second annual edition of the "Hearts and Flowers" President's Town Hall for February 12, to fall in the month sometimes known for the time to give “hearts and flowers,” as well as for the short days of midwinter. We had to postpone the event due to a university closure caused by inclement weather.

The Town Hall has been rescheduled, and will be now held on Friday March 6!

President's Town Hall: Hearts and Flowers!
Friday, March 6, 2026 
2:00–3:00 pm 
Amphitheatre, Duffy Science Centre, DSC 135

The Town Hall will be an opportunity to share examples of success, what we are proud of at UPEI, and to give heart emojis and flower bouquets! Let's give a shoutout to campus community members and celebrate our Panther Pride.  

If you are unable to attend in person, you are welcome to join us virtually at this Teams Town Hall link.

The Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research (CVER) will host the visit of Prof. Elaine M. S. Dorneles, a Brazilian scholar, this March. She will work with Prof. Sanchez during her visit. Prof. Dorneles will give a seminar as part of CVER academic activities.

Speaker:     Elaine Maria Seles Dorneles, DVM PhD, Professor, Federal University of Lavras, Brazil

Title:           From farm to public health: A One-Health perspective on zoonotic diseases in Brazil

Date:           Thursday, March 5, 2026

Time:          2-3 p.m.

Location:    AVC Lecture Theatre B

Bio: Dr. Elaine M S Dorneles is a veterinarian and professor at the Federal University of Lavras (Universidade Federal de Lavras, UFLA), Brazil. She works in the field of animal health and public health. Her research focuses on zoonotic diseases, particularly brucellosis and tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases affecting dairy cattle, with emphasis on One Health, antimicrobial use and resistance, and milk quality and safety. She coordinates and participates in research and extension projects aimed at improving disease control strategies at the farm level and reducing risks to public health.)

The Moodle Gradebook can be a useful tool for keeping track of grades and keeping students informed of their performance throughout the course. This session will cover the basics of setting up and using a Moodle gradebook with opportunities for instructors teaching Spring semester courses to have their gradebooks set up as part of the demonstration. This session will be held online on March 24 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm. Please register to get an invite for the online session. 

Fisher Scientific is having an open information show in the foyer of KC Irving Chemistry Centre on March 11, 9:30 am-11:30 am.

This is an opportunity to meet and connect with your local Fisher Scientific team. There will be a chemical specialist and a safety/clean room specialist present so if you have any questions or inquiries on these topics please ask.

Today is the last day to pre-order for a custom UPEI hoodie (black or forest green) or crew (sport grey) with your program name on it. Pick up or delivery of all orders will be mid-April. If you are a current UPEI staff member enter the promo code STAFFWEB to use your staff discount. Contact us at bookstore@upei.ca for more information. 

https://upei.bookware3000.ca/Catalogue/custom-merch

You are invited to attend UPEI’s Administrative Services Showcase on Monday March 9, 12:00-2:00, McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre - an opportunity to connect directly with the administrative teams that support our campus community.

Information booths hosted by:

• Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Human Rights
• Human Resources
• Finance
• Communications
• IT Systems and Services
• Facilities
• Student Support Services

Each area will highlight what they do and the key processes and resources they manage - many identified through feedback shared during Dr. Jane Ngobia’s Listening Tour.

This event is designed to:

• Demonstrate how campus feedback has been heard 
• Showcase initiatives and improvements currently underway
• Clarify what colleagues can expect moving forward
• Identify items still under consideration
• Create space for renewed dialogue and campus engagement

Strengthen your understanding of administrative services, ask questions, gather resources, and be part of ongoing conversations about improving the systems that support learning and student success at UPEI. All faculty and staff are encouraged to drop in. Light snacks available

Teaching Community Conference 2026 - RSVP and Call for Proposals

The UPEI Teaching and Learning Centre is hosting its annual full-day Teaching Community Conference on Tuesday April 28, 2026.  This year’s theme will be: Connected Teaching: Connecting with Community, Self, and Place. RSVP Here.

The Teaching Community Conference is an opportunity to breathe further life into our  strategic commitment to innovative and connected teaching, research, and scholarship by sharing our experiences, challenges, and opportunities of advancing teaching and learning at UPEI. Conference participants are invited to reflect on this theme and consider relevant questions such as:  

• What supports, skills, and critical capacities do faculty need to embrace the relational and connected nature of teaching?
• As we consider expanding the walls of our classrooms and broadening our partnerships, how do we ensure we aren’t simply supplementing traditional teaching practices but rather transforming what teaching itself means?
• How does a commitment to relational and connected teaching help build faculty capacity to recognize and respond to structural barriers students face?  

We are looking for proposals from the UPEI community that highlight current  teaching and learning initiatives, share  new ideas, and build collaborative strategies for a more inclusive accessible, and courageous university. Proposals from staff and faculty are welcome. There are four formats suggested for proposals:

• Traditional Oral Presentation: Presenters share a talk about a teaching and learning project or topic related to the theme, speaking for about 20 minutes, followed by 5-10 minutes for questions.
• Lightning Talk: "Small Shifts, Significant Gains." Presenters share a teaching strategy or practice that they’ve found effective in supporting student learning, speaking for about ten minutes, followed by a short group discussion.
• Interactive Workshop: A hands-on session that encourages active participation and collaboration among attendees. The workshop could involve group activities, discussions, practical exercises, etc.
• Indigenous Sharing Circle: A facilitated, safe space for individuals to come together to discuss topics related to the theme, share their experiences, listen to each other, build relationships, offer support, and connect with each other.
• Facilitated Round table Discussion: A structured, collaborative conversation led by a facilitator to encourage open dialogue, balanced participation, and exploration of shared issues among participants. The session is guided by clear objectives and prompts, resulting in documented insights and agreed‑upon themes or recommendations.  

The deadline is extended to Monday, March 9, 2026. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to TLC@upei.ca.  

Proposals can be submitted here.

Multiple-choice questions provide an efficient means of assessing a broad range of knowledge. Still, mistaken assumptions persist (such as multiple-choice tests being limited to only assessing recognition of basic facts, rather than the effective application of principles).

In this session, Drs. Scott Cassidy and Blake Jelley (both of whom have used psychometrics in high-stakes testing contexts), will discuss how multiple-choice testing can be effectively deployed within course assessments – with a specific focus on promoting psychometric effectiveness. The session, which will use examples from in-class tests, will include a general discussion regarding the construction, quality assurance, and refinement of multiple-choice questions; as well as a demonstration of how statistical information available through the Remark® software in ITSS can be used to evaluate and refine such assessments.

This lunch and learn will take place in the UPEI Teaching and Learning Centre, located in the Robertson Library Annex (RL 230) on March 18 at 11:30 am.

Register here. Registration is not required, but you will receive an event invitation.

We are pleased to invite you to join us as we celebrate the launch of our new Major in Indigenous Studies.

This special event will introduce the program, highlight its vision and significance, and bring our community together in recognition of this important milestone.

Date: Wednesday, March 4
Time: 12:30 – 2:30 pm
Location: Schurman Market Square, Room 248, Don and Marion McDougall Hall

The celebration will feature traditional ceremonies led by our MCs, Bethany Paulisyn and Grace McQuaid, including:

• An Honour Song performed by Judy Clark, Thirly Levi, Doris Googoo, and Alicia Muttart
• Seven Sacred Teachings in Mi’kmaq shared by Doris Googoo

This new Major in Indigenous Studies reflects our ongoing commitment to Indigenous knowledge, education, research, and community engagement. We look forward to sharing more about the program and the opportunities it will create for our students and community.

We hope you can join us for this meaningful occasion.

Dr. Kayla Murphy, BA, MEd, Ed.D., a candidate for the tenure-track associate professor position in the Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research and Applied Studies (IKERAS), will give a research presentation titled "Relational Accountability in Education: Indigenous Methodologies, Student Experience, and Institutional Responsibility” on Friday, March 6, 2026, at 11:30 am in Bill and Denise Andrew Hall, Room 142.

The Catherine Callbeck Centre for Entrepreneurship invites you to join our Financial Fundamentals workshop. This workshop will provide an introduction to completing the core financial proformas required of a business startup:

• Income statement
• Balance sheet
• Cash flows
• Planning out your initial startup costs

The workshop will take place at Schurman Market Square, Don and Marion McDougall Hall on Friday, March 6. Sign up today!