The excitement for this Saturday's Gold Rush draw is growing as big as the pot! With no winners in the last FOUR draws, the total pot has grown to more than $13,255, with half going to the winner of the draw.

Gold Rush is a virtual fundraising initiative that raises funds for UPEI’s athletic and recreation programs. You can now select a specific team, club, or program to direct your proceeds from each of your tickets. 

Play today and every week for a chance to win! Download the UPEI Panthers app from the App Store or on Google Play, or play from your computer. The weekly draw is held at 8:00 pm every Saturday.

As part of continuing to engage with the various audiences that make up the campus community, Dr. Greg Keefe, interim President and Vice-Chancellor would like to invite you to a series of Campus Town Halls where he will give brief updates as well as listen to your concerns and respond to questions.

Six 90-minute in-person events are planned: two each for faculty, staff, and students to help accommodate schedules. Those who cannot attend in person due to work-from-home arrangements/other accommodations can join via Zoom.

Participants are asked to attend one of the two town halls for the group that is applicable to them.

Faculty Town Halls

1. Wednesday, March 20, 3:00–4:30 pm
   Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium, Don and Marion McDougall Hall (MCDH 242)
   Zoom: https://upei.zoom.us/j/63841183049?pwd=WS9vU1c4Z0pmNkIra21UVlc1R2pldz09

2. Friday, March 22, 10:00–11:30 am
   Duffy Science Centre Amphitheatre (DSC 135)
   Zoom: https://upei.zoom.us/j/69749369292?pwd=RUswS0pvNnhDQTlHc01USGhiUTRLQT09

Staff Town Halls

1. Monday, March 25, 1:00–2:30 pm
   Performing Arts Centre Theatre (PAC 121 S)
   Zoom: https://upei.zoom.us/j/64618483493?pwd=SHQwUCt1Y3ZOYkt0ckovaGRKdmhGQT09

2. Wednesday, March 27, 10:00–11:30 am
   Duffy Science Centre Amphitheatre (DSC 135)
   Zoom: https://upei.zoom.us/j/65439065003?pwd=MjZ6TXFvdnNDLzc3d0MxK2FUcUlldz09

Student Town Halls

1. Tuesday, March 26, 3:00–4:30 pm
   Performing Arts Centre Theatre (PAC 121 S)
   Zoom: https://upei.zoom.us/j/66581563155?pwd=MXc1YnpsOFBkNFAyL1NDd2svU0Z0dz09

2. Thursday, March 28, 1:30–3:00 pm
   Performing Arts Centre Theatre (PAC 121 S)
   Zoom: https://upei.zoom.us/j/69611619672?pwd=bWhMeUFRZFBkWXF4RFZoY1hVa2xFdz09

If you are unable to participate in the scheduled town halls, you are welcome to provide feedback or send comments to president@upei.ca at any time.

**PLEASE NOTE UPDATED DEADLINE of March 22, 2024:***

SkillsPEI is a division of the PEI Department of Workforce, Advanced Learning, and Population. It manages the design and delivery of employment and skills development programming funded by the Canada-Prince Edward Island Labour Market Development Agreement and Canada-PEI Workforce Development Agreement. 

Through SkillsPEI, the Post-Secondary Student Program supports full-time post-secondary students working a minimum of 12 to a maximum of 18 weeks during the summer. The exact number of weeks designated per placement will be based on factors such as but not limited to position, wage, and the likelihood of opportunity for experiential learning. Students must be entering or returning to full-time post-secondary studies in the fall.  

Wage subsidy offered:

• Employer can set the wage rate but must provide a minimum of $14.50/hour and will be funded up to $15.80/hour. 
• Employers will be reimbursed 100% of the approved hourly wage plus 4% vacation pay to a maximum of 40 hours per week for the total weeks approved.
• Note: The subsidy does not include 8% benefits, so additional funding must be sourced elsewhere.

To centralize the administration of this program for UPEI researchers, Research Services is accepting/submitting research-related applications. To apply for the program, please provide the following details to Research Services (researchservices@upei.ca) by the closing date of March 22, 2024:

• Project or activity description
• Position title 
• Job activities/duties 
• Objectives to be achieved
• Education and skills required
• Duration including start and end date and total weeks
• Rate of pay (hourly)
• Mentorship plan
• Supervisor name and contact details 

For additional information about the program, please click here. UPEI researchers may contact Maria Steele, Manager of Research Services, for more details (mlsteele@upei.ca).

The Faculty of Education invites members of the campus community–students, faculty, and staff–to attend a public presentation by Deneen Gallant-Norring, candidate for a ten-month term position in our Bachelor of Education (français langue seconde) program. The presentation takes place from 1:15 to 2:15 pm on Monday, March 18, in Memorial Hall 308. For further information, contact Karen-Anne O’Halloran.

The Department of Physics has been getting many inquiries from members of the campus community about how and where to acquire eclipse glasses. To ensure that you get safe eclipse glasses, you should purchase from a vendor or brand that is listed on the American Astronomical Society's Suppliers of Safe Solar Viewers and Filters page. There are many vendors there that are listed as being in Canada, which can save you time and money on shipping. You may also be able to purchase eclipse glasses from some local retailers, although stock is shifting rapidly so you will have to do your own inquiries to find where glasses are still available.

Our department has also prepared a website with general information about the solar eclipse on PEI. The eclipse will take place on the afternoon of Monday, April 8. It will be a partial (~99%) eclipse in Charlottetown, but it will be a total eclipse in parts of western PEI. You can find details of the timing of the event on our eclipse website and information about safe viewing.

We hope for clear skies on April 8 and that you can all view the eclipse safely.

The Office of Commercialization, Industry, and Innovation (OCII) and UPEI Co-operative Education are hosting a joint event on March 21 at 2:30 pm in AVC 286A to build awareness of funding undergraduate co-op student placements through partnered Mitacs Business Strategy Internships (BSI) and Mitacs Accelerate grants. This event will be structured around information sharing and networking, where industry, community organizations, UPEI faculty members, and co-op students will be invited to discuss collaborative project ideas and funding opportunities. This will provide a setting for external companies/organizations to visit UPEI, connect with faculty members with relevant expertise, and find co-op students interested in their projects. Co-op awards for students and employer of the year will also be presented during the networking part of the event. 

Faculty interested in learning more about these partnership opportunities are encouraged to register using the following form - https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=9KUeeE99lUaXGGaCg81bvoJXmU6pEYpHtwAB4QF7YchUNkdGTEQ2WUtMVVdOMEVWWkpPUjNMSVdJWS4u

On Wednesday, March 20, ITSS will conduct routine maintenance on the myUPEI portal and related services from 8:00 pm to midnight. During this time, there may be intermittent access to and performance issues with myUPEI, Self-Service, and Colleague.

We encourage students, faculty, and staff who may need documents or links located on myUPEI to plan ahead and bookmark or download the resources they may need during this period.

As a reminder, you can access Moodle directly using https://moodle.upei.ca and Outlook email directly using https://outlook.office.com.

If you have any questions, please contact the ITSS Help Desk at 902-566-0465.

Presenter: Emmanuel Neokye

Title: "The role of climate change and its Impacts on marine fisheries resources”

Date/Time/Location: Tuesday March 19, 2024, 9:00 am, AVC 287N

Everyone is welcome.

Shannon MacDonald, Chair of the UPEI Board of Governors and Presidential Search Committee, issued a message to the campus community on March 5 about the Fireside Chats with the Finalist Candidates for the UPEI Presidential Search. Read the full message.

These sessions are in-person and limited to current UPEI students, staff, and faculty. Campus community members are asked to keep all discussions and comments confidential and not share names of the candidates during or after their visits to the University. Recording the fireside chats is strictly prohibited and no recordings will be distributed following the sessions.  

All those who wish to attend must pre-register using their UPEI credentials through this form (https://forms.office.com/r/UFvwj3USD5). Those who cannot attend in person due to work-from-home arrangements/other accommodations can indicate this in the form and will be sent a Zoom link to watch live.

• Candidate 1, Friday, March 8, 2024, 1:30–2:30 pm, Performing Arts Centre 121S
• Candidate 2, Monday, March 11, 2024, 1:30–2:30 pm, Duffy Science Centre Amphitheatre 135
• Candidate 3, Monday, March 18, 2024, 1:30–2:30 pm, Performing Arts Centre 121S

Members of the campus community members have an opportunity to provide feedback anonymously regarding the candidates following the fireside chats and small-group meetings until March 21, 2024, at https://forms.office.com/r/F6YY4K6J1D

The UPEI Health and Wellness Centre is conducting a survey to receive feedback on the services it provides. The deadline to participate in the survey has been extended to March 22, 2024, at 4:00 pm. If you or your family member have used the services of the health centre in the past two years, please take five minutes to complete the survey at https://forms.office.com/r/h0JzhrStAs?origin=lprLink. 

We appreciate your time and consideration. We are always looking for ways to improve the services we provide, and your feedback can help us to identify what is working well and what could be improved. Thank you!

Join the International Student Office and the Robertson Library on Tuesday, March 19, as we present What Walaa Wants, the compelling story of a defiant young woman who dreams of becoming a policewoman in the Palestinian Security Forces (PSF). The film will be shown in the Robertson Library, Room 235, at 6:00 pm. Doors will open at 5:30 pm.

The Faculty of Business will host an Open House for the Master of Business Administration in Global Leadership (MBA-GL) program on Tuesday, March 19, from 4:30–6:00 pm in Schurman Market Square, Don and Marion McDougall Hall.

This session will offer attendees the opportunity to learn more about the program and application process, have any questions answered, and meet with students, alumni, professors, and staff from the Faculty of Business.

Attendees will be able to apply on-site (please bring a laptop or mobile device) and have their UPEI application fee waived ($50 CAD value).

For more information about UPEI’s MBA in Global Leadership program, please visit upei.ca/globalmba, or email mba@upei.ca.

The Faculty of Education invites members of the campus community–students, faculty, and staff–to attend a public presentation by Deneen Gallant-Norring, candidate for a ten-month term position in our Bachelor of Education (français langue seconde) program. The presentation takes place from 1:15 to 2:15 pm on Monday, March 18, in Memorial Hall 308. For further information, contact Karen-Anne O’Halloran.

The Department of Physics has been getting many inquiries from members of the campus community about how and where to acquire eclipse glasses. To ensure that you get safe eclipse glasses, you should purchase from a vendor or brand that is listed on the American Astronomical Society's Suppliers of Safe Solar Viewers and Filters page. There are many vendors there that are listed as being in Canada, which can save you time and money on shipping. You may also be able to purchase eclipse glasses from some local retailers, although stock is shifting rapidly so you will have to do your own inquiries to find where glasses are still available.

Our department has also prepared a website with general information about the solar eclipse on PEI. The eclipse will take place on the afternoon of Monday, April 8. It will be a partial (~99%) eclipse in Charlottetown, but it will be a total eclipse in parts of western PEI. You can find details of the timing of the event on our eclipse website and information about safe viewing.

We hope for clear skies on April 8 and that you can all view the eclipse safely.

Join Courtney Matthews and Kim Mears for a Lunch and Learn session to learn about Open Educational Resources (OERs) and some alternatives for licensing Indigenous OERs. They'll start with the larger OER conversation and how OERs benefit students and the academy, share resources for finding existing OERs, and then take a look at the local UPEI OER context. There will be ample time to discuss details that specifically support OER creation for Indigenous researchers and educators. We'll be in the Teaching and Learning Centre, Robertson Library Annex, Room 230, on April 5 from 11:30 am-12:30 pm.

The Office of Commercialization, Industry, and Innovation (OCII) and UPEI Co-operative Education are hosting a joint event on March 21 at 2:30 pm in AVC 286A to build awareness of funding undergraduate co-op student placements through partnered Mitacs Business Strategy Internships (BSI) and Mitacs Accelerate grants. This event will be structured around information sharing and networking, where industry, community organizations, UPEI faculty members, and co-op students will be invited to discuss collaborative project ideas and funding opportunities. This will provide a setting for external companies/organizations to visit UPEI, connect with faculty members with relevant expertise, and find co-op students interested in their projects. Co-op awards for students and employer of the year will also be presented during the networking part of the event. 

Faculty interested in learning more about these partnership opportunities are encouraged to register using the following form - https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=9KUeeE99lUaXGGaCg81bvoJXmU6pEYpHtwAB4QF7YchUNkdGTEQ2WUtMVVdOMEVWWkpPUjNMSVdJWS4u

The PEI Federation of Agriculture is conducting a survey to better understand how Islanders think of agriculture. This 10-minute survey is open to everyone living on Prince Edward Island. All participants have the chance to enter a draw for a $50 gift card to the Atlantic Superstore. To take the survey, follow this link: https://forms.gle/uBnTo74uxabx4VAS9 This research is part of the coursework for a group of students who are doing their capstone course for Environmental Studies 4010: Public Scholars on Environmental Issues.

Duo Concertante returns to PEI on Saturday, March 16, at 7:30 pm with a program entitled Spirited Away. The performance will take place on the SDU Stage, Dr. Steel Recital Hall at UPEI.

This recital will feature works by Beethoven, Saint Saens, Khachaturian and Maier, with a performance of a piece by Alice Pee Ying-Ho, commissioned by Duo Concertante with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

For 23 years, violinist Nancy Dahn and pianist Timothy Steeves have built an international career as artist and life partners in the Canadian chamber ensemble Duo Concertante. Award-winning artists, champions of new music, visionary artistic directors, and inspiring mentors, they have forged a musical legacy and strive to provoke thought and engagement through their art.

Accessible parking is available, and the Dr. Steel Recital Hall has an accessible entrance via elevator.

On Wednesday, March 20, ITSS will conduct routine maintenance on the myUPEI portal and related services from 8:00 pm to midnight. During this time, there may be intermittent access to and performance issues with myUPEI, Self-Service, and Colleague.

We encourage students, faculty, and staff who may need documents or links located on myUPEI to plan ahead and bookmark or download the resources they may need during this period.

As a reminder, you can access Moodle directly using https://moodle.upei.ca and Outlook email directly using https://outlook.office.com.

If you have any questions, please contact the ITSS Help Desk at 902-566-0465.

Presenter: Emmanuel Neokye

Title: "The role of climate change and its Impacts on marine fisheries resources”

Date/Time/Location: Tuesday March 19, 2024, 9:00 am, AVC 287N

Everyone is welcome.