Message from the President: So much to be grateful for

The following message was also distributed to students, staff, and faculty by email on October 10, 2023.

The horrific news reports concerning the violence in Israel and Palestine, the intensifying situation in Ukraine, and the earthquakes in Afghanistan are deeply troubling. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and communities that are impacted.

Seeing these tragic events unfold during this week of Thanksgiving serves as a reminder of the many things for which I am grateful: my family and friends, my colleagues, and the work I am very privileged to be involved in at the University of Prince Edward Island.

While we have faced challenges and have a tremendous amount of work ahead to rebuild trust in our provincial university, there remains much for us to appreciate. We are very fortunate to learn, live, and work in the city, province, and country that we do. I want to express my gratitude for the tremendous efforts being made by many to improve our campus culture and to create a safe work and learning environment.

On Tuesday, the Government of PEI announced five new members being appointed to the UPEI Board of Governors. The University is also seeking additional board members to fill the remaining vacancies. Filling the slate is only one way in which the Board is being renewed—a governance review is being planned, and equity, diversity, and inclusion training is being introduced for all members.

The UPEI Action Plan Advisory Group (APAG) has started to meet on a weekly basis in order to provide feedback to help inform the development of the public UPEI Action Plan, which will address recommendations outlined in the UPEI Review. In the spirit of transparency, the APAG is providing high-level weekly updates to the UPEI community on a dedicated web page on the upei.ca website.

We continue to hold listening sessions for individual faculties and units, as well as students. I am grateful to all those who have participated so far, sharing their concerns, asking questions, and offering suggestions. I appreciate the courage, respect, and honesty that has been demonstrated in each session. I further recognize that many of these conversations are very difficult and may trigger very difficult emotions.

UPEI faculty and staff can access resources on the HR site on myUPEI while eligible employees can call the Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-387-4765 for support. Also, we have added additional third-party counselling and disclosure support for employees as a result of the UPEI Review.

UPEI has a number of resources for students through UPEI Student Affairs, including academic advising and personal counselling (studentserv@upei.ca), and the International Student Office (irostu@upei.ca).  

I am grateful to our students—they are the principal reason UPEI exists. Our students’ drive, curiosity, and capacity to be change agents for UPEI, PEI, and beyond inspires me to be and to do better.

Every day, I am impressed by the work and achievements of our students and employees. Your dedication to education, innovation, and service will be the driving force behind our institution’s future success. There is so much to be grateful for.

Regards,

Greg

GREG KEEFE, DVM, MSc, MBA (he/him)
President and Vice-Chancellor (Interim)
University of Prince Edward Island