Welcome to the following new employees who joined the University of Prince Edward Island community in June 2026:

• Lucy-Boss Adelaide, Comptroller’s Office
• Renee Boucher, Dean’s Office, Atlantic Veterinary College
• Jason Bradley, Facilities Management
• Kassinda Rose Bulger, Security Services
• Krista Cassell, Faculty of Medicine
• Em Coates, Research Services
• Camilla Daniels, Facilities Management
• Krista Gillis, Faculty of Nursing
• Qumrul Hassan, Security Services
• Megan Hasson, Procurement Services
• Gaitee Joshua, Dean’s Office, Atlantic Veterinary College
• Carolyn Kerr, Companion Animals, Atlantic Veterinary College
• Alannah MacNeil, Faculty of Medicine
• Aleisha Murnaghan, Faculty of Medicine
• Oluwafunbi Ogunmuyiwa, Office of the Associate Vice-President, Students
• Khanh Pham, Dean’s Office, Atlantic Veterinary College
• Trina Stewart, Faculty of Medicine
• Michelle Sylliboy, Faculty of Education
• Josh Vriends, UPEI Health and Wellness Centre
• Laura Weatherbie, Academic Affairs, Faculty of Medicine
• Paula Wood-Adams, Office of the Vice-President Academic and Research
• Farzana Zaman, Office of the Associate Vice-President, Students

We are excited to have you join the UPEI team!

The Department of Physics is once again hosting public viewings of the sun using our solar telescopes this summer. We invite you to join us on Friday, July 24, from 12:30-2:00 pm on the grassy area between Memorial Hall and Robertson Library. There you can view one layer of the sun's atmosphere (the chromosphere) through our ground-based telescope before climbing to the observatory and viewing another layer (the photosphere) through a different telescope. You'll get to see sunspots and prominences and learn about our nearest star.

If the weather is too cloudy on Friday, we will have to cancel this event, but we will be holding additional events later in the summer.

Check our website after 9:30 am on Friday for the status of the event.

Please be advised that the ITSS Student Help Desk at Robertson Library will be closed until Friday, July 24, 2026, at 8:00 am due to unforeseen circumstances. Student ITSS Help requests can be directed to our AVC Help Desk temporarily. 

Thank you for your understanding.

The campus community is cordially invited to attend teaching presentations by candidates for three (3) tenure-track Assistant Professor positions in the Faculty of Nursing. Details for each presentation are as follows: 

Presentation title: Advancing Nursing Education and Knowledge: Commitment, Challenges, and Future Directions

Candidate A  
Date and time: Thursday, July 16, 2026, 2:00 pm
Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/236081423712235?p=6ORkElYaoDNssnAhV2 

Candidate B
Date and time: Monday, July 20, 2026, 10:00 am
Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/233742446106903?p=t40CMaOJwIsfdgE6VZ 

Candidate C
Date and time: Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 2:00 pm
Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/225441575062726?p=8TZtB5PNOE0wZOwD6V 

Candidate D
Date and time: Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 9:30 am
Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/21072487546572?p=zaHfEEd6Cp0hKsD45r 

Candidate E
Date and time: Thursday, July 23, 2026, 10:00 am
Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/256386119221632?p=PHWitVnLxEerVkmnJ8 

All members of the campus community are encouraged to attend. 

If you're headed to the Pride Parade this weekend, check out our selection of UPEI Pride t-shirts and crews. https://upei.bookware3000.ca/clothing/unisexmen/pride

UPEI Bookstore open Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Please join us for MAIS student Lydia Glenn LeBlanc's defence of her thesis entitled “Why are they Deaf to the Voice of Humanity”: From Passage to Perished, Irish Immigration through Partridge Island, 1846 to 1853.” 

Supervisor is Dr. Rob Dennis (Religious Studies) and committee members are Dr. James Moran (History) and Dr. Ariana Patey (Religious Studies). External examiner is Dr. Rankin Shirling (Marion Military Institute, Alabama). 

The defence will be held on July 27 at 10:00 am in Memorial, Room104 and online. Open to everyone. 

Please contact Dr. Laurie at brinklow@upei.ca if you'd like to receive the Teams link.

Almost all universities across Canada have collective agreements with their faculty and staff, and negotiations are a routine part of the life cycle of these agreements. During 2026, the University of Prince Edward Island has been engaged in the process of negotiating new Collective Agreements with the UPEI Faculty Association (FA #1 and FA #2), CUPE 1870, CUPE 501, IBEW 1928, and PSAC.

The University will make every effort to keep employees, students, and community members informed about collective bargaining process and will share regular updates on the work underway at each table. Please refer upei.ca/labour for updates and access to resources.

The Faculty of Education would like to invite all to attend Carlos Avelar's public presentation of his MEd research titled: "Exploration of Identity, Belonging, and Authenticity Among Educators in North America". 

Please join us on July 27 at 1:00 pm, Memorial Hall, Room 308 or through Teams: see the link below:

Carlos Avelar Rodas - Thesis Dissertation Exam | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams

One of the signature events of the PEI Pride Festival is the annual PEI Pride Parade when individuals, families, friend groups, and organizations join a colourful line-up to walk through the streets of Charlottetown. Each year, the UPEI Student Union registers the University’s parade entry on behalf of the entire Panther community.

This year's PEI Pride Parade will take place on Saturday, July 25. All UPEI students, staff, faculty, alumni, and friends are invited to walk together in collective celebration and action! Wear bright rainbow colours and be ready to wave and cheer! 

Everyone is asked to meet in the parking lot off Terry Fox Drive behind the Government buildings at 9:30 am—look for the UPEI vehicle! Parade will start at 10 am.

Please be advised that the ITSS Student Help Desk at Robertson Library will be closed until Friday, July 24, 2026, at 8:00 am due to unforeseen circumstances. Student ITSS Help requests can be directed to our AVC Help Desk temporarily. 

Thank you for your understanding.

The Dexterra Group Food Services Team would like to update the campus community regarding our team leadership at UPEI.

We are pleased to share that Hans Sell has assumed the role of Food Service Director and will be your primary point of contact moving forward. For any catering requests or ongoing communication, please contact Holly Fredericks at holly.fredericks@dexterra.com, and for all other food service inquiries, please contact Hans directly at hans.sell@dexterra.com.

We appreciate your continued partnership and look forward to supporting you throughout the upcoming academic year.

Join your fellow UPEI, SDU, and PWC classmates to reminisce and make new memories in celebration of your milestone anniversaries!

Thursday, July 23, to Saturday, July 25, 2026

Milestone classes include

• UPEI Class of 2001 – 25 Years
• UPEI Class of 1996 – 30 Years
• UPEI Class of 1991 – 35 Years
• UPEI Class of 1986 – 40 Years
• UPEI Class of 1981 – 45 Years
• UPEI Class of 1976 – 50 Years
• UPEI Class of 1971 – 55 Years
• SDU Class of 1966 – 60 Years
• SDU Class of 1961 – 65 Years

On-campus events will take place on Friday, July 24. Please find the list below: 

SDU All-Years Luncheon
All Saint Dunstan’s University alumni are invited to this annual event. This event is free to attend.

11:30 am, W.A. Murphy Student Centre, McMillan Hall

Milestone Reunion Celebration
All are welcome to join us and celebrate our milestone reunion classes! Complimentary light refreshments will be provided, and there will be a cash bar. There will be music entertainment by The Ross Family (Ceilidh). Milestone class members who purchase their tickets in advance and attend will also receive a complimentary alumni gift. All UPEI, SDU, and PWC alumni are welcome.

6:00 pm, W.A. Murphy Student Centre, MacMillan Hall
Price: $15 in advance, $20 at the door

If you would like to register, please do so at the following link: https://forms.gle/egLbcJTx2MtX7e1d8

The campus community is cordially invited to attend teaching presentations by candidates for three (3) tenure-track Assistant Professor positions in the Faculty of Nursing. Details for each presentation are as follows: 

Presentation title: Advancing Nursing Education and Knowledge: Commitment, Challenges, and Future Directions

Candidate A  
Date and time: Thursday, July 16, 2026, 2:00 pm
Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/236081423712235?p=6ORkElYaoDNssnAhV2 

Candidate B
Date and time: Monday, July 20, 2026, 10:00 am
Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/233742446106903?p=t40CMaOJwIsfdgE6VZ 

Candidate C
Date and time: Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 2:00 pm
Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/225441575062726?p=8TZtB5PNOE0wZOwD6V 

Candidate D
Date and time: Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 9:30 am
Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/21072487546572?p=zaHfEEd6Cp0hKsD45r 

Candidate E
Date and time: Thursday, July 23, 2026, 10:00 am
Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/256386119221632?p=PHWitVnLxEerVkmnJ8 

All members of the campus community are encouraged to attend. 

The Research Travel Funding Program for students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members has observed steadily increasing application numbers over the past several years. To help manage application pressure and assist with budget forecasting, the following changes will be implemented now:

1) Faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students will be limited to receiving funding once every two calendar years. For example, if an applicant receives funding for travel to a conference in 2026, they will not be eligible to receive funding again until 2028. Note that this limit will apply retroactively to January 1, 2026--i.e., applicants who received funding in 2025 will remain eligible to receive funding in 2026.

2) Undergraduate students will be limited to receiving funding once during their undergraduate degree.

3) Retroactive application requests will no longer be accepted. Applicants must submit their travel funding request form in advance of their travel dates. Travel claims must be submitted within 30 days of returning from travel.

A few reminders: the travel grant is for researchers presenting their scholarly work; funding is not guaranteed, and applications will be declined if funds are exhausted for a particular fiscal year. A notice will be sent to the campus community if funds have been exhausted. Other sources of funding can be utilized to help offset the costs of travel for dissemination purposes. For example, for faculty members, this may include your PDTR fund and external grant applications. For students, this may include the UPEI Student Union’s Academic Enrichment Funding program and support available through your department or graduate program.

If you're headed to the Pride Parade this weekend, check out our selection of UPEI Pride t-shirts and crews. https://upei.bookware3000.ca/clothing/unisexmen/pride

UPEI Bookstore open Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

The Faculty of Education would like to invite all to attend Carlos Avelar's public presentation of his MEd research titled: "Exploration of Identity, Belonging, and Authenticity Among Educators in North America". 

Please join us on July 27 at 1:00 pm, Memorial Hall, Room 308 or through Teams: see the link below:

Carlos Avelar Rodas - Thesis Dissertation Exam | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams

One of the signature events of the PEI Pride Festival is the annual PEI Pride Parade when individuals, families, friend groups, and organizations join a colourful line-up to walk through the streets of Charlottetown. Each year, the UPEI Student Union registers the University’s parade entry on behalf of the entire Panther community.

This year's PEI Pride Parade will take place on Saturday, July 25. All UPEI students, staff, faculty, alumni, and friends are invited to walk together in collective celebration and action! Wear bright rainbow colours and be ready to wave and cheer! 

Everyone is asked to meet in the parking lot off Terry Fox Drive behind the Government buildings at 9:30 am—look for the UPEI vehicle! Parade will start at 10 am.

Human Resources is pleased to introduce UPEI’s Exit Interview Program, now in place as an ongoing initiative to better understand and improve the employee experience.

Exit interviews are a voluntary opportunity for employees who are leaving UPEI or transitioning to a new department to share feedback about their experience. Insights gathered will help identify trends and opportunities to strengthen our workplace. Aggregate findings will be shared in a confidential and appropriate manner.

Eligible employees will automatically receive a survey link. The survey will be sent from UPEI HR Engagement: survey@talentmap.com.

More information is available on the Human Resources SharePoint page.

If you have any questions, please contact the Employee Experience & Development team at hrengage@upei.ca.

A virtual 90-minute workshop on Research Project Management will be offered through the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies explaining how to use three one-page project management tools to plan and manage research. This workshop for graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and early career researchers will discuss the research project management tools: Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Gantt Charts, and deliverable-based tracking sheets. 

When: Monday September 28, 2:00-3:00 (Atlantic)
Where: Virtual - Teams (no recording available)
Cost: $15 - BUT: UPEI Faculty of Graduate Studies is offering 10 free tickets to research-focused UPEI graduate students/post-doctoral scholars on a first come, first serve basis - to request a free ticket please complete this Expression of Interest Form: EoI: Research Project Management Training

For more information on the workshop, tools to be covered, and/or to register directly: https://cags-aces.wildapricot.org/Research-Project-Management/

Tickets include participation in the 90-minute training session, all associated materials, and an official certificate of completion. 

Event Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 12:30 pm

Location: Atlantic Veterinary College

Room: Room 286A/287 (The McCain Foundation Learning Commons)

Looking for simple ways to increase student engagement without redesigning your course? Join the UPEI Teaching and Learning Centre for a practical Lunch and Learn on incorporating brief, evidence-informed active learning strategies into lectures. Explore techniques that help students think, discuss, retrieve, and apply what they are learning—all with minimal preparation. Participants will leave with practical strategies they can implement immediately in their own teaching.