Campus Notices
September has been a busy month of new beginnings, changing routines, and renewed connections across campus. Along the way, many of us have benefited from a colleague's support, encouragement, or willingness to go the extra mile. If someone helped make your September better, consider taking a moment to recognize them through our Recognizing Remarkable Colleagues program. Their impact deserves to be celebrated.
Our Recognizing Remarkable Colleagues feature celebrates the individuals who help make UPEI a supportive and welcoming place to work and learn.
Consider nominating a colleague who has:
- Supported you or your team during a busy time
- Gone above and beyond to help others
- Made a lasting positive impact through their actions
We want to celebrate them!
For details about the program, including links to past issues and access to the submission form, please click here.
Recognition doesn't have to be for a grand gesture. Sometimes it's the everyday kindness, reliability, and commitment of our colleagues that deserve a moment in the spotlight. If someone helped make your September a little easier, brighter, or more successful, we'd love to hear about them.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, September 25, 2026.
Thank you for helping us celebrate the remarkable people who make UPEI such a great community.
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.
Faculty and staff are invited to share their feedback on Welcome Week 2026! Whether or not you participated in Welcome Week events or activities, your feedback will help the Office of Student Culture and Community Standards inform future planning and support the student experience at UPEI.
The faculty and staff Welcome Week feedback survey is anonymous and takes approximately 3-5 minutes to complete. Complete the survey by September 25, 2026, and you can enter for a chance to win one of two UPEI prize packs.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Student Experience Coordinator Susie Zavala at szavala@upei.ca.
Join the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's virtual Lunch and Learn series this week exploring Indigenous perspectives, reconciliation, leadership, health, and confronting residential school denialism. Campus colleagues are especially invited to gather in the Teaching and Learning Centre, Robertson Library 228 on Thursday, September 24 at 3:00 pm to watch Honouring Indigenous Leadership: Perspectives for a Shared Future together.
The UPEI Philosophy Reading Group will meet on Wednesday, September 23, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm in the Lady Slipper Room, Charlottetown Library Learning Centre, 97 Queen Street.
We will discuss pages 27-44 of Félix Guattari’s The Three Ecologies.
This group is an invitation to think with some of today’s most intriguing thinkers—and with one another. No prior experience in philosophy is required. Just an open mind and a willingness to experiment with ideas.
If you would like to attend, please reach out to Dr. Max Schaefer at mschaefer@upei.ca for more information.
“Ecology must stop being associated with the image of a small nature-loving minority. [...] Ecology in my sense questions the whole of subjectivity and capitalistic power formations.” - Guattari
"If there were no philosophy, we wouldn't realize our own level of stupidity. Philosophy prevents stupidity from being as great as it would be if there were no philosophy. That's its splendor." - Deleuze
On Wednesday, September 23, ITSS will conduct maintenance on the myUPEI Self-Service Application and related services from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. During this time, there may be intermittent access to and performance issues with myUPEI, Self-Service, and Colleague.
As a reminder, you can access Moodle directly using https://moodle.upei.ca and Outlook email using https://outlook.office.com. If you have any questions, please fill out our new Help Form: https://go.upei.ca/itrequest
The Faculty of Education is going to have a table in the W.A. Murphy Student Center concourse to answer questions you have when applying for the Bachelor of Education program.
Date: Tuesday, September, 22 from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm and Wednesday, September, 23 from 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm.
Location: W.A. Murphy Murphy Student Center concourse
Please come by and chat about the 1-year Bachelor of Education program if you are considering becoming a teacher after graduation. We will answer questions you have about applications!
Participants are being sought for a study on the effects of acute sauna therapy on controlling blood sugar levels in individuals living with overweight or obesity. The study is led by Dr. Étienne Myette-Côté, assistant professor of Applied Human Sciences at UPEI.
The purpose of the study is to understand how a single 45-minute infrared sauna session affects blood sugar levels. Participants will complete two sessions (sauna and rest), wear a small blood sugar sensor, and attend a total of three lab visits. All meals for study days will be provided. All sessions take place at the Steel Building, Room #119.
Potential participants may be eligible if they are 30 to 55 years old; have a body mass index equal to or greater than 27 kg/m2; have a waist size greater than 102 cm for men or greater than 88 cm for women; and are cleared for participation based on the results of a physical activity readiness questionnaire. People are not eligible if they take medications that affect blood sugar; exercise intensely twice a week; have diabetes, heart issues, and low blood sugar or pressure; are pregnant; regularly use saunas or other heat therapy; and consume more than seven alcoholic drinks per week on average.
To find out more about the study, email researchupei@outlook.com
Join IKERAS as we honour the Survivors of Indian Residential Schools and remember the children who never returned home.
Wear your orange shirt to show your support for Truth and Reconciliation!
Date: September 24
Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
- 1:00 pm | The Tipi - Smudging ceremony
- 1:15 pm | UPEI Campus - Smudge walk
- 2:00 pm | McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre - Phyllis Webstad's orange shirt story and community lunch
The Canadian Association for Graduate Studies Community of Practice on Graduate Supervision is hosting their first 2026-2027 national webinar entitled "From First Conversations to Final Stages: Setting Expectations, Building Communication, and Supporting Completion."
This webinar welcomes UAlberta's Dr. Tracy Raivio and Dr. Kara Schick-Makaroff, who will explore how supervisors can establish clear, mutual expectations from the start of the supervisory relationship, and share strategies for supporting students through the final stages of completion, including those in the All But Dissertation (ABD) stage.
2:00-3:30 pm Atlantic
September 25, 2026
Click to Register
The National Community of Practice on Graduate Supervision was created for and by those doing the work of graduate supervision. It is a space for open exchange, shared learning and informal collaboration across institutions, roles and experience levels.
Are you a graduate student looking to strengthen your teaching practice, prepare for future academic roles, or build confidence as an instructor? Whether you're new to teaching or have completed the Certificate in University Teaching Quick Start, the University Teaching Domain Certificate: Learner Centredness offers an opportunity to explore evidence-informed approaches to teaching and learning.
Designed for graduate students, this program helps participants develop practical teaching skills for teaching assistantships and future instructional roles. Through self-paced learning, reflection, discussion, and application, you'll build a foundation in effective and inclusive teaching practices.
Dates and Times:
- October 1 – How People Learn, 12:00-1:00 pm (Please note the change in the date for this session.)
- October 21 – Presentation Prep, 12:00-1:00 pm
- November 18 – Universal Design for Learning (UDL), 12:00-1:00 pm
Bring your own lunch and join us for an engaging session.
Location: Robertson Library Annex 230
Hosted by: The Teaching and Learning Centre
This year’s Shannon K. Murray Lecture Hope for Humans features Dr. Kevin Gannon, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence and Professor of History at Queens University of Charlotte.
The Shannon K. Murray Lecture on Hope and the Academy will take place on Tuesday, September 22, at 3:30 pm in SDU Main Building, Faculty Lounge, Room 201.
The Shannon K. Murray Lecture on Hope and the Academy was established in 2023 to honour the achievements of Dr. Shannon Murray, an award-winning professor of English and a 3M National Teaching Fellow. In 2022, Dr. Murray received the Christopher Knapper Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the highest honours awarded in Canada for teaching and learning in higher education.
All are welcome.
The first UPEI Board of Governors meeting of the 2026-2027 academic year will take place on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 4:00 pm in Room 102, Alumni Hall. All board meetings include sessions that are open to the public. Certain agenda items, including but not limited to human resources discussions, may require the board to go into a closed session.
For logistical purposes, members of the public who wish to attend the open session of a meeting are asked to contact board@upei.ca one week prior to the meeting. Members of the public wishing to attend the public portion of a meeting must adhere to the UPEI Board of Governors' Meeting Observer Guidelines.
Attend the second annual CCCE Speaker Spotlight and Startup Showcase, open to all UPEI students, alumni, and members of the community. This networking event features a showcase of innovative ventures being built by current and recently graduated UPEI students, provides an opportunity for students to connect with one another, alumni, and members of the community, and provides a keynote speech from accomplished serial entrepreneur Jordan Fraser.
Join us on September 22 at 5:00 - 7:00 pm in McMillan Hall, W.A. Murphy Student Centre, sign up here!
Looking to strengthen your skills or bring new knowledge back to your team? The UPEI Office of Continuing Education and Professional Development (OCEPD) has a wide range of practical professional development opportunities available to UPEI staff this fall. Choose from leadership, AI, project management, data analytics, case management, workplace skills, and more.
Full-time UPEI staff can take eligible certificate programs and microcredentials for just $995. Take advantage of this special staff rate to invest in your professional growth.
Certificates and Microcredentials
- Certificate in Collaborative Leadership — Starts September 22, 2026.
- Certificate in Case Management (online) — Starts September 28, 2026.
- Certificate in Motivational Interviewing — Starts October 1, 2026.
- Microcredential in Applied Artificial Intelligence for the Workplace — Starts October 5, 2026.
- New Managers Certificate — Starts October 6, 2026.
- New Managers Certificate (online) — Starts October 13, 2026.
- Certificate in Project Management — Starts October 19, 2026.
- Certificate in Professional Office Administration(online) — Starts October 27, 2026.
- Certificate in Mental Health Case Work — Starts November 5, 2026.
- Certificate in Introductory Data Analytics – Bridging Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis — Starts December 16, 2026.
Workshops
- Understanding Epekwitk Through Mi'kmaq Perspectives – Developing Cultural Competency Through Indigenous Knowledge, History, and Outlooks — Starts September 28, 2026.
- The Adult Learner: Course Design and Facilitation Workshop(online) — Starts November 18, 2026.
Learn Anytime — Self-Paced Online Courses
This is an excellent opportunity to build new skills, strengthen your current role, prepare for future opportunities, and invest in your professional development at a significantly reduced rate. Learn more about the UPEI staff professional development discount through the UPEI Human Resources staff discount page.
Questions or looking for the right professional development opportunity for you? Contact pdp@upei.ca.
The UPEI Philosophy Reading Group will meet on Wednesday, September 23, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm in the Lady Slipper Room, Charlottetown Library Learning Centre, 97 Queen Street.
We will discuss pages 27-44 of Félix Guattari’s The Three Ecologies.
This group is an invitation to think with some of today’s most intriguing thinkers—and with one another. No prior experience in philosophy is required. Just an open mind and a willingness to experiment with ideas.
If you would like to attend, please reach out to Dr. Max Schaefer at mschaefer@upei.ca for more information.
“Ecology must stop being associated with the image of a small nature-loving minority. [...] Ecology in my sense questions the whole of subjectivity and capitalistic power formations.” - Guattari
"If there were no philosophy, we wouldn't realize our own level of stupidity. Philosophy prevents stupidity from being as great as it would be if there were no philosophy. That's its splendor." - Deleuze
Faculty and staff are invited to share their feedback on Welcome Week 2026! Whether or not you participated in Welcome Week events or activities, your feedback will help the Office of Student Culture and Community Standards inform future planning and support the student experience at UPEI.
The faculty and staff Welcome Week feedback survey is anonymous and takes approximately 3–5 minutes to complete. Complete the survey by September 25, 2026, and you can enter for a chance to win one of two UPEI prize packs.
Please also encourage students to share their feedback! The student Welcome Week feedback survey is anonymous and takes approximately 5–7 minutes to complete. Students who complete the survey by September 21, 2026, can enter for a chance to win one of ten $50 UPEI Bookstore gift cards.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Student Experience Coordinator Susie Zavala at szavala@upei.ca.
On Wednesday, September 23, ITSS will conduct maintenance on the myUPEI Self-Service Application and related services from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. During this time, there may be intermittent access to and performance issues with myUPEI, Self-Service, and Colleague.
As a reminder, you can access Moodle directly using https://moodle.upei.ca and Outlook email using https://outlook.office.com. If you have any questions, please fill out our new Help Form: https://go.upei.ca/itrequest
The Faculty of Education is going to have a table in the W.A. Murphy Student Center concourse to answer questions you have when applying for the Bachelor of Education program.
Date: Tuesday, September, 22 from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm and Wednesday, September, 23 from 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm.
Location: W.A. Murphy Murphy Student Center concourse
Please come by and chat about the 1-year Bachelor of Education program if you are considering becoming a teacher after graduation. We will answer questions you have about applications!
How can higher education embrace generative AI while keeping human learning, relationships, and critical thinking at the centre? This thought-provoking blog explores four key transformations that can help educators and institutions navigate the opportunities and challenges of GenAI with purpose and integrity. Read the blog: Four Transformations to Lean into as We Navigate GenAI in Higher Education
